[pj375]

Hi,
I am moving to Las Vegas from Madison, WI to join the University Medical Center as a medical resident. My wife and I have a 20 month old and wanted to move to an affordable but safe community not too far from the Medical Center. From the forum we have heard a lot about Summerlin and Green Valley and not sure if we could afford those areas (our max is 250k). Any suggestions on good suburbs and avoiding traffic to downtown? Thanks!

[Mathemagician]

Are you aware of UMC's financial situation?

[olecapt]

You are light for a home in GV or Summerlin. Condo would wrk. There are many available. If you are going to be at UMC you would probably do better in Summerlin than GV. Summerlin is a straight shot with a couple of routes avaialbe while GV pretty much involves coming across the strip on a diagonal.

You could also rent. Probably easily do a small house in Summerlin as a rental.

Rentals in Vegas are much cheaper than owning at this point. There are limitations but not terribly onerous.

There are some wild financial problems at UMC but I don't really see how they would effect a resident except for nuisance value. Everything financial will be more difficult and take too long.

[pj375]

Thanks for the info. Will try and visit Vegas middle of next month to get a better feel for the place.
As we search online, could you recommend which zip codes to search for while looking at Summerlin?

[RedWingsFan]

For that price range you could buy a condo in the good areas. You might be able to find a really small home if you look hard. I agree with Olecapt... since you will be working out of UMC I'd go with Summerlin to shorten the commute.

[Buzz123]

The median price range of homes in Las Vegas is slightly over 300k. However, there are over 21,000 listings plus who knows how many FSBOs, so it's a buyers market. Many apartments were converted to condos recently, so you might find one of those in your price range. I don't know that I would recommend them though. I doubt that resale will be good and you might even lose money in the end. It is my opinion that most of them won't sell and will convert back to apartments sooner or later. You are correct in looking in Summerlin, Pecole Ranch, Desert Shores, or further in the northwest where I live. Henderson (which is Green Valley) would be kind of a long commute. Stay away from North Las Vegas, or anything east of Rainbow Blvd. I've been here for 43 years. My house is for sale but we are listing it at $549,900. Here's the zip code map. Stay west of Rainbow and US 95. Also 89131 is ok. I'm in 89129 and it's very good. 89130 isn't too bad but I think it will decline sooner than the others. http://www.greatlasvegashomes.com/la...s_zipcodes.htm

This is my friend Danny Genette's email. He is the only honest realtor I know. Email him if you'd like. dannyg@homesoflasvegas.com

[lasvegasnurse]

I am a nurse at UMC. I live in Summerlin and would definately reccomend Summerlin over Green Valley because of the commute to UMC. Green Valley and Summerlin are very similar when it comes to shopping, parks, etc. Summerlin has Red Rock which is fantastic if you enjoy the outdoors. It's literally a 10-15 minute drive to nature.....versus the concrete of Las Vegas.
I don't know if your wife will work or not, if she doesn't have to. I suggest joining Mommy and Me West. It's a mothers group that I belonged to when I first moved to Las Vegas in 1998. I met many great friends and learned about places to go and things to do with young kids. M&M is basically a social group for families with kids up to 5 years old. They hold many activities at the local libraries. There is membership for the year, I don't know what it is....when I was last in it, a few years ago, it was about $60 per year.
I live in the older section of Summerlin, I'm not sure that you would find a decent house in your price range, and a condo is nothing more than a glorified apartment....which would be hard with a 20 month old. We were in an apartment for a year when we first moved here....mine was just a few months older than yours at the time.
I'd look into some of the rental homes. Several people rent with option to buy. It seems to work out well for them. I live in the 89134 zip code. In my neighborhood there are actually 4 UMC employees. Myself, a staff nurse, a case manager, a physical therapist and a doctor. He used to be a resident at UMC....I don't see him in the neighborhood anymore....he might be working insane hours, plus maybe he has another car that I don't recognize or he might have moved once he got a stable income. I'm pretty sure he was renting.
By the way, which residency program are you going into at UMC?
Lisa, RN

[Chest Rockwell]

Spring Valley is also an option, as it is a little closer to the city and a little more affordable. Zip code 89147

[WildWestDude]

Check out zip codes 89031,89084 in North Las Vegas.
Builders are currently offering unbelievable deals in this most reasonable priced part of the valley.
They let brand new houses go from the 230's. Look north of Craig Rd and west of I-15. Many new homes are going up near Losee Rd.
Depending on the specific time of your commute, you can be in UMC in as little as 15 min if you go down the I-15! Typically it's no longer than 1/2 hour
This area is safe, fast growing and pleasant

Email me if you want specific info.

[WildWestDude]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Stay away from North Las Vegas, or anything east of Rainbow Blvd.

Stay away from North Las Vegas and anything east of Rainbow?
What city do you live in?

Granted there are ghetto parts in NLV, but so are there in Las Vegas and every major city in the US! What was the last time you drove to the new parts of NLV? We got master planned communities, golf cources, casinos and some of the most affordable new houses around! He mentioned $250K max, he won't find that in the snobby areas.
I can think a dozens of areas in the valley that are to stay away from, the new parts of NLV are not one of them. High class and expensive it might not be, but middle of the road and moving upwards it is.

Moreover, the same holds true for parts east of Rainbow. Spring Valley offers some nice safe living for example.