Las Vegas - Living in Las Vegas - Moving, Relocating, etc.

I've tried searching here, but I'm not having much luck.

Are there any FlyerTalkers here who live in the Las Vegas area? My wife and I may be moving out there in a month or two. Can anyone comment on Las Vegas as a place to live?

We were also considering Phoenix, AZ, but it looks like Las Vegas might win out due to a more immediate employment opportunity there.

How spread out is the greater LV area? Can one easily work in Henderson and live on the other side of town? My wife is looking at a school in Henderson, and we've heard that's a nice area.

Any particular areas known to be more shady, expensive, reasonable, etc. for living?

We're looking forward to no more freezing!! ...or at least long, cold, endless winter. :) ...and especially escaping this small town and the midwest!!

Couple of thoughts:
It has gotten down to 29 degrees at night a few times in the last weeks, so regarding that "no more freezing" concept, you might want to re-think that, but during the day, it is usually warm in the sun, and yes, the weather is a hell of a lot better than the Midwest!

Moving here - the heydays of cheap, brand new homes is pretty much over. There are still good deals to be had, but prices have soared in the last 6 years. The have stabilized somewhat, and you can still get a nice house for a fairly decent price. Rent on apartments has also soared...try looking into renting a house if you decide to stay - sometimes as cheap or cheaper than an apartment!

Neighborhoods - I live near Henderson and it certainly is a nice area here (the Southeast section of greater metropolitan Las Vegas) and yes, you can pretty much get around no matter. Depends of course on where you live and where you work. I personally find the entire Northwest area has grown far too fast, and it is a traffic nightmare in the rush hours getting to and from that part of town. They are upgrading the I-95, but it is still the main arterial, so if there is a major accident (which happens rather frequently) then you are stuck in traffic for hours.

The area around Downtown...a little north of it...is not an area I would particularly want to walk around at night, but for the most part, Las Vegas is relatively safe with few shady areas. Near UNLV there are some "iffy" areas as well, but it won't take you long to figure out what I am talking about - just drive around there and open your eyes.

Don't fall into the newbie trap and be overly concerned about living "near The Strip"...trust me, you will not be going to the Strip hardly at all once you live here...I know that sounds strange, but trust me on that one. Locals quickly find the other alternatives that are far better than The Strip when you want to go out on the town.

Las Vegas is a very transient town, so they are somewhat wary of newcomers. Even to get electricity and other utilities, you often need a note from your last provider that you paid your bills on time - otherwise you get stuck with huge deposits. Get your Nevada drivers licence ASAP - they don't have a very long grace period here, and it is important to have a Nevada ID when applying for jobs, apartments, utilities, etc etc. The DMV is no fun...so plan on bringing lunch, a good book and wasting the better part of a day...and be sure to have everything they need so you don't have to return for day two of that adventure!

I read that about 7000 people move to the Las Vegas area every month! But what they don't mention is that about 3000 move away every month...granted, that is a net gain of 4000 per month, but should give you an idea that Las Vegas is not the panacea everyone thinks it is. Quite a few people have problems adapting to the life style here - so my major bit of advice?

Don't burn bridges at home.

Some people like to stay at a budget suites first - check out the neighborhoods, compare rents and costs of homes, check out the job market, check out the cost of living, check out the traffic, and check out how well you can do living in this adult playground and resisting temptations. After a few weeks, when you have shopped at Walmart and eaten at Jack In The Box, and know the shortcuts to get to Target, well - then you might be more inclined to decide if this is the place for you.

If you have any more specific questions, my website has my email address - feel free to write me and I will try to help. I moved here in Feb of 1999 and love it here - but seriously, have also seen a lot of people come and go.

DMark has given you some very good advice.

I am somewhat familiar with Ft. Wayne and Las Vegas. I am a resident of Pahrump, NV - about an hour from LAS and also have property near Crown Point, IN.

I believe you will find the traffic to be an annoyance. There is much more traffic even on the side roads than you are used to in Ft. Wayne. Traffic in LAS is not as bad as Chicago - but pretty close. You can definitely drive from one end of the valley to the other every day for work but it may well take you 45 minutes or more each way. It makes your day much easier if you can live close to where you work. There is so much construction going on here (LAS) right now that you'd think it was Chicago.

