LAS VEGAS, NV – As always, the real estate market in the United States can be a highly competitive one, but when looking back at the year 2018 in review, one territory stands out clearly above all the rest as the hottest market in the county: Las Vegas, Nevada.

Based on home price growth alone, Vegas reigns supreme as the biggest housing market of the past year, and part of that status can be directly attributed to its relatively low cost of living not only when compared to much of the country – Vegas remains one of the cheaper metropolitan areas in the country to live – but especially when directly compared to its immediate neighbor: California. California boasts some of the highest home prices and cost of living in the nation, and it’s that crucial fact about its housing market that makes Southern Nevada that much more attractive not only to tourists, but to people and families looking for a new place to live that is affordable.

However, it’s not just the affordability factor that made Vegas’ real estate market so hot in 2018; a number of other factors functioning in tandem helped with that. Major job creation, coupled with diversification in multiple industries in the region, is another contributing reason. After the recovery from the housing market crash of the mid-2000’s, Vegas saw a variety of companies and businesses settle down within its borders; companies and businesses that need qualified workers, and because of that the city quickly saw an influx of new transplants from across the country, effectively kick-starting the local real estate market that has been otherwise sitting dormant for nearly a decade. With that demand, housing prices started to quickly climb in the region, although nonetheless remaining at levels comparatively lower than the much of the rest of the country.

For example, let’s compare median single-family home prices in Las Vegas to California. In the third quarter of 2018, a home in Vegas came in at approximately $294,600; when compared to the same home type in Los Angeles – $628,900 – and San Diego – $650,000 – and Orange County-Anaheim – a whopping $830,000 – it’s easy to see why Las Vegas suddenly becomes a very attractive alternative, even with its own real estate market currently on the rise.

Vegas also overtook Seattle, Washington as the king of the fastest-growing home prices, with 13 percent jump in September 2018 over the same month one year before. Vegas’ real estate market had previously peaked back in 2006 before the burst of the housing bubble, and while prices locally have recovered and grown significantly since then, they are still 20 percent below 2006 levels. If ever there was a time to buy in a rapidly-growing marketplace, now is clearly the time and Las Vegas is clearly the place.

Thinking about relocating to Las Vegas? Need some ideas on what areas fit your family best? New home recommendations? Las Vegas apartments, condos even nightlife and entertainment? Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

Summerlin Developer to Construct New 14-Story Hotel Next to Las Vegas Ballpark

LAS VEGAS, NV – Even though it is currently still in the works, the upcoming Las Vegas Ballpark is already seeing satellite businesses begin to pop up around it, and one of the most prominent is being constructed by Summerlin developer Howard Hughes Corp. in the form of a new, 14-story hotel.

Las Vegas Ballpark is a baseball stadium under construction in Summerlin, Nevada for the Las Vegas Aviators of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. The stadium site is located near the intersection of South Town Center Drive and West Sahara Avenue. Construction of the $150 million stadium began in 2018 and is expected to be completed in time for the Aviators’ 2019 season. It will serve as a replacement for the team’s previous home at Cashman Field, where the team has resided since 1983.

Howard Hughes Corp. has recently submitted plans calling for a 267-room hotel to be built on a 4.3-acre lot south of the ballpark on Pavilion Center Drive, situated across from Summerlin Mall in Las Vegas’ downtown area. According to plans submitted to Clark County – whose commissioners still have to vote on the proposal – the hotel would include various amenities for guests, such as a restaurant bar and spa located on the roof.

The hotel, if approved and built, will allow residents and tourists accommodations that allow easy local access to places such as Downtown Summerlin, the City National Arena ice rink, Red Rock Resort – a 64-acre, 796-room hotel, which would be a competitor – and, of course, the Las Vegas Ballpark itself. 

The proposed hotel would not offer gambling on the premises and would strictly offer only rooms and spa/entertainment options for guests, which Howard Hughes Corp. representatives say there is a growing demand for in Las Vegas, especially in areas located near the suburbs. The smaller size and subsequent ease of access the hotel would provide when compared to competitors would also be appealing to families and those visiting relatives in Summerlin and other nearby communities, Howard Hughes Corp. reps said. In addition, those looking to stay in a quiet, non-gaming hotel, while having the option of being able to patronize gambling establishments nearby – such as the aforementioned Red Rock Resort – would also find the proposed hotel to be appealing.

Summerlin is a wealthy master-planned community in the Las Vegas Valley of Nevada, located near the Spring Mountains and Red Rock Canyon. It is part of Clark County, takes up approximately 22,500 acres of land, and boasts a current population of nearly 100,000 residents.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing 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.

LAS VEGAS, NV – There are currently two monorail stations in the planning stages in Las Vegas, and one of them is conformed to be servicing the upcoming MSG Sphere at The Venetian facility, an appropriate melding of a futuristic transportation mode and an equally-futuristic concert facility.

Clark County has recently received plans from the developer of the project, calling for a 60-foot tall, 11,119 square-foot monorail station that will feature platforms on both sides – north and south – of the existing monorail track that passes through the 19-acre MSG Sphere site. The monorail station will provide access via a 1,100 foot-long pedestrian bridge that is also in the works, slated to connect the MSG Sphere with the Sands Convention Center.

The MSG Sphere, a joint venture between Sands Corp. and Madison Square Garden, will be a 400,000-square-foot, 18,000-seat, 360-foot-tall globe-shaped arena slated to be constructed on 63 acres of property located behind the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. A futuristic music and event venue, the MSG Sphere will feature an exterior with 36 miles of variable intensity LED lighting, enabling the structure to allow outside spectators to peer through a transparent façade to watch the concert within; at higher lighting intensities, outside vision will be obscured. Ground was broken on the project in September of 2018, with construction expected to be compete in 2021.

