A house on Dragon Ridge Drive does not come up for sale very often, and when one does at $24.5 million it resets the conversation about what the top of the Henderson market is worth. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on September 29, 2026 that the "Empire Estate" at 761 Dragon Ridge Drive, inside guard-gated MacDonald Highlands, is on the market at that price with Douglas Elliman. The listing went live in the MLS on September 14, 2026.
I own Nevada Real Estate Group, and my interest in a listing like this is practical rather than gossipy. An ask this high tells buyers and sellers across the ridgeline where one agent and one seller think the ceiling is. So I checked it against the MLS record, the Clark County Assessor's roll, the street's own sales history and every Las Vegas and Henderson home that closed at $8 million or more in the past two years. What follows is what the ask buys, how it compares, what it will cost to own, and what I would check before writing an offer at this level.
At $24.5 million, the Empire Estate at 761 Dragon Ridge Drive asks about $1,369 per square foot for 17,900 square feet on 1.23 acres. As of September 29, 2026, only one Henderson home had closed higher in the Las Vegas MLS in the prior 24 months: 685 Dragon Peak Drive at $25.25 million in July 2025. Treat the ask as an opening number and price any offer off closed MacDonald Highlands sales.
- Douglas Elliman listed 761 Dragon Ridge Drive at $24.5 million on September 14, 2026, for 17,900 square feet.
- Just three Las Vegas or Henderson homes closed at $24.5M-plus in the Las Vegas MLS since September 2024.
- Dragon Ridge Drive's highest MLS home sale was $11,250,001 in December 2020, less than half this ask.
- A Nevada sale doesn't reset the tax base; claim the 3% primary-residence cap or face up to 8%.
- DragonRidge Country Club membership is bought separately, with unpublished pricing, and is not part of $330 HOA dues.
What Did the Review-Journal Report About the Empire Estate?
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's September 29, 2026 report by Patrick Blennerhassett, a mansion marketed as "Empire Estate" at 761 Dragon Ridge Drive in MacDonald Highlands has hit the market for $24.5 million. The paper describes the house as 17,900 square feet on 1.23 acres with a six-car garage and an infinity-edge pool, and, citing the listing, lists a swim-up bar, an outdoor kitchen, a pizza oven, multiple fire lounges, a theater with a popcorn bar, a billiards room, two indoor-outdoor bars, a glass-walled wine cellar and a separate guest house with its own kitchenette.
The listing agent is Kristen Routh-Silberman of Douglas Elliman. In an email quoted by the Review-Journal, she called Dragon Ridge Drive one of the most private addresses in the community, a street of "just nine homes," and said properties there "simply do not come to market." The developer's own Numbers to Remember page lists her as the MacDonald Highlands master listing agent, which is useful context: she works this community's inventory closely, and on this listing she is the seller's advocate.
The paper's summary says the home has "eight rooms and 13 bathrooms." Read in context, that means bedrooms, and the MLS record, covered in the next section, lists eight bedrooms and 13 baths. The article also relays the listing's description of a primary suite in its own wing with an office, a kitchenette and a wraparound balcony facing the Strip, and a guest wing of six more en-suite bedrooms.
None of that is my reporting, and none of the photos in this post are the listing's; they come from our own library. Where I quote the listing, I say so. Where I add numbers, they come from the MLS record, the Clark County Assessor or the public sources named at the end, dated to when I pulled them, because an offer at this price should rest on records, not marketing copy.
What Does the MLS Record Say About 761 Dragon Ridge Drive?
Our own pull of Las Vegas MLS data through Repliers on September 29, 2026 shows the listing active at $24,500,000, unchanged from its original price, with a list date of September 14, 2026. The brokerage of record is Douglas Elliman of Nevada. The record puts the house in the recorded subdivision Stone Mountain Ridge aka Planning Area 13, ZIP 89012, built in 2016, two stories, on 1.23 acres.
