[bay-gal]

Hi,

My mom and I will be moving in the next 6 months and Vegas is one of the areas we are thinking of. I have some concerns or questions for locals however.

1- How prevalent are the scorpion/coyote issues. I have 3 small dogs and a local real estate agent said she just does not let her dog out without someone there. I would like to allow my dogs to sunbathe or go outside to play without my supervision the whole time, is this possible. Do certain types of fences i.e. cinder block/versus wood make a difference? Or are their areas less prone to this.

2- Commute is not an issue as I am self employed and work from home. I would like newer construction like within the last 3 years and am open to new builds, but are these more prone to the issues in number 1.


3. I am looking for something in the 3000sq ft range between 3-400,000 near restaurants, grocery stores and medical services for my mom. I believe Henderson and Summerlin are nice areas are there any others to look at, and are there any areas where people actually have grass in their yards..or possible fake grass in an option, or is everything mostly concrete and rock and desert scaping.

Once I get some good ideas of where to look I plan to take a trip out and drive all the areas.

thanks for any help!

[Raiderman]

Originally Posted by bay-gal

Hi,

My mom and I will be moving in the next 6 months and Vegas is one of the areas we are thinking of. I have some concerns or questions for locals however.

1- How prevalent are the scorpion/coyote issues. I have 3 small dogs and a local real estate agent said she just does not let her dog out without someone there. I would like to allow my dogs to sunbathe or go outside to play without my supervision the whole time, is this possible. Do certain types of fences i.e. cinder block/versus wood make a difference? Or are their areas less prone to this.

2- Commute is not an issue as I am self employed and work from home. I would like newer construction like within the last 3 years and am open to new builds, but are these more prone to the issues in number 1.


3. I am looking for something in the 3000sq ft range between 3-400,000 near restaurants, grocery stores and medical services for my mom. I believe Henderson and Summerlin are nice areas are there any others to look at, and are there any areas where people actually have grass in their yards..or possible fake grass in an option, or is everything mostly concrete and rock and desert scaping.

Once I get some good ideas of where to look I plan to take a trip out and drive all the areas.

thanks for any help!

Scorpions/coyotes are a non-issue. Most people here that I've spoken with have never seen either. From what I know, scorpions like palm trees, so if it's a deal breaker if you ever see one in your life, avoid heavily palmed areas.

There are new builds all over the place. Inspirada comes to mind in Henderson. But there are a ton of nice areas. NLV north of Craig and west of the 15, Centennial Hills, Mountains Edge, pretty much all of Henderson west of the 95, Sunrise Manor east of Nellis (although I didn't see new houses going up when I was there the other day), Summerlin, Southern Highlands..

Best bet, come stay for a week or 10 days and drive through all of the neighborhoods. You'll find one you like. Good luck!

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by bay-gal

Hi,

My mom and I will be moving in the next 6 months and Vegas is one of the areas we are thinking of. I have some concerns or questions for locals however.

1- How prevalent are the scorpion/coyote issues. I have 3 small dogs and a local real estate agent said she just does not let her dog out without someone there. I would like to allow my dogs to sunbathe or go outside to play without my supervision the whole time, is this possible. Do certain types of fences i.e. cinder block/versus wood make a difference? Or are their areas less prone to this.

2- Commute is not an issue as I am self employed and work from home. I would like newer construction like within the last 3 years and am open to new builds, but are these more prone to the issues in number 1.


3. I am looking for something in the 3000sq ft range between 3-400,000 near restaurants, grocery stores and medical services for my mom. I believe Henderson and Summerlin are nice areas are there any others to look at, and are there any areas where people actually have grass in their yards..or possible fake grass in an option, or is everything mostly concrete and rock and desert scaping.

Once I get some good ideas of where to look I plan to take a trip out and drive all the areas.

thanks for any help!

Scorpions and coyotes are not a big deal Our somwhat ruralish cul-de-sac is loaded with free ranging cats and backyard dogs. Only issue we have ever had was from other dogs.

If you live right against open range or mountain you might have a little problem but even then the coyotes won't come over a wall. They fear what may live there. Scorpion are very rare and I suspect your dogs are more danger to a scorpion that the scorpion is to your dogs. Six foot cinder block walls are standard in most areas and provide good privacy and pet protection.

Some of your requirements conflict. Virtually nothing built in the past five years will have grass.

If you go back 15 or 20 years you will find very nice houses with expansive grass. There actually is no regulation preventing grass in a home...but you will have to put it in yourself in the new ones.

I suggest you consider some of the older areas such as Pecole Ranch, The Lakes, Green Valley Ranch and such. These feels to easterners like the yards of old...except 6 foot walls in the back yard.

Henderson is a city of more than 25,000...so Henderson per se is not a choice. You have to get down to GVR or Anthem or Seven Hills. All these would work for you expect more than five years old.

For newer you can look at Inspirada or the Mountain Edge tracts or Providence.. For good neighborhood services though you will do better in the older neighborhoods...north Summerlin, Green Valley Ranch, Desert Shores, Painted Desert.

