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Month: February 2018

Home / Month: February 2018

Area Living , Economy , Market Updates , Real Estate

Desperate To Catch Up with Booming Real Estate Market, Las Vegas Construction Jobs Now in Huge Demand

By Christopher Boyle February 21, 2018

LAS VEGAS, NV – After the recent rebirth of Las Vegas – with jobs, the real estate market, and the economy all in the midst of an unprecedented boom period – housing is in great demand, and unfortunately current inventory is unable to meet that demand. In an attempt to close the gaps between the haves and the have-nots, one job market in particular has seen a massive uptick: the construction field, and employers are desperate to get their hands on as many able-bodied workers as humanly possible.

According to reports, employment in the Las Vegas construction industry has jumped over 18 percent from the same period one year ago, with nearly 70,000 people employed locally as of December 2017; that represents nearly 11,000 construction jobs added in the Southern Nevada region over the course of just 12 months, which is a startling amount of growth in such a relatively short amount of time.

The construction industry took a hard hit in Vegas when the housing bubble burst in the mid-2000’s leading to numerous layoffs and projects that were literally abandoned and left to sit dormant for years. However, after a resurgence of the local economy leading to record employment and real estate growth, people are heading to Las Vegas once again to take advantage of booming opportunities for investments and jobs, and houses, apartments and condos have been snapped up almost as quickly as they’ve become available. This status has seen prices for abodes leap as inventory dwindles, and efforts to build new lodgings to accommodate the need as seen resurgence in the construction industry as well.

Representatives of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters anticipate that their membership numbers will increase by over 50 percent in the upcoming year-and-a-half, and are putting together portable classrooms in order to be able to meet the swelling ranks of workers that are needed. Even now, with the increase in construction jobs in Vegas – the region is currently 18 percent over the U.S. average for number of jobs held in the field – development is still behind the curve when it comes to demand, as Nevada is experiencing a population growth rate that is second in the nation, behind only Idaho.

Despite the growth in construction over the course of the last year, employment in the field is still below the peak years before the housing bubble burst, a time when over 112,000 were employed to erect houses, casinos, and office builds; contrast that with only 34,800 jobs available during the very heart of the recession in 2012.

However, at this current rate of growth, the Vegas of today stands to not only eventually catch up, but eclipse the region’s mega-successful days past, with developers working on countless housing tracts, apartment buildings, offices and warehouses; in addition, there are also huge projects in the works that promise to remake the entirety of Southern Nevada with construction underway on the Oakland Raiders’ 65,000-seat football stadium, the Las Vegas strip’s  Resorts World Casino, and a huge expansion of the Vegas Convention Center, as well as countless other projects. Needless to say, Vegas needs construction workers, and the need will only increase in intensity as time goes by and demand for housing increases more.

Need information on the fast-evolving Las Vegas market? New home construction referrals? Las Vegas developers  for investment homes in the area? Please feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

Economy , Investing , Market Updates , Real Estate

Vegas Strip-Based Fontainebleau Casino to Finally Open, Re-Christened The Drew; Managed by Marriott International

By Christopher Boyle February 13, 2018

LAS VEGAS, NV – Sitting vacant and unfinished on the Las Vegas strip since 2009, the proposed Fontainebleau Casino and Resort had become synonymous with the national recession that had hit the Southern Nevada region especially hard. However, this week, it was announced that New York-based real estate firm Witkoff – in conjunction with Miami-based investment firm New Valley LLC – has stepped in, and they will finally be opening the property, re-christened as The Drew and managed by Marriott International.

The 68-floor luxury resort, boasting almost 4,000 rooms and suites managed by Marriott International, is located near the Circus Circus, SLS hotel-casinos, and the Las Vegas Convention Center; construction on the $2.9 billion Fontainebleau property had begun in 2007 by privately held Fontainebleau Resorts LLC, but indefinitely halted two years later when the recession brought a halt to the proceedings, forcing the project into bankruptcy. In 2010, Icahn NV Gaming Acquisition LLC, headed up by businessman Carl Icahn, purchased the Fontainebleau in 2010 for $150 million, and then sold it off to Witkoff and New Valley for $600 million in August.