The MLS and the county count the house differently, and a buyer should know both numbers before touring. According to the Clark County Assessor's parcel record for APN 178-27-414-006, the house has 9,710 square feet on the first floor, 5,890 on the second and a 774-square-foot casita, which totals 16,374 square feet, plus a 2,326-square-foot garage. The assessor lists seven bedrooms; the MLS lists eight, and the listing remarks describe eight suites. Both agree on 13 baths, split eight full and five half.
| Item | MLS record | Clark County Assessor | Review-Journal, September 29, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $24,500,000 list, unchanged | Last recorded sale $3,650,000, March 2013 | $24.5 million |
| Living area | 17,900 sq ft | 16,374 sq ft including a 774 sq ft casita | 17,900 sq ft |
| Bedrooms | 8 | 7 | "eight rooms" |
| Bathrooms | 13 (8 full, 5 half) | 8 full, 5 half | 13 |
| Lot | 1.23 acres | 1.23 acres | 1.23 acres |
| Year built | 2016 | 2016 | Not stated |
| Garage | 6 spaces | 2,326 sq ft | Six-car |
| Association dues | $330 plus a second fee of $125 | Not shown | Not stated |
The price per square foot moves with the denominator. At the MLS figure of 17,900 square feet, $24.5 million works out to about $1,369 per square foot. At the assessor's 16,374 square feet it is about $1,496. I use the MLS number for comparisons below because the other comparables in this post come from the same MLS field, but I would ask the listing side how the 17,900 was measured and whether it includes the guest house.
The record also lists an elevator, a fire sprinkler system, four fireplaces and views classified as city, golf course and mountain, and the remarks mention Crestron smart-home automation. Two lines in the remarks deserve a buyer's attention. The listing calls the site "triple gated," and it says furniture is optional and "may be purchased for an additional amount." That means the furniture is a separate negotiation with its own bill of sale, not part of the $24.5 million.
What Does $24.5 Million Buy in Henderson Right Now?
The simplest way to size the number is against the typical Southern Nevada home. According to Las Vegas REALTORS' August 2026 release, as published by Nevada Business, the median existing single-family home sold through the MLS in August 2026 went for $475,000. The Empire Estate asks about 52 times that.
The more useful comparison is inside the gates. In the 12 months ending September 28, 2026, 63 MacDonald Highlands homes closed at $1 million or more in our pull, at a $4,250,000 median and about $824 per square foot. The nine that closed above $10 million had a $13,000,000 median and about $1,472 per square foot. On a per-foot basis, then, the Empire Estate's $1,369 ask sits below the median of the community's eight-figure closings. The house is priced for its size, not for a record per-foot number. That is a different proposition from 685 Dragon Peak Drive, which closed at $25,250,000 in July 2025 for 12,655 square feet, or about $1,995 per foot.
It helps to think about what else $24.5 million could buy in the same community. At the $4,250,000 median, it is the price of five or six typical MacDonald Highlands homes. At the top of the active list, it sits among a handful of listings asking $20 million or more, which I cover in the days-on-market section below. For a buyer who wants the gate, the golf and the view but not the scale, our MacDonald Highlands community page and our MacDonald Highlands buyer's guide walk through the price tiers enclave by enclave.
What the extra money buys here is mostly land, privacy and redundancy: 1.23 acres on a street with few neighbors, a guest wing that works like a small hotel, a detached guest house, a six-car garage and an outdoor program built for entertaining. Whether that is worth $24.5 million is a question for the closed sales, which the rest of this guide examines.
How Does a $24.5 Million Ask Compare With the Valley's Biggest Closed Sales?
I pulled every home that closed in the MLS at $8 million or more with a Las Vegas or Henderson address and a sale date on or after September 29, 2024. Land sales are excluded. The table shows the ten highest home sales, with the closing date, square footage, price per foot and the days on market the MLS recorded, which for this board runs from the list date to the accepted contract.
