[erin_harris]

Hi,
My husband and I are toying with the idea of moving to Las Vegas for his work. He already has the opportunity and the money is pretty good. But I know nothing about the area (s). We have 3 little girls; 4 1/2 years old, 2 1/2 years old and 1 year. So we obviously want to move to a neighborhood that is safe. And although the money will be good I am a stay at home mom and would like to stay that way. So it needs to be reasonably priced. We are looking to rent a house. We bought our home here in Utah a little over 6 months ago so we know we would not be able to sell quite yet. And also we would like to keep it open to us to possible move back here one day. So it looks like we will try to rent this one out. If anyone knows of good areas and neighborhoods, any information would be great. As well as areas with good schools since that will be coming up pretty fast.
Thanks

[tortoise]

Originally Posted by erin_harris

If anyone knows of good areas and neighborhoods, any information would be great. As well as areas with good schools

Or . . YOU could research the numerous previous related threads.

[mrjason]

Hi erin_harris and welcome to the discussion,

Please understand that this question or these types of questions seem to pop up on here every couple of days. Do go back and search previous posts and you should be able to find answers to all your questions and develop a deeper understanding of life in the Vegas area.

Good luck and have fun.

[radraja]

Summerlin and Green Valley are typically the nicest areas.

The far northwest (Centennial Hills) area is also one of the better regions.

[Kara Crissey]

Erin,
I have lived and raised my children in Vegas for the past 13 years. I won't lie and say there aren't problems. Any big city has them. BUT, there are plenty of opportunities and great people to be found. Before I go further, are you LDS? If you are, there will be a bit of a culture shock tho Vegas does have a strong Mormon following here. Since your children are still so young, the biggest drawbacks (in my opinion) are years away for you. Most of the elementary schools are very good. Probably more children per class then you are used to but still decent places for your kids. It's not til late middle and high school that I feel the over crowding gets out of hand. We live in the North West area (near Lone Mountain) and have a wonderful neighborhood. The moms get the whole neighborhood together for an Easter egg hunt every year and all the kids play together well. (WITH the moms in the driveways watching!) Here is a a little food for thought. We are much in the same boat you are with the housing issue. Wanna trade?

[toyojo]

try the southern highlands area. its a fairly new community and imo it is pretty safe and quiet. there is also a prep school nearby. you may want to try this place out my family and i moved to southern highlands as well and have hardly any regrets. and by regrets i mean leaving family and friends etc.

[DavidEspinoza-Levy]

Originally Posted by erin_harris

Hi,
My husband and I are toying with the idea of moving to Las Vegas for his work. He already has the opportunity and the money is pretty good. But I know nothing about the area (s). We have 3 little girls; 4 1/2 years old, 2 1/2 years old and 1 year. So we obviously want to move to a neighborhood that is safe. And although the money will be good I am a stay at home mom and would like to stay that way. So it needs to be reasonably priced. We are looking to rent a house. We bought our home here in Utah a little over 6 months ago so we know we would not be able to sell quite yet. And also we would like to keep it open to us to possible move back here one day. So it looks like we will try to rent this one out. If anyone knows of good areas and neighborhoods, any information would be great. As well as areas with good schools since that will be coming up pretty fast.
Thanks

Before you consider any neighborhood in particular I'd encourage you to check "http://www.nvsexoffenders.gov" to make sure your area is safe. The fact that you have 3 daughters I would make this my top priority.

There's alot of new developments in Las Vegas and many for great deals with the current market. There's awesome foreclosure deals right now as well as new developments in first stages. If you plan right, you can get a home that jumps up in value anywhere from $20k to 100k after the second phase is complete for that development. For renting, it's still generally pretty high for most areas in my opinion. If you'd like a list of suburbs here ya go:
Boulder City
Henderson
Anthem
Summerlin
The Lakes (88901, 88905)
Blue Diamond (89004)
Green Valley
Mountain's edge
Seven Hills
... and that's all I remember at the moment...
For developments with new schools in the works I would call the Nevada Department of Education "http://ccsd.net/schools/" (for clark county)
(702) 799-5000


Good Luck,
David Levy

[kwm03160]

One of the first questions is... how much do you want to spend per month in rent? I did some extensive searching before deciding to buy a condo when I move out, but I may be able to help.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by DavidEspinoza-Levy

Before you consider any neighborhood in particular I'd encourage you to check "http://www.nvsexoffenders.gov" to make sure your area is safe. The fact that you have 3 daughters I would make this my top priority.

There's alot of new developments in Las Vegas and many for great deals with the current market. There's awesome foreclosure deals right now as well as new developments in first stages. If you plan right, you can get a home that jumps up in value anywhere from $20k to 100k after the second phase is complete for that development. For renting, it's still generally pretty high for most areas in my opinion. If you'd like a list of suburbs here ya go:
Boulder City
Henderson
Anthem
Summerlin
The Lakes (88901, 88905)
Blue Diamond (89004)
Green Valley
Mountain's edge
Seven Hills
... and that's all I remember at the moment...
For developments with new schools in the works I would call the Nevada Department of Education "http://ccsd.net/schools/" (for clark county)
(702) 799-5000


Good Luck,
David Levy

To check the sex offenders periodically is wise...let you know what is happening in your area...

To buy or rent based on sex offenders is not very bright. Wherever you go one will eventually come. Basically go for the most expensive least rental area you can afford. That will have the smallest set of sex offenders.

The most expensive, lowest rental also goes for good schools and low crime.

You never get instant equity. Think about it. Someone just sold you a house but it is really worth more than you paid. Think so? Really?

New build is mostly a loser. You buy it because you want to be the first owner and do it your way. You lose on all economic grounds. Likey out 10 or 15% on the day you buy. You need a mid 20% run up in value to break even. If you are going to be there 5 or 10 years go for it. More important that you like it then that you make money. Otherwise buy a resale.

In general high foreclosure areas will have long term problems. Again a good area to spend a lot of money. The more expensive houses have less appeal to investor and therefore less renters. So a good deal at 300K is likely to turn out a whole lot better than a good deal at 200K.

[radraja]

I agree with most of DavidEspinoza-Levy's list (most Vegas suburbs are nice).

However, I would avoid Boulder City. Some areas of BC can be an absolute dump, which is something to be cautious of. And it's pretty far away from city proper. I think the other suburbs would be far better options.