[theace]

One more question and then I'll stop bugging you people. The economy in toledo ohio is all but dead and the average job around here pays 8-15 dollars per hour, my wife however is a very qualified (20 years) emergency room charge nurse with incredible credentials in her field, given I have residential carpentry skills and my wifes work status what could we each expect to make in our respective fields and would it be difficult for us to find employment in the area? Also, based on the income we would make how comfortable of a lifestyle could we live in the area? Thanks for your help!

[kawgpz550]

The Las Vegas area is no the cheapest place in the world. However, I am sure with both of your credentials, you will find that you can make a comfortable living in the area. Las Vegas and Henderson are ALWAYS growing and building, therefore you should always have work in carpentry. As for your wife being a nurse...Nevada doesn't pay quite as well as California, but they pay pretty well. If you have kids, do try to stay in Boulder City, or at minimum, Henderson. Most of the Las Vegas school district has some sort of problem or another. Some gangs and shootings etc, but overall from what I read and hear they have a big school budget problem. Overall, Henderson and Boulder City have less crime as well.
I live in Bullhead City AZ?Laughlin, NV, which is about 90 miles south/southeast of Vegas. I have been here almost 19 years, therefore I hear a lot from people that move down here from Vegas. Vegas is really becoming overpopulated!

[shroom]

Olecapt, you're not really being serious, are you? Even though some homes in BC may be more expensive than comparable properties in Hend or LV, they are not even close to Malibu prices. IMHO, the vastly superior quality of life one finds in BC, as opposed to that in Hend and LV, makes the higher purchase price for a home in BC worthwhile.

As to Henderson's crime rate being "quite good", my experience is that I lived in BC for 12+ yrs & there were only 2 homicides during that entire time. One was a domestic dispute involving self-defense, the other was a crazy dude from CA who murdered an employee from the Goldstrike/Hacienda casino (which is NOT in BC) and then dumped her body in a BC pond. In Hend, within 4 weeks of moving to Green Valley Ranch in 2005, there were at least 3 murders in the immediate area (i.e., within 1 mile) - one was a home invasion that has yet to be solved (3 dead), one was a post-divorce revenge killing, one was a random act of violence. It's merely my opinion, but I think Hend's crime rate is almost as bad as LV's; it's just publicized less.

Anyway, theace, more advantages to BC is that BC's elec rates are significantly less than in Hend & LV. That's important when living in a climate where the A/C is usually on 24/7 from about May through Sept. In BC, I saved at least $100/mo compared to similar properties in Hend or LV. For that matter, the majority of all utilities in BC are lower, as are car & house insurance premiums. I can't say for sure that BC property taxes are lower because I haven't checked the current tax rates, but my prop taxes in BC were $200-$300/yr lower than friends' taxes in LV and my taxes in Hend, even though my house & lot were larger. Talk with a lender and play with some numbers to see how much more borrowing power you will have with that type of savings on utility bills, insurance premiums, and prop taxes. You may find that the total cost of ownership for a BC home is not more than one in LV or Hend. It may be on par, or even less!

Regarding employment possibilities for you guys: Hospitals always need well qualified nurses and the construction industry appears to still be alive and well in the greater LV Valley. Yes, construction has slowed from the recent breakneck pace it experienced, and that is a good thing for the real estate market as a whole, but I believe construction will remain a viable industry in the greater LV area. For the last 25 years or so, there has been a huge influx of people moving to that area - even before the recent "R.E. boom". There was no easily discernable reason for it then, other than maybe abundant sunshine and no state income taxes. Those things remain, so there's no reason to think the area's population growth will stop in the foreseeable future.

As to your "comfortable lifestyle" question, it involves too many personal variables & preferences for anyone other than you guys to determine. One person's "comfortable lifestyle" may be either oppulent or impoverished to another. It all depends on what you consider comfortable.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by shroom

Olecapt, you're not really being serious, are you? Even though some homes in BC may be more expensive than comparable properties in Hend or LV, they are not even close to Malibu prices. IMHO, the vastly superior quality of life one finds in BC, as opposed to that in Hend and LV, makes the higher purchase price for a home in BC worthwhile.

As to Henderson's crime rate being "quite good", my experience is that I lived in BC for 12+ yrs & there were only 2 homicides during that entire time. One was a domestic dispute involving self-defense, the other was a crazy dude from CA who murdered an employee from the Goldstrike/Hacienda casino (which is NOT in BC) and then dumped her body in a BC pond. In Hend, within 4 weeks of moving to Green Valley Ranch in 2005, there were at least 3 murders in the immediate area (i.e., within 1 mile) - one was a home invasion that has yet to be solved (3 dead), one was a post-divorce revenge killing, one was a random act of violence. It's merely my opinion, but I think Hend's crime rate is almost as bad as LV's; it's just publicized less.

