LAS VEGAS, NV – In a recent research report, financial analysis firm Moody’s noted that out of the numerous states feeling the pinch due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Nevada is the one most likely to be hit the hardest financially.

The spread of the coronavirus is making it difficult for experts to pin-point all of the specific factors that can determine what regions will be hit harder than others in terms of statewide economy. However, Moody’s research focused on several key factors – including demographics, trade and travel, tourism, finance, and commodities – and they have used those factors to determine the areas that are most assuredly to be the hardest hit financially.

Unfortunately, Nevada – and the city of Las Vegas in particular – is forecast to be the most affected, due to the fact that it relies on the lucrative tourism industry more than most states. As a result of non-essential business closures and stay-at-home orders instituted by state officials in the early days of the pandemic in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 – the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus – the city has already suffered great financial losses.

This early and deep impact upon Vegas’ economy does not bode well for the speed of its recovery, according to Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi.

“If you’re getting hit hard now and businesses are failing, and there’s bankruptcy and people are taking on debt or starting to default on debt, it’s going to be harder for those economies to recover,” he said. “So the No. 1 criteria for determining who recovers more gracefully will be who gets hit least hard during this period.”

Hawaii and Washington come in at number two and three, respectively, as states that are expected to experience severe financial woes due to the impact of the coronavirus upon the tourism industry. New York also ranks highly on the list, and currently contains the most cases of COVID-19 out of anywhere else in the nation.

In contrast, West Virginia and Missouri have seen the least coronavirus exposure – at least for the time being – and as a result their economies have been damaged far less, making their eventual recovery a less arduous task. But given the nature of the coronavirus outbreak, these factors and their effect upon statewide economies are subject to change as time goes on.

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 – According to reports, the construction industry in Las Vegas is continuing forward without any major setbacks attributed to the ongoing coronoavirus pandemic that is causing issues for its sister industry – real estate – but it remains to be seen what problems could arise if the outbreak ends later rather than sooner, experts say.

Construction, along with other fields such as medical and food, has been deemed an “essential” business by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, allowing work to continue unabated on numerous projects, free of governmental orders mandating many non-essential workers to remain at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

As a result, development on the many construction jobs currently ongoing in Las Vegas has continued without pause while the rest of the city essentially grinds to a halt; extra precautions have been taken on job sites to ensure that health and safety levels are maintained to prevent COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus. In contrast, workers in other industries that are deemed non-essential are holed up in their homes, waiting for the pandemic to blow over so they can return to work.

However, despite precautions, workers at Las Vegas construction sites have run into coronavirus-related issues during major ongoing projects; one worker at the Resorts World Las Vegas site and another at Allegiant Stadium have both come back with positive COVID-19 test results. There has been no word of Governor Sisolak re-evaluating his stance on construction work in Las Vegas based on these developments, however.

The coronavirus outbreak has caused problems with Las Vegas’ economy, which has only just righted itself after recovering from the mid-2000s recession. However, construction persists due to the word of experts that predict a fast turnaround to the city’s fortunes once the ongoing pandemic is finally resolved and people are able to return to work.

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 – According to reports, the growing construction happening in Las Vegas in an effort to meet the demands of housing needs is having a rather predictable effect upon the price of the land this housing is sitting upon; that is, that price is going up.

In 2019, investors paid a median price of approximately $383,840 per acre of land for development in Southern Nevada, which represents an amount twice that from the depths of the mid-2000’s recession, reports say. Experts attribute this increase to numerous factors, including a skyrocketing economy and job market and a resulting influx of new hires into the region. Developers have scrambled to meet the growing demand for housing, erecting new homes, condos, and apartment complexes as quickly as they are able.

And of course, demand sets the price, and land owners acted accordingly, raising the rates per-acre significantly. But this follows with the history of Las Vegas, with land prices rising and falling in accordance with the economy and real estate market at any given time. For example, land prices dropped greatly during the recession, whereas they were quite lofty beforehand.