Many of the apartment complexes have short month to month leases available to give you time to become accustomed to the area. You will pay a few bucks more a month this way but it will save you from locking in for a year in a complex you end up not liking. You will find information on some of them online and can have a place waiting for you when you arrive. Living near the 215 might make it easier for you to get around the city.

You do want to avoid the city of North Las Vegas. It is north of downtown off I-15. Also, as DMark mentioned, the area near UNLV is also not great. Actually I think that the farther away from the strip you get the better the neighborhoods become.

I hope you will like it as much as we do. It's definitely nicer than Indiana!

I moved to Las Vegas about 2 years ago,
the best part is McCarron Airport is
so easy to use as compared to other
city airports. Long term parking
is a reasonable $6/day and is only 2-3
minutes from the airport. I've never
had to wait long for a shuttle.
The biggest climate problem are the strong
winds in the spring blowing the
dust and sand in your eyes.
It does snow once a year which
is a big deal to see the golf
courses covered in snow.
Good Luck.
Mark

...We're looking forward to no more freezing!! :) Freezing temperatures are a normal part of Las Vegas weather...not usually the sustained periods of freezing that are common in the midwest, of course. Phoenix is definitely hotter. The Las Vegas community doesn't put a high value on education and stability. It does value hard work and innovation. A hustler and go-getter should do well, here.

Usually, I love Las Vegas...other times I'm extremely frustrated with it's issues. I moved here for the sunlight and cheap living. The sunlight is still plentiful...cheap living is little more scarce.

Thanks for all of the responses so far.

Perhaps I should clarify our perspective a bit. We're not really from Fort Wayne, IN. We moved here just under two years ago and both my wife and I hate it. We can't stand the midwest! I'm a big city guy. And, although I grew up in a small city in PA, I've always felt most at home in larger cities. I spent five years in Boston, and loved it there, except for the cold winters. I even found traffic to be less irritating in Boston than in Fort Wayne, since the driving skills seemed better there. My wife and I value good weather, good food, and good opportunity. It sounds like Las Vegas offers that, in spite of its shortcomings, but please do correct me if I'm wrong. :)

At the end of the day, I suppose we have a choice between LV and Phoenix. But please keep the responses coming!

I'm a big city guy. And, although I grew up in a small city in PA, I've always felt most at home in larger cities.


I grew up in a small town in Illinois and could not wait to leave (the day after I graduated from college, I moved away!)

I have lived in Chicago, NYC, Berlin Germany and Los Angeles...and now here. Las Vegas is the "smallest" city I have lived in in decades...people complain about traffic, but after living in LA, this seems like open road - although there are some ugly rush hour scenes, it's NOTHING like LA.

The nice thing about Las Vegas is that it still has the sort of small town/city atmosphere, but the big city lifestyle. Metropolitan Las Vegas (including Henderson and North Las Vegas, etc.) is about 2 million people right now (not including the average 250,000 tourists on The Strip on any given weekend), but it just doesn't seem like it. As soon as you get about 3-4 miles away from The Strip, Las Vegas turns into neighborhoods - each with a local's casino or two or three, each with new shopping areas and schools and movie theaters - in other words, you can probably live year round and not have to travel far from home to get almost everything you need.

But it is always nice to know that, if you want, you can drive 10-15 minutes and go see big name performers live on stage, or eat at a 4 star restaurant, or just go out at 3:00 AM and do some grocery shopping. That's when you know you aren't in a small town anymore.

