The Lakes Homes for Sale

Where the homes for sale are

Bluffs holds the most listings, typically between $500K and $750K. Reflections At The Lakes sits in the same band. Beacon Point and Lakes West Lewis Homes also typically land between $500K and $750K, though each has fewer homes listed at any one time.

The entry points are lower. Baycliff Creeks is typically under $300K, and Carmel Point By Lewis Homes runs from $300K to $500K. At the other end, Laguna Bay Townhome Estate typically lists between $750K and $1M. About half of all listings here fall between $500K and $1M. A few go above $1M.

Almost everything is in ZIP 89117. A few listings carry 89147.

What the homes are like

Single-family houses make up about three in four listings. Condominiums are about one in seven and townhouses about one in ten. Listings run from 1986 to 1992 in build year. About four in five were built before 1990 and about one in five between 1990 and 2009. None are 2010 or newer.

A home from the 1980s is worth inspecting closely. Ask about the age of the roof, the HVAC system, the plumbing and the windows. Check pool equipment too, since about three in ten listings have a private pool. About a quarter are single-story, so most homes have a second level.

The median home is 1,789 square feet, at about $276 per square foot. Lakefront estates sit well outside that median. Across the neighborhood, sizes run from roughly 1,500 square feet to more than 12,000.

Lake Sahara and what it means for the price

Lake Sahara covers about 30 acres with more than three miles of shoreline, and most of that shoreline belongs to the lakefront homeowners. Residents have boating and fishing privileges. Swimming, jet skis and inflatable boats are not allowed.

When you compare two listings, check three things:

• Which gated village the home is in.
• Whether it fronts the lake.
• How much shoreline the owner holds behind the house.

Two homes a few hundred feet apart can be a condo in one gated village and a custom house with its own stretch of shoreline in another. Water frontage and shoreline drive much of the price gap between otherwise similar houses.

HOA dues and what to check

The Lakes Association, run by a board of directors, covers the seven gated villages. The neighborhood also sits inside the West Sahara master plan, which has its own West Sahara Community Association, and individual villages may add a sub-association. That can mean dues at several levels. The median monthly HOA on homes that have one is $40.

Before you offer, ask for the dues, rules and any pending assessments from every level. Then ask what the dues cover. Condos and townhomes often cover more of the exterior and shared grounds than a detached house does.

Getting around and recent sales

The Lakes is bounded roughly by Sahara Avenue to the north, Desert Inn Road to the south, Durango Drive to the east and Fort Apache Road to the west. Summerlin is just to the west. Each village has its own gated entrance.

Homes have spent a median of 46 days on the market. Over the last 12 months, 153 homes sold, with a median sold price of $480,000. Because the neighborhood is small, only a few homes come up at any one time, and a good fit in your preferred village can take patience.