Downsizing in North Las Vegas

Downsizing in North Las Vegas usually starts with a house you have owned a long time, on the north side, near the people and routines you know, and a list that looks like everyone's: one level or close to it, a smaller yard, a payment and HOA you can stop thinking about, doctors close enough, and a move you only want to make once. The first real question is whether the next house is on the north side too, or whether it is in Anthem or Henderson, which have the valley's largest concentration of single-story homes and several of its 55-plus communities. The north side has one of its own: Sun City Aliante, an age-restricted single-story community inside Aliante.

Both are real answers. Staying north keeps you near what you know and, for a lot of downsizers, near grown children who bought their own first homes nearby. Moving south puts you closer to the valley's hospitals and the airport and into a much larger pool of one-level homes. Nobody downsizing wants to do it twice, so this is a decision to make slowly and execute quickly.

The first conversation is about the list: one level, how much yard, whether an age-restricted community appeals to you at all, and what you use most in a week. If a 55-plus community appeals to you and you want to stay north, we start with Sun City Aliante. If you want more to choose from, Anthem and Henderson have several. If age-restricted does not appeal to you and staying north matters, we look at the single-story homes on the north side and I tell you how often they come up.

Then we look hard at the house, because one level on a listing is not always one level in person. I check for a sunken living room or a step down into the garage, how wide the doorways and halls are, whether there is a walk-in shower or only a tub, and whether the lot is more yard than you want. I check the age of the air conditioner and the roof too. If you are buying with cash or a small loan, a major repair in the second year is the last thing you want. The full single-story checklist is here.

On the selling side, the family house gets the real number and the marketing starts day one, and because the buyer of a long-held North Las Vegas home is often a first-time buyer, taking the surprise out of the inspection before listing matters. Then the sequencing, which with the equity most long-time owners have is often easier than for a move-up family, and which I lay out with your numbers.