Category Archive : Investing

LAS VEGAS, NV – After an extended series of delays, the $3.7 billion Fontainebleau Las Vegas is finally set to open at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip on December 13, bringing to close a development saga that has spanned 23 years amid ongoing doubts at times that the resort would ever open to begin with.

Jeffrey Soffer, Fontainebleau Development’s chairman and CEO, first purchased the land for the resort back in 2000. Development later begun on the Fontainebleau in 2007 – with its grand opening scheduled to take place in 2009 – but work was indefinitely halted two years later by the recession, forcing 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. Witkoff originally envisioned a 2022 completion date; however, that was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From there, the Fontainebleau sat unfinished for years until Soffer and Fontainebleau Development re-acquired the project and resumed construction in 2021, following Soffer’s securement of $2.2 billion in new funding.

When the resort finally opens its doors for business on December 13, it will be operated by the company’s subsidiary, Bowtie Hospitality LLC.

The Fontainebleau will mostly adhere to the original vision that was laid out for it back when the project was first announced and will consist of a 67-story tower containing 3,780 hotel rooms and suites, 550,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, a casino, restaurants, retail, health and wellness spaces, and many other high-end amenities.

In addition, the resort is expected to provide approximately 6,000 full-time jobs, which will greatly add to Las Vegas’ already booming economy.

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 – Realtors in Las Vegas are beginning to show serious concern over a growing trend that eerily reflects market conditions prior to the mid-2000s recession; back then, it was Wall Street packaging risky subprime mortgages into mortgage-backed securities.  

Fast-forward to today, and Las Vegas Realtor Noah Herrera says that Wall Street is back at it again in a slightly different fashion, purchasing as many homes in the valley as they can, renting them out in what some allege is a “predatory” fashion, and packaging them as rental-backed securities. 

Wall Street is destroying Main Street…again,” Herrera said. “And it’s kind of hard to stomach because at the end of the day, this is capitalism.” 

Herrera Isn’t the only one expressing these concerns; reports indicate that many real estate agents based in the Las Vegas Valley are chiming in on multi billion dollar Wall Street hedge funds and investors snapping up homes left and right, pushing everyday homebuyers out of the market with what many are referring to as “aggressive buying and rental tactics.” 

In Clark County alone, 80,000 single-family homes are owned by investors and hedge funds, which represents approximately 14 percent of the 563,000 homes within its borders. In addition, almost 10 percent of all home purchases within Clark County since 1988 had been made by Wall Street, reports say, and about 13 percent of all single-family home sales in the county since 2012 were made by investors. 

Wall Street home purchases in the Las Vegas Valley hit their highest level in 2021, making up approximately 18 percent of all sales; home purchases by investors swelled even higher in other parts of Southern Nevada, reaching as high as 20 percent in some regions. 

According to Shawn McCoy, director of UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate, many of these homes being snapped up over the decades by Wall Street never again hit the market. 

Since 1988, 77 percent of homes that were purchased by investors were never sold again, suggesting that roughly three quarters of homes that are purchased by investors are held as long-term rentals,” McCoy said. 

Las Vegas Realtor Steve Hawks said this situation has the effect of pricing out local buyers and results in a large portion of local Las Vegas housing inventory being owned not by residents, but by out-of-state investors. 

Wall Street hedge funds have completely destroyed the traditional real estate cycle and industry as we know it,” he said. “For example, entry-level buyers no longer have access to affordable entry-level homes. People wanting to downsize no longer see it worthwhile to downsize due to the lack of entry-level homes under $500,000.” 

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 – California-based Realty Income Corp. announced on Friday that it has signed an agreement to invest approximately $950 million into acquiring equity interests from New York-based Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. in a new joint venture that now owns a 95 percent interest in the real estate assets of The Bellagio Las Vegas. 

Subject to customary conditions, the transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023; at that time, Realty income will acquire a 21.9 percent indirect interest in the property by way of an initial investment of $300 million of common equity into the joint venture. Blackstone will retain a 73.1 percent indirect interest, with the remaining 5.0 percent interest being held by MGM Resorts International. 