I have lived in Chicago, Tucson, and LV. I commuted from Tucson and LV to Chicago for my job, but right now we are living full time in LV. As to the LV v. Phoenix comparison, I've visited Phoenix a bunch, and I would give LV the nod for a couple of reasons, although Phoenix has its plusses. LV is less spread out than Phoenix, and still smaller. Phoenix is just killer hot in the summer; LV gets hot but not as bad. Although Phoenix does have major league sports, for other main stream entertainment, LV has it beat...there is not an act touring now that doesn't come thru here.
On the other hand, compared to a city like Boston or Chicago, LV has some downsides. There is not an established cultural scene, so theater, music, etc., lag. There are no established art museums or arts scene, although there are moves in that direction. There is not really a walkable traditional downtown.
On the upside, the weather is much better than the midwest or east. It is rarely even cloudy, and come Jan and Feb you will appreciate that. If you enjoy the outdoors or golf, you will find it very pleasant. Although there is traffic, it is, in my view, far less than in LA (agree with prior poster) or chicago. You are close to a lot of interesting things: Lake Mead/Hoover Dam, terrific national parks in Utah and Az., LA and San Diego. There is no state income tax in NV (there is in AZ).
As to areas to live in, the "nicest" areas are probably the two master planned communities of Green Valley and Summerlin, which are at opposite ends of the Valley. If your wife is going to work in Henderson, it would be a haul to live in Summerlin. Summerlin is also not convenient to the airport, which is one of the reasons we ended up in GV (which is part of Henderson).
From a real estate perspective, now is a good time to be looking for homes in the Valley. Although prices are a lot higher than they were five years ago, that upward acceleration has stopped, and there is a LOT on the market, and people are definitely willing to deal. However, if you think your stay here might be relatively short (less than two or three years) I would definitely consider renting; I do not think the housing market is going to recover very quickly. There are a fair number of apartments for rent, and there is a pretty large market in rental houses as well.

we moved here 6 years ago. I have to run now to a meeting but when I have time I'll comment on your original post.

Regarding DMV, my suggestion would be to take a drive to Pahrump or Boulder City to do your business. The Las Vegas locations can be pretty ugly.

Regarding DMV, my suggestion would be to take a drive to Pahrump or Boulder City to do your business. The Las Vegas locations can be pretty ugly.

Just curious...has anyone found a state where the DMV is actually GOOD? :P

I am a resident of Pahrump, NV - about an hour from LAS

OT: Do you watch Studio 60? :) They had a little fun with Pahrump, NV a few episodes ago.

OT: Do you watch Studio 60? :) They had a little fun with Pahrump, NV a few episodes ago.

Lots of shows have a little fun with Pahrump. Unfortunately, it seems to be deservedly so. I did not happen to see the Studio 60 episode.

Nevada DMV satellite locations tend to be very good for customer service. They are of no value for initial registration.

OP: if you work on the east side of town you generally do not want to live on the west and vice verse. This is due to the pain of getting across the strip and I-15. We live about 11 miles for our offices and it takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour each way.

Summerlin, in the NW, is considered high brow, but if you work anywhere east of the strip your commute will be hell.

green valley and southern highlands are great options if you live south of Sahara. Silverado Ranch is another good area.

North LV has some areas that are ok and housing is cheaper. but it is spotty.

I would not live in Pahrump or Boulder City if I worked in LV, unless I could telecommute most of the time.

I has snowed once with acculumation since we've moved here. Our home is a bit higher elevation. If does get below freezing a few times each winter, but only for a few hours at most.

the DMV is crowded, but well organized. just take a book with you. There are some car dealers that are certified to register your car directly with the DMV, saving you the hassle of going to the DMV. One of the Honda dealers, for example, can give you plates and register your car.

On a side note, LAS lost 1 USAir Mod; now we are gaining another :)

I will keep tuned in to this thread and add anything others might miss. Let us know if you need help unloading the truck. The LAS bunch generally is happy to work for free in exchange for sushi.

...I would not live in Pahrump or Boulder City if I worked in LV, unless I could telecommute most of the time. ...It may be difficult to believe, but my daily commute from Boulder City to the east side (very near Sunrise Hospital) consistently takes 30 minutes, and a little slower going home.

Ten years ago, the Wisconsin DMV was light years ahead of the Nevada DMV regarding technology and customer wait time. No, it's not because of Nevada's rapid growth, it's because of their inefficient systems.

MrpAlert is correct, we will work for sushi!

I have lived here since 1983, so I have seen this town really GROW. The other posters have given good points, so I'll try to add some more.

Vegas is spreading out, so as far as housing, the farther you go out, the newer the houses. The market is not as bad as it was several years ago, when you had to get on a waiting list for a new home, but prices are holding steady. A lot of people were buying homes as investment properties, and now those ballon payments are coming due, so you might be able to get a good deal if you look around. A lot of condos are being sold, but I'm not sure how that market is going.