| Closed | Price | Street | Community | Sq ft | Price per sq ft | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 20, 2024 | $29,250,000 | Capstone Point Court | The Summit Club, Summerlin | 10,094 | $2,898 | 0 |
| July 11, 2025 | $25,250,000 | Dragon Peak Drive | MacDonald Highlands, Henderson | 12,655 | $1,995 | 239 |
| July 17, 2026 | $25,000,000 | Canyon Pass Drive | The Summit Club, Summerlin | 9,857 | $2,536 | 0 |
| February 23, 2026 | $22,500,000 | Discovery Peak Court | The Summit Club, Summerlin | 11,974 | $1,879 | 189 |
| June 15, 2026 | $22,000,000 | Summit Overlook Drive | The Summit Club, Summerlin | 7,147 | $3,078 | 42 |
| January 9, 2026 | $21,000,000 | Summit Club Drive (clubhouse residence) | The Summit Club, Summerlin | 4,929 | $4,260 | 179 |
| June 25, 2025 | $17,600,000 | Enclave Court | Country Club Hills, Summerlin | 15,000 | $1,173 | 480 |
| August 14, 2026 | $17,250,000 | Heavens Edge Court | Ascaya, Henderson | 9,588 | $1,799 | 31 |
| January 16, 2026 | $17,000,000 | Magma Peak Drive | MacDonald Highlands, Henderson | 10,000 | $1,700 | 0 |
| December 30, 2025 | $16,670,000 | Summit Overlook Drive | The Summit Club, Summerlin | 7,147 | $2,332 | 2 |
Three things stand out. First, only three homes closed at or above $24.5 million in the Las Vegas MLS in those 24 months, and only one of them was in Henderson: 685 Dragon Peak Drive in MacDonald Highlands. According to the Review-Journal's July 19, 2025 report, that sale closed July 11, 2025 for $25.25 million and was the highest sale of 2025 at that point; the paper noted that loanDepot founder Anthony Hsieh had paid $25 million for the house in 2021. At its full ask, the Empire Estate would sit just below that sale.
Second, the all-time ceiling is in Summerlin, not Henderson, and it predates this window. According to the Review-Journal's December 29, 2024 report, a Summit Club Drive home closed for $35 million in May 2024, the all-time Las Vegas record, topping the 2023 sale of Celine Dion's neighboring home for $30 million; the $29.25 million Capstone Point Court sale at the top of my table ranked third in recorded history. The paper's July 19, 2025 report restated the $35 million sale as the record, and no home sale in our MLS pull through September 28, 2026 topped it. The Dion sale does not appear in the MLS at all, which is a reminder that some top-end deals close off-market and the MLS is a partial record at this level. Six of the ten sales above are in The Summit Club, and five of those six closed at a higher price per foot than any Henderson sale in the table. Our Summit Club guide and our Billionaires Row analysis cover that market.
Third, per-foot pricing at this level is all over the map, from $1,173 on Enclave Court to $4,260 for a Summit Club clubhouse residence. That is why I would not value the Empire Estate with a per-foot multiplier borrowed from any single sale.
What Has Dragon Ridge Drive Sold For Before?
The listing agent's point that Dragon Ridge Drive rarely trades is borne out by the record, with one qualification: it does trade, just seldom and never at anything like this price. Our MLS pull finds sale records for six Dragon Ridge Drive addresses going back to 2013, all in ZIP 89012 and all but one recorded in the same Stone Mountain Ridge plat as the Empire Estate. The assessor's roll adds the Empire Estate's own last recorded sale, $3,650,000 in March 2013, three years before the house was built.
