Southern Highlands · First-Time Buyers
First-time buyers in Southern Highlands
Your lease renewed at a number that made you angry. Here is what buying actually looks like, step by step, with the payment figured out first.
First-time buyers in Southern Highlands: where a first purchase lands here
First-time buyers in Southern Highlands are usually comparing it against Summerlin and finding that their number goes further here. Southern Highlands is a newer master-planned community south of the Strip off the 15, and at the same price it often gets you more house than a comparable Summerlin address. For a first-time buyer whose number is a little bigger than the typical first-timer's and who works south or near the airport, that can make Southern Highlands the first newer-construction community that is actually within reach.
Two things to know going in. The first is HOA dues, which every Southern Highlands home carries and which belong in your monthly payment from the first conversation, not as a surprise at closing. The second is that if your number is tighter, the southwest, North Las Vegas and the older parts of Henderson are where more first homes get bought, and I will say so rather than stretch you into a payment that does not work in August.
Find out what I can afford in Southern Highlands
Why first-time buyers in Southern Highlands 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, Southern Highlands among them. First-timers get taught: every step explained once, plainly, before it happens, and a straight answer when you ask which one. Because I also work the southwest, North Las Vegas and Henderson, I will tell you honestly when your number is better spent there than here.
We start with the payment. Talk to a lender early; a 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. The number we settle on is the whole thing: principal and interest, taxes, insurance, the HOA dues, and what the house costs to cool in August. Then we talk about what you do for a living, because assistance programs exist and some depend on it. What your down payment should actually be is here. 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.
How buying your first home in Southern Highlands goes
The first call covers where you work, what you pay in rent, what the house has to do and what you are hoping to spend. Then the payment conversation with a lender, dues included. Then a short list: the Southern Highlands homes your number reaches, next to what the same number buys in Summerlin and in the southwest, so you choose knowing. The 3D walkthroughs do the first pass so we tour the ones you already like.
When you find it, the offer is written with you line by line. Earnest money is typically about 1 percent and negotiable. The due diligence period is usually 10 calendar days to two weeks and negotiable, and it is when the inspection happens and when you read the HOA resale package Nevada requires the seller to provide, which is where the dues and the rules about your own house live. Then the appraisal, the loan, a final walkthrough, signing and keys. The whole process is here, and the first-timer's article is worth reading tonight.
Southern Highlands specifics a first-time buyer should know
The HOA controls more than a first-time buyer expects, from paint colors to what sits in the driveway, so read the package before you decide you are the kind of person who does not mind. Newer homes mean the air conditioner and roof are usually the good news on the inspection, which is a real advantage over an older first home elsewhere. The commute to the airport and the 15 is the reason to be here; the 215 at 5pm is still the thing to drive before you decide. And the Summerlin comparison that brought you here is worth making with both houses on the screen, so you choose Southern Highlands on purpose.
If your lease is up and you want to know whether a first home in Southern Highlands is possible for you, call or text 702-881-6562, tell me what you do for a living, what you pay in rent and where you work, and you will get a straight answer, including "look at the southwest instead" if that is the answer. More about Southern Highlands, buying a home in Southern Highlands and first-time buyers across the valley are here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a first-time buyer afford Southern Highlands?
Sometimes, and more often than Summerlin at the same number, because Southern Highlands often gets you more house for the money. Whether it fits depends on your payment with the HOA dues included, and I will tell you plainly.
What do HOA dues add to a Southern Highlands payment?
It depends on the neighborhood, and the exact figure is in the resale package for the specific home. Whatever it is, it goes in your monthly number before we write, not as a surprise at closing.
Do I need 20 percent down to buy in Southern Highlands?
Usually not. Conventional loans can start well below 20 percent, FHA lower still, and assistance programs exist that depend on what you do for a living. The payment conversation sorts this out before we look.
Southern Highlands
What first-time buyers looks like in Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands sits south of the Strip and often gives you more house for the money than a comparable Summerlin address.
Southern Highlands is a master-planned community south of the Strip off the 15 that often gets a buyer more house for the money than a comparable Summerlin address, with the airport closer.
- The homes
- A master-planned community south of the Strip that often gets you more house for the money than a comparable Summerlin address.
- Why people choose it
- Move-up families comparing it against Summerlin on price, and buyers who work south or near the airport.
- Getting around
- South end of the valley off the 15, with the airport closer than it is from Summerlin.
- The trade-off
- Against Summerlin: you trade Red Rock proximity and Downtown Summerlin for more square footage at the same price.
The method
How I do it in Southern Highlands
First-Time Buyers: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with John Arendt, Realtor?