[cmar157]

I was hoping to get some info from people who currently live in Las Vegas. I was offered a position with a large home improvement company that is going to be expanding in Las Vegas and was wondering if the need for windows, siding, kitchens and HVAC is a viable business in town. My concern is the age of the houses and there need for improvement. If any one could shed some light I would appreciate it.

[Buzz123]

That covers a lot of services from one company. Where is this company coming from?

HVAC is BIG business in the desert. I've seen it reach over 120º. There are a jillion local HVAC companies here, but probably always room for more in Las Vegas. Many of them have people on duty 24/7 because, contrary to popular believe, it doesn't really get cold at night, and when the a/c goes out at 2:00am you ain't gonna get back to sleep without it. A/C runs continuously here from about April until about November, and no one can do without it. If there was no such thing as A/C, Las Vegas would be a dusty railroad crossing in the middle of nowhere.

Home improvement may mot be what you are used to, depending on whether you are from the east or the west. For the past 20 years builders have been constructing over 3,000 new homes per month for the 7,000 people per month who move here; so, most everything is pretty new. I haven't noticed a lot of siding being used for years. But with all the construction jobs here, one big complaint is that you can't find anyone willing to take on a small job.

I can't imagine that you wouldn't do well in that business unless it is just mismanaged.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by cmar157

I was hoping to get some info from people who currently live in Las Vegas. I was offered a position with a large home improvement company that is going to be expanding in Las Vegas and was wondering if the need for windows, siding, kitchens and HVAC is a viable business in town. My concern is the age of the houses and there need for improvement. If any one could shed some light I would appreciate it.

Windows? Sure, there's still plenty of older homes that could use new windows- but they're all the old nail-fin single-pane aluminum frame junk, so you'll need to tear the old units out completely- no simple slip-in replacement windows in Vegas. The problem I'd see (besides the cost for those types of replacements) is that the majority of the older homes aren't in the prime neighborhoods, so there's not many having tons of money sunk into them.

Siding? Unless you're talking about stucco, there's not much "siding" work in Vegas. Please tell me you're not considering installing vinyl or aluminum siding, as neither is a viable option in the Vegas heat.

Kitchens? Sure, there's plenty of housing stock that was built with crap cabinets and will need new kitchens. There's also a lot of companies here already, so don't think you're going to just waltz into town and take over.

HVAC? As already said, there's tons of work for good HVAC contractors, but there's also tons of good HVAC contractors already.

In general, you can do well in Vegas as the housing stock starts to mature, but make sure you understand the market and what it needs- which I'm not sure you do yet if you're considering siding as an option.

Bob

[lvkewlkid]

actually a lot of the older homes that i see that aren't in prime neighborhoods are doing a lot of remodeling lately...especially along Fremont and St. Louis...

[luckygirl]

even though there are tons of HVAC contractors, it seems that with all the new developments coming in, there is always work! my friend at Ecotech (AIR CONDITIONING LAS VEGAS • ECOTECH (http://www.airconditioningvegas.com - broken link)) might be able to offer up some advice

[Chest Rockwell]

Slumping real estate prices means less equity to sink into renovations. A lot of the work done to restore homes is financed this way, meaning those projects will be on hold until real estate prices improve. That's not to say there isn't enough business to be successful, it just isn't a slam dunk.