| Address | Sale price | Closed | Type | Sq ft | Days on market | Original ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720 Dragon Ridge Drive | $5,600,000 | December 2024 | Home | 7,299 | 219 | $6,450,000 |
| 750 Dragon Ridge Drive | $11,250,001 | December 2020 | Home | 14,486 | 349 | $13,750,000 |
| 780 Dragon Ridge Drive | $5,500,000 | October 2020 | Lot, 2.21 acres | Land | 1,960 | $5,500,000 |
| 731 Dragon Ridge Drive | $7,000,000 | October 2020 | Home | 11,375 | 206 | $8,249,999 |
| 770 Dragon Ridge Drive | $11,250,000 | August 2020 | Home | 17,562 | 566 | $17,500,000 |
| 731 Dragon Ridge Drive | $7,750,000 | May 2018 | Home | 11,375 | 89 | $7,900,000 |
| 750 Dragon Ridge Drive | $2,400,000 | August 2015 | Lot, 2.2 acres | Land | 79 | $2,650,000 |
| 710 Dragon Ridge Drive | $1,888,888 | December 2014 | Lot, 3 acres | Land | 622 | $3,188,000 |
| 720 Dragon Ridge Drive | $1,500,000 | March 2014 | Lot, 2.15 acres | Land | 1,025 | $1,550,000 |
| 750 Dragon Ridge Drive | $2,575,000 | September 2013 | Lot, 2.2 acres | Land | 215 | $2,575,000 |
| 761 Dragon Ridge Drive (assessor) | $3,650,000 | March 2013 | Recorded sale before 2016 construction | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Five home sales since 2018, the most recent in December 2024, is the rhythm of this street. The highest was $11,250,001 for 750 Dragon Ridge Drive in December 2020, and the largest house to trade, 770 Dragon Ridge at 17,562 square feet, closed for $11,250,000 in August 2020 after 566 days on market and a cut from a $17.5 million original ask. That is the closest size match to the Empire Estate on the street, and it closed at about $641 per foot in a very different market.
I would not read that history as a verdict on the new ask. Six years separate those sales from today, and the top of the valley has moved a long way since 2020, as the Summit Club and Dragon Peak sales show. What the street history does tell a buyer is that Dragon Ridge homes have taken time to sell and have closed below their original asks, sometimes far below. It also tells nearby sellers that a $24.5 million list price is not a comparable sale; until it closes, it is one data point about expectations.
How Are MacDonald Highlands Prices Tiered in 2026?
MacDonald Highlands is not one market. It is several price bands stacked on the same hillside, and they behave differently. To build the table below I grouped our MLS pull by recorded subdivision, using the MacDonald Highlands, MacDonald Foothills, Stone Mountain Ridge, Palisades and Highlands plats in ZIP 89012 and leaving out the Foothills at MacDonald Ranch plats, which our site treats as their own community. The closed side covers homes at $1 million and up that closed in the 12 months ending September 28, 2026. The active side is the list on September 29, 2026, with homes already under contract counted separately.
| Tier | Closings | Median sold | Median price per sq ft | Median days on market | Available now | Under contract | Median ask, available |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1M to $2M | 10 | $1,812,500 | $564 | 38 | 3 | 2 | $1,795,000 |
| $2M to $5M | 26 | $3,650,000 | $761 | 73 | 22 | 1 | $2,999,944 |
| $5M to $10M | 18 | $5,922,500 | $987 | 106 | 17 | 2 | $6,999,990 |
| $10M and up | 9 | $13,000,000 | $1,472 | 35 | 17 | 0 | $15,500,000 |
| All homes $1M and up | 63 | $4,250,000 | $824 | 69 | 59 | 5 | $5,894,339 |
The tiers tell a supply story. At the entry band, three available homes against ten closings a year is about 3.6 months of supply, a tight market. From $2 million to $10 million, supply runs 10 to 11 months. At $10 million and up, 17 available homes against nine closings a year is about 23 months of supply, and not one of those 17 was under contract on September 29, 2026. Land is a parallel market: 13 lots closed in the same 12 months at a $2,357,850 median, and 17 were available at a $2,750,000 median ask.
The median closed price of $4,250,000 and the $824 per foot match the figures in our MacDonald Highlands buyer's guide, which used a window ending September 15, 2026. The guide counted 68 closings; my $1 million floor and later window are why my count is 63.
Two caveats apply. The MLS feed under-reported closings from about late August through late September 2025, just before this window opens, and closings from the last few weeks of September 2026 may still be posting. Neither changes the shape of the tiers, but both mean the counts are a floor rather than a census. If you are shopping the $2 million to $5 million band, our tour of a Christopher Homes SkyVu home on Overlook Rim shows what new construction at the upper end of that band ($4,532,700 as of September 28, 2026) looks like.
How Long Do $10 Million-Plus Homes Take to Sell in Las Vegas and Henderson?
