Two mature Las Vegas neighborhoods are lush and well

Before master-planned mega-communities like Summerlin and Anthem were built, Las Vegas' elite had several luxury community choices, and two of them have held up well over the years.

Quail Ridge Estates near Warm Springs and Pecos roads in Henderson, and Ten Oaks near Oakey Boulevard and Buffalo Drive in northwest Las Vegas still retain the glamour of high-quality home construction on large lots behind a guarded gate.

Quail Ridge Estates was developed by the American Nevada Corp. in the 1980s. It has 101 custom lot homes ranging from 4,000 to approximately 12,000 square feet. Common amenities include a clubhouse and two tennis courts that were recently rebuilt.

"I see it as a place of value still. You get a lot more in these neighborhoods, especially if they can find a house like this one that's been refinished and is nice," said Zar Zanganeh of Luxe Estates and Lifestyles of a house he has listed for more than $1.6 million in the community on Quail Run Road.

"Some of them are priced below this one, but they need a full-blown renovation. That ends up costing the client more, but when they buy something that's been remodeled in one of these older neighborhoods that has mature landscaping and is in a more convenient location, it has a lot more value."

It is 3½ miles from the Strip and five miles from UNLV, he pointed out, with a direct route to the I-215 on-ramp. Shopping options nearby include Galleria at Sunset mall and The District.

Homeowners Association fee is $250 per month, lowered last year from $350, according to homeowner Craig Rose, based on the associations strong reserve funds.

"It was a significant change," he said.

Each lot is approximately a half acre or larger, and the neighborhood's tall pine trees are a healthy green because most homes still have the full lawns no longer permitted in new construction.

The two-story, five-bedroom, eight-bath, 6,900-square-foot house was built in 1982. Rose bought it in 2005, then spent a year remodeling the downstairs before moving in. They gutted the first floor he said, "down to the studs, because it was 1982 all décor inside. It was all shag carpet and black granite."

Outside, the home has a new-looking stone cladding that is repeated on the lantern posts and on one wall on the first floor.

The leaded glass cathedral-style front door opens into a foyer with marble floor with an inlaid medallion detail in the center, below a light fixture and a 22-foot high ceiling. To the left is a small living room; to the right a dining room opening up to an expansive family room and kitchen, plus media room.

A winding iron staircase is enveloped in expresso trim and wood paneling. At the top is a large games room.

Each of the four upstairs bedrooms has an ensuite bath with detailed tile designs and a white paneled wood ceiling.

The master bedroom downstairs has a dual-sided stone fireplace and bath with Jacuzzi tub, custom marble steam shower, dual vanities and a large walk-in closet connected to a workout room.

All of the bedrooms, kitchen and family room have an open view of backyard, including a lagoon-style pool with faux rocks, waterfall and high-quality faux grass. Behind the property's back wall is a 5-acre parcel, Duck Creek wash and a 10-acre parcel, allowing for a lot of peace and quiet.

The community is home to many prominent Las Vegans, including Lawrence Canarelli, founder of American West homes, and Las Vegas Sun owner Brian Greenspun, who periodically hosts prestigious visitors like the Clintons and President Barack Obama. That means lots of Secret Service agents, which can be a plus or a minus depending on how you look at it.

Across town, the guard gated community of Ten Oaks was developed when Summerlin was in its infancy. It, too, is considered a luxury community that still offers a lot of bang for the buck, according to real estate broker Rob Jensen of the Rob Jensen Co., who has listed a home on Silver Palm Avenue for $1.29 million.

"That neighborhood is a nice little gem, because it's a central end of town, closer to where a lot of people work, and the lots are all big, Jensen said. "Summerlin, Red Rock and The Ridges are the hot spots where most of the big money (is) ... but there are a lot of folks who are selling in the Ridges and coming back to areas like Canyon Gate and locations like this. I had a client that sold in The Ridges and he bought a home in Ten Oaks. His office is right around the corner, and for him it's great. He was willing to give up The Ridges to have more convenience.

"To get these half-acre lots in these small convenient locations, it's quite rare, especially in a single-story," Jensen said, plus the community has a nice-sized park area for children.

Homeowner Ron Peele and his wife bought the house in 2010 when "they were giving houses away," he said. They paid $700,000 for it, less than half of the $1.5 million it sold for in 2005.

Coming from a golf community in North Carolina, they were accustomed to big yards and a lot of space.

"We're in love with Summerlin, but the houses were too close together," Peele said. "We saw Ten Oaks, and each house is unique. This one was very unique. We don't feel crowded. We felt comfortable and safe with the guard gate, and the HOA (fee) is $220 a month, not unreasonable for this kind of neighborhood."

The couple is planning to downsize to a smaller home in Las Vegas.

Their home has not been substantially updated since being built, but the finishes and details are still there: a grand circular drive entrance beneath a porte-cochere, vaulted ceilings, SubZero appliances and custom alder wood cabinets. It has three guest bedrooms with ensuite baths, and the spacious master bedroom features a marble-trim fireplace and private rear yard entrance. It has a large backyard with pool and spa.

Jensen said savvy buyers will take a look at Ten Oaks.

"I think you're going to see a kind of renaissance there when it comes to remodeling in Las Vegas. To build a brand new custom (home) is expensive, and if you want guard-gated now, on the west side of town, your options are to buy in The Ridges, so you're going to be into that home for $2 million at least, and if you buy at Discovery (Land Company, a new, uber-exclusive Summerlin community), those lots start at $2 million. To have other options buyers are starting to rethink the resale market (and remodeling) because a lot of these homes are becoming more dated," he said. "The houses in Ten Oaks have great bones; they just maybe need some updating."

You could imagine the HGTV Property Brothers doing an episode on this: Drew Scott tries to convince the couple to go with a $1.3 million "fixer upper," and Jonathan Scott promising to deliver in five weeks and on budget.