In addition, $650 million will be invested by Realty Income into the joint venture to acquire a yield-bearing preferred equity interest. 

Sumit Roy, Realty Income’s President and Chief Executive Officer, announced his firm’s sizable investment into Las Vegas, saying that it is expected to yield huge benefits for their investors. 

We are pleased to initiate our Credit Investment platform through a preferred equity investment in the Bellagio joint venture,” he said. “Credit Investments are a natural adjacency to our traditional business, allowing us to provide additional value to our clients while leveraging our core competencies in transaction sourcing and structuring, and real estate and credit underwriting and monitoring.” 

Located on the famed Las Vegas Strip, The Bellagio is a luxury hotel and casino that was purchased from MGM Resorts by Blackstone back in 2019 for $4.25 billion; MGM retained a small stake and continues to operate and maintain the resort on a day-to-day basis. 

Realty Income Corporation is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates a portfolio of over 12,237 commercial properties. 

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 Athletics’ ownership has hired the pair of industry-leading construction firms responsible for building Allegiant Stadium to build the Major League Baseball (MLB) team’s proposed new $1.5 billion ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip. 

 The A’s announced this week that the Mortenson | McCarthy Joint Venture will be responsible for handling all construction-related duties on the upcoming stadium, including estimates prior to the start of construction, scheduling and logistics planning, bidding, coordinating and managing labor, as well as engaging with the community. 

According to a statement released by A’s President Dave Kaval, the decision to go with this joint development team –  who are considered standouts in their field – was an easy one based on their previous efforts, particularly with the work they did on bringing Allegiant Stadium to life for the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Mortenson | McCarthy brings an exceptional level of expertise and experience to our project,” he said. “Their focus on innovation, safety and efficiency makes them the best in their field.” 

Despite the announcement, hiring of Mortenson | McCarthy still must be approved by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority before the deal can go down, although that is considered merely a formality. 

The new home of the Athletics – who are joining the Raiders in moving from their former hometown of Oakland, California – will be on a nine-acre plot of land situated on the 35-acre site of the Tropicana, located at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue. Currently, the plan is to demolish the Tropicana to make way for the A’s stadium and to build a new 1,500-room hotel and casino on the remaining acreage. 

The A’s home stadium – a project expected to cost a total of $1.5 billion – is slated to take the form of a 35,000-seat retractable roof stadium. $380 million in public funds have been earmarked for the A’s new stadium, and the project in its current form could potentially also receive up to $180 million in transferable tax credits 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 – UnCommons – a 40-acre mixed-used facility currently under development in southwestern Las Vegas – recently announced an expansion of the experimental project with the addition of The Assembly, a 5,000-square-foot conference and event pavilion scheduled to open in September. 

Upon completion, UnCommons – located at Durango Drive and the 215 Beltway in the southwest valley – will essentially be a mini-city within a city, consisting of 500,000 square feet of offices, as well as restaurants, health and fitness studios, relaxation options, and over 830 residential units, in addition to the aforementioned event pavilion. 

The Assembly is being touted as a one-of-a-kind addition to the mixed-use development that can host a variety of event types, including talks, community events, and weddings; the space can even be utilized as a hub for the facility’s office tenants when needed. 

The concept behind the $800 million project is that it will be a space where the various employees working for businesses located there will have numerous solutions to all of their needs – living space, entertainment, exercise, and more – right there at their fingertips. 

The 830 apartment units are spread out amongst 3 towers, and already have 40 residents who have moved in; in addition, six office tenants have also set up operations in their respective spaces, including companies such as Draft Kings and CBRE Group Inc; companies such as Deloitte and Newmark will also be coming in soon. 

On the storefront side, six food and beverage locations have already opened – such as Urth Caffe, Teaspoon, and Amari – and two retail businesses have opened their doors, one being a luxury candle maker and the other a hair salon. 

