Best Place To Live In LV Valley
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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.Quote: s2dbakerI also want to be within 2 standard deviations off a 20 minute car ride to the strip.
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.Quote: FleaStiffWhy? 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.
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.
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: 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.
Quote: s2dbakerI'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?
Quote: EvenBobSo you have to pay an HOA plus the monthly build out fee on the house you bought in 2009, plus the mortgage?
I don't pay the build out fee because my house is more than ten years old.
Quote: AlanI 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.
And you live in Vegas? I live in MI and can't do that,
the township doesn't allow unlicensed vehicles anywhere
on your property to be sitting outside.
I guess I should have mentioned my collection if Studebakers.Quote: AlanI 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.
Quote: AlanI 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.
I understand that an eyesore can be wearisome to ahve nearby, but, really, so long as the guy's property does not attract vermin or emit a persistent and unpleasant smell, you can simply not look at his ugly property.
Unless he also whistles dirty tunes :P
Please tell prospective buyers that! Eyesores bring property values down and lure other jerks to move there.Quote: Nareed, so long as the guy's property does not attract vermin or emit a persistent and unpleasant smell, you can simply not look at his ugly property.
Note: an inactive HOA can be dangerous. Suddenly some owners start voting as a block and the HOA is now over-active and you would give anything to have Vehicle Hoarder.
Quote: NareedI understand that an eyesore can be wearisome to ahve nearby, but, really, so long as the guy's property does not attract vermin or emit a persistent and unpleasant smell, you can simply not look at his ugly property.
I have to sympathize with Alan on this one. When I lived in Baltimore there was an abandoned car across the street from my house. Lots of parts were stripped off, including the wheels, and then people started to vandalize it. I know it is easy to say "just don't look at it," but my eyes were drawn to it like a turd in a punch bowl.
Nevertheless, we had a HOA in that neighborhood too, and it still took them about six weeks to have the car removed. However, at least it finally got done.
Quote: WizardI have to sympathize with Alan on this one. When I lived in Baltimore there was an abandoned car across the street from my house. Lots of parts were stripped off, including the wheels, and then people started to vandalize it.
I said so long as the property doesn't attract vermin. Thieves and vandals, IMO, are just that.
Quote:I know it is easy to say "just don't look at it," but my eyes were drawn to it like a turd in a punch bowl.
1) In that situation, looking at it is the least of your worries :P
2) I used to live accross one of the ugliest houses I've ever seen. The whole block pretty much went up in the 70s, when the modern, functional, partly futuristic style was en vogue (my place combined thrusting blocks with a slanted facade which had very interesting effects indoors). the house in front was a combination of colonial Mexican (an ugly style by itself) with American style slanted roof, covered with orange shingles. The house was painted variously yellow, red and orange. I just ignored it.
Now I know that's not the same kind fo eyesore as having trash on the property, or abandoned vehicles (which collect dirt, dead leaves and other detritus with amazing speed), but I've also heard of whole neighborhoods throwing fits over satellite dishes and windmills, in every case crying "EYESORE!" So I think the word is over-used.
I found this fixer-upper with room for my Studebakers on Buckaroo Ave. I don't know if I could live on a street named Buckaroo Avenue but I'll have a look when I get there.
I'm not seriously thinking about that specific property, but one like it would be nice. The detached garage would be perfect for the car collection. I'm not thrilled about the location but I think I would have to scope out the area in person to rule it in or out.Quote: AlanBig house. Looks like from the over head shot that there are other buildings on the property. You might want to find out how much traffic is on the adjacent street Torrey Pines, it may be a noise issue if it's heavily travelled.
You buy some older style apartment building, designate something as a "meeting room" then fill up the apartments four bunks to a room and rent them out as a "Rehab Center". All you have to do is hire someone to do a head count at curfew time and have a nurse come in every now and then to watch the little plastic bottles being filled and you are rolling in dough.Quote: FleaStiffYou say "house hunting". Apartment building hunting might be more suitable.
Much better than investing in a single family home.
Quote: s2dbakerI don't know if I could live on a street named Buckaroo Avenue.
Why not? We have friends who live on Cackling Goose [cq] up in Aliante.
i'm not sure I want to buy a $9,999,000 second home. The mortgage on my current home is plenty bad enough.Quote: matildaThis is the place-not far from the strip.
click
Quote: s2dbaker
I found this fixer-upper with room for my Studebakers on Buckaroo Ave. I don't know if I could live on a street named Buckaroo Avenue but I'll have a look when I get there.
It was going for 800K four years ago and 250K now? Thats
just plain scary. Thats a strange house. It has that slanted
roof in every room, especially the bedrooms. I don't like
roofs like that, they deduct from the actual living space and
make it darn hard to put in shelves.
Quote: SanchoPanzaWhy not? We have friends who live on Cackling Goose [cq] up in Aliante.
I know a guy who lives on Intellectual Court in Henderson. The other street names in that neighborhood are just as bad. Here are just some examples:
Devotion Ridge
Optimistic Court
Spectacular Street
Encouraging Court
Faith Filled Court
Don't believe me, do a MapQuest search on it. Googlemaps doesn't show all the street names.
Quote: gofaster87My favorite is Jolly January and Lazy Bear.
Theres something chilling about the cutesy names now that
Vegas is in such dire straits. Like something out of a Stephen
King novel, where all the people on those streets are gone
and the houses are all haunted.
one of the 'characters' left over from Vaudeville, he'd never
make it in show biz today, what was his 'talent', exactly.
early years of TV. He had a big nose and a raspy voice that
was made for radio comedy. He was a big deal in his day.
People don't realize that radio stars like George Burns and
Bing Crosby and others made thousands of dollars a week
on the radio, when your average person was making $2500
a year.
I could live on Lazy Bear!Quote: gofaster87My favorite is Jolly January and Lazy Bear.
Quote: s2dbakerI could live on Lazy Bear!
Not in a Stephen King novel you couldn't. You'd
be eaten before breakfast....
if I lived in a Stephen King novel, I would have telekinetic powers and cook the bear in a horrible prom fire!Quote: EvenBobNot in a Stephen King novel you couldn't. You'd
be eaten before breakfast....
