moving to las vegas....

[jayadd]

i am planning a trip in april, part vacation part ideas of moving out to LV. I have lived in florida, NY and NJ in the past 2 years and its time for a change. Just a little personal background. Start off im 28.
I was engaged to be married this comming summer but my fiance of 4years got into a crazy break up and ever since i have been in limbo. right after we broke up i was playing softball in central park and tore my ACL in my knee. Cause it was during a staff softball game i received workmans comp, and i had the surgery feb.12th. Well my rehab finish's day before i leave for vegas in april. Between some other personal stuff im ready to move. I have a few friends on the west coast and 2 that live in vegas. I want to go out there not just for the poker but being single and 28 where else would be better? (ft lauderdale wasnt bad i spent 6 months there) My question to the locals is; Work and living. I have been reading the LVjournal and getting info on aprtments and so far not bad but its crazy finding out whats good areas and whats not. Jobs i would like to work in either sales or some form of sales. I have called a few loan officer positions and im in the process of getting the information on real estate licensing. Is this a good direction? I previously have done plenty of sales and have also worked in the education field.
Dont get me wrong i plan on playing alot of poker also so im not going to deny that but any help from locals would be greatly appreciated. thank you.....
PS i have some savings that would last me about 6 months prior to getting a job so im ok with that but i hate not working.

[SpaceAce]

Hi, jayadd.

First thing's first: the "nice" areas to live in are Henderson and Summerlin. Henderson, where I live, is an actual city whereas I am not sure if Summerlin is an incorporated area or just an extension of Las Vegas. Almost the entire Las Vegas area is a touch on the dingy side; there is a lot of dust, a lot of run-down buildings and a lot of empty dirt lots almost everywhere you go. However, there are also a lot of nice subdivisions and neighborhoods. The apartment management companies out here work pretty hard to compete for tenants and there are a lot of decent apartment complexes to select from. I would suggest checking http://www.apartmentguide.com/ and looking for buildings in Henderson/Green Valley and Summerlin.

I sat poker the other night with a real estate agent and he was talking about how this is a fantastic time to be in real estate. Houses are very much in demand around here and both property and structure prices are quite high. The agent also claimed it was a tough time to be in real estate due to the sheer volume of work. I guess there's a lot of profit to be made but a lot of work to be done to make it.

I am sure there are a zillion sales jobs out here just like there are everywhere else.

SpaceAce

[Rushmore]

You mention savings, but do not mention bankroll.

I realize this is slightly off-topic, but I still think these are words worth clearly defining.

Good luck.

[Ray Zee]

good luck on your quest. learn to play winning oker in vegas and you should be fine. or i hear the job of bellman is a good one.

[Ed Miller]

You sound a little like me. I quit my job a year ago, March. I came to Vegas for the WSOP last April/May as a "trial." I moved down here in October.

If you live in NYC area now, you will laugh at rent here. It's absurdly low. Something like $400-$700/month for a one bedroom depending on your preferred level of swankiness.

As for jobs... people don't get paid much in Vegas in general. Also, don't expect to waltz into town and get a job at the Bellagio. There are about 275 thousand people ahead of you in line. I'm not saying it couldn't happen... but don't count on it. It helps if you know a guy...

[jayadd]

thanks everyone. 1st off savings and bankroll are two seperate things. My bankroll is rtemendously smaller than my savings. But going to vegas that may be a good thing.
i have seen some of the apartment prices for rent and laughed. Im paying 1250 for a one bedroom.
[ QUOTE ]
As for jobs... people don't get paid much in Vegas in general. Also, don't expect to waltz into town and get a job at the Bellagio. There are about 275 thousand people ahead of you in line. I'm not saying it couldn't happen... but don't count on it. It helps if you know a guy...

[/ QUOTE ]
I dont think i would want to work at a bellagio or like that. I mean i still would like some normallcy out of life and i cant imagine working at the bellagio as a norm.

[DVO]

May I add my two cents re your job search?

Remember that this hot real estate market is predicated on historically low interest rates. That's what's driving the increase in prices, plus demand from folks like you moving there. The demand will probably continue, but if and when interest rates go up, things are going to cool off.

A lot of people I know are getting into the mortgage loan business right now; it smells like the nasdaq 5000 in early '00 to me.

All that refi business will disappear when interest rates go up. Housing sales will also cool off as financing costs go up. Be wary.

BTW, if interest rates DON'T increase from here, you could do very well. Your call, and good luck.

[jayadd]

very good point DVO ty
i also plan on going back to school at unlv to get my mba. as a fall back.

[Rushmore]

Who needs a fallback when you're a poker player?!

