Realtors tour Inspirada in Henderson

Nearly 50 realtors gathered to tour Inspirada, a Henderson master-planned community, as part of TrainNTour, a home training and tour series for real estate professionals to show them new home sites by local homebuilders across the Las Vegas Valley.

Mike Sweeney, executive director of TrainNTour, said the program launched in March 2014 on behalf of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors and Southern Nevada Home Builders Association.

“They came up with the idea because builders said they needed more realtor participation,” Sweeney said. “It was started to mend the bridge between realtors and builders.”

Sweeney added that TrainNTour is held two or three times a month; since its launch, 3,000 realtors have toured nearly 300 communities.

“We’ve gone to pretty much every section of town and we always try to mix it up,” he said. “We teach realtors how to register their clients properly and show them all the new properties and communities coming out. It’s worked quite well.”

On this July tour at the Toll Brothers Clubhouse in Insprirada, Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen pitched his “Top 10 Reasons to Live in Henderson,” which included outdoor recreation, schools and hospital and medical facilities.

He added that Henderson has the lowest property tax in the Las Vegas Valley at 71 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Realtors then were taken on a tour of Inspirada, which included Veneto by Toll Brothers, The Groves by KB Home, Park Collection by Beazer Homes and Montero by Pardee Homes.

Rob McGibney, division president at KB Home Nevada, accompanied the group to tour The Groves, the homebuilder’s new line of townhomes.

“We offered a similar product in 2007 and it was received well,” he said. “We went back and modified those plans to give buyers a great, affordable home option.”

Prices at The Groves start at $195,000 for a two-bedroom, 2½-bath townhome.

McGibney added that KB Home decided to build in Inspirada because of all it offers its residents.

“A lot of people don’t realize what Inspirada offers including all the parks and trails,” he said. “It’s so different and connects people through the different amenities it offers.”

Inspirada, which is slated to build 8,500 homes, has full-time staff dedicated to bringing residents together for programs and activities at its community center, as well as 40 acres of parks and five swimming pools.

Realtor Lynn Vertner of Platinum Real Estate Professionals said she was immediately attracted to the townhomes KB Homes offers in Inspirada.

“They’re perfect for first-time homebuyers,” she said. “I really like that it’s surrounded by parks, too.”

Christine Grevich, residential property manager at Terra West Management Services, said she takes tours to get ideas for investors.

“This is definitely a good investment for a rental property because it’s so affordable,” she said. “They’re nice, accommodating and a good price point.”

Grevich added Inspirada residents have access to state-of-the-art amenities.

“The community is fantastic because they offer so much,” she said. “This is a great way to see what’s available in a master-planned community.”

Contact reporter Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @AnnFriedmanRJ on Twitter.