I don't find the traffic too bad (I used to live in L.A.), but there is a lot of construction going on the surface streets and the freeways. The northeast part of town (towards Sunrise Mountain) is the only area that doesn't have access to a freeway, so you would have to use surface streets until you get to I-95. As others have said, you can get from one side of town to the other in about 30-45 minutes, depending on the time of day. As far as what part of town to live in, I think the other posters have stated the truth about that.

Employement is strong, with lots of opportunities. If you look at hotels and casinos, don't just think they hire a bunch of dealers and cocktail waitresses, there are professional positions that need to be filled, too. I think job opportunities for all fields are great.

I don't have children, so I can't really comment on the school situation, but from what I see it needs a lot of work.

I find prices for goods and services to be about average with other western state, although you'll get spoiled with the free parking and cheap eats we have here when you go to other states. There is no state tax, but they make up for it with other taxes (wait until you register your car, my 1999 F150 was under $200.00 for the first time this year).

There is a lot of entertainment here, be it taking in a show or hiking a trail, you can find it all here. The one place I think Vegas is lacking is in the fine arts, but it's getting better.

Once you find the ins and outs of where you're living, I think you'll like Vegas.

Just curious...has anyone found a state where the DMV is actually GOOD? :P

just moved to NH; getting my new license in Salem took under 10 minutes -- just handed in my Ohio and paid a fee (didn't even do an eye test... weird.. -- maybe it is a live free or die thing... and you don't have to verify you can actually see to drive. You are also NOT required by State Law to have car insurance -- which is very scary)

Car registration is done by your town in NH; so it was a pleasure... dealt with my local town people, who handle all the paperwork which they send into Concord. This was also done in around 15 minutes; and after completing paperwork to title the car --- our custom plates arrived in under 10 days via US Mail (and a baccarat "slogan" custom plate -- now, see if you can guess them !)

... --- our custom plates arrived in under 10 days via US Mail (and a baccarat "slogan" custom plate -- now, see if you can guess them !)My Nevada personalized plates took three months! Normally it takes just a month, but no one at DMV actually ordered them, until I asked again. I like the SUN and all things Japanese (i.e. language)...See if you can guess!

OT: Do you watch Studio 60? :) They had a little fun with Pahrump, NV a few episodes ago.

That episode was golden - and it was loosely based on something that actually happened to one of the writers of the show.

P.S.

Regarding weather: Today at 7:00 AM I woke up to SNOW - the backyard, all the trees - everything covered in a nice (about 1/2 inch) blanket of snow. Now, at about 11:00 AM, 95% of it has melted.

Took some pictures.

The really nice thing about snow in Las Vegas?!

"Look - snow! Grab the camera!"
(Pictures quickly snapped.)
"Look - snow gone!"

It's looking more and more like we might be moving to the LAS area, maybe as soon as within the next few weeks.

Can anyone recommend some good places to find rentals--apartments, or ideally, townhomes or single family homes for rent? Or, can anyone recommend a specific community?

The major catch for us is that we have two dogs, one of which is on the large size. It seems that most places I've found via online searching have a 20-30lb weight limit on dogs. Ours are closer to 30 and 60 lbs.

The other catch is that my wife will probably need to commute to Henderson, and myself to Summerlin, which as I understand are opposite sides of town. Should we pick one or the other, or look somewhere inbetween?

Also, if anyone who's moved long-distance recently might be able to recommend some less expensive ways to do it... :)

Thanks for the input!!

My Nevada personalized plates took three months! Normally it takes just a month, but no one at DMV actually ordered them, until I asked again. I like the SUN and all things Japanese (i.e. language)...See if you can guess!

OK, I got my 2nd set of new custom plastes (once again, less than 10 days); they are both Baccarat related and can be viewed at :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smartbaccarat/sets/72157594463460044/

but, you will have to be added to my friends or family list on flickr to view them.....

Also, if anyone who's moved long-distance recently might be able to recommend some less expensive ways to do it... :)

We moved from Ohio to New Hampshire in August. Our movers, who were out of Columbus, OH (if I remember correctly) were incredible. Also, the car-transport company we used for our 2 trucks was equally excellent.

