Southern Highlands Las Vegas: Neighborhood Guide

Southern Highlands is a master-planned community in the Las Vegas area developed by Olympia Companies, according to the community's website. The box above shows what is for sale there today and what has recently sold. This guide covers what the community says about itself, how the sub-neighborhoods and associations work, and where to check schools and public safety for a specific address.

Overview

Southern Highlands describes itself as a golf community with parks, trails and tree-lined streets. The developer's website also lists custom home lots, including the Olympia Ridge Estates lots, which it says range from one-half acre to multi-acre. That makes Southern Highlands a mix of builder neighborhoods and custom-lot areas, with very different price points under one name.

In MLS listings you will see many separate subdivision names that all sit inside Southern Highlands, such as "Royal Highlands at Southern Highlands," "Bella Terra at Southern Highlands" and "Foothills at Southern Highlands." Each is its own neighborhood, with its own homes, rules and sometimes its own association. Our Southern Highlands search includes all of them.

Location and commute

Southern Highlands is in the Las Vegas area, in the south part of the valley. The community's website says it is "just miles from The Strip." That is the developer's description, so measure your own route. Drive times depend on where you work and what time you travel. Before you decide, drive the commute you would actually make during rush hour, and again on a weekend.

Housing stock

Home types. The developer's website lists custom lots and homes from several builders, including a partnership with Blue Heron. Search results show detached homes in a wide range of sizes. Use the filters on single-family homes in Southern Highlands and condos and attached homes to separate them.

Custom lots. If you are weighing a custom build, ask the developer which lots are available and what design review applies. Custom homes usually carry additional architectural review and different association rules than a builder neighborhood.

Size and age. Square footage, bedrooms and year built are on every listing. Sort by year built and by square feet to see how much the housing stock varies between neighborhoods.

HOA basics

The Southern Highlands Community Association is the master association. Its website says monthly assessments fund the upkeep of parks and landscaped common areas. Individual neighborhoods may have sub-associations on top of the master association, so the total monthly cost on a given home can include more than one set of dues.

Before you commit to a home:

• Ask which associations govern the property and get the current dues for each.
• Request the CC&Rs, budget and rules. Parking, rentals, exterior changes and landscaping rules differ between neighborhoods.
• Ask whether any assessment is planned or pending.

We do not quote a dues figure because it varies by neighborhood and changes. The listing and the association are the sources to use.

Amenities and parks

The developer's website lists a golf course, parks and trails, and a community foundation. Details such as which parks have which facilities, and whether golf is open to the public or to members, are set by the operators of each. Check the community's website and call before you assume access, hours or fees.

Shopping and dining

The community's website lists shopping and dining among its community features. Which stores and restaurants are open changes often, so check current listings on a map for the businesses you rely on, and confirm distances from the specific home.

Schools and safety

We link to the official sources instead of summarizing them, because zoning and public safety data change and should be read for the exact address.

• Schools: use the Clark County School District Zoning Search to see which elementary, middle and high school serve an address. Zoning can change, so confirm with CCSD before you rely on it.
• Public safety: the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department publishes data through its Open Data Portal. Confirm which agency serves the address you are considering.

Buyer pros and cons

Pros

• A wide range of home types and price points in one community, from builder neighborhoods to custom lots.
• A golf course, parks and trails are part of the community, per its website.
• A master association that maintains common areas and parks.

Cons

• Dues can stack: a master association plus a neighborhood sub-association.
• Custom-lot areas and some neighborhoods carry design rules that limit exterior changes.
• Prices and costs differ widely by neighborhood, so a community-wide median describes few individual homes.
• Commute time depends on your workplace; test it.

Reading the numbers above

The stats box is built from MLS listings in Southern Highlands, so a few cautions apply:

• Active listings are homes for sale today. The count changes daily.
• Median list price is the middle asking price, not what homes sell for.
• Median sold price is the middle closing price for homes that closed in the last 90 days. When fewer than five sales are on record in that window, the box says "Not enough sales" instead of a median that a single home could swing.
• Median days on market is for homes still listed, so it describes how long current listings have been sitting, not how long past sales took.
• List price range runs from the lowest to the highest current asking price. Custom-lot homes and builder neighborhoods can sit at opposite ends of it.

For a specific home, ask for a comparable-sales review of that home instead of relying on community-wide medians.

How to compare homes within Southern Highlands

Because a community name covers many neighborhoods, a few habits make comparisons fair. Compare homes in the same subdivision first, since they share builder, age and association. Then compare price per square foot between similar homes, using the square footage on each listing. Finally, line up the monthly cost, not just the price: add the HOA dues, expected property tax and any amenity fees, because two homes at the same price can cost different amounts each month.

Questions to ask before you buy

• Which associations govern this home, and what are the dues, special assessments and transfer fees on each?
• Are there golf or club memberships, and are they required or optional?
• For a home in a gated or custom area, what are the architectural review rules and timelines?
• How old are the roof, air conditioning and water heater?
• Which schools is the address zoned for today?

Southern Highlands homes for sale now

See all homes in Southern Highlands

Related guides

• Best Neighborhoods in Las Vegas: compare six communities by price, home type, location and age restriction.
• Mountain's Edge Las Vegas: Neighborhood Guide
• Skye Canyon Las Vegas: Neighborhood Guide
• First-Time Home Buyer Guide to Las Vegas

Talk to us about Southern Highlands

If you want help comparing Southern Highlands neighborhoods, contact 1st Realty. You can also search all Southern Highlands homes and save the search for email alerts.