Category Archive : Market Updates

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, much of the Las Vegas real estate empire amassed by late entrepreneur and former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has been listed on the open market by his family, totaling nearly 100 properties throughout the downtown area. Hsieh had passed away in November at the age of 46 due to injuries suffered in a Connecticut house fire, and had no will before his death, reports say.

Representatives of the family have filed dozens of notices with Clark County District Court, with the properties in question slated to go to the “highest and best bidder,” with all transactions being cash only, representing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Properties up for grabs, reports say, are located around downtown’s Fremont Street area and include Zappos Headquarters – which he originally purchased for $65 million – as well as retail and food complexes Downtown Container Park and Fergusons Downtown, among many others.

However, the estate’s lawyer, Dara Goldsmith, noted that it is possible that not all of Hsieh’s properties would be sold, as the notices filed with the court allow for the “possible future sale” of the real estate in question.

“The estate may retain certain properties and sell others, or it may retain all of the properties,” she said. “Once the publication process is complete, the estate will consider reviewing serious, written offers.”

For 20 years, Hsieh – who had a net worth of hundreds of millions of dollars – headed up retail giant Zappos, selling the retailer to Amazon in a $1 billion-plus deal in 2009; he had retired as its CEO in August 2020. He is credited by many as being a central figure in the revitalization of Downtown Las Vegas.

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 – Mortgage lender TPG Real Estate Finance Trust has recently acquired 27.5 acres of prime real estate along the north and south edges of the famed Las Vegas Strip, according to recent reports. TPG acquired the property from Triple Five Group, according to Clark County records, through a “deed in lieu of foreclosure,” which typically involves avoiding foreclosure on a piece of property by the transfer of ownership.

According to reports, it’s assumed that the new property owner TPG – who is a lender, not a developer – will attempt to sell the property, as opposed to developing anything on it. The property sits upon one of the most desirable areas in Southern Nevada- a major tourism district located directly across from the currently under-construction Resorts World Las Vegas.

Experts have cast further doubt on TPG potentially developing the property themselves due to the many construction issues presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; more than likely, TPG will attempt to coincide a potential sale closer to the time where there is at least some sort of projected end of the pandemic so that buyers can plan for a return of mass tourism to Las Vegas.

The seller, Triple Five Group, is a conglomerate based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which specializes in shopping malls, entertainment complexes, hotels, and banks, along with 3 indoor amusement parks. The company owns and operates two of North America’s largest malls, the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta and the Mall of America in Minnesota, both of which contain a wide variety of entertainment attractions alongside traditional retail.

According to their website, the buyer, TPG Real Estate Finance Trust is a balance sheet lender that originates first-mortgage loans greater than $50 million in primary and select secondary markets throughout the United States.

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.

LA VEGAS, NV – According to reports, the long-gestating Fontainebleau resort project – located on the northern part of the famed Las Vegas Strip and originally scheduled to open in 2009 – may have finally garnered a new lease on life after it was re-acquired by its original developer and changing hands several times over the years.

Remaining a vacant development for a number of years after declaring bankruptcy during the crash of the economy in the mid-2000’s, the megaresort project has remained an unfinished eyesore amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a mute testament to the previous economic hardships endured by Las Vegas before it’s resurgence in recent years.

Koch Industries’ real estate wing, in conjunction with Florida developer Jeffrey Soffer, have joined forced to acquire the Fontainebleau property – more recently known as “The Drew Las Vegas” – according to a joint release put out this week. Soffer was once affiliated with the group that originally constructed the over 60-story resort in the mid-2000’s; one of many that entered into a state of limbo when the housing bubble burst during that period.

But unlike many developments started during that period of time, the Fontainebleau site has refused to give up the ghost, so to speak, remaining as a reminder of harsh times gone by.

The Fontainebleau’s new ownership have yet to publically reveal any details on their plans for the site; some are anticipating that the owners will revert the project back to its original Fontainebleau name, but so far any resumption of construction efforts has yet to be announced.

The 68-floor luxury resort, boasting almost 4,000 rooms and suites, is located near the Las Vegas Convention Center; construction on the $2.9 billion property had begun in 2007 by privately held Fontainebleau Resorts LLC, but was indefinitely halted two years later when the recession forced the project into bankruptcy. In 2010, Icahn NV Gaming Acquisition LLC purchased the Fontainebleau for $150 million, and then sold it off to developer Steve Witkoff for $600 million in 2017.

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 – Earlier this week, President Joe Biden extended three federal protection programs safeguarding homeowners in the United States throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that were on the verge of ending next month.