Man, are you TIGHT!

[jayadd]

not to long ago i thought i could make a living playing 10-20 or 20-40. I even went down to AC for a whole summer and did pretty well but after a month of playing 50-60 hrs. a week. I only had 2 sessions of losses(-340 and -280) with 4 really nice big wins(600,550,1100,760) and the rest of good 1BB/hr ratio. i got so sick of playing i started to hate the game. It was summer time so i did get out to the dirty beach of NJ and did enjoy a nightlife of clubs but it didnt distract me enough. I would never comprehend if i would have tried it during the winter times. Vegas seems so diferent for me i guess cause i went to school Arizona State so some friends of mine would make the trip to vegas and outside of poker theres alot more to do. Sometimes i feel its a sin to have a nightlife if your a poker player becuase you should be grinding it out with the tourist instead of drinking with the weekend ladies.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
If you live in NYC area now, you will laugh at rent here. It's absurdly low. Something like $400-$700/month for a one bedroom depending on your preferred level of swankiness.

[/ QUOTE ]

You mean my $665 rent puts me on the far right end of the swankiness scale?

[scalf]

/images/graemlins/smile.gif if you're staying at the monte carlo..

gl /images/graemlins/smirk.gif /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

[Rushmore]

AC is a bleak, bleak place in many ways.

Vegas oughta be a better fit for you.

Best of luck, and don't forget to update us here from time to time.

[SpaceAce]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you live in NYC area now, you will laugh at rent here. It's absurdly low. Something like $400-$700/month for a one bedroom depending on your preferred level of swankiness.

[/ QUOTE ]

You mean my $665 rent puts me on the far right end of the swankiness scale?

[/ QUOTE ]

I pay ~$800 for a two bedroom in Henderson. List price $865 but everyone around here has those move-in specials /images/graemlins/smile.gif

SpaceAce

[TobDog]

Ok,

This is probably way off base but. Why don't, or should I say, how many of you have taken 20k and bought something to live in rather than renting? It was the best thing I ever did, I would have never been able to get into teh housing market if I didnt jump into the market with a small 100k condo(or less in if you can find it) youll pay about the same and get teh tax savings from your interest? Just a thought.

tobdog

[drewjustdrew]

I'm in a different housing market, Chicago, but it is probably similar to Vegas. I put $2000 down on a $100,000 condo. Six years later I made $60,000 on it. I think as someone stated before, it is a large function of the interest rates dropping. But it has also become easier for people to get financing, with low down payments. It did enable me to buy a $350,000 house and I do not have an amazing job to afford it without that condo sale.

[TobDog]

I hear ya, I took 20k 3 years ago and turned it into 150k in equity in my house and took out half of my original investment when I moved, and I could not have afforded the house without the equity in my first purchase. Of course, if the market falls, well, it won't be worth as much, but like your bankroll, and stocks, they are only worth what they are worth when you need to use the $$$.

[nothumb]

I will shortly find out whether or not I, too, will be moving to Vegas. I applied to Teach for America, had a good interview, and listed Vegas as my #1 choice. I'd say there's a decent chance I'll end up there.

I was surprised that Vegas needed TFA's involvement, but apparently the Clark County district is just HUGE? Is this correct? I would be teaching in some of the poorer city schools - anyone know much about these locations? Probably high school.

I've been looking at the housing out there and it does look pretty nice as far as rent. I live in the Berkshires and rent is awful out here, no affordable housing for a working stiff like me. I wouldn't mind living in a less-swanky spot if it means lower rent, so long as I'm not gonna get it from behind on the way home or something /images/graemlins/blush.gif I intend to buy a house when I have my loans under control anyway.

Is there any sort of local network or forum for Vegas 2+2 folks? Aside from tracking you guys down in the cardroom, which I'm sure I'll do. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[mikelow]

There are many other poker venues besides Las Vegas.
Having tried the move there a couple of times, my recommendation is: DON'T!

It will be a lot tougher than you think. If you must move, the better areas are in the NW (higher elevation and cooler in the summer) and parts of Henderson (try Green Valley). But that means a commute to the Strip.

Summer can be a difficult time to survive, and not just beacuse of the heat. It's a tough time of the year psychologically also. Winning is harder.

[mikelow]

I pay a thousand a month in Huntington Beach, and it's not in a great neighborhood.

Vegas is still cheaper, but I like it where I am. Better to visit than live there.

[jayadd]

nothumb i went through TofA great program i did mine in NYC.
the reason for me not to buy is that im probably only going to stay a year. Why invest in a area i dont even know and may not be around. Would you invest in a stock you never heard of the product?