LAS VEGAS, NV – The former Royal Links golf course is finally on its way to providing numerous affordable homes for Southern Nevada residents, having recently held its officially groundbreaking ceremony to signify that impending start of construction efforts for the eastern Las Vegas Valley-based housing tract.

Touchstone Living founder Tom McCormick, who purchased the shuttered Royal Links golf course in December 2021 for $33.7 million, said that the new housing community his company will be building – now dubbed Independence – is currently due to commence on the third quarter of 2022, initially starting with model homes to entice buyers before moving on to the proper homes they will be offering.

Already, the grass from the original golf course has been removed, with the landscape now covered with various pieces of construction equipment in anticipation of the start of work, which is expected to produce up to 1,600 homes, in addition to numerous residential amenities, such as parks, pools, and playgrounds.

Independence – located along Vegas Valley Drive east of Nellis Boulevard – is hoping to attract first-time buyers and will offer homes in the $200,000 price range; McCormick has noted there are no other projects producing new homes in Southern Nevada in such a buyer-friendly price range.

To drive home that point, those attending the groundbreaking on Monday were wearing blue-and-white Independence shirts with the slogan “why rent?” on them, touting the affordability that the new community will be offering to local residents.

In Southern Nevada, home development is predominantly carried out in suburban areas such as the southwest valley, Summerlin and Henderson; in comparison, the east valley is relatively ignored by developers, allowing the 162-acre Independence a degree of distinction among its peers.

The affordable prices that Independence will be offering for housing will run in direct contrast with the average median home price in Las Vegas, which recently hit $483,000 in March.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 – For a great while, condominiums failed to figure into the Las Vegas real estate marketplace to the same degree as stand-alone homes did; however, that began to drastically change right before COVID-19 hit, but while the pandemic caused a brief hiccup in the ascension of condos as a viable real estate marketplace asset, the market nonetheless recovered and rose to a status of prominence that is currently showing no signs of slowing down.

Today, condos in Las Vegas are viewed as an excellent and affordable alternative to the ever-increasing expense of stand-alone homes, especially among Millennials who are approaching typical home-buying age. In fact, in December 2021, condo sales in Southern Nevada totaled over $221 million, representing a 38.5 percent increase over December 2020, with the median sales price year-over-year jumping by 30.1 percent.

Condos have become a popular means to achieve home occupancy in Las Vegas in the face of the demand for housing options that, thus far, local Southern Nevada home developers have not been able to adequately address. This comes in the face of increased migration to Vegas by residents from neighboring states – especially California – that are in search of more affordable lifestyle options or investment properties when compared to their previous homes.

The two main groups that are driving condo sales in Las Vegas as of late are – first of all – millennials, many of whom are approaching the age where they are where they are considering becoming first-time homeowners. This is being driven in-part by this tech-savvy generation’s embracement of the concept of digital home buying, which can often be done on their cell phones for an easy shopping experience.

Secondly, approximately 25 percent of Las Vegas condo buyers since 2019 have been residents from California, some of whom were making the move to Nevada permanent and were able to purchase residences with cash due to the sale of their original home; many others have been second-home buyers who have retained their California residences.

Experts see 2022 continuing this trend, especially if the state of California passes its much-talked-about “wealth tax,” in addition to other ongoing cost of living increases that residents consider excessive and, in many cases, unsustainable.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 – Questions of affordability have once again reared their ugly head in terms of Las Vegas’ rental marketplace, as year-end reports indicate that pent prices have jumped considerably over the course of 2021 when compared to the year beforehand.

Reports say that Nevada overall has now been thrust into the nation’s top five states in terms of rent increases over the past year, and when the two-year average is figured in, Nevada is actually propelled into the top four.

According to analysts, in Nevada the average price of rent has jumped 25 percent since the beginning of 2021, and 34 percent since 2019.

The report also indicates that the city of Las Vegas itself has seen a large jump in rental prices in 2021, with costs increasing by 27 percent since the beginning of the year; the average rent in Vegas currently, the report says, is $1,243.

Developers in Southern Nevada have been ramping up construction of new apartment complexes and rental homes over the past year in order to address the rising rent prices the region has been experiencing since the recovery of the local economy and the arrival of more jobs and out-of-state residents.

The development of more living options are, according to many real estate professionals, the key to solving the skyrocketing prices that are currently weighing on Las Vegas’ rental marketplace, which are leading many to question the region’s long-standing reputation for affordability when compared to neighboring states such as California.