[MollieW]

Make yourself a list of all Las Vegas and Henderson zip codes and if you are looking at property on-line and see one that you like, put it's zip code on www.zipdatamaps.com and it will give you more information than you will need about that area.

[shellymdnv]

You may want to check out some of the Ryland homes new construction. They have roof top decks which would allow you to let your dogs out to sun bathe without worrying about backyard pests

[bay-gal]

excellent info I will check all this out. Does anyone have any feedback info on Pardee Homes, specifically Durango Trail?

thanks for all the help!

[BeeCee33]

Hi Bay-gal

Being a realtor, I have to watch what I say when it comes to this popular question regarding areas..

I personally live a few blocks from Durango Trails, just across Blue Diamond, on Durango.. I absolutely positively love it out there in/near Mountains Edge.. Its like living in the suburbs if you will call it that..

Pardee is a great builder, and that area is peaceful and quiet except for the homes right up against Durango.. Traffic is a little yucky on Durango there where its only 2 lanes for a mile or so, but there's a stoplight at the intersection going to that community which is extremely helpful..

Feel free to PM me with any questions.. I'd be happy to help..

There's 3 grocery stores (Vons, Albertsons/Smiths) within 5 mins of there, along with Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Target, and some restaurants..

San Martin Hospital and Southern Hills Hospital are 2 of the best hospitals in the city and only 5 and 10 mins away respectively..

Scorpions are hit or miss.. I've lived in the area for 8 years and haven't had any myself, although I've seen some in houses 2 blocks from me in the same community.. They're very territorial and don't move much

[bay-gal]

thanks BeeCee. I plan to check out Durango Trails homes and the El Dorado Ridge homes by Pardee. Both look like what we are looking for, but I will still do a drive around the area when I visit in a few weeks. Then comes the balancing act of selling out home and buying a new build..which is what we did when we bought this house..fun..but not so fun LOL

[lvre411]

Originally Posted by Raiderman

Best bet, come stay for a week or 10 days and drive through all of the neighborhoods. You'll find one you like. Good luck!

Good advice.. I've lived in Green Valley, Summerlin, Rhodes Ranch, Desert Shores and the RE zone in Northwest Las Vegas. (Hazards of the job.) They all offer something unique and you'll just get a feel for what you like if you spend some time in these areas. Ask 3 different residents, they'll tell you three different places. The Green Valley folks are going to tell you Green Valley, The Summerlin folks are going to tell you Summerlin, etc, etc, and then you have the quieter people that love Desert Shores for it's uniqueness and convenient location. (No new construction in Desert Shores -- it's already established with most of the homes built in the late 80's to early 90's.)

Scorpions -- yep they are here but for the most part, not a big deal. We've come across them in newer developments that import a bunch of palms in from Arizona. My ex recently had an issue with them in some new construction over in Mountains Edge but it's been taken care of. (A couple of nights scouring the yard with a black light and something to grab them with took care of the problem.)

Coyotes -- yep. Tend to be on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Used to see them all the time when I lived in the Rural Estates zone in Northwest Las Vegas. (89149). Far west Summerlin in the Sienna Development had some people recently freaking out about them but I have not seen any over there in a long time. It's actually been awhile since I've seen any and I'm out and about on the outskirts quite a bit including running the dog(s). Never been an issue with me because I've always had big labs and Coyotes for the most part are terrified of people and run. Leaving Smaller dogs out might be an issue on the outskirts of town:

Pet owners worry about coyote attacks - FOX5 Vegas - KVVU

Las Vegas coyote sightings frightening residents | Las Vegas World News

COYOTE SAFETY: Coyotes prowling neighborhoods put pets at risk - Las Vegas MyNews3 - KSNV

Metro Police Kill Coyote Near Elementary School - 8 News NOW

Once again though.. I've been in Vegas 22 years with most of that time being out and about and I've never had an issue with any of the coyotes I've come across.

Raiderman has it right though... spend some time going through the neighborhoods of Las Vegas including looking for nearby shopping/entertainment places that you like. There's wonderful neighborhoods / communities all through the Las Vegas valley (I can point out positives for every "Master Planned Community" in the Las Vegas area) and you just need to get a feel for what YOU like.

Personally, I think some of the newer construction is overpriced considering the big picture and the developments. Real Estate bubble days had the builders squeezing as many homes as they could on a parcel of land because nobody cared and would buy anything. I'm more partial to the established areas (planned / developed pre 2004) and just updating the homes for the same price or for even less and having some space but that's me. Some communities such as Desert Shores or The Lakes will never be duplicated due to water restrictions and there's actually space between the homes so you don't hear your neighbors flushing their toilets.

And trust me... it sucks when your neighbors vacation home is 5 feet away from yours and their unmonitored alarm goes off and you have to listen to it for a night / day.

[ScoopLV]

Scorpions will depend on location. My mother in law has been stung twice, and she is constantly finding them inside the house. We bought her a UV light to sweep the house at night before bed. One of her neighbors has a dozen of them in a terrarium.

We live a mile away and have never seen one. The difference? Her neighborhood has a lot of palm trees. Our neighborhood has none.

Coyotes have killed mother-in-law's chickens. We haven't see one where we live.