Las Vegas · Buying a Home
Buying a home in Las Vegas
Tell me what the house has to do. I will tell you what I would do, and you will hear from me the whole way through.
Buying a home in Las Vegas: which part of the city
Buying a home in Las Vegas, the city rather than the whole valley, still leaves you with a very spread-out place to choose from, and the first question is which part. The southwest holds a lot of the valley's starter homes and newer subdivisions, and it is where my office sits on West Sunset Road. The older neighborhoods closer to the center offer bigger lots and often no HOA. Condos and townhomes near the center suit first-timers and downsizers. Summerlin and Southern Highlands are master-planned communities on the Las Vegas side of the valley, and each has its own page because each is its own search.
The question that sorts all of it is the commute. Where you work, or whether you are certain you will be remote, narrows Las Vegas faster than any list of amenities, because the 215 at 5pm is a different road than at 11am. The second question is whether you want the structure of an HOA or would rather not have one, because Las Vegas has plenty of both and people who find out after they move that they mind the rules tend to move again.
Tell me what the house has to do
Why Las Vegas buyers work with me
I am John Arendt, a Realtor with Compass Realty & Management, and I have sold homes across the Las Vegas valley for 20 years from my office in the southwest. Because I work the whole valley and not one zip code, I do not need to steer you toward the part of the city I farm, and when you ask me southwest or Southern Highlands, or an older neighborhood with a yard versus a newer subdivision with dues, I answer without a thumb on the scale.
We start with what the house has to do and the whole payment, including HOA dues where the community has them and what the house costs to cool in August. A lender pre-approval is not required to start with me, but I recommend it strongly, because it is better to shop for what you know you can afford. Before or during the first showing we sign a buyer representation agreement, so you know in writing who I work for and how I am paid, which is negotiated and never fixed. The whole way I help you buy is here. When you ask which house, I tell you.
How buying a home in Las Vegas goes, step by step
The first call covers the commute, what the house has to do, whether stairs matter, how much yard you want, HOA or not, and what you are hoping to spend. Then the payment conversation with a lender. Then a short list in the part of the city that fits, with the 3D walkthroughs doing the first pass so we tour the ones you already like.
On a Las Vegas tour I am looking at the age of the air conditioner, roof and water heater, what the stucco is doing, which direction the big windows face because west-facing glass is a summer power bill, what the HOA controls and charges if there is one, and what the street is like on a weekday evening. When you find it, earnest money is typically about 1 percent and negotiable, the due diligence period is usually 10 calendar days to two weeks and negotiable, and if the home is in an association the HOA resale package Nevada requires the seller to provide gets read during that window. Then the appraisal, the loan, the walkthrough, signing at the title company or with a mobile notary, recording and keys, with every date on a calendar and a call from me before each one.
Las Vegas specifics worth knowing before you buy
Two costs catch almost everyone who buys in Las Vegas, and neither shows up in the online calculators: HOA dues in the newer subdivisions and master-planned communities, and what the power bill does in July and August. What to look for on a tour that predicts the summer bill and how Nevada property taxes actually work are both worth reading before you set a number. In the older neighborhoods, an air conditioner or roof from the original build is something to price in and inspect, not a reason to walk. And do not pick a neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon, because every neighborhood in Las Vegas looks good on a Sunday afternoon.
If this is your first purchase, first-time buyers in Las Vegas is written for you. If you are trading up from a starter home, the sequencing comes first. If you are moving in from out of state, relocating to Las Vegas is. Or call or text 702-881-6562, tell me where you work and what you are hoping to spend, and I will tell you which part of the city I would put you in. More about Las Vegas and how I work with buyers across the valley are here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which part of Las Vegas should I buy in?
Start with your commute. Then decide whether you want the structure of an HOA or would rather not have one, because the city has plenty of both. Tell me where you work and what you are hoping to spend, and I will name the two or three neighborhoods to actually look at.
What costs surprise Las Vegas buyers?
HOA dues in the newer subdivisions and master-planned communities, and the July and August power bill. Put both next to the mortgage from the first conversation and the number you are working with becomes real.
How much earnest money will I need on a Las Vegas home?
On the offers I write it is typically about 1 percent of the purchase price, and it is negotiable. It goes to an escrow company, usually part of a title company, and it stays your money until closing.
Las Vegas
What buying a home looks like in Las Vegas
I sell across the whole valley, not one zip code, so I do not need to steer you toward one side of it.
Las Vegas is the city inside the valley: the southwest's starter homes and newer subdivisions, older neighborhoods near the center with bigger lots and often no HOA, and condos near the corridors. My office sits at 8880 W Sunset Rd in the southwest.
- The homes
- The southwest holds a lot of the valley's starter homes and newer subdivisions, many with HOA dues. The older neighborhoods closer to the center offer bigger lots and often no HOA. Condos and townhomes sit near the commercial corridors. Summerlin and Southern Highlands are master-planned communities on the Las Vegas side of the valley with their own pages.
- Why people choose it
- First-time buyers and move-up families in the southwest, buyers who want a bigger lot and no HOA in the older neighborhoods, and downsizers and first-timers in the condos near the center. Many of my move-up sellers are selling from the southwest to buy across the valley.
- Getting around
- The 15 runs north-south through the valley and the 215 loops around it; between them they decide most commutes. The airport sits south of the Strip. My office is at 8880 W Sunset Rd in the southwest.
- Nearby
- Red Rock Canyon on the west edge, Lake Mead and Hoover Dam to the east past Boulder City, Mount Charleston up the 95, and the Strip in the middle of it.
- The trade-off
- Against the master-planned communities: the city gives you variety, from no-HOA older neighborhoods to new subdivisions with dues, and you trade the single planned feel for it. Two costs catch almost everyone: HOA dues where they apply, and the July and August power bill.
Buying a Home: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with John Arendt, Realtor?