[j-dub]

Hi all,

My wife and I will be moving to Las Vegas next month where I will be working at UNLV and she will be teaching at Valley High School. We have been looking for a rental house in a good area that also offers a reasonable commute.

We have been looking at some houses in the 89122 area. Any suggestions for other areas?

I have been reading this forum for the past couple of months, so have a good idea about what areas to avoid (thanks to everyone for providing such great info).

Any advice is appreciated!

[Chest Rockwell]

89123 (Silverado Ranch) is another area to try. It's more convenient to UNLV than to Valley High, but still not too far away.

You may also like some of the older areas. There are some real cute neighborhoods and great old homes in 89120, 89102 and 89104. Of course, you have to be more selective, but older neighborhoods like McNeil, John S. Park, Marycrest and Huntridge are super convenient and one of a kind.

[olecapt]

There are a limited number of condos in the Las Vegas Country Club. Rent one. You can do a one or two bedroom at a reasonable rate or something more snazzy at a higher price.

It is super convenient to Valley and UNLV. And you can use the strip as your entertainment district.

If you got kids...different story...but if not it is a best buy.

[j-dub]

Thanks for the replies. I probably should have provided more details in my initial post.

We have a small child and three large dogs (labs). We are looking for a 3 BR+, 1400+ sq ft house with a fenced back yard. How difficult is it going to be to find someone who will rent to us with three dogs?

Thanks again.

[radraja]

For kids, you'll want to be out in the 'burbs. The central areas of Vegas have horrible schools.

Look at Summerlin, Green Valley, and the northwest (Centennial Hills). These areas aren't quite as close, obviously, but the commute isn't bad...15 minutes, maybe a half hour, depending on which of the 3 you choose.

I don't know how easy it is to rent with 3 dogs, but with home prices as low as they are, if you don't find any good rentals, you could probably buy something for just as cheap.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by j-dub

Thanks for the replies. I probably should have provided more details in my initial post.

We have a small child and three large dogs (labs). We are looking for a 3 BR+, 1400+ sq ft house with a fenced back yard. How difficult is it going to be to find someone who will rent to us with three dogs?

Thanks again.

That is an utterly different problem. The kid is easy. Three labs are hard. Kind of like finding a site for a birth control clinic in north dakota.

I suggest you pick the whole west and south side and look at all the listings of suitable housing that is not restricted. It is my opinion that even those who would consider a pet will find you outside acceptable limits.

Of those who have no restrictions on pets only a small percentage will agree to three labs...and they will likely charge for them.

Sorry for that...but three large animals make it hard. Get your money together and buy a house or cut the number down.

One lab cuts the available housing to 25%. Two labs cuts that to 25% and three labs cuts that to 20 or 30%. See the problem?

Drop me a DM with price range and any other requirements and I will send you the available listings...

[j-dub]

Thanks -- just sent you a message.

[Chest Rockwell]

The central areas of Vegas have horrible schools.

None of the schools you are mentioning could hardly be called 'horrible' especially considering that they are in the same district as the suburban schools, with the same curriculum, same standards for teachers etc.

Do they perform more poorly on the standardized tests? Yes. But this has more to do with the fact that many of the kids are not English speakers or transient or both than with the schools themselves. A school with a bad record on a standardized test is not necessarily a bad school. This is the fundamental flaw in the No Child Left Behind act as well.

Especially considering that the OP mentioned they will be working at Valley, you could at least tone down the hyperbole a little. Not to mention that I am a Valley grad myself!

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Chest Rockwell

None of the schools you are mentioning could hardly be called 'horrible' especially considering that they are in the same district as the suburban schools, with the same curriculum, same standards for teachers etc.

Do they perform more poorly on the standardized tests? Yes. But this has more to do with the fact that many of the kids are not English speakers or transient or both than with the schools themselves. A school with a bad record on a standardized test is not necessarily a bad school. This is the fundamental flaw in the No Child Left Behind act as well.

Especially considering that the OP mentioned they will be working at Valley, you could at least tone down the hyperbole a little. Not to mention that I am a Valley grad myself!

The quality of a school is driven by a number of factors. The first of these is the socio-economic level of the neighborhood and a strong factor is the transiency of the student body. It makes little difference how good the teacher is if in fact the student body turns over 50% in the course of the school year.

I would think it quite possible to do well in elementary school in the inner city schools. I would be very careful about the middle and high schools. There are some glaring exceptions. Hyde Park Middle as an example. But mostly the bad middle schools will pull the kid down. It is difficult to learn perfume differentiation in a cesspool. Not impossible...but difficult.

[lvkewlkid]

i'd say that 89123 or 89121 or even 89120 would be good areas to start...

they never said how old their child was and since they are renting, the may not be staying in the same house for the long-term...if their child is young, it could be a long time before they have to worry about middle and high school...there are many problems in most of the middle schools here, but you don't hear much about valley or chaparral or del sol on the news lately and they're still not that terrible...