Former UNLV basketball coach and current Oklahoma coach, Lon Kruger, is returning to the Southern Highlands for a $ 2.9 million purchase price to serve as a part-time family summer residence and ultimately a retirement home.
Kruger and his wife Barbara closed the house on December 18. Buying is part of a larger trend from people looking to the southern highlands and buying homes there while luxury inventory is dwindling. Southern Highlands revenue increased 30 percent in the second half of 2020 from July to December 2019. The average sales price has increased by 34 percent during this period.
The two-story house, built in 2008, measures 9,245 square feet and has six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a five-car garage. It sits on 0.62 acres and retails for $ 314 per square foot.
Kruger left UNLV in 2011 for the job of head coach in Norman, Oklahoma, earning more than $ 2 million a year with the Sooners.
68-year-old Kruger said no one should read anything into their purchase regarding their coaching career. He has no plans to retire anytime soon, and he and his wife are driving back and forth to Las Vegas this summer, where their son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter live.
“We’re out there more and more in the summer,” said Kruger, who referred to it as a retirement home. “We came across something we like and we may as well be getting started. We enjoy it here (in Norman, Oklahoma) but we really enjoy Vegas and the people there. I assume that hopefully I’ll be there in a couple of years, but we feel good and love what we do (now in Oklahoma). There are certainly no immediate plans. “
Kruger said the house in the southern highlands was empty and unfurnished. Kruger, who plays golf, said they enjoyed living in the southern highlands when he trained at UNLV. They even built a house in the golf course community in 2010 and sold it about four to five years ago, he said.
“We love this area,” said Kruger of the southern highlands.
As for the new home, Kruger said he “likes the flow and the distance”. It offers a lot of space for visitors and families and offers space for “all the things we are looking for”.
Kruger and his wife were represented by Kristen Vuckovic, a Realty One Group agent.
The previous owners were Kirk and Maxine Baerwaldt, according to public records.
The MLS listing was with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ luxury realtor Ivan Sher. He describes the house as a timeless, individual property and as a “refined jewel that exudes warmth and rich character”.
“Walking through the perfectly manicured, tree-lined streets is this unique house with beautiful curbs,” said Sher in his marketing description of the property. “The steep, slate-covered roof lines give the Europe-inspired house its charm. A stately entrance with a large driveway and a large five-car garage welcomes you. “
Upon entering the house, Sher noted that people were noticing the “luxurious details and a spacious floor plan with plenty of room for entertainment.” On the ground floor there is a massive kitchen with “the finest appliances and beautiful cupboards”.
Adjacent to the kitchen is a family room with a TV wall and vaulted ceilings with beams that highlight the architectural detail. There’s a breakfast nook too, said Sher.
“Formal living and dining areas are spacious and perfect for large gatherings,” said Sher. “The extras include a wine room, an impressive office with stately fixtures, an oversized washroom, an additional storage / craft room and sufficient storage space.”
The master suite is on the lower level and has a comfortable living room with a fireplace, walk-in closet, and a hot tub with a steam shower and hot tub, Sher said. An additional en-suite bedroom with its own entrance is on the ground floor and was previously used as a home gym, he said.
The secluded back yard has an infinity pool, spa, BBQ, several covered patio areas, an outdoor bath with shower, putting green, and a fire pit, Sher said.
There are four bedrooms and three bathrooms on the second floor.
The upper floor offers more space to play. An additional family room has an expansive balcony that overlooks the back yard, and there’s a huge bonus room with a wet bar, plus plenty of space for a pool table, lounge, and games, he said.
Southern highlands
The 21 year old development west of Interstate 15 at the southern end of the valley has become a popular destination for current and past athletes and coaches in various sports, particularly the Las Vegas Raiders. It has 1,000 homes in an exclusive residential area around the Southern Highlands Golf Club, where the average home price is around $ 2 million and homes on the high end range from $ 6 million to $ 9 million. It has an additional 9,000 homes outside of the golf course community.
His homeowners include raider trainer Jon Gruden, quarterback Derek Carr and PGA Tour golfer Kevin Na, who won the Sony Open in Hawaii on January 17th.
Mitch McClellan, President and Agent of Southern Highlands Realty, who sells the custom lots for developers in Southern Highlands, said of the master plan, “It’s been a great year.”
In the last six months of 2020, 395 sales were made through Multiple Listing Services in the Southern Highlands, according to Realtor Forrest Barbee of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. That’s an increase of 305, or 30 percent, over the last six months of 2019. The average retail price for the last six months was $ 659,785 with two months’ total inventory. A year ago it was $ 493,822 for an average retail price from July to December 2019, which means prices are up 34 percent, according to Barbee.
The construction of the Raiders headquarters and training facility in nearby West Henderson was a big boost for the southern highlands, Sher said.
“I’ve been on the project for 20 years and things have never been better,” said McClellan. “Those who know the golf course community, golf course and private club have always loved the southern highlands. It’s the best private golf course in Nevada. They love the look of the community, which feels so different from Las Vegas with its green compared to the desert look of Las Vegas. That was a plus for us. It all came together with the activity out here with Costco on St. Rose Parkway. It’s always been a great place for people heading to Southern California and flying to McCarran International Airport or Henderson Executive Airport and wanting access to the Strip – all of these positive circumstances have converged at the same time. “
The problem, McClellan said, is that the demand is so strong that it will run out of custom lots for those looking to build until more supply is ready and the existing homes in the market are dwindling, he said.
“The luxury market is incredibly hot and it has been since COVID,” McClellan said. “It exploded far more than I think anyone expected. People have realized that they don’t have to live in California. You can live and work remotely anywhere. People in other big cities said they wanted to go where they can get some fresh air and get some air, and if I stick to my house I can get out and take a walk. People only slept in their homes. People are now working from home and educating and entertaining their children in their homes. They exercise and exercise in their homes and this has led people to consider them the main benefit of their extra time. “
McClellan said Southern Highlands recently formed two luxury manufacturing consortia owned by builder Blue Heron. Growth Luxury Homes is building some speculative homes.
“Even customs houses between $ 2 million and $ 4 million don’t last long,” said McClellan. “There is so little inventory available that it will be interesting to see what 2021 brings when we can not find more sellers. I have a lot of buyers. “
It’s a problem all over Las Vegas. Barbee said the luxury market of $ 1 million or more had five months of inventory compared to 19 months in April.
Sher said that property prices in the Southern Highlands did not rise as quickly after the Great Recession as they did in the rest of the valley, and that sales did not rise as quickly as in the Summerlin and MacDonald Highlands, and that with new homes the community has created more value.
An existing home in the southern highlands costs about $ 150 per square foot less than The Ridges in Summerlin, and people are getting more home for less, Sher said. The new build in the Southern Highlands costs more than $ 100 per square foot compared to the Ridges and MacDonald Highlands in Henderson, he said.
“Builders could buy land at a cheap price and bring a new product out. Growth Luxury Homes built these modern homes and sold them before they could be built,” said Sher.