Las Vegas ‘s intense desert heat has been taken into consideration as far as the UnCommons’ design goes, with all buildings on the grounds built around the concept of providing maximum shade to the maximum amount of outdoor square footage possible, ensuring that tenants and visitors are rarely required to be exposed to direct sunlight for any great period of time. 

The final phase of the UnCommons project – which originally broke ground in 2021 – is slated to begin in early 2024. 

For more information on availability and more, visit https://uncommons.com

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 mixed-use development comprised of retail shopping and a residential housing complex has been proposed at a 73-acre location in North Las Vegas that had previously the homes to two well-known casinos that have since been shuttered. 

Agora Realty and Management has entered a proposal with the North Las Vegas Planning Commission to re-zone the former sites of the Texas Station and Fiesta Rancho casinos – located at Lake Mead Boulevard and Rancho Drive – from resort-commercial to a residential mixed-use classification, in order to build “a mix of experiential commercial, recreation, hotel, retail, restaurant, and multifamily uses.” 

If the Commission approves the rezoning proposal, Agora plans on constructing what it has dubbed “North Las Vegas Sports Village,” which is slated to include what they refer to as an open-air “Champions Plaza” consisting of 450,000 square-feet of retail shops and restaurants, as well as a “vibrant mix of residential housing options for the community” offering 665 housing units, all of which they say will be constructed in phases. 

Some of the more unusual amenities that Agora is planning on building on the site include an ice skating rink, which is slated to be 100,000 square-feet in size, in addition to a sports field, “outdoor entertainment,” a convenience store, a car wash, a child care center, and a vocational school.  

100,000 square-feet of professional office space is also being planned by the developer as well. 

Agora also intends to replace the former casinos that had previously inhabited the property in some manner by asking the North Las Vegas Planning Commission for permission to acquire a gaming license and to construct a 150-room hotel; at least three beer and wine licenses and three liquor licenses have also been applied for. 

The North Las Vegas Planning Commission will consider Agora’s re-zoning request at its Wednesday, July 12 meeting. If the proposals are approved and construction moves forward, Agora anticipates employing at least 925 people to make the extensive and varied development a reality. 

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 – Las Vegas commercial real estate developer Rob Lauer on Tuesday reportedly began attempting to gather investors to put up $310 million to construct a private spaceport in Clark County. 

If his endeavor is successful, Lauer plans to use the investment capital to form a publicly-traded company that would build the Las Vegas Spaceport, an extensive facility which would consist of a launching pad, a runway for spaceplanes, a control tower, a flight school, and a 200-room casino resort. 

The spaceport is slated to be built on a 240-acre plot of land located between Las Vegas and Pahrump that Lauer previously purchased in November 2022, and the developer notes that this is a long-term project for him, having already been brainstorming the details for the past year. 

Currently 37 companies are in the process of developing aircraft, and Lauer anticipates at least one of them being able to develop a vehicle within the next decade that would be able to achieve Earth orbit in order to begin a wave of so-called “space tourism,” including the possibility of such vehicles visiting an orbiting hotel. 

Lauer said that the location outside of Las Vegas that he has picked for the spaceport is perfect due to the fact that the city attracts millions of tourists on an annual basis, with many of them willing to shell out big bucks in order to enjoy a unique travel experience. 

The forward-thinking entrepreneur said that safety will be of a paramount concern to the facility, and to that end Lauer noted he has extensively consulted with numerous aerospace experts in order to educate himself on the best way to build the Las Vegas Spaceport from the ground up. 

However, despite how impressive Lauer’s plans may look on the surface, Amanda Bellarmino, an assistant professor at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, said that they realistically don’t appear to be feasible for a number of reasons. 

The challenges I see with space tourism are safety concerns and cost. Right now it seems like an activity for a few very wealthy people,” she said. “There would also be safety concerns, especially with the recent tragedy with the Titan submersible. Unless there is the type of changes we saw with airline travel in the early 20th century in terms of safety and cost reduction, I do not think it will have mass appeal.” 