Of all U.S. states, Arizona experienced the greatest increases in rental prices since 2019, with a 38 percent jump. In direct contrast, North Dakota was at the very bottom of rental prices over the past two years, with the state actually reporting an 8 percent decrease since 2019.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 report released recently by Las Vegas Realtors (LVR) indicates that the cost of condominiums and townhomes in Southern Nevada have broken an all-time record, showing a whopping increase of 26 percent year-over-year.

According to the report, as of October 2021 the median price of Las Vegas condos and townhomes was approximately $236,000, which represents a 26.5 percent increase over October 2020, when that number was at $186,500.

LVR President Aldo Martinez noted that, as home prices continue to climb in Las Vegas – the median price of existing single-family homes sold in Southern Nevada during October 2021 was $410,000 – people looking for affordable lodging alternatives have been turning to condos and townhomes, which despite their own prices increases still remain cost-efficient overall.

“Our home prices are still increasing, but they’re going up more gradually. Even though we’re slowing down a bit, home prices are still rising,” Martinez said. “Buyers looking for more affordable options have been turning to condominiums and townhomes, as witnessed by the median condo price of $236,000. As we’ve been saying for some time, the rate of appreciation we’ve seen this year is great for homeowners, and the low interest rates have been great for home buyers.”

The LVR report noted that the total value of all real estate transactions conducted in Southern Nevada during October 2021 was over $1.5 billion for homes and $204 million for condos, high-rise condos and townhomes. This represents an overall increase of 13.5 percent year-over-year increase for homes of 13.5 percent, and a very impressive increase of 37 percent for condos and townhomes.

Overall, however, supply of both homes and condos remains tight, and given the overall demand – while currently beginning to show signs of cooling slightly – are nonetheless expected to continue an upward trajectory.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 – “Sync Apartment Homes,” a new apartment complex that is slated to be constructed near the Aliante Hotel in North Las Vegas, broke ground this week, with a completion date estimated to be in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Development firms American Nevada Co. and Warmington Properties have teamed up to build Sync Apartment Homes; the two companies held the groundbreaking ceremony for the new apartment complex – located off Aliante Parkway and the 215 Beltway in North Las Vegas – on Tuesday, November 9 which, upon completion, will be comprised of 203 units with a number of high-scale amenities that are sure to attract scores of tenants.

Sync Apartment Homes is to be comprised, according to reports, of several two and three-story buildings built upon a 9.4-acre project site, and will feature attached garages and a resort-style pool area for tenants to utilize. The apartment units are to range in size from 815 to 1,338 square feet and are to offer competitive rental price points.

Sync Apartment Homes is one of three brand new multifamily apartment communities that Warmington Properties will complete in the Las Vegas area in 2023, bringing their total in North Las Vegas to twelve.

Apartment complexes such as this are, according to many real estate professionals, the key to solving the skyrocketing rental prices that Las Vegas is currently experiencing that are leading many to question the region’s long-standing reputation for affordability.

According to their website, Warmington Properties – via a group of residential building companies – has constructed approximately 40,000 homes in core markets throughout the West Coast of the U.S. They offer “professionally managed, lifestyle-centric communities” in many sought-after locations in Southern California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 – When it comes to apartments in Las Vegas, they’ve never been more in-demand than they currently are now. And when it comes to what people are paying for those in-demand apartments, it seems that is yet another aspect of life in the Southern Nevada region that’s hit an all-time high.

Reports indicate that the prices of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments in Las Vegas have seen a 30 percent jump when compared to the same period of time just one year ago, representing a significant increase in a relatively short amount of time.

The average rent of a one-bedroom apartment in Las Vegas is approximately $1,800 per month, and the average rent of a two-bedroom apartment will set someone back about $2,000 per month; these prices represent a new all-time high for the city.

The reason for skyrocketing rent is simple – demand, which has been fierce as the COVID-19 pandemic ends and the economy continues to recover. Competition has been strong for rental units in Vegas, and landlords and property managers recognize that; as a result, prices have been creeping ever-skyward, because it’s a given that someone will be willing to pay.

Rent prices in Vegas are currently at the point where it is beginning to fuel serious worry about the city’s continued affordability, an aspect of life in the city that has proved until now to be most attractive for people from neighboring states such as California, where taxes can make life unsustainable for some residents.

However, developers have been working on multiple apartment projects in Las Vegas that, upon completion, will hopefully feed into the ongoing demand and, as a result, help to stabilize rent prices.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 – Vegas, long thought of as one of the most cost-effective and affordable places to live in the United States, will likely hold onto that distinction for quite some time to come. However, at least one aspect of that impressive reputation has been starting to unravel in recent months, with a report indicating that Southern Nevada’s ultra-competitive home prices are now increasing faster than the national average, leading to many being priced out of the market.