The two companies announced the plans for the property – now called The Drew – slated to open in 2020 and will feature many amenities including a casino, approximately 4,000 rooms and suites, 500,000 square feet for holding events such as conventions and business meetings, and a great number of entertainment options for guests, including a theater, retail areas, and over 20 different dining options. The property will be managed by Marriott Corporation, and will also be home to two Marriott brands as well, both making their Las Vegas strip debut- JW Marriott, a luxury hotel chain that a brand of Marriott International  named after John Willard Marriott, the founder of Marriott Corporation, and Marriot’s upscale, boutique-style “Edition” brand.

John Unwin, a well-known member of the local hospitality industry, has been brought in via Two Blackbirds Hospitality to oversee the development and day-to-day operations of the launch. Along with The Drew, another neighboring resort/casino project is also slated to open in 2020 – Resorts World Las Vegas, a project targeting predominantly Chinese and Chinese-American tourists that has also experienced its share of delays. The two properties are expected to help fill out the northern end of the Las Vegas strip, until now a less visited part of the city by tourists.

In addition, the Las Vegas Convention Center, which is currently undergoing large-scale expansion efforts, is also expected to see completion within the same time-frame, with plans for a bridge connecting The Drew to the facility being in the works. With these three projects slated to open all within a short period of time of one another, experts are projecting a large increase in visitors to the area within the next few years. It’s projects such as these – ones that have lain dormant for years, now experienced a resurgence and entering their final phase of development before opening – that cement Las Vegas as a region that holds near-limitless promise.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes in the areas of  Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

Appraisals , Economy , Investing , Market Updates

Las Vegas Named Hottest Real Estate Market in U.S. for 2018

By Christopher Boyle February 7, 2018

LAS VEGAS, NV – Several esteemed news organizations have done their homework and produced their annual “Hottest Real Estate Markets of 2018” lists, and what may come as a surprise to some – but a no-brainier to most – is that Las Vegas has topped many of them.

One noted publication that has predicted Las Vegas as the number one real estate scene in the nation for 2018 is Realtor.com, and among the criteria stated for their pick were prices verses the number of existing homes; new home construction; and local economic trends, all of which were taken into consideration when it came to deciding which region in the United States would generate the most competition and revenue over the course of the next 11 months.

Realtor.com stated that homes in Vegas are being snapped up as quickly as they hit the market, with 2017 seeing the third highest level of sales ever seen in the Valley. Experts are predicting even better from 2018, and buyers are going to have to act fast – and anticipate some degree of disappointment – if they want to get in on the action, as demand is high, yet supply limited. Real estate brokers are encouraging prospective buyers that competition will be fierce and getting offers in early and fast will be the key to scoring a property…or losing it by a hair to an even more bloodthirsty buyer.

In addition, Fortune Magazine has also listed Southern Nevada as a region with a real estate market that investors should seriously think about getting involved in- they noted that Vegas saw prices of homes jump a whopping 10.6 percent from November 2016 to November 2017, outpacing other well-known hotbeds of property-buying activity such as San Francisco, whose prices went up 9.1 percent during the same time period. Rampant Vegas home and apartment development in an attempt to keep pace with demand, as well as a flourishing economy and job market, are considered major strengths that will bleed over into increased real estate demand as well.

And finally, USA Today has weighed in on the 2018 real estate scene, declaring Las Vegas an early winner of the race as well, noting that forecasts are calling for the market in the region to remain strong for the foreseeable future, with prices of homes continuing to rise throughout the year as demand continues to grow; median home values in Vegas are expected to rise approximately 5.8 percent over the next year, showing that investors have a great deal of confidence in the strength of the market. In fact, home values in Vegas increased 8.6 percent during the last year, with the price of a median home coming in at approximately $285,045.