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 – Construction companies that have been working on the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas claim the company behind the futuristic entertainment venue – which is still under development – owes them millions of dollars in unpaid labor fees, according to a lawsuit filed with the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada.

MSG Las Vegas and Platte River Insurance Company of Nebraska are named as defendants in the lawsuit, which has been filed by plaintiffs comprised of Rider Levett Bucknall LTD and 20 unnamed individuals or business entities.

The plaintiffs allege that they had provided construction services for the MGS Sphere valued at approximately $3 million, and that $2 million of that outstanding balance has yet to be paid to them; eventually, they placed a lien against MSG.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs blame the lack of payment for their clients on James Dolan, CEO of MSG.

There was supposed to be the world’s longest bar in this project,” the attorneys said to the judge overseeing the case. “And they built it and then he came through and deleted it and wanted to take it out. He increased the project cost. Mr. Dolan’s decision against advice increased the project cost and now he’s blaming us for increasing the project costs.”

A Sphere Entertainment spokesperson said, “This story has no merit.”

When completed, the MSG Sphere will be a 400,000-square-foot, 18,000-seat, 366-foot-tall, 516 foot wide, globe-shaped arena – the largest spherical structure on Earth, according to MSG – located on 63 acres of property located behind the behind the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The exterior of the sphere will feature 36 miles of variable intensity LED lighting – the aforementioned exosphere – 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.

The attendee capacity of the MSG Sphere will be scalable, MSG Entertainment said, ranging from approximately 17,500 seated to 20,000 with a mix of seated and standing. The venue will typically not feature sporting events, but rather cater to musical performances and concerts; however, the occasional boxing or MMA contest could be held there if needed.

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 loophole in Nevada’s tax laws governing real estate that has been typically and regularly utilized over the years by owners of large properties – such as casinos, hotels, and tourist resorts – is edging closer to being closed as state lawmakers recently voted to move a new bill out of committee on Tuesday.

Assembly Bill 448 – sponsored by Rep. Steve Yeager and Rep. Sandra Jauregui, both Democrats – was previously unanimously voted by the Senate Revenue and Economic Development Committee to advance to the Nevada State Assembly. The bill was again approved in that chamber by a unanimous vote, after which it is now to be sent to the floor of the State Senate for a final vote of approval.

The loophole in question has been used for years by large-scale property owners in Nevada – particularly in Las Vegas – to avoid paying real estate transfer taxes; since 2007, property owners have reportedly saved themselves a combined total of $27 million by utilizing this technicality.

“AN ACT relating to taxation; revising the exemption from the real property transfer tax applicable to certain transfers of real property between business entities; and providing other matters properly relating thereto,” reads the bill’s official summary.

If the bill is approved by the State Senate – which experts say is very likely to occur – it will then head to the desk of Governor Joe Lombardo, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

When and if Assembly Bill 448 is indeed passed and becomes the law of the land, it will mandate that the real estate transfer tax is to be paid if the property is transferred to a business entity that was created for the purpose of avoiding those taxes.

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 – Following a committee hearing on Monday for a bill for the proposed Las Vegas ballpark stadium of the Athletics – which recently announced they would be transplanting themselves from California to Nevada – the Southern Nevada Building Trades Union (SNBTU) has publicly shown their support for the project, saying that the construction of the famed MLB team’s new home would benefit the local economy by generating over 5,000 new jobs. 

The A’s recently reached an agreement with Bally’s Corp. to purchase a nine-acre plot of land currently occupied by the Tropicana Resort & Casino, where they will now construct their new stadium. Currently, the plan is to demolish the Tropicana to make way for the A’s stadium – which is slated to take the form of a 35,000-seat retractable roof venue – and to build a new 1,500-room hotel and casino on the remaining acreage.  

SNBTU has launched a new campaign to support the A’s move to Las Vegas, dubbed “A+ Jobs,” which will “educate the community about the positive impact building the stadium would have on Las Vegas.”  