First, Biden extended a ban on home foreclosures for federally-backed mortgages until the end of June 2021, in addition to extending a mortgage relief program; the goal of these actions is to help stabilize the housing affordability crisis that has been taking place throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The moratorium on foreclosures was initially set to end on March 31, but has been extended until June 30; this is the second time he has extended this ban following his record-breaking number of executive orders since taking office on Jan. 20. Originally, before Biden took office, the foreclosure moratorium passed during the Trump Administration was set to end on Jan. 31.

In addition, Biden has also increased the enrollment window for mortgage payment forbearance – which allows homeowners who have active home debts to pause or reduce their mortgage payments – until June 30.

And finally, Biden added an additional six months where the federal government will allow borrowers to defer mortgage payments; however, those looking to take advantage of this act would need to have been enrolled in a forbearance plan by the end of last June, reports say.

The Biden Administration issued a statement after the President signed these acts, saying that the government is “committed to protecting homeownership and housing stability during the pandemic,” and that the President’s actions will “directly benefit the 2.7 million homeowners currently in COVID forbearance and extend the availability of forbearance options for nearly 11 million government-backed mortgages nationwide.”

The Biden Administration did not address the current eviction ban on rentals that is currently due to expire on March 31; however, a COVID relief bill proposed by the President – which has not yet passed through Congress –  would extend the eviction ban until the end of September.

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 a recent CNN article, the extension of the federal eviction moratorium through the end of March 2021 was a desperately-needed lifeline for countless people struggling with financial hardship due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, President Joe Biden is attempting to pass a bill that would extend that eviction moratorium even further; if his proposed relief legislation passes in its current form, that eviction ban would be extended to Sept. 30, 2021.

While this is helpful to renters who have lost their jobs – or had their income severely curtailed – by COVID, to countless landlords, the continued eviction ban extensions have been a living hell, as for these programs to work they alone must bear the financial hardship – in the form of unpaid rent – on their very backs, according to Bob Pinnegar, president and CEO of the National Apartment Association.

“It’s important to recognize that, after 10 months of severe economic distress, job loss, and decline in rent collections, everyone is hurting,” he said, adding that landlords are “saddled with the financial burden of providing housing to America’s 40 million renters without sufficient resources to do so, and they leave residents to accrue even more debt.”

The original federal eviction moratorium was due to expire at the end of December, but was given an extra month as part of the second COVID relief package; upon taking office in January, President Biden signed an executive order extending it to the end of March.

Ultimately, Pinnegar said that everyone wants the same thing – for people to be able to stay in their residences. However, he argues, eviction moratoriums are not the way to achieve that since they do not shield renters from back rent that is accrued over the course of the ban; once the ban ends, the renter will owe large amounts of back rent that they will likely never be able to fully repay.

In the meantime, landlords – especially small mom-and-pop operations without any financial backing whatsoever – are being forced to house their tenants without the benefit of monthly income, which is stretching some of them beyond the breaking point, Pinnegar said.

“They just kick the can down the road, jeopardizing housing supply, quality of the housing stock and affordability on the other side of this crisis,” he said. “Without rent, owners can’t afford maintenance or capital improvements necessary to preserve the units. If owners cannot pay these, they risk their ability to provide safe housing for residents altogether.”

In addition, some landlords are not able to meet their mortgage payments, putting many of them into risk of foreclosure.

Pinnegar is currently calling for large-scale rental assistance from the federal government to help all involved parties get by during the ongoing eviction ban; President Biden’s proposed COVID relief bill currently calls for $30 billion in rental assistance on top of the $25 billion in aid approved in the most recent $900 billion stimulus package passed in December.

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 a city where unemployment has plagued the population throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there’s one field where there’s plenty of opportunities for work: construction jobs, according to recent reports.

With as many as 11,000 homes expected to be built in the Las Vegas area over the course of 2021 to satisfy housing demands, currently developers in Southern Nevada need all the help they can get their hands on. However, according to the results of a National Association of Homebuilders survey, 76 percent of building companies have been unable to fill their construction worker positions adequately.

According to Amanda Moss, senior director of government affairs for the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, her organization is concerned that if demand for housing isn’t met due to labor shortages, it could ultimately drive up prices of homes across the valley.

“We’re incredibly concerned that as prices continue to rise, material prices and even workforce shortages, which drive the cost of labor up,” she said. “That gets passed on to consumers and we could for sure see the unfortunate circumstance where Nevadans will get priced out of the market as other folks continue to move into the valley and buy up that already limited supply.”

