LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Homes in Las Vegas are seemingly more expensive — but it's not just the cost of materials and land that are driving up the price.
It's also a lack of workers, an issue valley builders are working to solve.
WATCH | How workforce numbers and home costs go hand in hand
“I would love to see 20-year-olds, 19-year-olds, 18-year-olds out in the trades," said Trenton Holthaus, who just bought a home with his wife.
Holthaus tells me he sees the importance of getting people to work in the trades, having gone to a trade school himself.
“I have a lot of good knowledge because of it and I can do things on my own home because of it," he shared.
Holthaus tells me that while he did not see a shocking increase in price for the homes he was looking for, he did see a bump in price.
“A little bit higher prices," said Holthaus.
Several builders at the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association meeting Monday say that these higher prices are partially caused by the workforce.
At that meeting, National Association of Home Builders director Sam Gilboard said it's a nationwide problem.
“We lost 19,000 homes last year alone due to labor shortages, and because of labor shortages, the average construction timetable was extended by about two months," said Gilboard. “We estimated there was about $2 billion in carrying costs from those two months of timetable extensions alone.”
Gilboard says at any given month, there are about 200,000 open jobs in construction — an issue we see right here at home.
Southern Nevada Home Builders Association executive board member and Division president for Richmond America Homes, Nicole Bloom, is trying to fix that issue.
“One of the things that we’re so proud of is the start of the Southern Nevada Trades High School," said Bloom.
Bloom tells me the school gives students hands-on experience in the trades, sharing that 87 students are in attendance, including 44 girls in its second year.
“The main focus of that is to bring young kids into the workforce here in Southern Nevada," she said.
Valley builders tell me they're hopeful these initiatives will help more younger workers enter this field to help drop home prices in our valley.
