Las Vegas Real Estate News

LAS VEGAS, NV – The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has stepped-up enforcement of a federal civil rights law known as the Fair Housing Act that prohibits housing discrimination based on race or color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability.

In particular, the DOJ is focusing on an aspect of the Fair Housing Act that was added in 2016 by the Obama Admin’s U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that forbade landlords and property owners from utilizing background checks to screen prospective tenants to ensure they do not have criminal records before allowing them to rent their properties.

At the time that the ban on criminal background checks was instituted, the HUD General Counsel at the time, Helen R. Kanovsky, wrote that the new rule was needed – even if no discrimination whatsoever was intended on the part of a property owner – “because of widespread racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system, criminal history-based restrictions on access to housing are likely disproportionately to burden African Americans and Hispanics.”

Recently, the feds have ramped-up their efforts to aggressively pursue landlords in the instances that this practice has been alleged to have occurred, filing lawsuits against them. One recent example involves legal action taken against Suburban Heights, an apartment complex in Kinloch, Missouri, with the DOJ claiming that management has been actively violating the Fair Housing Act since 2015 by actively and disproportionately discriminating against potential Black renters with criminal histories – including felony convictions – more than their White counterparts.

The DOJ further noted statistical Black-White racial disparities in conviction and incarceration rates in the United States, saying landlord background screenings unfairly hurt Black renters once they have served their time and are looking to re-enter society.

Incarceration data indicates that Black individuals are significantly more likely than White individuals to have the types of convictions covered by Suburban Heights’ Criminal History Ban,” the DOJ said in court documents. “This is true nationwide and, to an even greater extent, in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. Black individuals are at least four times, and often more than five times, more likely than White individuals to be incarcerated in prisons, both at any given point in time and over the course of their lifetimes.”

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 – Clark County announced this week that they had purchased 20 acres of U.S. government-controlled land from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to construct Nevada’s first-of-its-kind affordable residential housing community.

Officials confirmed that Clark County bought the land – located along Cactus Avenue in the southwest Las Vegas Valley – from BLM for the price of $100 an acre, with the intention of constructing 210 single-family homes aimed at first-time homebuyers who earn approximately $70,000 a year or less.

The community will be dubbed “Cactus Trails” once it is complete, and will offer three- and four-bedroom homes with numerous amenities for its residents, such as a playground, walking and hiking trails, and much more.

The plan, originally announced on July 16, will see Clark County retaining ownership of the land, which will ensure that prices remain at affordable levels, according to a post made by officials on X (formerly Twitter).

Plans for the project are expected to be submitted this fall,” the post said. “After the homes are built, qualified homebuyers will purchase the home while the County maintains ownership of the land to keep the cost of homebuying attainable for working families.”

Documents were signed last Friday officially transferring the 20 acres of land at a ceremony attended by officials from Clark County, the Biden Administration, BLM, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

At the event, District F Commissioner Justin Jones noted that Clark County’s commitment to providing affordable housing for its residents is a top priority.

Clark County has invested millions of dollars to foster development of affordable housing for working families and seniors on fixed income within our community,” he said. “Cactus Trails will be a first-of-its kind development in our community, aiming to offer affordable homeownership opportunities to working families.”

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 – KB Home, a major homebuilder in the Las Vegas Valley, has announced that they have purchased a large plot of “prime” land adjacent to Henderson upon which they intend to construct multiple housing units next year.

The 20 acres of land located in the Southeast valley along Boulder Highway and northeast of Harry Reid International Airport will be the site of KB Home’s latest construction endeavor, with the developer stating they will erect 229 homes at the site.

KB Home purchased the commercially-zoned land from The Siegel Group – a Las Vegas-based real estate investment and management firm – for $19 million, and is currently in the process of entitling the land for residential development.

The Siegel Group President, Stephen Siegel, noted that his firm had received numerous offers for the land in recent years, and said that he is happy that it will be used to address the housing crisis that is currently plaguing Southern Nevada.

We’re thrilled to complete this sale with KB Home, a top-tier builder known for creating exceptional residential communities,” Siegel said. “Their development will bring much-needed housing to Boulder Highway and positively impact the community.”