As you can see, if you’re looking to invest your hard-earned dollars in a white-hot real estate market in 2018, the experts have spoken- Las Vegas is indeed the place to do it. And with a financial forecast this bright, is stands to reason that 2019 and beyond will to continue this upward trend as well.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, our company would be delighted to help you find your way or pick the best place to settle in or find your dream home. Please give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

Economy , Investing , Market Updates , Real Estate

HGTV’s “Flip or Flop Las Vegas” Set to Begin Second Season This March; Earned 12M+ Viewers Since Premiere

By Christopher Boyle February 1, 2018

LAS VEGAS, NV – Taking advantage of the popularity of “house flipping” shows – that is, programs that chronicle the happenings when people purchase a home to fix up and quickly sell for a profit – HGTV decided to make a spin-off of its hit series Flip or Flop by tying it into a region experiencing a rapid period of growth in terms of real estate; thus, Flip or Flop Vegas was born, debuting on HGTV on April 6, 2017 and instantly finding a loyal audience, earning 12.5 million viewers since its premiere.

Filmed in and about Las Vegas, Nevada, Flip or Flop Vegas features the husband and wife duo of Bristol and Aubrey Marunde as they go using their years of real estate experience flipping various properties in each weekly episode, all under the watchful eye of a professional camera crew. Aubrey is a real estate expert and designer, while Bristol – a former Mixed Martial Arts fighter – is the contractor and handles design as well. With the first season proving to be a ratings winner with audiences, HGTV announced after the finish of season one that Flip or Flop Vegas would be renewed for a second 16-episode season – upgraded from 13 episodes in season one – set to debut this March.

High demand for Las Vegas real estate, combined with ever-escalating prices, have contributed to an intense buying and selling environment unlike near anywhere else in the United States; Aubrey Marunde noted in an interview that such a competitive area was ripe for a television show chronicling the cutthroat attitude and drive a flipper must have when it comes to snatching up distressed properties, renovating them, and getting them back on the market to sell at profit as quickly as possible.

“Vegas is a very, very fast-paced market. There are so many opportunities and they present themselves daily. You have to be ready to jump on them, because if you don’t, somebody else is going to,” she said. “So our fast-paced market here is much different than other places around the country and I think that people watching are going to see that. Our properties sell in hours, rather than days or months here. That’s very unique to the show.”

After the couple’s exploits in season one, the Marundes now find themselves in a Las Vegas that is even more intense in 2018; in fact, Aubrey stated in a recent interview that Vegas is now the country’s “harshest“ real estate market in terms of the speedy time frame needed to execute a successful flip…if you slow down to catch your breath, she noted, you stand to lose countless dollars from your investment.

“Things move so fast in Vegas. You can have an area that’s booming, and something opens next door to it and you start seeing declining value,” she said. “You have to be really careful about which property you select and what you put into it — and how fast you get it on and off your books.”

The couple’s average time to flip a property these days tends to be about three weeks; once on the market, their average sell time is five to seven days.

Going along with the flashy image that Vegas portrays in the media, the design aesthetic the Marundes’ bring to their typical flip can be summed up in one word: “glam,” with lots of chandeliers and lighting and hardware in order to deliver an over-the-top result that has garnered the two quite the reputation…not to mention demand for their work.

A good example of the magic the two can work on a property is a recent job they did in Boulder City in Clark County; as will be shown in an upcoming season two episode, Aubrey and Bristol discovered a 690 square-foot house originally built in 1940, which they purchased with the intent to maintain the old-school charm the property possessed during its renovation. The plan is to double the house’s size with the additions of two new bedrooms and a new bathroom, in addition to replacing the windows, adding a porch, as well as other upgrades and embellishments.

The Boulder City home was purchased for less than its list price of $95,000; when the renovation is complete, Aubrey and Bristol said that they hope to flip it for $300,000. And considering the explosive state of the Las Vegas real estate market, it’s likely that they will get it. Flip or Flop Vegas season two will air on Thursdays this March on HGTV.

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.