However high land prices are currently, they are not yet at their pre-recession peak; in 2007, when building in Vegas was in a frenzied state, an acre of land fetched as much as a median price of $835,180 per acre.

It also remains to be seen what effect the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic will have upon land prices in Las Vegas – and nationwide – as construction slows amid a mass population quarantine and temporary business closures dictated by local and federal government. But even if land prices do drop in the here and now, it’s a sure thing that they will eventually bounce back – and perhaps climb even higher – once the virus clears and becomes a thing of the past. However, some experts predict the Coronavirus could become seasonal such as the flu increasing the need for a vaccine even further..

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 now infamous coronavirus outbreak has brought the city of Las Vegas to a near-standstill, with casinos and hotels closed in an effort to head off the rate of infection. However, reports indicated that the real estate and construction industries are nonetheless doing their best to continue to meet the needs of the population in these historically difficult times, and despite the expected uphill battle, have made some progress in doing just that.

After several months of strong home sales and following a massive recovery of the local real estate market and economy, Las Vegas home sales have taken a hit due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, with some deals being delayed while other cancelled outright. The issues are fueled about concern over the long-terms effects of the coronavirus on the economy, as well as the local job market and the performance of stocks.

However, there are just as many real estate transactions that are still ongoing, and the local real estate and construction markets are doing what they can to adapt to changing conditions as best they can. Motivated buyers are still pounding the pavement to get good deals, and many agents and builders are still showing homes and apartments, albeit by appointment only for now.

Likewise, some buyers are avoiding the concept of “social distancing” to potentially find better deals while many are holed up in their homes in self-imposed quarantine. However, reports indicate that builders are not currently considering price drops, seeing this as a temporary situation that will eventually right itself.

In addition, due to the housing demand in Las Vegas – and the fact that the virus will eventually blow over with life returning to normal, although unknown how long that will take – people are still researching homes via the internet, with some even buying homes without even visiting them in-person, instead going by photo galleries and video tours.

January and February of 2020 both saw over 1,100 home sales in Las Vegas, and before the coronavirus scare March 2020 was on course to produce similar strong numbers, reports say, with 589 sales already recorded. Buyer traffic in new homes overall dropped this week to less than 4,000 people, down from 5,000 two weeks ago, reports indicate.

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 – According to recent reports, the skyrocketing economy that Las Vegas has been enjoying since miraculously recovering from the mid-2000’s recession has hit a bit of a stumbling block in the form of the infamous coronavirus outbreak. Tourism had increased, multi-million dollar construction projects and development deals were constantly springing up, unemployment was dropping, and the real estate industry was enjoying a huge surge not seen since before the burst of the housing bubble. But in the wake of the coronavirus, business are shutting their doors – both in Vegas and nationwide – and the economy of Southern Nevada is starting to feel the pinch.

Casions and resorts are starting to see decreased demand as tourism drops amid airline flight restrictions and overall travel fears, and employment cuts are expected to take place in a variety of industries. This holds especially true in the hospitality industry, the very lifeblood of Las Vegas. MGM Resorts International is expected to begin layoffs starting next week, and according to reports it could amount to as many as 150 employees. MGM is one of the largest employers in Nevada.

In a city where tourism is king and people come in droves to be entertained in crowded casinos and event venues, the coronavirus is not an ideal situation, although it will take some time to ascertain the full extent of its impact on the local economy. It’s possible that the measures being taken now to limit exposure via social activity will prevent long-term economic damage and minimize the job, revenue and development project losses.

The degree to which tourism is important to the economic well-being of Las Vegas cannot be overstated, and the coronavirus is sure to have a trickle-down effect to almost every industry in the city. According to reports, tourists poured $35 billion in Southern Nevada in 2017, through which over 234,000 tourism jobs were supported. Currently, construction jobs are not being majorly affected, although some contractors have reported delayed shipment of materials needed for their projects when coming from China and Italy, areas of the globe where the coronavirus has hit the hardest.