KB Home’s Division President, Jim McDade, revealed that the 229-unit single-family housing community will be dubbed “Manzano,” and that both construction work and home sales will commence on an unspecified date in 2025.

The new homes at Manzano will be designed for the way people live today, with popular interior features like modern kitchens overlooking large great rooms, expansive bedroom suites with walk-in closets, and ample storage space,” McDade said. “The community’s floor plans will feature up to five bedrooms and four baths.”

The original plot of land involved in the deal totaled 27 acres, with The Siegel Group holding onto the remaining seven acres for future development; there is also currently a 186-unit extended-stay hotel located on the property as well.

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 – Short Term Rentals are very much in demand in areas that feature popular tourist destinations, and with one of the most visited cities on Earth – that being Las Vegas, of course – Nevada is no exception. Coupled with the age-old adage that demand sets price – Nevada is home to some very costly STR listings, with two properties in particular ranked among the most expensive in the United States.

BestBrokers has published the results of a study that examined seven-night Airbnb stays throughout the country during July 2024 – which is considered to be the peak rental month – in order to determine the priciest ones in the nation. Variables in the study included the type of property, cost per night, maximum guest capacity, the number of bedrooms and baths, and what amenities were on offer.

Nevada had an Airbnb that came in third most expensive on the list: Zephyr Cove’s Sierra Sunset Estate, which is located on 24 acres of lakefront property with a private dock and a 150 square-foot beach. The residence itself comes in at 16,703 square-feet and has eight bedrooms, eight-and-a-half bathrooms, and a maximum guest capacity of 16 people. It also boasts numerous high-end amenities, such as a private theater, exercise room, wine cellar, game room with a bar, and a gourmet kitchen with a butler’s pantry.

The cost for all this? An eye-popping $39,563 per night; if filled to the maximum number of guests who all agree to split the cost evenly, they each would be shelling out $17,309 for each night for their stay.

The second Nevada-based STR on BestBrokers’ list was ranked 16th costliest in the country, and that entry is a waterfront estate in Glenbrook on Lake Tahoe called Villa Harrah. The property is a 20,000 square-foot residence with seven bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms, and can accommodate up to 10 guests at a time.

Amenities are plentiful, including a full cinema, wet bar, and pool table to a deluxe spa with a sauna, hot tub, salt room, and even a nail and hair salon. A large terrace leads to a pool, a beach and private pier.

The cost per night for this property is an incredible $23,171; contrast that with the average national cost of a nightly rental – $216 – and you clearly see these two Nevada listings are indeed for those with fat wallets only.

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 – As per a new report by Las Vegas Realtors (LVR), the median price of condominiums and townhomes in Vegas during the month of September hit their all-time high, while single-family home prices dropped ever-so-slightly still remaining perilously close to record levels.

In September, the median price of condos and townhomes in the Valley reached their highest level in history at $299,500, surging a whopping $7,500 over August’s $292,000 median price; this bests the previous record set in July when that amount was $296,000, and represents a 10.9 percent increase year-over-year.

As for pre-existing, single-family homes in Vegas, September’s median price was $299,500, a 6.6 percent year-over-year increase and an ever-so-slight decrease of just $100 from August’s $480,000 median price. September’s price, while infinitesimally lower from the month before, nonetheless remains just $2,100 shy of the region’s all-time record of $482,000, originally set in May 2022.

While real estate prices in Southern Nevada dropped slightly prior to the Federal Reserve’s half-percentage point interest rate cut in August, September overall saw prices rise yet again; single-family homes have increased in value in eight out of the nine months of this year so far.

LVR President Merri Perry nonetheless remained optimistic that the Fed’s rate cut – and the additional ones it plans to institute in the near future – will make homes in the Valley more affordable sooner rather than later.

The interest rate cut announced in September by the Fed can only help the housing market,” she said. “While I don’t think this will have a dramatic impact, it certainly helps people, especially prospective homebuyers.”

2.277 homes, condos and townhomes changed hands in Las Vegas in September, representing an overall decrease year-over-year among all three; home sales were 1.6 percent lower when compared to September 2023, and condo and townhome sales were down 12.1 percent.