Currently, the average pay for a construction workers job in Las Vegas ranges from $24 to $26 per hour; experience is preferred, but it is certainly not required, especially given the current shortage of workers, Moss said. Instead, applicants can learn via the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association’s own free, online, training program called “SNHBA Learn.”

“The great part of the construction industry is that we don’t have a barrier to entry or have any pre-requisite, traditional path to get into the industry,” said Moss.

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, one of the largest owners of apartments in Las Vegas has made an announcement last week that they will now be accepting the popular cryptocurrency “Bitcoin” as a payment option for their tenants’ rent.

Las Vegas Apartments Corporation – according to their Facebook page – provides “safe and secure low income luxury Studio, One and Two bedroom apartments in downtown Las Vegas with all utilities and WiFi included.”

The company, on Wednesday, said they will not only be taking the digital currency to cover rent, but any move-in fees as well, reports say.

Las Vegas Apartments Corp. stated that only a few escrow services offer Bitcoin as a form of payment, but they believe that acceptance of the cryptocurrency will increase over time by more businesses.

The concept of paying your rent with bitcoin is a relatively new one in the industry, but one that’s been slowly catching on in various cities across the nation over the last few years. For example, the Brooklyn, New York-based ManageGo – a mobile app that allows tenants to make payments and schedule maintenance with their landlords – gave renters the option of paying via bitcoin several years ago.

How it works is relatively simple- the tenant makes their rent payment with Bitcoin, and the ManageGo app utilizes a digital cryptocurrency broker to convert the bitcoin to actual dollars, which are then sent to the landlord.

Ultimately, however, according to the American Apartment Owner’s Association, accepting Bitcoin – a very volatile cryptocurrency in terms of value – could be a good long-term investment, and it could also help you stand out in a rental market by advertising that you accept it.

There are also significant risks as well. As mentioned, the value of bitcoin can fluctuate wildly, whereas cash does not. For example, today, February 10, a single Bitcoin equals $45,154, where just three days ago, February 7, 1 Bitcoin equaled $37,787. In addition, since bitcoin is not liquid, it can take far longer – up to 10 days – to cash it out than non-digital currency. And, since it is digital, Bitcoin is vulnerable to being hacked.

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 Martin, a luxury high-rise condominium tower located on Dean Martin Drive in Paradise, has listed its 45^th floor penthouse on the open market for a whopping $18 million, a potentially record-setting sum in Las Vegas if the residence actually ends up selling for that amount.

The penthouse, which comprises the entire 45^th floor, boasts 12,940 square-feet in space and has five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, Venetian plaster walls, custom-made furniture in every room, and 30 television sets. There is also 2,000 square-feet of balcony space with four terraces, which offers a stunning 360-degree view of the entire Las Vegas valley, reports say.

It also comes packed with numerous high-end amenities, such as a professional gym, steam room, sauna and cold plunge. It also comes well equipped for entertaining guests, featuring a catering kitchen, private wine room, bar, game room and theater.

The centerpiece of the penthouse, however, is a custom circular fish tank that has a bed situated in the center where you can kick back, relax, and watch the fish.

The owner, whose name has not been revealed, reportedly purchased the penthouse in 2016 for $4.25 million, and then put approximately another $12 million into it. Reportedly, the owner has already received several offers from out-of-state buyers and it is expected that it will be sold within a few months, if not sooner.

While home sales and apartment rentals overall have recently seen excellent growth in the Southern Nevada region, the high-rise condominium market actually saw sales drop 17 percent from one year ago and prices dropped double-digit percentages since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current record holder for penthouse sales belongs to Phil Maloof’s 58^th floor residence at The Palms, which sold for $12.5 million in 2019.

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 – Real estate experts are reporting that home-buying in Las Vegas is reaching a fever pitch, and are recommending that residents who are looking to change careers in the near future to consider real estate, as things will likely get even better when the COVID-19 pandemic eventually comes to an end.

With a large influx of people into Southern Nevada looking to take advantage of record-low mortgage rates, low inventory, and the low cost of living when compared to many other regions of the United States, real estate in Las Vegas is already bouncing back from the pandemic far more quickly than first anticipated. Demand is so great, experts say, that buyers are getting so competitive with one another that many are actually skipping property inspections, buying homes sight unseen, and even paying well over the appraised value.

However, when the pandemic finally comes to an end, thousands more homes are expected to enter the marketplace when eviction moratoriums – put into place both locally and federally to aid those financially impacted by COVID – finally come to an end and foreclosures start happening en masse.

While waiting for eviction moratoriums to eventually end, experts say, an individual looking to get into real estate could be working on their license, which can be obtained in only four to five months.