The dependence that Las Vegas has on tourism as one of the main driving forces of its economy has always resulted in an ebb-and-low over the years, and the region’s housing market has been just as vulnerable to those variations in activity.

Over the past 20 years, real estate has hit extreme lows and highs, and currently Las Vegas is in the midst of yet another high, thanks mainly to a rapidly-recovering economy, low inventory, and very low borrowing costs that have enabled home buyers to get the very most for their money.

Similar circumstances have taken hold across the country – home prices have increased nationwide overall – but currently there is nowhere it is quite as acute as it currently is in Las Vegas, according to a new report.

The recently-released S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index show home values in Nevada increasing at rates far outpacing the national average; prices in Southern Nevada were up 23.8 percent year over year in August, which represents a much bigger overall jump than the national average of 19.8 percent.

In contrast, August 2020 home prices in Nevada had only increased 4.7 percent year over year, whereas the national average was 5.8 percent, the index notes.

Of course, it should be pointed out that home prices in times of economic hardship have also tended to hit Nevada harder than many other parts of the country as well. During the mid-2000’s recession, home prices in Las Vegas had plunged almost 33 percent year over year; nationally, however, the worst drop by home prices was seen in early 2009, which was just shy of 13 percent.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 southernmost edge of the Las Vegas Valley is going to be the recipient of a new upscale apartment complex, compliments of a developer hailing from Atlanta, Georgia that had previously opened another rental property across town during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wood Partners is currently in the process of building a new 228 unit project – dubbed Alta Southern Highlands, which broke ground in August 2020 – situated in proximity to the M Resort, located off Southern Highlands and St. Rose parkway, which is slated to be completed and open their doors for business in early 2022.

According to the company’s website, Alta Southern Highlands will possess “next-level finishes” and numerous high-end amenities for residents, including a game lawn, a fitness facility with yoga studios, and more.

The project, upon completion, will no doubt help to address the intense demand in the Las Vegas Valley for rental apartments; during the pandemic, many people moved into the valley – especially from out-of-state – to work remotely while taking advantage of the lower cost of living the area afforded.

However, soon rental space became harder and harder to come by, and correspondingly, rents began to climb in response to the demand; in August, the average rent of a home in Las Vegas was $1,718, which represents a 25 percent increase over the same period of time one year prior.

According to a report released by listing website Zillow, the degree of rent growth in Vegas was the fastest among the 50 metro areas that they examined; projects like Alta Southern Highlands will help to address the demand for rental properties in the region, in addition to stabilizing prices that so far are raising affordability concerns among local residents.

Wood Partners also built a 347-unit apartment complex that is currently completed and open in Henderson, called Alta NV.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 – North Las Vegas is set to receive a slew of new rentals homes soon to help address Southern Nevada’s intense housing demand, as an Arizona developer has announced that they are set to break ground on a tract of dwellings later this year.

Rental homes have made up a growing segment of the housing market in Las Vegas, as the booming economy and the slow-but-steady withdrawal of the COVID-19 pandemic have given rise once again to the need for affordable rental properties.

Avenue North, originally opening their doors for business in 2011, is looking to begin development of the 165-unit project –  which will be built on nearly 12 acres running along Simmons Street, just south of Ann Road – within the next three or four months, according to founder Ryan Hartman.

The property itself was purchased by Avenue North in late 2019, and Hartman notes that the development – which will be in partnership with Arizona real estate firm Harvard Investment – will be coming in at approximately $50 million in cost.

In addition to feature single-family homes with backyards, the project will also include such amenities as a clubhouse, fitness center and a pool, just like many high-end apartment buildings.

While most of the houses will be stand-alone, detached models, Hartman noted that 29 of them are planned to sit on top of a row of five parking garages, one garage going to the home sitting atop it, and the other four being made available to rent to other tenants in the development.

Hartman’s project is his first ground-up rental development in Southern Nevada, he said, adding he has multiple projects in Phoenix and is looking to buy land for more in the Las Vegas area.

Build-to-rent housing communities have been rising in popularity with renters, developers, and investors, with noted companies such as American Homes 4 Rent, The Calida Group, and Moderne Communities getting in on the action in Southern Nevada.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 the National Association of Realtors, Las Vegas now ranks in the top ten of commercial real estate markets in the United States, and considering the fierce competition out there, this achievement is by all means no small feat.

