LAS VEGAS, NV – In a year of never-ending real estate news, 2017 comes to a close with Las Vegas as the region of the United States with the fastest-climbing real estate market; today, let’s take a look back and evaluate some of the highlights – and, considering what a red-letter year it’s been for Nevada, that’s no small task – in anticipation of what is yet to come in 2018.

Raiders Stadium: The former Oakland Raiders will be transplanting themselves to Las Vegas in 2020, and to make them feel at home, in May they purchased a 63-acre plot of land located at Dean Martin Drive and Russell Road in order to construct a massive $2 billion stadium and practice facility – with $750 million of that amount coming from public funding sources – which officially broke ground in November. The project has been credited with increasing tourism interest in Las Vegas, as well as serving as a beacon to companies interested in setting-up shop in Southern Nevada due to the local economic benefits the famous NFL team is providing, even well before their arrival in two years.

World Market Center: Wall Street-based investment firm The Blackstone group made a particularly noteworthy acquisition in Las Vegas in 2017- the World Market Center, a nearly 5.5 million square-foot furniture showroom facility located on Grand Central Parkway at Bonneville Avenue. The purchase, the cost of which was not made public, was announced in September, which was the same time-frame as Blackstone’s procurement of International Market Centers, which owns furniture showrooms located in both Vegas and North Carolina. Blackstone has made several high-profile purchases of Las Vegas real estate in the last few years, including the Las Vegas Strip-based The Cosmopolitan, a 3,000-room hotel.

Fontainebleau: The infamous 60-story hotel, which has been standing overlooking the Strip in its partially-constructed state for years due to the iron grip of the mid-2000’s housing bubble burst upon Southern Nevada, has changed hands several times; in August, real estate investment firms Witkoff and New Valley made public a deal where they acquired the property from the previous owner, Billionaire Carl Icahn, for the sum of $600 million (Icahn had purchased during the depths of the recession for $150 million), with the hopes of finishing the facility for an as-of-yet unannounced purpose (although presumably it will take the form of a hotel of some sort), with the project currently carrying the temporary moniker “Project Blue” as new development efforts are set to commence in 2018.

Alon: The Alon site, a 38 acre expanse of land located on the Strip adjacent to the Fashion Show Shopping Mall, was purchased in December for $336 million by billionaire developer Steve Wynn, who has purchased several properties in the area in recent years – including the $1.5 billion Paradise Park hotel and resort – although it is currently unknown what his plans are for his newest acquisition, the sale of which will be finalized in the first quarter of 2018. At the moment, representatives for Wynn have merely stated that they are purchasing the Alon site and some of its adjacent property – which has changed ownership hands several times over the years, including in 2007 and 2014 – for “future development.”

Town Square: A large open-air retail and office complex located at Las Vegas Boulevard and Sunset Road, Town Square Las Vegas was sold in January to investment firms TIAA and Fairbourne Partners; price was not publicly disclosed, but according to reports the companies took out a $215.6 million mortgage in connection to the acquisition of the 100-acre property, which was seized via foreclosure by creditors in 2011. Retailers already in-place at Town Square include Apple, The Container Store, and Whole Foods Market, in addition to office tenants such as SolarCity.

 Looking for information on investment properties in the area? Give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

NEVADA – Las Vegas has, for decades, has been considered the epicenter of lavish hotel accommodations and casinos emphasizing games of chance and potentially big payouts for lucky competitors. However, in the new era of Vegas, defined now by a steadily rising and recovering real estate market and skyrocketing economy propped up by renewed business interest in the region, some casinos are attempting to cash-in not as much on gamblers, but more on tourists in a more family-friendly version of Las Vegas which has risen from the mid-2000’s housing bubble.

For instance, the former Monte Carlo casino resort – now known as the Park MGM casino resort, located on the famed Vegas strip – is undergoing a large-scale renovation, with the stated goal being to transform the property from what many considered an out-of-date, middle of the road property, to a classy, sophisticated hotel with the trappings of higher-class casino games in a bid to attract a younger demographic. Glitz and glamour will be downplayed in favor of what the developers are referring to as a more “romantic” feel, with décor featuring the roots of trees growing out of ceilings, opulent crystal chandeliers, and priceless works of art by masters such as the famous Pablo Picasso.

Park MGM will still boast a whopping 2,700 rooms, but approximately 290 of those rooms – located on the topmost floors of the hotel – will be turned into NoMad Las Vegas, an upscale series of suites. Gone from the Park MGM are garishly patterned carpets, drapes and bright, pastel colors; in their place are subdued hues, such as reds and greens – and furnishings featuring more artsy character.

The reasoning behind the $450 million re-design, according to the developers, is that modern affluent youth are typically turned off aesthetics they may associate with kitsch or tackiness, and as a result a more cutting-edge, modern design aesthetic is being embraced by the Park to evolve with the times. In addition, younger people have demonstrated less interest in gambling activities and as a result, the Park will be including upgrades featuring more varied entertainment options to appeal to this group.

While gambling will be scaled back in some respects, it will remain as a central attraction to retain the resort’s current, core audience, mostly made up of an older demographic; however, one notable omission from the premises once the facility re-opens after completion of the renovation are slot machines, AKA one-armed bandits.

