Why Nevada's housing crisis is about more than Californians driving up home prices

LAS VEGAS — James Watts, a third generation Las Vegan, and his partner, Lauren Tuvell, just fulfilled a dream that currently might feel out of reach for many long-time Nevada residents.

They bought a house.

But their purchase was hard-fought. Watts said they would tour a house, only to learn that somebody had already put an offer on it without ever having even seen it.

“[We] definitely got our hopes up and then dashed many times because we would go to a house and be like, ‘Oh my God, it's perfect.’” he said. “Like, we're going to put an offer in and then hear from the realtor that three offers are already in above asking.”

Finding a home to buy was difficult for Watts, unlike for some of the 40% of new Nevada residents coming from California.

Those newcomers have an average income level about 93% higher than Nevada residents who move within the state, according to a 2024 report by the Lied Center for Real Estate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The demand for more houses paired with those higher California incomes has made it more difficult for residents earning Nevada wages to keep up with the housing market — both in buying and renting.

“I don't know what kind of money you must have to be able to put an offer on a house without even looking at it,” Watts said.

The cost of living here is likely to weigh on voters this year, so as part of NPR’s “We, The Voters” series, we asked locals how they’re experiencing higher costs.

Why is buying a home so expensive? Californians play a role, but that’s not all

Nevada realtor Cristine Bullard has seen how Californians moving here have driven up housing prices for the past 15 years.

“They sell their house there and they buy two here,” Bullard said. “They can easily pay