Diann Tonnesen

If you have been looking for a taste of luxury, hurry down to view the new models at The Modern, which should be completed by the end of January! The Las Vegas real estate market is coming to life again with The Modern, the first new Las Vegas luxury condo project to open during the past few years, was developed as a totally unique luxury loft lifestyle focusing on the essentials of what optimized living should be.

The remarkable luxury loft homes of The Modern combine a respect for the light, the color palate, and the natural environment with state-of-the-art technology and a true understanding of how people relate to space. The architecture provides progressive soaring private spaces to call home in the context of a neighborhood social community with courtyards, common areas, spa and pool, and interconnected pathways all complimented by the very finest in amenities and services.


The Modern features five distinct open floor plans with a choice of one, two or three bedroom residences ranging in size from 1138 sf. to 2244 sf. (There are only 83 residences at The Modern, and some floor plans will be in limited supply.) They won't be going to contract until early February with a projected April move-in, but they are now accepting fully refundable advance reservations.


The Modern is located close to the popular master planned community of Summerlin and the Red Rock Conservation area, but just east of the 215 Beltway for easy access to the entire valley. Residence amenities include:

• Exquisitely Upgraded Design features
• European Style Cabinetry
• Travertine & Solid Surface Countertops
• High Ceilings Approx 10 to 21 feet
• Private terraces

Development Amenities include:

• Resort Style Pool & Spa with Cabanas
• Private Two Story Fitness Facility
• Dry Sauna & Steam Room
• Rooftop Sundeck with Wet Bar, BBQ’s & Cabana
• Fire Pits & Water Features
• Pet Parks
• Gated Community
• Subterranean Parking Spaces

To obtain floor plans and pricing or to schedule an appointment to tour the project, call us at 702-985-7654 or email sold@greatlasvegashomes.com.

The pricing on Las Vegas new homes has been drastically reduced over the past few years (along with the rest of the inventory in the Las Vegas real estate market), and it is amazing how affordable some of the luxury new home developments have become. Dunhill Homes has two gorgeous neighborhoods in lush guard gated golf course communities, Tuscany Village and Rhodes Ranch, which are offering some surprising values.

Rhodes Ranch is located in the popular southwest area of Las Vegas near Summerlin. One and two story floor plans in this community range from 1532 sf to over 3600 sf, and are priced from $185k to $329k. The Rhodes Ranch community offers residents a 35,000 square foot recreation center with fitness facility and resort style pools, a Fun Zone Water Park for the kids, an award-winning golf course, and miles of walking trails. The Rhodes Ranch Golf Club, a par 72 championship course named a “Best Value” by Vegas Golfer Magazine, was designed by renowned architect Ted Robinson. Standard features include: Energy Star Certification, granite slab countertops, rich beechwood cabinetry, Whirlpool appliance package, front yard landscaping and paver walks and driveway.

Tuscany Village is located in the southeast area of the Las Vegas Valley, adjacent to the world-renowned Lake Las Vegas master planned community. One and two story floor plans in this community range from 1364 sf to over 2600 sf, and are priced from $130k to $260k. Residents can play the Tuscany Championship Golf Course, work out at the 35,000 sf recreation center with fitness center and resort style pools, or walk for miles among open trails, crystal clear lakes and palm trees. Standard features at Tuscany Village include: Energy Star Certification, granite slab countertops, rich beechwood cabinetry, Whirlpool appliance package, front yard landscaping and paver walks and driveway.

Both communities have standing inventory, or you can pick your own lot and floor plan and have a home built exactly the way you want it from the ground up. And in addition to the low pricing, Dunhill is currently offering buyers between $10k to 20k in incentives that can be used towards closing costs or design upgrades.

Email us now at sold@greatlasvegashomes.com to get floor plans and the latest pricing and buyer incentives for either of these two great communities!

'Where in Canada can you buy a $50,000 property and rent it for $1,000 a month?' was the lead-in for an article on the Las Vegas real estate market in the Montreal Gazette this past Friday. The article implied that paying $50k for a property and being able to lease it out at $1k per month was easy in Las Vegas and other distressed US markets.

If so, I would sure like to know where these properties are! I can’t seem to find any listed in our local Las Vegas MLS system. I would be more than happy to buy at least 10 of them this week myself. Already our phones are ringing off the hook from Canadian buyers who saw the article and don’t believe us when we tell them it was all hype. They think we are “hiding” the listings from them! (I have yet to see a real estate agent that can afford to “hide” listings and stay in business.)

Unfortunately, many buyers read these press reports and make poor buying decisions because of them.Where does the press come up with these statistics?? They seem to have little or no basis in fact. (Another recent news article said that the Las Vegas real estate market was going to go down another 10% to 12%. Again, this was reported with no supporting documentation, just a gobbled gook of random statistics that had no bearing on what was reported.) But because of articles like these, we have to spend a lot of time re-educating buyers on fact vs. fiction and what is actually possible.

Sure, we absolutely have low cost homes for sale in Vegas. But they are in neighborhoods where the purchase price reflects the potential rental income as well. (And Buyers, please check those Metro crime statistics before making a purchase.) True, many of the short sale properties are listed way below market just to get someone to put in an offer. But the banks always do their own appraisal before approving a short sale, and will usually counter with a price that is within 5% of the actual market value.

That is not to say that you can’t get a terrific return on Las Vegas investment properties. It is absolutely possible to buy a cute newer home for around $100k and get $1k or more per month rental income. This is actually a great time to buy, as the latest statistics are finally showing a small upward trend in Las Vegas sales prices (see Las Vegas real estate weekly trends) and inventory has come down to a five year low. Just between October 1st and November 1st single family home inventory went from 11,500 active listings down to 10,500 active listings. (For homes under $200k we are once again experiencing multiple offer situations because investors and second home buyers from all over the world are trying to take advantage of the low cost to own.)

Not to mention, prices have dropped substantially, 50% to 60%, from just a few years ago. With the strength of the Canadian dollar vs. the US dollar, it makes all the sense in the world for Canadians to finally buy that snowbird property in the States. And the Australian buyers are also taking advantage of the favorable foreign exchange rates to purchase second homes and investment property in Las Vegas.

But someone somewhere has got to finally hold the press accountable for what they print. They aren’t doing anyone any favors by not checking the facts first. The client that buys that $50k property and expects to get $1k per month in rent is going to be sadly disappointed. The client that didn’t buy because he/she read that property prices were going to decline further is going to be really upset when they come back six months later and find that the home they wanted is even more expensive.