PM me if you need further details; of course, these might NOT be the least expensive vendors, but they provided above average service.

This web page http://lasvegas.apartments.com/ shows the area broken down into sections. I would look mostly in section 6 which is a newly growing area and will keep you near the 215 for access to both Henderson and Summerlin. If one of you will work longer hours than the other or work on basically an off rush hour time period that may affect your choices.

There are many house and apartment rental websites that let you choose pets as a search parameter. If you have to rent sight unseen simply require a short lease and you won't be stuck there forever. Short leases are very common in the area. Here is one link to start your search -http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/

In today's LVRJ, there are at least five or six columns of homes to rent. I would certainly consider renting and I think given the state of the real estate market hear you should have some negotiating strength. Without knowing your price range, I see that there is a 1830 sq ft house for rent in Green Valley (Henderson) with a large yard, wtih dogs ok, for $1695 a month. If you are going to be a frequent flyer, I would recommend Green Valley over Summerlin, because of proximity to the airport. I have sent you a private email with some more specifics regarding the various areas. Good luck with your move!

In today's LVRJ, there are at least five or six columns of homes to rent. I would certainly consider renting and I think given the state of the real estate market hear you should have some negotiating strength. Without knowing your price range, I see that there is a 1830 sq ft house for rent in Green Valley (Henderson) with a large yard, wtih dogs ok, for $1695 a month. If you are going to be a frequent flyer, I would recommend Green Valley over Summerlin, because of proximity to the airport. I have sent you a private email with some more specifics regarding the various areas. Good luck with your move!

Thanks for the info, both here and in your email. We would love to rent a house or be in some other kind of "non-apartment" situation, especially with our dogs, and especially with our larger dog. However, we'd also love to save some $$ until we get settled in so we can financially be in a better position to BUY a house...assuming we feel that Las Vegas could be a long-term home once we're there. And, on the flipside of saving money, we also don't want to live somwhere where we'd run into rampant crime, bug infestations, run down places, etc.

The question is, can we do this for $800-1000/mo for 1-2 bedrooms? If so, then where?

I think that for 800-1000 per month, you may be better off looking for a two bedroom apt/condo/maybe th that will accept dogs; there were a number in Henderson/Green Valley on www.reviewjournal.com. I think you could find a house for that price, but I would be a bit uncertain about the neighborhoods you might find at the price point. There are certainly neighborhoods in LV that are better avoided, and unfortunately, many of them are the more centrally located ones. Moreover. the utilities will be higher with a house, and you might end up having to pay the yardman, etc. In addition, an odd LV feature (at least to midwesterners) is that in some house rentals, and even purchases, you are expected to provide your own frig/washer-dryer. That could run up the price of a home rental, whereas most apartments/condos seem to provide these. Most of the apartment/condo developments you would probably see would be only two stories tall, so less of a problem with the pets, and most of them have ample space outside for walking the dogs. I saw on line a condo for rent in the Seven Hills area, which is in GV and reasonably proximate to the expressways, for about 950, two bedroom, two bath. It looked basic, but fine, and pretty new, about 2003. Seven Hills has a number of parks and walking paths that are nice for dogs. One other option you might consider is rent-to -own....there seem to be a fair number of those properties available.

Do either of your new employers have a department to help with relocating? Realtors in Las Vegas do handle house rentals. Looking for a no maintenance (desert landscape) yard will be a plus - except that you might prefer some grass for the dogs.

As an example of pricing - My son rented a 4 bed/3bath house for I think about 1200.00 per month in the Summerlin area. At that price he had many houses to choose from and some even had backyard pools. He did have to bring his own washer and dryer though previously he had been able to rent the washer and dryer for an additional 30 or so dollars a month. His previous 2 bedroom apt. rental in the SW side of town was close to 1000.00 so he got a lot more by renting a house.

If you can plan on closer to 1000.00 a month I think you'll have plenty of choices.

Any feedback on either of these two apartment communities, or their general locations?

