Sunnyhere

I just MySpace blogged about the least/most ghetto WalMarts. The most ghetto WM's are on/adjacent to Nellis. The least ghetto was the WM at 215&Rainbow, which I would not describe as ghetto at all, even the employees seemed normal. YMMV.

Dr_wanderlust

I would not recommend summerlin unless one is not going to work anywhere else in the valley.

aztimm

I'd imagine the electric bills in LAS are similar to here in PHX. Yes, the electric can be $250-300/month for 3-4 months a year. But in Dec-Jan, it is usually $80/month. Most other months it is about $120-150. This is for a 2150 sq ft home + pool. I have gas heat, and it may be $70 for one month, the rest around $30.

bhatnasx

Neither an offer has been made, nor accepted, but discussions are progressing more quickly than I would have anticipated.

Looking at Zillow.com & various Las Vegas MLS sites, I'm shocked to find such affordable housing (relative to Washington DC, of course). Are there any communities or specific neighborhoods that aren't cookie-cutter (i.e. clearly planned communites) & housing is sub $300k for a 3+bed/2.5+bath that has lots of trees (which may be a lot to ask for in the desert?). I know that LAS is a "young" housing market with a lot of recent builds market & I'm coming from the DC area where my last house (rented) was built in the 1940's (WWII housing) and had lots of old growth trees, etc. Any specific zip codes that I should be focusing on?

I currently commute 15 miles to my office now, so commuting doesn't bother me that much. I don't specifically know where the office is located, but may be heading out there soon to scope the area & meet some people.

Also, anyone have a good real estate agent that they'd recommend in the area? All the online ads seem really sketchy. If I get an offer and accept, I'll have about a month of hotel living that they'd probably pay for before I'd find a place. I'm okay renting month to month if I had to, but as I'd anticipate at least 2 years in the area, if not longer, I'd rather just buy a place. I'm currently renting, so I don't have to wait to sell to buy.

Thanks!

Sunnyhere

One year ago I stopped my 28 mile one-way commute...and now work just one mile away. It improved my life quality. That said...Boulder City (89005) doesn't have much of a cookie-cutter feel. Many people say they want to live in Boulder City, but don't seem willing to accept a decades old house's inefficiencies when they can buy a brand new Henderson house for tens of thousands less.

Southern Nevada's real estate market is far different from anything I was accustomed to in my native Wisconsin.

I'll give you a day tour of southern Nevada neighborhoods, if you'd like.

Loren Pechtel

Your "lots of trees" criteria is certainly asking a lot. To meet it you'll need a house in one of the older neighborhoods. Those generally have large lots and are thus pricey.

3 + 2.5 for under $300k is no problem otherwise so long as you aren't too close in.

bhatnasx

If a job offer is made & accepted, I'd love to take you up on that!

bhatnasx

That's what I was figuring, unfortunately. Still, it's not a dealbreaker - just a wish. Big fan of natural shade - especially in the desert!

lvnvflyer

if you want trees and shade, you can look in some of the older areas of green valley...quail summit and quail terrace are both very Midwestern appearing (quail ridge estates is way more pricy) although both of those neighborhoods would have been above your price range a year ago, they are now within it. also look at Section 10, an area on the other side of town. I think you will be shocked at what you can currently afford.

Boulder City is great, but it is a bit of a commute, depending where you are going to work.

bhatnasx

Well, it's official! I'm moving to Vegas!

I got an offer the other day & verbally accepted it on Friday (still have to sign the paperwork though).

I decide to not buy a house as yet as I'm only planning on staying for about 2 years (at this time -that could change later on down the road and then I'll consider buying). Looking at the market, it's a great time to buy if you're going to live there for an extended period of time, but if you're planning on staying two years & moving, it doesn't seem like a good idea at this time.

Thanks for all the info, everyone! I'll be making the move sometime between 9/27 & 10/11, I think. Looking forward to any FT gatherings in the area. We do DC Monthly Happy Hours in the DC area - are there any events like that in LAS?

Sunnyhere

Congratulations! We look forward to a new FTer in our mist. Lately, we've been a little lax in "official" FT gatherings, though unofficial gatherings remain fairly common.

I never expected to stay here eleven years...maybe its grown on me? Of course, I have no idea what your housing budget will be, but lots of people are finding it more sensible to rent a single family house, as opposed to a place in an apartment complex. It seems many people are losing their single family homes and moving into apartments.

bhatnasx

My plan is to rent a SFH for my time there. I've been seeing places that don't seem to bad as low as $1000/mo - if you include utilities, etc, I'm looking to go for no more than $1500/mo all-in. I could afford more, but I'm also interested in saving as much as possible given the fact that I'll want to buy something eventually. I figure I'm a single guy with a dog, so a house is better than an apartment - looking for a 3 bed/2bath so there'll be places for visitors.

thebigfish

Congrats on the new job!

While I'm older and don't live in LAS, I learned a lot about the LAS real estate market. My wife and I are going to buy a second home/condo somewhere and LAS was discussed. I am still concerned about water shortages long term. (Yeah, I know the Hoover Dam is next door...).

Good to know so many FTers pitched in on this thread. One more example of why this is a special community.

Michael

azepine00

Congrats!

mikeef

Okay, who's planning the bhatnasx DO!?

Mike