The reason for SNBTU’s support of the A’s move, according to the organization’s Secretary-Treasurer, Vince Saavedra, is that the development of their stadium will allow “SNBTU to expand its roster to put the construction trades to work.” 

Vegas has proven itself as a major-league sports town, so it makes sense for us to add a Major League Baseball team,” he said. “Our roster of skilled construction workers have always built the biggest projects in Vegas and we’re ready to step up to the plate to build the stadium. By showcasing our members on baseball cards, we are highlighting the impact this project will have on jobs and working families in our community.” 

SNBTU noted that the development of the A’s new stadium will create over 5,000 “good-paying” jobs for individuals in numerous trades, including ironworkers, bricklayers, laborers, electricians and more; in addition, its construction would also spur new investment opportunities in Las Vegas, in addition to increasing tourism as well. 

The stadium is projected to spur billions in new investment and bring 400,000 additional visitors to the area each year – all without raising taxes,” Saavedra 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 – A real estate brokerage firm, Logic Commercial Real Estate, has been selected to sell five downtown Las Vegas properties that are owned by the estate of late Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. 

The five properties that the firm will be attempting to find buyers for include The Downtowner boutique hotel; the John E. Carson office and retail building, along with the building’s adjacent parking lot; a six-unit retail property at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street; a building on North Fourth Street that is occupied by Mexican-style eatery Nacho Daddy; and the Gold Spike bar and nightlife venue and adjacent Oasis hotel. 

Currently, no asking prices for the five properties have been publicly announced by Logic Commercial Real Estate; however, the firm’s President, Jeff Jacobs, noted Hsieh’s importance over the years to Southern Nevada, and said the utmost care would be taken in selecting the right buyers for his holdings. 

“We understand the importance of these properties and the significance of Tony Hsieh’s vision for revitalizing downtown Las Vegas,” Jacobs said. 

Hsieh had passed away in November at the age of 46 due to injuries suffered in a Connecticut house fire, reports say. 

For two decades, Hsieh – who was worth hundreds of millions of dollars at the time of his death – headed up retail shoe selling giant Zappos before selling it to Amazon in 2009 for over $1 billion; he later retired as CEO in August 2020. He is also credited for having pledged $350 million to the renovation and revitalization of Downtown Las Vegas. 

In February 2021, much of the Las Vegas real estate empire amassed by Hsieh was been listed on the open market by his family, totaling nearly 100 properties throughout the downtown area. 

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 – Nevada lawmakers are working on new legislation that, if passed, would track and ultimately limit the purchasing power of corporate investors within the state’s strained housing market, with the proposal passing with bipartisan support out of a Senate committee last week.

Senate Bill 395 would authorize the Secretary of State’s office to establish a public registry of the corporations and limited liability companies that buy and own residential real estate in Nevada, and would cap said investments by those entities to 1,000 housing units annually.

Before being able to purchase residential property, businesses would be required to register with the Secretary of State’s securities division. Deeds would have to clearly list the corporate owner of the property and note that it is not being utilized as their primary residence.

State Senator Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas) noted that the proposed law was born out of the necessity of needing to know exactly who major players are in the state’s real estate market, identifying which ones are making it harder for residents to purchase homes, and ultimately limit corporate purchasing power in the real estate market to alleviate that issue.

According to a report, approximately 25 percent of all single-family homes sold in Nevada in 2021 were bought by investors; recently, Nevada’s residential housing market has been a hotbed of investor activity, with only Georgia and Arizona topping it in that regard.

While Neal was drafting SB 395, she utilized the research of Shawn McCoy, director of the Lied Center for Real Estate and an associate professor of economics at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. McCoy noted that his research showed that many working-class families were consistently losing out on purchasing properties to corporate investors.

“I am meeting young people who make $78,000 and they cannot find a home,” said Neal. “They cannot bid (against investors). They don’t have the money. The market is so out of their price range. Who wants to pay $3,000 a month for their first home? Nobody. It’s unsustainable.”

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.