Longer than most sellers expect, and with a bigger gap between the first ask and the final price. Across the 42 Las Vegas and Henderson homes that closed at $10 million or more between September 29, 2024 and September 28, 2026, the median days on market was 42 and the average was 88. Sixteen went under contract within 30 days, 11 took 90 days or more, and six recorded zero days, which in our experience usually means the deal was arranged before or without public marketing. The median sale-to-original-ask ratio was 91.0%. The six closings at $20 million and up had a median of about 110 days on market and a median sale-to-original-ask ratio of 88.7%.
Two sales frame the risk for a $24.5 million list price. 685 Dragon Peak Drive, also listed by Douglas Elliman, came to market at $28,750,000 on October 1, 2024, went under contract after 239 days and closed at $25,250,000, about 88% of its ask. 1717 Enclave Court in Country Club Hills, the seven-home street that the Review-Journal's April 2021 report calls "Billionaires Row," was first listed at $24,500,000 in January 2024, the same number as the Empire Estate, and closed in June 2025 at $17,600,000 after 480 days, about 72% of that first ask.
The competition is also larger than the MacDonald Highlands table alone suggests. As of September 29, 2026, the MLS carried 42 homes asking $10 million or more with a Las Vegas or Henderson address, 41 of them available, at a median ask of about $14.4 million. Their median age was 161 days since listing; 30 had been on the market 90 days or more and five for a year or longer. The Empire Estate is the fourth-highest ask on that list, behind a $29.5 million listing in Summerlin's Village 18 and two at $28 million, one in MacDonald Highlands and one at The Lakes.
MacDonald Highlands dominates the very top of that list. Six of the ten homes asking $20 million or more are inside its gates. One of them, on Majestic Rim Drive, was listed at $28 million in June 2026, seven months after the MLS recorded its sale at $14,250,000 in November 2025, which is a reminder that an ask is a seller's number and a closed sale is the market's. Our luxury days-on-market study explains why long marketing times at this level reflect a thin buyer pool more than weakness, and our Las Vegas luxury market report puts these tiers next to the rest of the $1 million-plus market.
What Makes MacDonald Highlands and Dragon Ridge Drive Different?
Three things set MacDonald Highlands apart from the rest of Henderson, and Dragon Ridge Drive sharpens each of them. The first is controlled access. The community is guard-gated, and the developer's Numbers to Remember page lists two gates by name, the Valle Verde Main Gate and the Stephanie Gate. The listing describes the Empire Estate as "triple gated," and on the community's own FAQ page residents manage guest access through the QuickPass visitor system. For a buyer this matters in two directions: it delivers privacy, and it means every showing, inspection, appraisal and contractor visit has to be scheduled through the gate.
The second is the terrain. MacDonald Highlands sits in the foothills of the McCullough Mountains above the valley floor, and the view is the asset. According to the developer's history page, part of the site was bought from the City of Henderson, which considered it "too rough to develop," and the community's design guidelines are "more stringent than that of the City" to protect the mountainsides. According to the MacDonald Highlands Homeowners Association page, any change to an existing home must be approved by the Design Review Committee. At this price that governs everything from a pool remodel to exterior lighting, so read the design guidelines before you plan a renovation.
The third is scale and scarcity. MacDonald Highlands already holds most of the valley's $20 million-plus listings, but Dragon Ridge Drive is quieter than streets such as Dragon Peak Drive and Alpine Summit Drive, which produced five of the community's nine $10 million-plus closings in the 12 months ending September 28, 2026. The MLS lists the Empire Estate's views as city, golf course and mountain. The Review-Journal quotes the listing's description of the pool terrace looking over the Strip, Allegiant Stadium and the valley. I would verify the sightlines in person at dusk from the main living level and the primary suite, because view corridors are the one feature a buyer cannot add later.
For buyers comparing ridgelines, our Ascaya versus MacDonald Highlands comparison sets the two Henderson guard-gated hillsides side by side, and our Ascaya community page shows what is listed there now. The rest of the valley's gated options are on our guard-gated communities page.
Is DragonRidge Country Club Membership Included With the House?
