Townhomes help address affordable housing

Las Vegas set a record in 2025 when attached products — primarily townhomes — accounted for 26.5 percent of new-home sales, a share that has climbed steadily from 5 to 8 percent of the market between 2013 and 2018. The figure reached 19.8 percent in 2021 and 24.8 percent in 2023 before peaking last year, though the pace dipped slightly to 24.9 percent through July of this year, marking a rare year-over-year decline over the past decade.

Builders say the shift is driven by affordability pressures. Higher interest rates and elevated land costs have pushed single-family homes out of reach for many buyers, prompting developers to build more units per acre. Townhomes allow 12 to 18 homes per acre, compared with about five for single-family homes and eight to 10 in higher-density single-family areas.

A 2015 reform of construction defect laws, which had previously slowed attached housing, helped clear the way for the current expansion. In the past four to five years, six to seven of the top 10 subdivisions in net sales each year have been townhome communities, according to Home Builders Research President Andrew Smith.

D.R. Horton's Heartland Trails in North Las Vegas led 2026 sales through June with 100 net sales. The gated community within the Villages at Tule Springs master plan offers two-story floor plans of 1,309 to 1,410 square feet priced from $332,990 to $349,990. The builder also placed Canyon Trails and Symmetry Trails in the top 10 with 67 and 51 sales respectively.

Tri Pointe Homes, which launched its first Las Vegas townhome community in 2019, now has four actively selling neighborhoods — Crestview, Vertex, Southridge Pointe and Highview — ranging from the $300,000s to $500,000s and up to 1,900 square feet, with amenities such as pools, barbecue areas, dog parks and play areas. "The increase we're seeing in attached housing is really driven by escalating cost of land and the need to provide more attainable housing opportunities," said Tina Frias, CEO of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association. "When land becomes more expensive, builders have to look at how we can use the land more effectively. Townhomes allow us to provide more homes per acre, and importantly bring homes to the market at a price point that more families can reach. That's important for first-time buyers that may be priced out of the market otherwise."

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal