Nevada
NEVADA VIEWS: Single-family rentals are a bridge to opportunity, not a barrier
Housing affordability has become one of the most pressing economic challenges facing families across Las Vegas and Nevada. As prices and borrowing costs remain elevated, the debate over why housing feels increasingly out of reach has intensified. In the search for answers, single-family home investors are often singled out as a convenient explanation. But that framing oversimplifies a far more structural problem and risks distracting from the real drivers of affordability.
For many Nevadans, the desire to live in a single-family home hasn’t changed. What has changed is access. Higher interest rates, elevated home prices and limited inventory have reshaped the housing landscape, making traditional ownership more difficult for households at various stages of life. In that environment, single-family rentals have expanded to meet demand — not as a replacement for ownership, but as one of several ways families secure stable housing in constrained markets.
Investor participation in housing is frequently portrayed in binary terms: good or bad. The data, however, is more nuanced.
A recent analysis from the UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate documents that investors have represented roughly 1 in 5 home purchases in the Las Vegas area over the past 15 years, with activity peaking in the post-COVID period before easing more recently. Importantly, the study does not assign value judgments. It simply reports a trade-off: Elevated investor participation contributes to greater availability of single-family rental homes while also tightening supply for prospective owner-occupants.
That distinction matters, particularly when data is used to inform public policy. Much of the investor data cited in public discourse relies on standardized national datasets that are often sourced from firms such as Redfin and that classify buyers based on ownership structures such as LLCs or trusts. These classifications are necessary for consistency and privacy, but they inherently limit visibility into who is behind a purchase and how a home is ultimately used. This does not make the data inaccurate. But it does not tell the full story, and caution is warranted when drawing policy conclusions from ownership labels alone.
What can be measured clearly, and consistently, is housing supply and housing prices. On those metrics, the evidence is decisive. A 2025 Lied Center study shows Southern Nevada has experienced nearly 15 years of chronic underbuilding. Since 2010, residential construction in the Las Vegas area has declined by more than 60 percent compared with historical norms, even as population growth continued. Had construction merely kept pace with prior trends, the region would have tens of thousands more homes today.
National research reaches the same conclusion. Studies from the National Bureau of Economic Research consistently find that prolonged underbuilding and restrictive land-use policies are primary drivers of rising home prices. Nevada’s affordability challenges are not unique, but the constraints shaping them are especially pronounced.
Nowhere is that clearer than land availability. Roughly 80 percent of Nevada’s land is controlled by the federal government, with much of Southern Nevada controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. This structure limits where housing can be built, extends development timelines and increases land costs long before a home is ever constructed. Those costs ripple through the market, affecting renters and buyers. Any serious conversation about affordability in Nevada must account for this reality. Issues like this are of far greater impact than the portion of investors who own housing units.
There is no single cause of today’s housing challenges, and there will be no single solution. But the direction is clear. Expanding housing options requires addressing the barriers that constrain supply: permitting delays, zoning limitations, regulatory complexity, land access and the cumulative friction that slows housing production. Focusing narrowly on who owns homes, rather than how many homes exist, risks missing the larger picture.
Single-family rentals and homeownership are not opposing forces. They are interconnected outcomes of a housing system shaped by policy choices, market conditions and long-term supply decisions. If Nevada wants a more affordable, resilient housing market, the focus must remain on increasing supply and removing the obstacles that prevent it. We should not be focused on regulating areas of the market where data sets aren’t clear, unintended negative consequences may occur and our business-friendly environment will be harmed.
Zach WalkerLieb is a housing policy advocate, the managing partner of Willow Manor and chairman of the Board of Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas.
First team
Ty Ahlstrom, Centennial – The junior had 373 digs and was a first-team 5A all-state libero for the 5A state runner-up.
Evan Ditmar, Palo Verde – The senior first-team 5A all-state outside hitter had 187 kills with a .328 hitting percentage.
Luke Hashimoto, Arbor View – The senior had 302 digs and 37 aces for the 5A state champion.
Porter Hughes, Basic – The senior had 373 kills with 218 digs and 38 aces for the 5A state semifinalist.
Lincoln Larson, Centennial – The senior was the 5A state player of the year and was second in the state with 460 kills, on a .371 hitting percentage, and added 283 digs and 72 aces for the 5A state runner-up.
Jagger Mendenhall, Palo Verde – The senior first-team 5A all-state setter had 414 assists.
Risden Miller, Arbor View – The junior led the 5A state champion with 279 kills and added 173 digs.
RJ Regalado, Centennial – The senior had 723 assists and was a first-team 5A all-state.
Max Romzek, Shadow Ridge – The junior had 152 kills on a .437 hitting percentage with 66 blocks for the 5A state semifinalist.
Mateo Salomon, Shadow Ridge – The sophomore had 169 kills with a .374 hitting percentage for the 5A state semifinalist.
Keagan Sugden, Arbor View – The junior setter led the state with 1,129 assists for the 5A state champion.
Mau Tuiaana, Centennial – The senior had 162 kills on a .397 hitting percentage, 92 blocks and 147 digs for the 5A state runner-up.
Kenyon Wickliffe, Arbor View – The senior had a .477 hitting percentage with 176 kills and 46 blocks for the 5A state champion. He is committed to Cal State Northridge.
Jacob Wienke, Desert Oasis – The senior was the 4A Mountain League player of the year led the Diamondbacks with 290 kills and 154 digs on their way to the 4A state title.
Coach of the year
Nicole Adarme, Arbor View – Guided the Aggies to the Class 5A state title, the program’s first boys volleyball title.
Second team
Graham Blanchard, Arbor View – The senior had 179 kills, 32 aces and 136 digs for the 5A state champion.
Zelworth Chavis, Liberty – The 4A Lake League player of the year had 731 assists and 64 aces for the 4A state semifinalist.
Zavier Coleman, Shadow Ridge – The senior had 139 kills and 136 digs and was a first-team 5A all-state selection.
Andrew Gutierrez, Palo Verde – The junior had 153 kills 35 aces and was a first-team 5A all-state outside hitter.
Ty Hardy, Basic – The senior had 274 kills and 257 digs for the 5A state semifinalist.
Ty Harper, Shadow Ridge – The senior had 211 digs and was a first-team 5A all-state selection for the 5A state semifinalist.
Kaleb Law, Mojave – The senior was the 4A Sky League player of the year and was second in the state with 436 kills on a .457 hitting percentage with 69 blocks, 55 aces and 249 digs to help the Rattlers reach the 4A state semifinals.
Oakland Liugalua, Cadence — The freshman had 406 kills on a .396 hitting percentage with 154 digs and 57 aces.
Gavin McColl, Centennial – The senior had 154 kills on a .333 hitting percentage with 94 blocks for the 5A state runner-up.
Brad Rappleye, Sky Pointe – The junior was the 4A Desert League player of the year and had 187 kills and 78 blocks to help the Eagles reach the 4A state title game.
Levi Randall, Boulder City – The junior had 149 kills with a .477 hitting percentage and 92 blocks for the 3A state champion.
Yeheshua Ruiz, Foothill – The senior had 157 kills with a .426 hitting percentage with 70 blocks and was a first-team 5A all-state selection.
Preston Van Beveren, Boulder City – The senior had 137 kills on a .457 hitting percentage with 99 blocks, 27 aces and 141 digs for the 3A state champion.
David Zwahlen, Boulder City – The 3A state player of the year had 232 kills with a .364 hitting percentage, with 337 digs and 70 aces.
Honorable mention
Aaron Bagalawis, Mojave
Treyden Baltazar, Coronado
Kaden Co, Liberty
Jayden Elliazar-Keiki, Shadow Ridge
Ben Fife, Palo Verde
Dallas Hashimoto, Sky Pointe
Jacob Hutchings, SLAM! Nevada
Tucker Jenkins, Sky Pointe
Makai Kelley, Sky Pointe
Gibson Lamoreaux, Boulder City
Quintrell McGee, Mojave
Zion Moore, Shadow Ridge
Hunter Perkins, Cheyenne
Gunnar Robinson, Arbor View
Thomas Rowley, Coronado
Easton Smith, Desert Oasis
Spencer Stolworthy, Moapa Valley
Cooper Swenson, Centennial
Parker Teal, Centennial
Toller Trummell, Foothill
Jordan Valdez, Liberty
Owen Wenger, Arbor View
Luke Wilkinson, Coronado
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Marner scored 16 seconds later, when his backhanded shot from near the wall in the right face-off circle was inadvertently knocked into the net by Carolina defenseman Sean Walker, giving Vegas a 2-0 lead.
Marner made it 3-0 at 14:32, 11 seconds after he hit the right post on a breakaway. Brayden McNabb kept the puck in the zone and found Marner low behind all five Carolina skaters, where he scored off a forehand-to-backhand deke for his second goal in 3:50 and Vegas’ third in 4:06.