The rapid economic growth exhibited by Las Vegas prior to the pandemic is another reason people should be considering entering the real estate field, experts say, as the region is bringing in many big-league corporations, and professional sports teams who are attracted by the businesses-friendly climate Nevada offers.

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, while Las Vegas has been making waves in the real estate world for its steadily rising home prices despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – raising concerns over affordability if they continue to go up – prices are nonetheless rising much faster in many other cities, highlighting the current low cost of living in Southern Nevada.

Prices of homes in Las Vegas have gone up 6.8 percent from November 2010 to November 2020, which while an impressive feat, nonetheless falls well below the national year-over-year average of 9.5 percent, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index released by S&P Dow Jones Indices.

Indeed, among the 19 markets examined for the index, Phoenix, Arizona was the region with the fastest-rising home prices, and has steadfastly held that position for the past 18 months; in contrast, Las Vegas’ growth – while still very healthy, especially given the financial impact of the pandemic – was the market with the slowest-rising prices in the index.

Experts say the reason Las Vegas is not higher on that list is due to the fact that the city’s main industry is tourism, which has been devastated by the pandemic; jobs related to that industry have experienced huge losses.

However, despite the economic turmoil that Vegas has experienced, pace of its home price increases have broken several records over the course of the past year due to demand, low mortgage rates, and the overall low cost of living. Reports indicate that numerous home-buyers, many from out of state, have swooped into Southern Nevada to take advantage, and that the intense competition for homes is not expected to slow down any time soon.

The median sales price for homes in Las Vegas was an all-time record high $345,000 for both November and December 2020, which represents a 10.2 percent from the same period of time in 2019.

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, a high-tech “net zero” home located in Las Vegas’ the south valley that actually generates more electricity than it consumes has sold for the sizable amount of $2.75 million.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom home, known as the New American Remodel 2020, was purchased by a Manhattan couple who decided to relocated to Nevada amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The house, located in the vicinity of Warm Springs Road and Decatur Boulevard, was featured in a news conference that took place during the 2020 Las Vegas International Builders’ Show; the home was also the subject of numerous tours as well, giving the public a look at its high-tech features.

Element Building Co. was responsible for the creation of the New American Remodel 2020; the goal of the project was to demolish a home built in the 1970’s and use its foundation as a basis for a new, modern-era residence featuring the “latest and greatest technology,” with an emphasis on energy efficiency. The original house was purchased in 2018 for $415,000, with the subsequent work going into the property amounting to over $2 million.

The New American Remodel 2020 at 7345 S Ullom Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89139 features 4,802 square feet of living space, a “showroom” three-car garage, glass elevator, five fireplaces, outdoor kitchen, a rooftop terrace, steam shower and Amazon Alexa-based smart mirrors. In addition, the backyard has a heated pool and waterfall.

However, the tech is the real selling point, and to that end the home features solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, special insulation, a Savant Pro home automation system that controls motorized shades, lighting, the alarm system, cameras, music and more, and an air-recovery system that circulates fresh air throughout the residence.

All of this adds up to a “net zero” home, meaning New American Remodel 2020 actually generates more electricity than it consumes, and is actually considered 117 percent more efficient than the average newly-built home.

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 by the Nevada State Apartment Association (NVSAA) with data from CoStar notes that the market for apartments in the Las Vegas region is currently doing far better than anyone had predicted it would given the current COVID-19 pandemic, according to reports.

Apartment rents in Southern Nevada have continued to increase at levels faster than average nationally; by the very end of 2020, rents had increased over the course of the year by 4.8 percent when compared to the same period of time in 2019. Actual rents averaged at $1,138 per month in the fourth quarter of 2020, representing an increase over the third quarter – when average rents were from $1,128 – and a significant jump from the fourth quarter of 2019, when the average asking price for an apartment  was $1,080 per month.

The national average for apartment rent in the fourth quarter of 2020 was $1,373, which only represents an increase of 0.2 percent over the same period of time in 2019.

In addition, the number of apartments for rent on the Las Vegas market during 2020 dropped. During the fourth quarter of 2019 the vacancy rate was 6.5 percent, but fast forward to the fourth quarter of 2020 and that number had dropped to 5.9 percent.

In addition to general demand, another reason that the Las Vegas apartment market is performing at such a level despite the pandemic is due to the fact that, in recent months, a growing number of properties are offering renters concessions, which is when the landlord or property manager agrees to a compromise to the original terms of the lease, often in the form of a rebate, monetary compensation, discount, or something else.

Las Vegas apartments also continue to see competition from single-family home rentals, as well as rampant development of new apartment complexes in the region that will likely stabilize rent increases as more living options become available to 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.