Ready to Start Looking? Your Las Vegas Home Search, Step by Step

Starting a home search is exciting, and it can also feel like stepping into a process with a lot of moving parts. The good news is that the path from first conversation to closing day is predictable. Whether you are buying your first home, relocating to Nevada, moving up, downsizing, or looking for something completely different, the basic steps are the same. What changes is the emphasis. This guide walks through the process in order so you know what to expect and when.

Start with your why and your timeline

Before you open a single listing, write down why you are moving, when you need to be in the new home, and what has to be true for the move to feel like a success. Your answers shape everything that follows, and they look different from buyer to buyer.

• First-time buyers usually focus on monthly payment, down payment options, and learning the process.
• Relocating buyers often need to shop remotely, coordinate a move date, and understand local conditions like HOAs, summer heat, and utility costs.
• Move-up buyers have to line up the sale of one home with the purchase of the next.
• Downsizers tend to care about maintenance, single-level living, and lifestyle.
• Buyers looking for something different, such as a pool, a view, extra parking, a multigenerational layout, or an investment property, benefit from clear priorities early on.

Once you know your reasons, sort your wish list into must-haves and nice-to-haves. Our article on why you should not wait for the perfect house shows how.

Get your finances in order before you tour

Talk to a lender before you start touring. A pre-approval, where a lender reviews your credit, income, and assets, tells you a realistic price range and makes your offers stronger when you find the right home. A casual pre-qualification based on numbers you type in is a starting point, but it carries less weight with sellers. If you would like names of lenders, escrow officers, and other professionals our clients have worked with, see our Local Resources page.

Your lender will walk you through loan options such as conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, and jumbo loans. Each has different down payment requirements, mortgage insurance rules, and property standards. The Nevada Housing Division also offers its Home Is Possible program, which can provide down payment assistance to eligible buyers through participating lenders. Program limits and requirements change, so ask your lender whether you qualify and confirm the current details.

Budget for the whole cost of buying

The purchase price is only one number. Build a budget that includes:

• Your down payment and closing costs.
• An earnest money deposit, which is credited toward your purchase at closing.
• Inspections and any specialty evaluations, plus the appraisal your lender orders.
• Homeowners insurance, and flood insurance if your lender requires it.
• HOA dues and any fees due at closing.
• Utilities. Summer cooling bills and water use in Southern Nevada deserve a real line in your budget.
• Property taxes. Nevada does not have a state personal income tax, which relocating buyers often ask about. Property taxes still apply, and Nevada law generally limits annual increases in the tax bill on an owner-occupied single-family primary residence to 3 percent. Ask a tax professional how this applies to your situation.

Choose your agent and understand your agreement

Since August 17, 2024, agents who work with buyers through the MLS are generally required to have a written agreement with the buyer before touring a home, whether in person or virtually. The agreement must state how the agent will be paid in a way that is specific and not open-ended, and it must make clear that real estate commissions are not set by law and are negotiable. Nevada also requires real estate licensees to give clients the state's Duties Owed by a Nevada Real Estate Licensee form, which explains the duties a licensee owes to everyone in the transaction and to their own client.

Read both documents and ask questions about anything that is unclear. We cover what to ask in Ask Questions, Lots of Them.

Search, tour, and compare

With your criteria and budget set, the fun part begins. The Perna Group serves buyers in Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin, and surrounding Southern Nevada communities, and each area has its own character, price range, and community rules.

• Tour in person when you can, and visit at different times of day to hear traffic, noise, and neighborhood activity.
• Take notes and photos, with permission, so homes do not blur together.
• Ask whether the property is in an HOA and review the rules early. See Check the HOA Before You Commit.
• Look at the things you cannot change, such as location and lot, before you fall in love with paint and furniture. See Look Past the Paint.

Making an offer

When you find the right home, your agent will pull recent comparable sales to help you decide what to offer and will talk through the terms that go with the price: closing date, credits, repairs, inspection period, and financing. Price matters, but it is only one piece of an offer. Our article on why the lowest offer is not always the best deal explains how terms can change what you actually pay.

What happens after your offer is accepted

Once the seller accepts, you enter escrow, and a series of deadlines starts. Exact dates come from your purchase agreement, but the sequence usually looks like this:

1. 1.Open escrow and deliver your earnest money. The deposit goes to the escrow or title company within the time stated in the contract.
2. 2.Review the seller's disclosures. Nevada sellers of most existing homes must complete a Seller's Real Property Disclosure and deliver it at least 10 days before the property is conveyed. It is not required for new home sales.
3. 3.Complete your due diligence. This is when inspections happen and repair requests are made. See Never Skip the Home Inspection.
4. 4.Review the HOA documents. If the home is in an HOA, you will receive a resale package and have a short window to cancel after you receive it.
5. 5.Appraisal and loan underwriting. Your lender orders an appraisal and finalizes approval. Avoid opening new credit, changing jobs, or moving large sums of money without talking to your lender first.
6. 6.Title and escrow. The title company searches the property's history and issues title insurance, and the escrow officer prepares your closing figures. Your lender must deliver your Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing, so use that time to review it line by line.
7. 7.Final walk-through. Shortly before closing, you confirm the home is in the agreed condition and that any agreed repairs were completed.
8. 8.Sign, fund, and record. You sign, your lender funds the loan, the deed is recorded, and you get the keys.

A financed purchase often takes about 30 days from accepted offer to closing, but the closing date is negotiated and varies with the loan type, the property, and the parties' needs.

Relocating to Nevada

Buying from out of state adds a few wrinkles, all of them manageable with some planning.

• Use video tours to narrow your list, but try to visit in person before you commit, and consider seeing homes during the hot months so you understand what summer living and cooling costs are like.
• Even if you shop remotely, have a local, certified inspector examine the home in person.
• Ask early about HOAs, solar panels, and utility costs, since these vary widely from home to home and may be unfamiliar. See Understand the Solar Before Buying the House.
• Line up your moving date with your closing date, and have a backup plan, such as temporary housing or a negotiated rent-back, in case dates shift.

Ready when you are

You do not have to have every answer before you start. The best first step is a conversation about your goals, your timeline, and your questions. Reach out to The Perna Group and we will help you navigate each step, from the initial search through closing.