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 – In the mid-2000’s Las Vegas housing market, prices reached their peak; in June of 2006, the median sales price of a single-family home hit an all-time high of $315,000, right before the recession hit and rendered the Southern Nevada market nearly inert for almost a decade.

Fast-forward to 2019, and real estate in Las Vegas has finally experienced something of a boom period once again. With the recovery of the economy and the influx of money and jobs into the region, experts began to notice the skyrocketing growth in the housing market. Inventory was scarce and prices were rising, but did they stand a chance of hitting the highs seen before the housing bubble burst? Some were skeptical, but none denied the record-setting growth.

But it appears to be happening, experts say; in September 2019, the median sales price of a single-family home hit $310,000. Closing the gap significantly between what is and what once was. Clearly, home prices – while their growth has finally started to slow recently – are on the cusp of reaching, and perhaps even surpassing, their previous mid-2000 levels.
However, experts say not to read too much into that milestone, as when taking inflation into consideration, the gap is not quite what it once was thought. Inflation means that, in 2019 currency, that peak 2006 home price of $315,000 would actually equate to 398,300. Also, while things have improved overall, they have yet to reach the point where lenders were practically giving loans away; from banks to developers, everyone touched by the real estate industry is playing it a little more safely these days, based on how badly they were burned last time around.

So while the symbolism of the new 2019 peak is a great way to bid farewell to the hardships that the recession forced upon Las Vegas – and indeed, the rest of the nation – it still indicates that there’s room for improvement, and illustrates just how bad things got when they were at their worst. But it also shows how far Vegas has come, and how far it’s still more than capable of going in the future.

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 the growth of home prices on the real estate market has slowed as of late after a period of massive growth, Las Vegas is still outpacing the vast majority of large cities in the county; that is, except its neighboring city of Phoenix, Arizona, according to reports.

In Southern Nevada as of July 2019, median home prices have been recorded as increasing 4.7 percent since the same period in 2018; this runs in direct contrast with the national average of 3.2 percent, reports say.

However, Phoenix has jumped in the rankings, showing a 5.8 percent gain year-over-year for the second month in a row. Previously, Las Vegas had occupied the top of the price growth list for a full year; for the past two months, it’s had to settle for number two on that list, a no less impressive distinction.

Currently, the median price of a single-family home in Las Vegas is $305,000 as of September, which represents a 3.4 percent increase over the same period of time in 2018. Growth is still there, although demand has decreased as developers have addressed the city’s rampant housing shortage brought on by a booming economy and an influx of out-of-state transplants looking for good jobs. The number of homes on the market is slowly increasing, which is helping to stabilize the formerly skyrocketing rate of growth for new home prices in the region.

In contrast, the median sales price of a single-family home in Las Vegas in August of 2018 represented a 13.5 percent increase over the same period in 2017, reports say; a massive jump, indeed. 

The current growth of the Las Vegas real estate market is seen as more sustainable, according to experts, many of whom were worried that the previous rapid growth the city was experiencing would soon affect the region’s much-touted affordable cost of living.

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 – Many Las Vegas construction projects that are either in the planning stages or are currently in the works are facing the very real threat of skyrocketing costs in the face of trade tariffs brought on by the ongoing US/China Trade War, according to recent reports.

As previously announced by President Donald Trump, on October 1, 2019, new tariffs – ranging from 25 percent to 30 percent – will be placed on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods; in addition, $160 billion worth of Chinese goods will come under a new 15 percent tax due to be instituted on December 15.

How this affects construction in Las Vegas – and much of the United States, for that matter – is in steel, one of China’s main exports, which is also home to six of the 10 largest steel-producing companies headquartered there, according to reports. 

And the increased steel prices that the tariffs are causing are making many developers think twice about going forward with – or scaling back – numerous planned projects in the Southern Nevada region due to the ballooning costs involved. For example, a proposed sports and entertainment complex for the Las Vegas Strip headed up by former NBA star Jackie Robinson has raised its estimated costs from $2.7 billion to nearly $3 billion as a result of increased steel costs, reports say. In addition, the developers of the MSG Sphere at The Venetian have increased their initial estimate from $1.2 billion to $1.7 billion.

