Best Place To Live In LV Valley

I plan stuff and although I'm nowhere near retirement age, I decided that I'm going to plop my butt in the Las Vegas valley when I do retire. Having said that, I have to buy a house in the valley. Which area in the valley has it's poop together? I read that North LV is planning on closing senior centers because they haven't figured out that it takes adequate revenue to pay for things. Are Enterprise, Paradise, Las Vegas proper, or Henderson in any better shape? Am I leaving any municipalities out? Where should I target my house hunting? I also hate HOAs. I also want to be within 2 standard deviations off a 20 minute car ride to the strip.

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Quote: s2dbaker

I also want to be within 2 standard deviations off a 20 minute car ride to the strip.

Why? Why do you want to go to the strip? Most people in Las Vegas only trek their out of necessity otherwise they avoid the place and frequent the locals casinos. This does not mean that you should become some denizen of Dottys but that it would be more likely for you to want the easier traffic and easier parking and often better bargains of the outlying casinos.

Sure as a local you will soon learn the ins and outs of how to get good parking downtown or how to make use of The Strip but not be stuck in rush hour jams on it but I would think about living and transportation a bit more.

You say "house hunting". Apartment building hunting might be more suitable. Definitely avoid the HOAs even though that can be real hard to do these days.

Quote: FleaStiff

Why? Why do you want to go to the strip? Most people in Las Vegas only trek their out of necessity otherwise they avoid the place and frequent the locals casinos. This does not mean that you should become some denizen of Dottys but that it would be more likely for you to want the easier traffic and easier parking and often better bargains of the outlying casinos.

Sure as a local you will soon learn the ins and outs of how to get good parking downtown or how to make use of The Strip but not be stuck in rush hour jams on it but I would think about living and transportation a bit more.

You say "house hunting". Apartment building hunting might be more suitable. Definitely avoid the HOAs even though that can be real hard to do these days.

ignorance my friend. That and the proximity of the buffets.

My friend lives in southwest Vegas, near Jones and Robindale. It's kind of an undeveloped area -- still growing. But its very convenient to everything with good retail. Nearest casino is Silverton. He got a great deal on his house. It's in an HOA, though. Hard to find a place without an HOA, but maybe you can find a lax one.

The only places that aren't really near casinos are the far West-Southwest areas of the valley. I wouldn't live in N. Las Vegas or near the Boulder Strip.

This has come up before, and I still recommend the west side of town. In particular the Lakes/Peccole Ranch area. It is close to the Suncoast and Red Rock for your cheap buffets. Drive time to the north Strip will be about 20 minutes, except at rush hour it will be more. Summerlin is fine too, but buy a home at least ten years old, so you don't have to assume the 10-year Summerlin fees.

Before you buy, look at a chart of how housing values have done by zip code. I think the entire city is off at least 50% from the highs, but some neighborhoods are down more like 70%. The Summerlin and surrounding areas have not done as badly as the city on average. Please check the actual statistics, I'm just going off of what I read briefly over a year ago. I would not touch the cookie-cutter neighborhoods, especially in the north, that went up during the boom years, which were hit the hardest when the bubble popped.

Quote: Wizard

...but buy a home at least ten years old, so you don't have to assume the 10-year Summerlin fees.

Before you buy, look at a chart of how housing values have done by zip code. I think the entire city is off at least 50% from the highs, but some neighborhoods are down more like 70%. The Summerlin and surrounding areas have not done as badly as the city on average. Please check the actual statistics, I'm just going off of what I read briefly over a year ago. I would not touch the cookie-cutter neighborhoods, especially in the north, that went up during the boom years, which were hit the hardest when the bubble popped.

I've been using Zillow. I wasn't aware of "Summerlin Fees" good to know. I guess I should get an agent.

Quote: s2dbaker

I've been using Zillow. I wasn't aware of "Summerlin Fees" good to know. I guess I should get an agent.

In Summerlin every new home buyer had to pay a high monthly build out fee for ten years. If they sold before the ten years, the new owner had to resume the payments. This is aside from the usual HOA you'll have to pay just about anywhere, which are reasonable in Summerlin.

Since the seller has to pay the fees for both agents, as a buyer I would definitely get an agent. You may be able to negotiate a kick-back since times are very tough and competitive in that business. Don't let the agent rush you into buying.

I'd take your sweet time waiting for a desperate seller. The problem when I bought two years ago was all the sellers were asking about 10% more than the value of their homes, so hardly anything was moving.

Quote: Wizard

I'd take your sweet time waiting for a desperate seller. The problem when I bought two years ago was all the sellers were asking about 10% more than the value of their homes, so hardly anything was moving.

So you have to pay an HOA plus the monthly build out fee
on the house you bought in 2009, plus the mortgage?

I know it seems like everyone thinks HOA's are the devil, but I have none where I live. The guy across the street from me has two trucks parked in his front yard that never move. In the back yard(which I don't have to look at, but have seen) there is an old aluminum john boat, about three or four old Volkswagen's and who know what else. He's one of those hoarder type people, his garage is full of all kinds of crap.