[Midnight Rider]

All,
I am considering a move to Las Vegas sometime in 2016. I am coming out there on Tuesday for fun and to look around. I am moving from Maryland, DC Area. The Forum Sticky gave a suggested outline of info to give so I am going do that here and then elaborate. Thanks for being here and thanks in advance for any input you can give me. BTW, I don’t gamble so that will not be a drain on resources (or an income source!)

I’ll be 60 years old in 2016. I am going to rent a short term rental when I arrive. I am planning on arriving with NO furniture. I was thinking about staying in an extended stay hotel for one month until I can rent an apartment and throw a mattress on the floor and build furniture from there. So, I will be looking to rent an apartment which I have some questions on but I will list all of my questions at once to make it easy. The Forum Sticky gives a suggested setup for topics and in so doing I will be providing info on who I am and what I am looking for through that structure.

1-Budget Amount: I will be starting off looking for an apartment in the 700-1000 range plus utilities. I can afford a lot more. I may buy a home sometime…or rent a house.

2-House/Condo/townhome: Anything will do, to start, in the range mentioned . I am looking for a quiet place (but not a senior’s community). I would probably do an apartment or condo but could do a townhouse. I am looking for around 850 to 1200 square feet, ideally 1000, to keep utilities in line. Parking is important. I would like at least covered parking because of the heat. A condo with an attached garage would be the best. I will have a car and will have a motorcycle soon after moving.

3-Employment- I will be coming without a job and will probably not look until I get there. I will need some kind of employment but I can be flexible on work. I have enough money saved to last for a long time without working. Years. But, I want to work. Anything will do. I have a sketchy resume: 10 years in the hotel business, 7 years in the limo business, IT Sales, Mortgage Originator and for the last 10 years I have just been doing admin and office work because it is so low-stress. (I’ll be 60 years old but am young at heart). I would like to get health insurance on the job but can easily afford an individual plane until Medicare kicks in.

4-No kids. Moving by myself.

5-Suburban or Urban Lifestyle: Tough one. I could go either way. Urban is attractive but I think expensive. Also, I am a motorcycle rider and would like to be close to the outskirts for riding…maybe to Mt. Charleston or around the Red Rock areas. Also, urban may not work if I want to have a car and a motorcycle.

6. Access to Public Transportation: Irrelevant basically.

7: Cross streets: Not sure what they meant by this.

Questions: At this point does anyone have any suggestions on what I could do while I am there this week to figure out whether I will like it there? (Notice that I am coming at the hottest time of the year, so I can get a good feel for that again…I was there once before in August and did not mind the heat and it was 108.)

I’ll be staying near Fremont Street but will have a rental car and plan to drive EVERYWHERE.
Most of the questions I will have are for the future when I am closer to moving or have moved. But I really wanted to get involved with the forum, so am starting now.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any input.

John

[ScoopLV]

1) Moving here without a job is a bad idea unless you have several months living expenses saved up.

2) Why are you staying near Fremont Street? Do you plan on living downtown? Because if you plan on living in the outskirts of town -- as most people do -- it would be better to stay there. You could stay at Sunset Station, Red Rock Casino, or even Sam's Town and get a much better idea what living in Las Vegas is like.

3) There isn't really an urban section of this city. It's all suburban sprawl.

4) Cross-streets is how we determine location. The zip codes here are meaningless, and only used by outsiders. "Is 89110 a good place to live," is a pointless newbie question. But "I'm thinking of moving to Charleston and Sloan [in the 89110 zip code]. How's that area," will get useful replies. Since Las Vegas doesn't have a right-side/wrong-side of the tracks, cross streets are the most useful way to determine if it's a nice area or not.

Want to find out if you're going to like it here? Don't eat out. Rent a place that has a kitchenette and make your meals at home. See just what kind of hell you're in for at the DMV. If you want to work at a resort, apply for jobs, RIGHT NOW, online. You don't just drop off resumes at casinos. That isn't how it works. You apply online on their website. And then if you're lucky, maybe you can catch an interview or two while you're here. Although I don't think that's likely with a self-described "sketchy resume."

Make phone calls to any other companies (limo, sales, etc.) that you might fit and see if you can score an interview. You'll likely want to get a cheap phone so you have a 702 number. Makes things a little easier.

[Midnight Rider]

Scoop,

Thanks for your reply. I have years of expenses covered, not months, so I feel good there. I just need some income to make ends meet and maybe get some extras. My resume is sketchy but in my last two jobs I started as a temp and I was GRABBED by the first places I was sent and offered full time work (Citigroup and a major NGO in DC). Once i get my foot in any door I think I will be able to find something that works .

I am staying near Fremont because I got a good deal and know the place has indoor parking (good for August). I will be driving all over. I am good with people so will probably strike up some conversations and learn from them.

Thanks. John

[skugelstadt]

It helps if you come with someone. Narrow your search area based on crime maps, job opportunities, information gathered from this forum or whatever. Then have your companion drive around areas of interest to you. Make notes on a map to help you remember later on what you saw. After spending hours / days exploring, sit down and examine the map and your notes. This technique helped us immensely. I'm sure others may have even better ideas.

[LRWalker]

Don't forget to try the Centennial Hills area. Right on the outskirts for motorcycle riding would be close by.

[LV10101]

You may have years of expenses covered but if you are going to rent most places are going to want to see money coming in. There are places that may rent to you based off of you showing them your funds in your account but they may want a high deposit, up to 3 times the rent amount for deposit.

[skugelstadt]

Originally Posted by LV10101

You may have years of expenses covered but if you are going to rent most places are going to want to see money coming in. There are places that may rent to you based off of you showing them your funds in your account but they may want a high deposit, up to 3 times the rent amount for deposit.

A friend had this problem but solved it by paying for many months in advance.

[lacrosse]

LRWalker-What can you tell me about Centennial Hills since I found some good rental homes in this area?

[LV10101]

Originally Posted by skugelstadt

A friend had this problem but solved it by paying for many months in advance.

Yes that may be an option as well.

[Midnight Rider]

All,

I have an 825 credit score, 20 years of mortgage history without being late once, 10 years of rental before that with no lates and could pay 3-6 months deposit (or more, but really...).

This is all valuable input you all are giving me. I appreciate it!

John