Camden Palisades
3295 Casey Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89120

Oasis Gateway
6501 Vegas Dr
Las Vegas, NV 89108

Both are listed on a map here, and are known to accept large dogs:
http://www.camdenliving.com/internet/html/aparsear_vegas.htm

Well, I am familiar with the neighborhood of the one in the south (camden palisade). My b.i.l. and s.i.l live in a condo complex at Flamingo and Pecos, not far from there at all. I've passed this complex on Pecos a number of times. On the plus side, from what I recall, the community looks pretty new and well maintained. Pecos is a pretty major north south arterial, but less busy than some, like Eastern or Maryland Parkway, so traffic isn't too bad. I probably have to drive by it again later today, so I'll check to make sure that it is the one I remember. . On the down side, this is an older, somewhat rundown (but not slummy) area. There is a good market near there (the Sunflower Market, at Trop and Pecos), and you can shoot down Trop to take the 95, but the area generally is a bit older and a bit rundown, with kind of sadder strip centers and the like. I don't consider it a high crime area, although it wouldn't surprise me if there was a bit of property crime in the area (all those statistics are readily available on the LVPD web site); and a bit would depend on how long you intended to stay (it might be fine for a few months, but not so uplifting for a whole year). As to the other location, I'm less familiar with that area, but I will tell you that the traffic on the 95, particularly at the notorious Rainbow Curve, is bad, and that there is construction on the 95 which is schedule to continue for some time. I'd probably be inclined to look a little more and see if you can get a bit closer to the 215, perhaps. In any event, if I drive by Camden Palisades later, I'll certainly post more info.

Hi, I did pass by Camden Palisades yesterday and took a quick look; it's actually quite a large complex, with swimming pool, exercise area, etc., and I did see several large dogs being walked. One nice thing is that it is actually set back off of pecos a bit; you turn into a small access street that leads into the complex. That's a plus because Pecos is pretty busy, and the corner of Tropicana and Pecos is a big retail area; supermarkets, office depot, fast food places, etc., but the apartments, at least at first glance, seem a bit removed from that b/c of their location, so seem more "green". I also think you probably wouldn't get much traffic noise as a result. Otherwise, pretty much like most apts. here in the southwest...two stories, with an outside stair to the upper story, and patios/balconies depending which story you are on and covered parking (big plus in the summer). Good luck with your search!

Summerlin, in the NW, is considered high brow, but if you work anywhere east of the strip your commute will be hell.

green valley and southern highlands are great options if you live south of Sahara. Silverado Ranch is another good area.
.

I live in Southern Highlands. When I moved in, there was nothing here. Now there is plenty of shopping including a brand new big box mall at Blue Diamond and I-15, couple of new restaurants, a vet office and a new dog park too.

To get to Henderson is pretty easy from here as it's right across the highway. There is a new bridge being built at Silverado Ranch over I-15 and that will make it even better. To get to Summerlin, now that 215 is a freeway all the way up, from here it's not bad, drive up Jones or Rainbow to 215 then take that to Summerlin. Yu'll be going against traffic in the morning going to Summerlin and against traffic coming back in the afternoon.

Another option 1/2 way is Rhodes Ranch. It is a guard gated golf community (I play there often) and it's very nice.

As far as apartments go...back when I was renting most complexes had special offers like 2 months free rent for a 12 month lease. If you think you'll need that long, make sure to ask for those specials.

Hmm...regarding:
Camden Palisades
3295 Casey Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89120

A friend of a friend was murdered there, walking home later in the evening. He was a nice guy, no drug dealer or anything - just walking home and hit hard on the back of the head and robbed and left to die on the path way. Granted, this could just as easily have happened in Beverly Hills, but the area at night is a bit dicey. One of my favorite bars is in that area, but I still wouldn't want to be walking around there at night.

I don't know about the other location.

I still maintain the best idea is to rent a budget suites for a few weeks or a month, get your bearings, check out neighborhoods by day AND by night, and do some price comparisons. Amazingly, some places that are much nicer, but a little further away, are far cheaper - and "farther away" is relative in Las Vegas - you have to have a car here, so no place is really all that far away in the grand scheme of things - depending of course on where you wind up working.

I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I tend to agree with you that I wouldn't want to be hanging around that general neighborhood too late at night, but I wouldn't have thought it was that dangerous. I also think you are right that if you go a bit further out into green valley or seven hills or anthem, there are similar communities that are likely safer.