However, an equal number of developers are pressing forward and taking on the extra costs as they come, while others are managing to remain on-budget as pre-existing purchase contracts with exporters have rendered them temporarily immune to the rising costs brought about by the US/Chine trade war. Projects that report no significant cost overruns due to the conflict include the Las Vegas Raiders Stadium and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) convention center expansion.

According to the LVCVA, there are ongoing or currently planned projects scheduled to open through 2022 totaling in the amount of $15.2 billion within the confines of the city.

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.

WASHINGTON – On July 31, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 points, making it the first time they have done so since the national recession in 2008. In addition, the central bank also ended quantitative tightening – a process of shrinking its balance sheet – two months ahead of schedule.

The interest rate cut changes the target benchmark rate to a range of 2 percent to 2.25 percent amid concerns of a possible slowing of the nation’s economy, citing “implications of global developments for the economic outlook as well as muted inflation pressures” .

According to a statement by the Federal Open Market Committee, business fixed investment is considered “soft” and inflationary pressures “remain low.” Job gains are considered “solid” by the Fed, with 224,000 added according to the June jobs report; unemployment currently is at 3.7 percent nationally, representing a slight increase.

The consumer market has shown continued improvement, however, with household spending increasing across the board.

Fed Chair Jay Powell initially did not indicate that there would be any further interest rate decreases in the near future, stating that the cut was simply a “midcycle adjustment” and that the economy was not in such a state of slowdown as to make necessary a longer rate-cutting cycle.

Powell’s lack of indication of future cuts drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who has been critical of the actions taken by the Federal Reserve recently as it pertains to the economy.

“As usual, Powell let us down, but at least he is ending quantitative tightening, which shouldn’t have started in the first place – no inflation,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “We are winning anyway, but I am certainly not getting much help from the Federal Reserve!”

It is perhaps this backlash from the President that caused the Fed to issue a follow-up statement, noting that it will “act as appropriate to sustain the expansion,” and that the committee will contemplate “the future path of the target range for the federal funds rate,” thus leaving the door open for potential future cuts.

Expectations were high in economic markets that the Federal Reserve would be making a 25 point cut, and some were even anticipating a potential 50 point cut.

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 – Work on the Las Vegas Stadium – the near-future home of the famed Oakland Raiders National Football League (NFL) team – has entered what the reports are referring to as the “most difficult” and “most dangerous” phase of its ongoing construction efforts. Since breaking ground on the new $2 billion, 65,000-seat stadium on Nov. 13, building crews are set to begin elevating 22 canopy trusses – each weighing 65 tons apiece – in order to affix them to the rim of the stadium at its highest points, many of which are as high as 120 feet off the ground.

These efforts require complex and exceedingly precise work between multiple departments involved in the construction of the stadium, such as the engineers, supervisors, iron workers, and more, all while taking into consideration the weather on any given day as rain or even minor shifts in wind velocity can have a major effect when working with the canopy trusses at such heights. Reports note that work can only take place at times when winds are lower than a sustained 17 miles per hour, for example. Regardless, lifting and affixing the canopy trusses will be relatively unique each and every time it is done, with work crews having to take into consideration any number of random variables that may not have been anticipated during the initial planning stages.

In addition, the canopy trusses must be put in place with extreme precision in order to incorporate them into the enormous translucent roof of the stadium, which will enable natural light to permeate the interior in order to give attendees the feeling of being outdoors. The roof is currently slated to be constructed on the floor of the stadium, and once the canopy trusses are in place, the roof will be lifted and affixed to them. Placement of the canopy trusses is slated to be completed by July 31.

