Las Vegas Review-Journal

Housing crunch easing somewhat

- ELI SEGALL REAL ESTATE INSIDER

AS house hunters and real estate agents know, the inventory of homes for sale has dropped fast in Las Vegas. Low availabili­ty and strong demand have helped pump up local home prices at one of the fastest rates in the country, creating a windfall for sellers and sparking affordabil­ity concerns. Now there are signs — at least on paper — that the inventory crunch could be easing a bit.

According to figures from the Greater Las Vegas Associatio­n of Realtors and consulting firm Applied Analysis:

4,335 single-family homes were listed without offers at the end of June, the most in seven months

Available listings fell 16 percent year-over-year in June, compared with a 36.5 percent drop in January

The tally of available houses rose 7.9 percent from April to May, the biggest monthly jump since 2014

The number of houses on the market without offers rose in May and June, the first two-consecutiv­e-month climb since 2016

None of this means that inventory is surging or will anytime soon, which, if it did, could let some air out of Las Vegas’ tightening market. Prices are rising so fast here that, according to Fitch Ratings, Southern Nevada has the most overvalued housing market in the country.

But if the recent changes persist, they could signal the beginnings of

SEGALL

The company is investing at least $7.5 million into the project, Scheffler said.

The first phase will take up 40,000 square feet. Once complete at a yetto-be-determined date, the full complex will take up 112,000 square feet.

The complex will have at least 45 registers, 13 15-foot-tall lotus flowers on the roof and a spherical fountain in front.

Inside the dispensary will be a sensory-activated floor, 10 feet by 16 feet, with lights that move as visitors walk. Six aerial orbs will circle above visitors’ heads every hour. Visitors can also write and draw with lasers on a wall inside the dispensary and watch 3D projection­s.

“We want to out-vegas Vegas,” Groesbeck said.

Las Vegas Medical Marijuana Associatio­n Vice President Jim Lamb said the dispensary marks another level of presentati­on and design for cannabis retailers.

“This is just like Steve Wynn opening The Mirage,” Lamb said.

Located west of Trump Internatio­nal, near the intersecti­on of Desert Inn Road and Sammy Davis Jr. Drive, the dispensary is on the former site of a distributi­on center for beer brand Coors.

Planet 13 also intends to introduce event space for corporatio­ns to rent. Groesbeck said he doesn’t expect to have trouble with permitting for some of the unusual features for his dispensary. He said he and Scheffler will draw on their experience­s from governing.

Clark County Commission­er and Democratic gubernator­ial candidate Steve Sisolak praised the marijuana superstore Thursday.

Speaking to a crowd inside the future storage area of the space, Sisolak said the project should bring 100 new jobs to the valley.

Sisolak told the Review-journal that, if elected, he wants to legalize on-site consumptio­n of marijuana at dispensari­es and create a path for banks to work with marijuana businesses.

Because marijuana remains federally illegal, dispensari­es have largely accepted cash-only transactio­ns.

The campaign for Sisolak’s Republican opponent for governor, Adam Laxalt, did not return a request for comment.

Contact Wade Tyler Millward at 702-383-4602 or wmillward@ reviewjour­nal.com. Follow @ wademillwa­rd on Twitter.

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 ??  ?? Planet 13 This image released by Planet 13 officials shows the interior of their marijuana dispensary, which is expected to open Nov. 1.
Planet 13 This image released by Planet 13 officials shows the interior of their marijuana dispensary, which is expected to open Nov. 1.

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