Park MGM follows in the footsteps of several other high-profile casinos on the strip who have experienced faltering business but have seen a resurgence after successfully renovating and re-branding themselves to accommodate changing times and tastes. The Park MGM will, upon re-opening – have 90 percent of the renovated rooms expected to be open for rental starting in January of 2018. Park will offer rooms starting at $88 a night to lure in younger customers, and the company is counting on the property’s central location on the Las Vegas strip making it a powerful draw for tourists of all ages going forward.

Need real estate assistance in the fast-evolving Vegas market? Thinking of relocating here? Maybe just visiting and poking around? Please feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – California is known for a great many things- it’s the epicenter of the nation’s entertainment industry, home to countless movie stars, a leader in environmental causes, technology, and much more. However, unfortunately, once you peer beneath the star-studded veneer and look upon the working class in the so-called “Golden State,” you’ll see a population who is struggling to make ends meet and who are looking for a better way of life.

Many Californians are turning to Las Vegas for the opportunities they feel are being denied to them at home in a bid to finally achieve success.

The high cost of living in California has resulted in a great deal of hardship for the middle-class – with many people finding it necessary to move back in with their parents just to make ends meet – and like in many other areas of the country, people are finding it harder and harder despite working 40+ hours a week with many of them fleeing what they see as a sinking ship. An example- Michael J. Van Essen, a retiree from Silver Lake, California finally got tired of paying $1,160 for a single-bedroom apartment and decided to pick up and move out of state, where he found he could get much more for less.

One region in particular where they’re fleeing to is – you guessed it – Las Vegas, Nevada, where the recent economic and housing boom, revitalizing the area after over a decade of dormancy, has painted it as a very attractive destination for those looking to begin their lives anew for a number of quite valid reasons. For one, it’s situated close to California, so the cost and hassle of moving a lifetime of belongings is minimal when compared to heading elsewhere in the county. Also, due to the spike in the economy in Vegas in the last few years, it’s become a bona-fide hotbed of job and career activity, with numerous businesses, companies, and high-profile major league sports teams are transplanting themselves here; the job market in Southern Nevada is also growing by leaps and bounds with no signs of slowing down, so for now, it seems, obvious it is becoming a magnet for hopefuls looking for a new start.

Additionally, the cost of living is far more manageable in Las Vegas then California; for example, the median home value is currently $512,800, with values having gone up 7.1% over the past year. In contrast, there are many single-family homes on the market in Vegas in the range of $200,000 to $300,000, which is obviously far more manageable amount for working class people on a budget. Incidentals, such as taxes and such, are more reasonable as well when compared to life on the far-west coast of the U.S.

Therefore, if you’re a California resident – or are living in a similarly difficult economic climate elsewhere in the nation – Las Vegas is certainly worth your consideration when it comes to achieving a healthier work-life balance including the goal of home ownership (without working yourself to death while doing so).

Thinking of relocating to Las Vegas from a higher cost of living region? Let us help you plan your relocation. Our experienced agents are here to help you with your Southern Nevada relocation efforts including neighborhood statistics, schools, educational information, etc. Please feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – There’s one thing for sure in the real estate market- rising demand equals rising sales, and rising sales equals rising prices.

Such a thing especially holds true in Las Vegas, where the market has been soaring after its recovery from the mid-2000’s housing bubble burst; according to a recent Zillow report, Southern Nevada has gone from one of the most stagnant markets around to the region with the fastest-rising home values in the entire country. The estimated Las Vegas median home value is expected to reach $247,331 in September 2018, an increase of 5.9 percent from the same time period one year ago; this represents the fastest anticipated increase in home values throughout the over 30 metropolitan areas listed in the report. To illustrate how significant a jump this is for the Las Vegas area, home prices nationwide overall are only expected to jump approximately 3.1 percent in 2018.

Of course, increases of this sort are nothing new since the housing market’s recovery began in Southern Nevada. The price of single-family homes – which make up the vast majority of the market – in the region have jumped a whopping 13.4 percent since September 2016 until the present day; homes sold in the month of October 2017 came in at an average price of $263,000, and this is with the available inventory becoming more and more scarce. The number of homes currently listed for sale in Vegas are down 17 percent from 2016, with 11,200 single-family homes listed for sale in Southern Nevada at the end of March; meanwhile, developers struggle daily with construction projects aimed at satisfying the ever-growing demand. In fact, the number of houses on the market during the current time period is, shockingly enough, at the lowest number in recently-recorded history since the year 2001.

Other metrics also support the claim of Las Vegas’ standing as the area of the United States with the fastest-climbing housing values; according to Standard & Poor’s CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index for Southern Nevada rose 6.2 percent in September from one year prior, which is the highest gain for the area that it’s registered since 2014.When you combine that with a low unemployment rate and historically low mortgage rates – current rates are hovering around 4 percent – it’s easy to see why houses in Vegas are getting snapped up as a rapid pace.

While early on in its recovery period, many experts dismissed the rising interest in Las Vegas housing as a fluke, but given the amount of time it’s been continuing – and the indisputable numbers that experts have been touting since the beginning – the situation is clear; the Southern Nevada real estate market, after sitting in limbo among a landscape of empty homes for over a decade, has now become the epicenter of a new housing boom, reviving a stagnant economy and job market and paving the way for a brighter tomorrow for investors and residents alike.

With Las Vegas taking the top spots nationally, we are here to help you find out all you need about getting into this hot market, handle your rentals, or buy and sell property locally. Please feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.