Work on the stadium is currently going according to schedule, reports say, with anticipation of the Raiders playing the opening game of their 2020 season there. Anticipation of a major NFL team now calling Las Vegas home has helped to spark the local Las Vegas economy, driving businesses and tourism to the region and greatly increasing the city’s fortunes since its come back from the mid-2000s recession.

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 – Despite recent reports to the contrary, construction on the upcoming Las Vegas NFL Raiders Stadium – while facing a series of hurdles in recent days – will nonetheless be opening on time for the team’s first pre-season game, slated to take place on August 6, 2020.

According to reports, the Raiders’ construction manager, Jones Lang LaSalle, recently and erroneously told the team’s board that the July 31, 2020 completion date for the stadium has been bumped back to August 4; right afterwards, most major media outlets reported the incorrect news, spreading headlines declaring that the finish of the project had been delayed.

Some of the issues attributed to this alleged delay include issues with the delivery of steel supplies to the construction zone; a real problem, according to officials, but not one that will have any significant impact upon work, they say.

Soon after the “news” got out, chief operating officer of the Raiders’ stadium company, Don Webb, set the record straight, assuring board members that the construction of Raiders Stadium will be finished on-time for the start of the team’s 2020 pre-season season.

The Raiders broke ground on the new $2 billion, 65,000-seat stadium on November 13, 2017 – a joint-use agreement with the football team of the University of Las Vegas – and the impending arrival of the world-famous footballers has already attracted new businesses and investors to Las Vegas who believe that a local professional sporting team will serve as a massive boon to their bottom lines.

Indeed, this has already been proven to be the case; hotel room tax proceeds for the city of Las Vegas related to Raiders-influenced tourism have exceeded original projections by 0.6 percent, for a total of nearly $94 million through January of 2020, according to reports.

In addition to Raiders Stadium, work is also underway on a $100 million training facility/team headquarters that is located in the vicinity of Henderson Executive Airport. The headquarters will offer 323,000 square feet consisting of advanced training and workout facilities – including three practice areas located outside as well as an indoor football field – in addition to numerous corporate offices to house the team’s management, executives, and other personnel.

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 – Unless you’ve been living under a rock in the Mojave Desert, you’ve likely heard that Southern Nevada is currently in the midst of a construction boom.

The Las Vegas Convention Center recently hosted the World of Concrete trade show this past February, where members of the concrete industry convened to see the impact their livelihood has had upon the city since its epic recovery from the mid-2000’s recession.

Due to the recent economic and real estate-related boom that has been re-shaping Vegas – attracting business, professional sports teams, and those seeking jobs – construction work has escalated to a large degree to keep up with demand in the Vegas area.

Among the current high-profile developments in the works – all of which are utilizing copious amounts of concrete in their construction – are Resorts World Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment’s Linq complex, Las Vegas Raiders’ stadium (as well as the team’s team separate headquarters/practice facility), Wynn Las Vegas’ new convention facilities, MSG Sphere at The Venetian, Las Vegas Ballpark, among many more.

Considered a versatile, cost-effective, and efficient building material, concrete is a vital component in constructing a variety of projects in the region, including buildings and stadiums, as well as the infrastructure these developments require, such as bridges, roads, and highways.

The World of Concrete trade show highlighted how the substance has contributed to shaping the skyline of Las Vegas in recent years, in addition to illuminating breakthrough new developments in the field that are allowing concrete to not only act as a strong foundation for a structure, but to function as an attractive and eye-catching element of design as well. New coatings and applications are allowing concrete – once thought of as bland and utilitarian in appearance – to contribute to the beauty of a building’s overall design as well.

Another topic addressed at the trade show was the economic impact concrete has had upon the construction industry, especially in terms of jobs and employment; recent retirement of long-standing construction veterans, combined with a lack of new inductees into the field, have resulted in a shortage of new hires, and experts note that a coordinated effort is needed in order to lure students that are near graduation and looking for careers into construction. This is especially true in Southern Nevada, where job openings are plentiful in the face of the current overwhelming needs of the business and real estate sectors.

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.