...Oasis Gateway
6501 Vegas Dr
Las Vegas, NV 89108I drove by this property, twice, this past week. Both times I drove by, was thinking about your post and was reminded that Camden properties always look to be well maintained. As I was driving by, I wasn't thinking that it was one of the specific properties you had mentioned, because I had it in my mind that you were looking SE. Anyway...This particular property certainly looked well maintained and given a choice, I'd prefer well maintained. I think a previous poster suggested renting a single family home, and I can echo those sentiments. Lots of Las Vegans have been snatching up single family homes, as investments, and that has been keeping the rents low. One of my friends rents his Southern Highlands homes for something like $1050 or $1100 per month, which seems a bargain, compared to apartments.

Well, after a nightmare-ish trip on Northwest, I did a last minute quick trip to LAS this past Thursday and Friday. I had a look at Camden Palisades and Oasis Gateway. I intended to look at a few houses as options as well, but my flights got reshuffled, and I ended up in LAS at 2:45pm rather than 10:30am, with my return scheduled the next morning. :(

In any case, we're going to do a short-term lease at Oasis Gateway in the NW part of town. It's much closer to my work and seems like a better property by far in terms of it's condition, etc. Whilst there, we'll be searching for a home to move into once our lease is up.

Can anyone give me any insight into the "rent to own" thing that seems pretty widespread in Las Vegas? For those of us with high debt load (lots of student loans from the wife's medical school bills), is this a better option to start out? From the looks of things, $300-350K in LAS buys what about $100-125K will out here.

Anyway, we're moving out this coming weekend and should arrive in down on the 25th or 26th. Bye bye Indiana--Whoohoo! :)

Can anyone give me any insight into the "rent to own" thing that seems pretty widespread in Las Vegas? For those of us with high debt load (lots of student loans from the wife's medical school bills), is this a better option to start out? From the looks of things, $300-350K in LAS buys what about $100-125K will out here.


If you intend to do a "rent to own", make sure you get everything in writing!
There have been lots of scams and misunderstandings. There are lots of variations - for instance, say the actual rent on the house is $1000 a month, you pay $1500 a month and the extra $500 per month is put in a seperate account and added however long it takes to put together a downpayment - then you take over the mortgage.

In theory, pretty simple - cut and dry - but in reality, lots of misunderstandings, unethical landlords cancelling the lease (and not returning money) for any number of dubious reasons. Sometimes even that downpayment isn't enough for a loan company to approve you, or the house is not worth the asking price, etc. etc.

Should you find someone serious about doing it, get a lawyer to create the documents and have it all done on the up and up, right off the bat. The cost of a lawyer writing up the agreement and handling the details will be worth it.

BTW - welcome to Las Vegas! Currently, it is freezing here, so dress warmly.

BTW - welcome to Las Vegas! Currently, it is freezing here, so dress warmly.

DMark - You're talking to a man from Indiana. He knows what is cold and what is not! :-)

Tomorrow mid day the sun will be out in Nevada. Right now in Indiana we are having 30 degree temperatures or less and sleet. Actually no complaints for a January day.

Generally, rent-to-wn is going to cost you a lot more than buying directly. IMHO, you are better off taking that extra money you will be paying on rent-to-own and getting your debt paid down to the point you can qualify for a more traditional mortgage. Only caveat to this is if prices in LAS are still rising at a healthy clip, and you can lock in the price on your-rent-to-own up front, you could actually come out ahead on the rent-to-own option. Best bet is to spend a few bucks and talk to a financial planner about the options. AND, if you rent-to-own, spend the dollars on a real estate attorney to review your docs. It's money well spent.

If you intend to do a "rent to own", make sure you get everything in writing!
There have been lots of scams and misunderstandings. There are lots of variations - for instance, say the actual rent on the house is $1000 a month, you pay $1500 a month and the extra $500 per month is put in a seperate account and added however long it takes to put together a downpayment - then you take over the mortgage.

In theory, pretty simple - cut and dry - but in reality, lots of misunderstandings, unethical landlords cancelling the lease (and not returning money) for any number of dubious reasons. Sometimes even that downpayment isn't enough for a loan company to approve you, or the house is not worth the asking price, etc. etc.

