Eleven things to look for when moving to a new Vegas neighborhood

A family biking

Before you buy or rent a home in Las Vegas, you will want to know what kind of neighborhood the house is in and how convenient that would be in your life. Here are tips for checking that out:

• Check out the schools. Clark County schools vary in performance. You want the best schools you can find not only for the kids but also for resale. A performance report can be found here.

• Traffic and commute distance. How far are you from work or school? If you work near the Strip, is it faster to come from the north or south? Make that drive to find out.

• Is the neighborhood going up or down? If you see lots of refurbishing and upgrades in an older neighborhood, that’s a good sign.

• What commerce is close? According to a RJrealestate.Vegas story, nearby stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Costco actually can improve the value of a neighborhood.

• What local casinos are close? In Las Vegas, that’s where the movie theaters and other local entertainment are located.

• Are there places to walk, run, bike or hike? Summerlin, Mountain’s Edge and other master-planned communities pride themselves on these features.

• What’s the homeowners association like? Do you want a tough or tolerant HOA? Ask the neighbors, or just cruise the area and see if there are things you don’t like, such as storage units higher than fences or big trucks parked on the street.

• Crime and complaints — check police logs for crime and complaints nearby, or ask the neighbors.

• Are smells, noise or other headaches nearby? You don’t want to discover a month after closing that the North Las Vegas pig farm odors will be wafting over the neighborhood.

• Where are taxes going? Look at the property’s tax history on the Clark County Assessor’s Office website.

• Are there kids outside? That could be a sign of a safe neighborhood. Check it out in the late afternoon, when they’re likely to be out playing.

RJrealestate.vegas. Please send questions, comments, ideas to Hal DeKeyser at hdekeyser@reviewjournal.com.