“‘Nabber’ just coming in on that pinch, just the patience and play he made to me to allow me to get around the net was phenomenal,” Marner said.
Marner’s third goal came off another breakaway. He got loose past Alexander Nikishin, took a pass from Hertl, skated into the right circle and made it 4-0 with a far-side slap shot that went in off Andersen’s blocker at 16:52.
Bussi stopped his penalty shot early in the third to keep it a 4-0 game.
“I’m thinking we need to score that and I’m not lying to you because they came back and scored four,” Tortorella said. “I’m thinking we need another one just to keep on going.”
Martinook made it 4-1 at 7:03, cashing in on a strong forecheck by Seth Jarvis before getting hit from behind by Cole Smith.
“I just think we needed something good to happen,” Martinook said.
Hall cut the deficit to 4-2 at 7:29. Sebastian Aho stole the puck from McNabb in the offensive zone and from below the right circle sent a backhanded pass across to Hall, who scored from the far post.
Staal made it 4-3 at 7:42, scoring from the lower part of the left circle on a deflection of Jaccob Slavin’s shot off the left-wing half-wall.
Carolina also scored three goals on consecutive shots in the third period of Game 2 on Thursday.
Svechnikov tied it 4-4 at 18:18, scoring a power-play goal with Bussi pulled for the extra skater to make it a 6-on-4 situation. After the puck went to the net and got loose, Carolina forward Nikolaj Ehlers was pushed in as Svechnikov found it in the slot and shoved it into the net.
“I’ve experienced a lot of games in playoffs. I haven’t experienced one like this,” Tortorella said. “We could do nothing wrong in the second period and probably did everything wrong in the third period.”
But the game didn’t end there. It continued for 25 minutes and 38 seconds of overtime, until Theodore did the right thing, got the bounce and the reward.
“Not how we drew it up,” Vegas forward William Karlsson said, “but we’ll take it.”
NOTES: Carolina forward William Carrier left the game in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return. Brind’Amour did not have an update on his status. … The Hurricanes lost in overtime for the first time in the playoffs this season (6-1). … McNabb played with a full cage because of facial injuries he sustained in the first period of Game 2, when he was struck in the face by an Ehlers slap shot. The defenseman played 35:47, finished with two assists, including the setup for Theodore’s winner, and was plus-3.
A high-speed pursuit that began near Battle Mountain ended with an arrest west of Elko after troopers used a tire deflation device to slow a fleeing driver who later ran from his vehicle, authorities said.
On Thursday, June 4, 2026, around 1:30, a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper observed a white Toyota Camry traveling in excess of the posted speed limit near Battle Mountain in Lander County. When the trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, it accelerated to 116 mph. The Camry began passing on the outside shoulder, and the pursuit was terminated in the interest of public safety.
At 2 p.m., another trooper observed the Camry near Carlin on Interstate 80 as it exited via the Central Carlin off-ramp. The vehicle accelerated and traveled west on Chestnut Street, then went south on State Route 278 toward Eureka. The Camry traveled down a mine access road off State Route 278, and the trooper lost visual contact. Additional troopers responded and attempted to locate the Camry along the mine access road but were unsuccessful.
At 3:02 p.m., the vehicle was observed traveling northbound on State Route 278 while being pursued by the Eureka County Sheriff’s Office and Carlin Police Department. Troopers then pursued the Camry on Interstate 80 eastbound from Carlin as it traveled 115 mph.
Troopers successfully deployed a tire deflation device, also known as a Stop Stick, as the vehicle entered the Carlin Tunnel. The Camry slowed to about 80 mph after the left front tire tread separated from the rim. The vehicle continued eastbound on Interstate 80 toward Elko and slowed to 20 mph.
The driver exited the moving vehicle near mile marker 297, about one mile west of the West Elko (State Route 535) interchange, and the vehicle came to rest in the center median. The driver ran south across the eastbound travel lanes and entered the ranching area south of Interstate 80.
For the next 30 minutes, law enforcement pursued the male suspect on foot through various terrain west of the city of Elko. At 3:48 p.m., the suspect was taken into custody without incident.
David Basil Mercer was booked into the Elko County Jail on charges of basic speed, 41+ mph over the posted speed limit; reckless driving; evade, elude or fail to stop; resisting a public officer; using or being under the influence of a controlled substance; possession of a controlled substance; and DUI.
Nevada Highway Patrol thanked its partner agencies, including the Eureka County Sheriff’s Office, Carlin Police Department, Elko Police Department, Elko County Sheriff’s Office, and the Parole and Probation Division of the Nevada State Police.
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