Should you find someone serious about doing it, get a lawyer to create the documents and have it all done on the up and up, right off the bat. The cost of a lawyer writing up the agreement and handling the details will be worth it.

BTW - welcome to Las Vegas! Currently, it is freezing here, so dress warmly.

I live in Southern Highlands. When I moved in, there was nothing here. Now there is plenty of shopping including a brand new big box mall at Blue Diamond and I-15, couple of new restaurants, a vet office and a new dog park too.

To get to Henderson is pretty easy from here as it's right across the highway. There is a new bridge being built at Silverado Ranch over I-15 and that will make it even better. To get to Summerlin, now that 215 is a freeway all the way up, from here it's not bad, drive up Jones or Rainbow to 215 then take that to Summerlin. Yu'll be going against traffic in the morning going to Summerlin and against traffic coming back in the afternoon.

Another option 1/2 way is Rhodes Ranch. It is a guard gated golf community (I play there often) and it's very nice.

As far as apartments go...back when I was renting most complexes had special offers like 2 months free rent for a 12 month lease. If you think you'll need that long, make sure to ask for those specials.

we live in SH too. usually easy to get to the west side, green valley, and central valley.

For my Vegan friends who are currently house-shopping, and may have been out of the country last week - MrpAlert! ;) - I remembered that this article appeared in the LVRJ a week or so ago, and thought I'd bring it to your attention: http://www.lvrj.com/business/8146392.html

For my Vegan friends who are currently house-shopping, and may have been out of the country last week - MrpAlert! ;) - I remembered that this article appeared in the LVRJ a week or so ago, and thought I'd bring it to your attention: http://www.lvrj.com/business/8146392.htmlBuy low, sell high! Right? It's probably time to buy! In Boulder City, I've seen exactly what the article mentions, namely, that prices are now more closely resembling what sellers might hope to get, rather than what they's like to get or what they could once get!

For my Vegan friends who are currently house-shopping, and may have been out of the country last week - MrpAlert! ;) - I remembered that this article appeared in the LVRJ a week or so ago, and thought I'd bring it to your attention: http://www.lvrj.com/business/8146392.html

Ironically, the same day you posted this, I put my home purchase plans on vacation for another 3 months for similar reasons. When you come back in August, I will *still* be an unwanted house guest somewhere ;)

Ironically, the same day you posted this, I put my home purchase plans on vacation for another 3 months for similar reasons. When you come back in August, I will *still* be an unwanted house guest somewhere ;)Today, I noticed a neighboring house came on the market. Now, it wouldn't be the lifestyle you're accustomed to...but it's cheap! Actually, I'm thinking of buying it, myself! Considering my own home is paid for, it shouldn't be too difficult to swing another one!

Today, I noticed a neighboring house came on the market. Now, it wouldn't be the lifestyle you're accustomed to...but it's cheap! Actually, I'm thinking of buying it, myself! Considering my own home is paid for, it shouldn't be too difficult to swing another one!

Single wide or double? :)

How little is it going for?

Single wide or double? :)

How little is it going for?LOL, Double: $159,000.

Here's the latest from today's LVRJ on the housing market in the valley: http://www.lvrj.com/business/8516877.html

Las Vegas' housing market is not yet near the bottom, despite claims from some real estate agents that the worst is behind us, Andrew Pugh of SellFastLV.com said.

Pugh said he's uncomfortable making predictions, but if pressed, he'd have to say we're in for at least a couple of rough years ahead.

Ouch! Of course, it's not so easy to predict the top of markets or the bottom.

We're looking forward to no more freezing!! ...or at least long, cold, endless winter. :) ...and especially escaping this small town and the midwest!!
On the flip side hope you're doing okay on the issue of Desert Heat. :)

Need a new home? Feel like bidding on a foreclosure? L.V. home auction this Sunday: http://www.lvrj.com/business/8890817.html

Sorry to rehash an old thread but...

Can anyone give an update as to how the LV Real Estate market is doing? With the strength of the Canadian dollar (relatively speaking), I wouldn't mind considering getting an investment/vacation property in LV. I read that California's taking a beating but have only heard bits about Nevada. Just trying to stay informed as this point as I'm not sure if the bottom has been reached yet.