The construction of the monorail station is expected to incorporate painted steel, metal panels, metal guardrails, glass doors, and metal roofing, with support columns made from concrete. The current estimated price of the station is not publicly known.

A second monorail station for Las Vegas is also in the works, with a station and track extension planned to connect the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay with the upcoming 65,000-seat Las Vegas Raiders stadium, a $1.8 billion project that is currently under construction. The price tag of this aspect of the monorail expansion is purportedly in the neighborhood of $23.6 million, and is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete once started.

Upon completion of the new stations and extensions, the Las Vegas monorail system’s track will span five miles comprised of nine stations, offering both local residents and visitors an easy and effective means of transportation to a variety of locations throughout the city, including hotels, casinos, dining, retail, and entertainment venues, in addition to all of its major convention centers and, of course, the MSG Sphere once it is completed.

Looking for relocation information on the fast-growing Las Vegas market? New home recommendations? Las Vegas apartments, condos even area nightlife and entertainment expectations? Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Las Vegas boasts a diverse and wade array of residents, and one of the segments of this population that is growing at an especially rapid rate is Asian-American contingent; currently drawn to the Southern Nevada region from areas of the country including California, New York, and even Hawaii, Asian-Americans are making up an ever-increasing segment of Vegas’ residents due to the many opportunities that are being offered by the city’s rapidly-rebounding economy and job market.

Developers are looking to take advantage of this demographic by recently announcing an increase in construction in Vegas’ Asian-American district, particularly in the form of new retail and business-related projects on Spring Mountain Road. Recently, local dignitaries turned out for a groundbreaking event in that will signify the kick-off of work on a 33,000 square-foot plot of currently-vacant land that, once development is complete, will offer new office space, restaurants, and more to local residents.

Special effort will be given to making maximum use of the available space, the developer noted, as land is scarce for new projects in this area; Spring Mountain Road represents a very busy roadway that travels through the very heart of Vegas’ Chinatown district, and as a result conditions are tight.

The event included a festive scene as Asian-themed celebrations incorporating dancers, dragons, and authentic music ushered in the commencement of work on the project, located in the vicinity of Spring Mountain and Jones. Developers noted that the design of the upcoming business and retail complex will make use of a modern yet distinctively Asian aesthetic in an effort to attract both younger and older members of Vegas’ growing Chinese population. The new retail and business opportunities are expected to lure in one of the most desired demographics in the region – traditional families as well as tech-savvy millennials.

The new project, according to the developer, should usher in a fresh new vibe to the region and attract a younger, hipper demographic; in addition, the fresh construction and design elements should inspire neighboring businesses – including some that have become somewhat run-down over the years – to follow suit and invest in a serious facelift.

After the recent groundbreaking, project managers for the development have said that construction should start kicking into gear within several weeks. The first new business tenants are tentatively expected to move in and open their doors by December of 2019, if all goes according to plan.

LAS VEGAS, NV – After a series of construction projects throughout 2018 aimed at increasing its appeal, Lake Las Vegas has emerged at year-end as a place for people to call a full-time home, finally shedding its reputation as merely a weekend retreat for those able to afford a second home ‘away from home’.

Initially, after the Southern Nevada region began to recover from the mid-2000’s burst of the housing bubble, Lake Las Vegas was one of the slowest Master Planned Communities to show any sign of a rebound; as of 2014, developers shied away from constructing homes there initially, but as time went by and more and more demand for housing began to grip the area, builders began to give Lake Las Vegas a second look. Currently, there are now ten communities within Lake Las Vegas that have homes on the market, ranging from moderately-priced dwellings to luxury custom lots. In addition, there are even plans in the works to construct a 55+ community, slated to potentially open by the end of 2019.

Clearly, developers have turned around when it comes to what Lake Las Vegas has to offer the Southern Nevada real estate market; the 3,600-acre development – complete with a 320-acre, man-made lake – is in the midst of a construction boom, and a lot of that new success is due to efforts by owner John Paulson to change Lake Las Vegas from a vacation spot to a legitimate community where families and individuals would live year-round.

Part of the plan to rehab Lake Las Vegas’ image is to make it more family-inclusive were the development of numerous amenities that would illustrate the community as more than just a weekend resort town, and developing homes that catered to a variety of different income levels in order to make it more inclusive and attractive to buyers. As a result, more and more buyers are seeing Lake Las Vegas as a place for their primary residence as opposed to simply a getaway.

Another large factor that has opened up Lake Las Vegas to serious home buyers is the linking of U.S. Highway 95 to an extension of East Galleria Drive, opening up an easier, more direct access to retail shopping and entertainment options for residents. In addition, the construction and opening of Stevens Elementary School along that route has also proven to be an allure for families with children. The addition of new businesses such as a supermarket and sports club have also helped to draw new buyers in.

Indeed, things at Lake Las Vegas as 2018 comes to a close have taken a 180 degree turn over the previous year; whereas the region was formerly seen as a weekend retreat for wealthy individuals, Lake Las Vegas is now a permanent home to more and more people than ever before. In fact, many individuals are purchasing homes there and turning to areas such as Utah and Idaho for second home options. And as more development continues as Lake Las Vegas, its reputation is expected to continue to draw in buyers looking to make it their primary residence.

If you are considering relocating in or around the Las Vegas area, which clearly is experiencing huge growth and a booming job market,  give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any real estate and home relocation questions you may have.