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 – While Las Vegas has always been a hotbed of real estate activity, a new report indicates the city currently boasts the highest levels of growth in terms of new home listings out of the entire nation.

According to residential real estate brokerage and mortgage origination services company Redfin, in August of 2024, the number of new home listings in Sin City jumped an impressive 12.8 percent year-over-year, which represents the biggest increase out of any metro area in the United States.

However, Redfin did not note the overall number of listings that this encompassed, just the percentage of the increase from one year to the next.

The growth of new listings in Vegas beat out competing cities such as San Diego, California, which saw an 11.7 percent increase, and Sacramento, California, with an 9.5 increase.

In contrast, Atlanta, Georgia, saw its number of new home listings decrease the most nationally, with a whopping drop of 19.4 percent year-over-year.

As for what is driving the large increase of new home listings in Las Vegas, experts point to numerous factors influencing the real estate market, such as a growing number of residential transplants from neighboring California – most likely escaping high living costs and heavy tax burdens – as well as lowering interest rates on home mortgages following the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cuts.

The continued upward trajectory of Vegas’ real estate industry is also being driven by the arrival of new professional sports teams – such as the Raiders NFL team – as well as significant investments on the part of Hollywood bigwigs such as Sony, which is establishing a new studio in Summerlin.

“Everyone is coming here,” Perry said. “I’ve had a lot of cash buyers come in, and a lot of Californians are coming because prices are so high they can sell their property and pay cash here and have a big nest egg because everything in Las Vegas is cheaper.”

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 – The affluent SouthShore Lake Las Vegas master-planned community will be welcoming a prestigious new neighborhood early in 2025: La Cova, which according to developer Tri Pointe Homes is a luxury waterfront resort-style community whose homes will boast a luxurious European design aesthetic, right in the heart of Nevada.

Mike Woodley, President of Woodley Architectural Group – the firm that helped to design the community’s unique look and feel – noted that the guard-gated La Cova will be comprised of 42 residences spread out amongst three enclaves on adjacent peninsulas.

We were careful to contextualize the homes to the existing SouthShore neighborhood,” Woodley said. “These homes belong on this side of the lake in the exclusive SouthShore community. Our designs have the spirit of Old-World architecture but with cleaner lines and a bit more modern aesthetic.”

A total of 38 homes will be located along the shore of Lake Las Vegas, with the remaining four near the community’s edge, adjacent to the SouthShore Country Club golf course.

La Cova’s planning stage lasted two years while honing every possible detail of the community, said Tri Pointe Homes Division President Klif Andrews, right down to ensuring optimal, breathtaking views of the lake and surrounding mountain vistas.

It’s the first time we’ve done a professionally preplanned community, and I think that is exciting,” Andrews said. “Designing floor plans to fit certain homesites maximizes the views and creates an opportunity for a more custom experience. Each home will be one-of-a-kind.”

The homes on-offer in La Cova range in size from 3,200 square-feet to over 4,400 square-feet, with prices starting at $2 million and up. Designs blend modern-style Tuscan and Mediterranean influences and feature large windows for maximum visibility and backyards with lush, resort-style courtyards.

In addition, there will be numerous high-end amenities available for these homes, such as detached casitas, workout rooms, executive offices, club rooms and upper-level balconies. Also, boating, paddle boarding, and many other sport and recreation options are available via the development’s waterfront location.

La Cova is going to be unlike any other place,” Andrews said. “The way we connect homes to the water, it’s like having your own private luxury resort. It gives buyers a rare opportunity to purchase something incredibly unique for our market.”

Tri Pointe Homes is currently offering tours of model houses in the La Cova community, which is still under development.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Las Vegas is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and when those visitors come to Sin City, they obviously need places to stay. And while the city’s hotels are bustling, investors have been hedging their bets on the popular short-term rental industry in recent years, buying up properties to rent out via platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo.

At current count, there are approximately 10,000 short-term rentals operating in Las Vegas; however, according to a new report, the majority of them are doing so without a license, and are thus considered illegal by Clark County officials.