Anyway, theace, more advantages to BC is that BC's elec rates are significantly less than in Hend & LV. That's important when living in a climate where the A/C is usually on 24/7 from about May through Sept. In BC, I saved at least $100/mo compared to similar properties in Hend or LV. For that matter, the majority of all utilities in BC are lower, as are car & house insurance premiums. I can't say for sure that BC property taxes are lower because I haven't checked the current tax rates, but my prop taxes in BC were $200-$300/yr lower than friends' taxes in LV and my taxes in Hend, even though my house & lot were larger. Talk with a lender and play with some numbers to see how much more borrowing power you will have with that type of savings on utility bills, insurance premiums, and prop taxes. You may find that the total cost of ownership for a BC home is not more than one in LV or Hend. It may be on par, or even less!

Regarding employment possibilities for you guys: Hospitals always need well qualified nurses and the construction industry appears to still be alive and well in the greater LV Valley. Yes, construction has slowed from the recent breakneck pace it experienced, and that is a good thing for the real estate market as a whole, but I believe construction will remain a viable industry in the greater LV area. For the last 25 years or so, there has been a huge influx of people moving to that area - even before the recent "R.E. boom". There was no easily discernable reason for it then, other than maybe abundant sunshine and no state income taxes. Those things remain, so there's no reason to think the area's population growth will stop in the foreseeable future.

As to your "comfortable lifestyle" question, it involves too many personal variables & preferences for anyone other than you guys to determine. One person's "comfortable lifestyle" may be either oppulent or impoverished to another. It all depends on what you consider comfortable.

Just kidding about Malibu...or perhaps the Las Vegas Malibu. About $100K more on average than the rest of Clark County.

Crime is low in BC...but it is also low in Henderson. Probably the same in Summerlin though you can't easily get at the numbers. Violent Crimes were about 120.5 per 100,000 in BC as opposed to 186/100,000 in Henderson. Both are well below national averages.

[lvkewlkid]

Crime isn't low in Henderson. Shroom is right, as I live in Green Valley Ranch and there are always sirens being heard.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by lvkewlkid

Crime isn't low in Henderson. Shroom is right, as I live in Green Valley Ranch and there are always sirens being heard.

Sorry Kid...crime is quite low in Henderson. I suspect sirens correlate more with accidents than with crimes. The numbers are not equivocal...crime in Henderson is well below national averages - In fact less than half. NLV is about 40% above the national average. Metro is about 1.8 times the national average. And Boulder city is about 35% less than Henderson.

And by big city standards Metro is not very high. Well less than any of the big cities of the rust belt.

[shroom]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Sorry Kid...crime is quite low in Henderson. I suspect sirens correlate more with accidents than with crimes. The numbers are not equivocal...crime in Henderson is well below national averages - In fact less than half. NLV is about 40% above the national average. Metro is about 1.8 times the national average. And Boulder city is about 35% less than Henderson.

And by big city standards Metro is not very high. Well less than any of the big cities of the rust belt.

Olecapt, would you please share with us the source(s) of the statistical data you are citing? There seems to be some disagreement between your stated crime stats and what residents of BC & Hend have personally experienced. For the sake of accuracy, it would likely help people who are thinking of relocating to the areas under discussion if they could peruse your resource(s) directly.
Thanks.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by shroom

Olecapt, would you please share with us the source(s) of the statistical data you are citing? There seems to be some disagreement between your stated crime stats and what residents of BC & Hend have personally experienced. For the sake of accuracy, it would likely help people who are thinking of relocating to the areas under discussion if they could peruse your resource(s) directly.
Thanks.

Wrong approach. Your personal experience in such things is always anecdotal. It may be absolutely terrible for you...but it does not read on the local crime rate.

Most current numbers are for 2005. For Nevada see...

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_08_nv.html (broken link)

National numbers can also be found on that site.

There really is no other source for crime rates. And I would be very leery of the people who massage them. It is rather easy to get any desired results by playing with relative weights.

Using any source though BC and Henderson are relatively low.

[lvkewlkid]

That's from 2005, a lot can happen 1-2 years later.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by lvkewlkid

That's from 2005, a lot can happen 1-2 years later.

Ahh stop. Go to the site. They have the first half of 2006. They are basically the same. The second half of 2006 won't be available for a month or so...These numbers don't change substantial in a couple of years.

I don't know Kid...think you are a sore loser.