The list – which was made public on Wednesday, March 10 – represents the first time that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has released a commercial real estate forecast. Other cities on the top ten list include Phoenix, Seattle, Nashville and Salt Lake City.

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted that commercial real estate in particular has had a hard time in the past year thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but expects 2021 to represent a big comeback as vaccine rollouts continue and the economy improves.

“A recovering economy and the near certain job growth will steadily lead to the absorption of commercial properties,” he said. “The apartment rentals market could once again experience very low vacancy rates by year’s end.”

NAR’s top ten list was put together based on 25 factors, taking into account multiple aspects of a region’s economic, demographic, housing and commercial market conditions in a variety of sectors, including multifamily, office, industrial, retail and hotel property. A number of indicators were examined, including but not limited to GDP growth, unemployment rate, median household income, consumer spending, number of business openings, population growth, homeownership rate, rental vacancy rate, building permits and apartment rent.

Affordability was a major factor in determining the top ten of commercial real estate markets in the United States, Yun noted, as cheaper areas to live in often do better than expensive markets in terms of drawing in new residents and businesses.

“The top commercial real estate markets that are expected to outperform the rest of the nation are generally affordable and able to draw new residents with a greater flexibility to work from home,” he said. “These growing markets also offer much lower office and retail rents and are, therefore, able to attract new and expanding businesses.”

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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, a new proposed bill that would give Nevada tenants more notice before evictions can take place is receiving pushback from groups representing landlords who claim that it would decrease the state’s already low amount of affordable rental housing, in addition to causing yet more hardship for struggling “mom-and-pop” landlords who are already feeling the financial crunch due to ongoing eviction bans.

The bill, AB141, is sponsored by Assemblyman Howard Watts (D-Las Vegas), and if passed it would require landlords to give some long-term tenants two or three months of prior notice (depending on how long the tenant has lived there) before a “no cause” eviction can take place; under current rules, a landlord only has to give 30 days’ notice. A “no cause” eviction is when a landlord decides to evict a tenant for any reason, as opposed to a case where they have violated the rules of their lease agreement or not paid their rent.

Another aspect of AB141 is that it would automatically seal the records of anyone evicted during the ongoing pandemic, which is expected to begin happening en-masse when both state and federal eviction moratoriums run out at the end of March (unless they are extended). In other words, prospective new landlords would have no way of knowing if a new tenant had been evicted from their previous home or apartment for non-payment of rent.

“Assembly Bill 41 really is aimed at preventing homelessness,” Watts said. “As a result of the pandemic, Nevada is on the cliff of a major eviction crisis.”

AB141 does not change the process for a “summary eviction,” which is when a tenant needs to be quickly evicted due to non-payment of rent.

Realtors and the state apartment association have argued against the bill, claiming that government further intruding upon their business would most likely result in many landlords – many of whom are small, low-income mom-and-pop operations – selling off their rental units at a time when more are sorely needed in the region. Current eviction bans, landlords say, are costing them $15 million per month in Clark County alone.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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 constant restrictions being put on public space by the ongoing COVOD-19 pandemic have resulted in homebuyers desiring more and more personal space in their real estate purchases to counteract this unusual trend in the marketplace.

For example, California resident Aaron Franklin eventually decided to leave his diminutive one-bedroom residence in Marina del Rey for a much more spacious and affordable home in Las Vegas that included many amenities that his Californian home did not, such as a tennis court and swimming pool. The deciding factor? Affordability concerns born out of the COVID-19 pandemic and a desire for more elbow room, he said.

“I was working out of a living room,” Franklin said of his stay in Marina del Rey, noting that now that he is in Vegas he has “a dedicated room for doing all my meetings and videos, and my wife has her own room.”

Remote working has remained a major factor in requirements among buyers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when children are concerned; after all, having additional space is especially attractive when you have one – or more – little ones running around and threatening to intrude on a random video conference call with your boss. And when taking online school into the equation, having more room to spread out takes on an even greater urgency, most regional transplants say.

“Since COVID’s happened, I don’t need to be there anymore,” Franklin said of his decision to relocate from California to Las Vegas. “I was paying essentially $3,000 a month in rent for a one-bedroom apartment there, and I just bought a house here (Las Vegas) that’s about $300 less a month.”

Franklin said the 3,000-square-foot home he purchased with his partner has four bedrooms, and is a “massive upgrade in space” and allows them to finally host guests and have a dedicated work space that they didn’t when they were Californian residents.

Shelter Realty Property Management specializes 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.