Landlords operating unlicensed short-term rentals can face serious penalties, with recent examples including hosts incurring fines as high as $180,000 to $240,000. But the majority of these property owners would prefer to be running their rentals legally and on the up-and-up, and blame the extraordinarily sluggish licensing approval process on the part of Clark County for essentially forcing them to skirt the law.

Clark County’s pre-application process opened in 2022, with the deadline for submission having been August 2023. Since then, however, a meager 64 applications have been approved out of the 831 submitted, leaving a looming backlog of over 600 individuals waiting to be able to legally rent out their properties.

According to a statement that Clark County officials issued to the media, the approval process has become ensnared in unforeseen red tape caused by the type of lottery process they employed, and they are attempting to rectify those issues as quickly as possible.

The issuance or denial of a license or a withdrawal of an application will impact other applicants with a higher RNG number on the priority list,” officials said. “Also, the appeal of a denial also requires a hearing process, which requires additional time and delays the process. Additionally, there are factors that impact the timeliness of this process, such as applicants submitting fees timely and getting their inspections scheduled.”

But regardless of the reasons for the delays, Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association founder Jackie Flores said that every day the property owners she advocates for are forced to wait, is yet another day they are unable to support their families.

A lot of people think people do short-term renting just to get rich, and that is not usually the case,” she said. “The average individuals are senior citizens with a fixed income that are doing it to supplement their income, there are families that have bills to pay and need to make that extra money.”

LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, many are turning to the short-term rental field in order to either make a living or simply get a few bucks via a side hustle, and often these individuals are managing properties via short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo that they own at locations outside of the state in which they reside.

Obviously, this can cause some logistical issues, especially when it comes to monitoring the properties they are renting out; this is especially true when hosts want to ensure that their guests are not holding unruly parties in their residences, potentially causing damage and drawing the ire of local neighbors and authorities.

That being said, many short-term rental owners are now turning to technology to remotely “party proof” their properties as a means of protecting their investments; this article will give a brief breakdown of some effective systems for your consideration.

Often short-term rentals are located in residential neighborhoods, and with that being the case it’s important to remain on good terms with the local community. Because of that, you may want to put safeguards in place to ensure that your guests are not disturbing surrounding houses with loud music or partying late into the night. One way of doing so without invading your guest’s privacy is by installing a Minut noise monitor, which alerts you only if the noise exceeds a specified level, allowing you to immediately contact guests and get ahead of any potential complaints from neighbors.

A Ring doorbell camera is also an effective way to remotely monitor your property to ensure that a steady stream of rambunctious party guests aren’t filing in and out of your property at all hours of the night. Such a system can also provide valuable evidence in the event you need to file a claim with Airbnb or Vrbo over damages caused by party guests.

In addition, some guests can incur excessive utility bills if left unchecked, especially when partying; a Nest smart thermostat can effectively prevent that, allowing you to remotely control the temperature in your property, setting it on a schedule that still allows guests to adjust it within a predetermined range. Likewise, you can also control pool and hot tub temperatures via the Pentair app, but unlike the Nest thermostats, guests have no manual control and must contact the host for adjustments.

And finally, hosts can ensure they are properly regulating their rental pricing structure using revenue management platforms such as Beyond, which utilizes up-to-date algorithms to optimize nightly rates on all their vacation rental platforms, ensuring they are charging appropriate rates around busy holiday times to maximize profit.

Short-term rentals can be a significant source of revenue, but they can also be a significant headache if you’re not properly prepared. But utilizing some of these apps and systems can go a long way to streamlining the process of remote property management, allowing you to enjoy the extra income your rental is providing to you.

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 – T.B. Penick & Sons, the general contractor of Las Vegas’ first “all-for-rent” apartment complex celebrated a significant construction milestone this month, officially topping off the building – which is when the last beam is placed atop a structure – in anticipation of its planned opening in summer of 2025.

Dubbed “Capella” and located in the Las Vegas neighborhood of Symphony Park, the facility will be the first in the city where tenants will have all-inclusive rent agreements, also known as “all-for-rent” or “rent with utilities included.”

According to developer Southern Land Co., Capella will feature 272 apartments – comprised of one and two-bedroom units and penthouses – spread out over 22 stories, with impressive views of the famed Las Vegas Strip, the downtown area, and the mountain ranges surrounding the city.

The apartments will boast numerous amenities, such as kitchen islands that are movable, high-end finishings, and the latest in smart home technology. The bottom floor of the building will also offer 16,250 square feet of commercial space, including retail and restaurant options.

Southern Land Co. is developing Bria, which is Capella’s 275-unit near-duplicate counterpart, with both projects slated to open next summer. Once opened, they will join Auric, another apartment complex that Southern Land Co. opened in Symphony Park in 2021.

Both Capella and Bria will have fancy perks for residents, such as a lounge, state-of-the-art fitness center, yoga studio, dog run, co-working space, concierge services, resort-style swimming pool and hot tub, as well as a pool lounge with outdoor bar, grills, televisions, and jumbotron.

Southern Land Co. founder and CEO Tim Downey said that the dual projects will prove to be a boon to the residents of the artsy Las Vegas neighborhood.

“The introduction of Bria and Capella furthers our vision of making Symphony Park a premier urban neighborhood that blends luxury living with arts and culture – and the topping off of Capella signifies that we are one step closer to realizing our vision,” he said.

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 – The cost of housing in the United States is a hot button topic leading up to the presidential election in November, and a new study shows that the residents in a growing number of states across the nation are becoming “cost burdened” by the percentage of their income that they have to devote to paying their monthly rent and utilities, with Nevada and Arizona leading the pack in terms of this demographic.

“Cost burdened” is a designation for individuals or families who are paying over 30 percent of their income on rent each month; in 2019, there were seven states where a majority of tenants were in this situation. However, fast-forward to 2023, and that number of states is now at a shocking 21, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with approximately 22 million renters nationwide now having to devote a substantial amount of their take-home pay to ballooning housing costs.

Having to allocate over 30 percent of their income to rent and utilities may leave tenants with difficulty in paying for other necessary goods and services, including medical care, transportation, clothing, and food, HUD says.

The three states that have recorded the largest increases in the percentage of cost burdened renters are Arizona, which jumped from 46.5 percent to 54 percent; Nevada, from 51.1 percent to 57.4 percent; and Georgia, from 48.8 percent to 53.7 percent. Coincidentally, all three are presidential swing states, and both candidates – Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris – are sure to make addressing the affordable housing crisis a focus during their campaigning there.

According to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Las Vegas area itself had the largest number of cost burdened renters in the entire state at 58.3 percent, beating out New York City (52.6 percent) and San Francisco (48.9 percent).

Other states that saw large increases in their cost burdened populations include Florida (55.9 percent to 61.7 percent) and Maine (44 percent to 49.1 percent).

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 – A new report released this week by Hotel News Resource (HNR) has placed Las Vegas, Nevada among the very top cities in the United States when it comes to the highest return on short-erm rental investments.

The U.S. has become one of the most sought-after vacation destinations in the world in recent years, and the growth of the short-term rental market can attest to that fact, having increased a whopping 53 percent between June 2022 and June 2024, HNR says.

HNR examined each of the 25 cities in their report based on numerous metrics, including both the possible income derived from rentals and how much it typically costs to purchase properties to, in turn, rent out. They selected only cities with a significant number of properties – in this case, 10,000 or above – potentially available for investment.

But while any investment comes with the risk of loss, HNR’s study narrowed down the top 25 cities where investors saw the highest Revenue Per Available Rental (RevPAR) levels, with Las Vegas coming in with an impressive showing at number 15 overall.

RevPAR is the revenue generated by a property, given its average degree of availability in a given period of time; for example, if you are renting a house out on a short-term basis and a tenant occupies it for half of a month for a price of $200, the RevPAR would be $100.

Ultimately, RevPAR is the most important metric when it comes to determining the return on investment (ROI) potential of any property or market, experts say, and Las Vegas has performed strongly in that regard for many years now; its RevPAR ranking in the HNR report – again, where it placed 15 out of 25 overall – was $149.81.

Seaside cities performed the strongest in HNR’s report, with Lahaina, Hawaii coming in first with a RevPAR of $419.15, whereas Sarasota, Florida ranked last at 25th with $129.69.

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.