No. This is a common misunderstanding about MacDonald Highlands, and the Review-Journal's description of a "members-only community" can reinforce it. Owning a home inside the gates does not make you a member of DragonRidge Country Club. Membership is a separate purchase through the club, and the club does not publish its prices.
According to DragonRidge's membership categories page, the club offers two categories. Full Golf members get unlimited use of the golf, fitness, tennis, swimming, dining and social facilities, pay no greens or court fees, and pay cart or annual trail fees; they can book tee times seven days ahead. Social members get family use of the fitness, tennis, swimming, dining and social facilities. Food and beverage minimums apply to every category, family privileges cover a spouse and children living at home up to age 25, and the page directs pricing questions to the club's membership manager. It lists no initiation fee or dues.
The course itself is a real draw. According to the developer's DragonRidge Country Club page, it is an 18-hole, par-72 championship course of 6,975 yards from the back tees, designed by Jay Morrish and David Druzisky, and it hosted Tiger Woods' Tiger Jam III and IV charity tournaments. The developer's community page describes the club as sitting within the community and serving "the members of the community," which is accurate for members and easy to misread for everyone else.
The homeowners association is a different bill. According to the MacDonald Highlands Homeowners Association, the HOA fee is $330 a month and "has been the same for years," and the association is run by a five-person board with RPMG, Inc. assisting. The Empire Estate's MLS record matches the $330 and adds a second association fee of $125 without stating the period. I would get both budgets, the reserve study and the second association's governing documents in the resale package, and I would ask DragonRidge for its current category schedule in writing before counting the club in or out of your budget.
What Will the Property Tax Be on a $24.5 Million Henderson Purchase?
Much less than a buyer arriving from a purchase-price reassessment state might assume, because Nevada does not tax a home on what you paid for it. According to Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 361, the assessor values land at full cash value and improvements at replacement cost less depreciation of 1.5% a year (NRS 361.227), and every property is assessed at 35% of that taxable value (NRS 361.225). The price you pay does not become the tax base.
For fiscal 2026-27, the Clark County Assessor carries 761 Dragon Ridge Drive at a taxable value of $10,308,346, made up of $3,750,000 of land and $6,558,346 of improvements, and an assessed value of $3,607,921. According to the Clark County Treasurer's tax rates by district, district 500, Henderson City, carries a rate of 2.9613 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal 2026-27. Multiply the two and the unabated tax is $106,841. The listing's MLS record shows annual taxes of $85,870 without naming the fiscal year, which is below the unabated figure, as you would expect for a parcel whose increases have been capped. I could not open the Treasurer's bill for this parcel, so confirm the current bill in escrow.
| Line | Figure | Source or assumption |
|---|---|---|
| Taxable value | $10,308,346 | Clark County Assessor, fiscal 2026-27 |
| Assessed value at 35% | $3,607,921 | Clark County Assessor; NRS 361.225 |
| Tax rate, district 500 | 2.9613 per $100 | Clark County Treasurer, fiscal 2026-27 |
| Unabated tax | $106,841 | $3,607,921 times 2.9613 per $100 |
| Annual tax on the MLS record | $85,870 | Listing's MLS record; fiscal year not stated |
| If 35% of the $24.5M price were taxed (not Nevada's method) | $253,931 | $8,575,000 times 2.9613 per $100, shown only for contrast |
| Next-year increase with the 3% cap claimed | Up to about $2,576 | 3% of $85,870, if that is the prior-year bill |
| Next-year increase under the cap of up to 8% | Up to about $6,870 | 8% of $85,870; the actual general-cap percentage is set each year by the NRS 361.4722 formula, up to 8% |
The cap is where buyers lose money by not filing a postcard. NRS 361.4723 limits the increase in a primary residence's tax bill to no more than 3% over the prior year's. According to the Clark County Assessor's tax abatement page, "any ownership document recorded will remove your Owner Occupied 3% abatement," a cap of up to 8% applies to residences that are not owner occupied, and the owner must complete a new postcard to keep the 3% cap for the next year. The sale does not reset the base, but it does drop the parcel to the higher cap until the new owner claims the lower one. Only one property in Nevada can be your primary residence.
In practice, a buyer who moves in and files the claim should plan on a bill in the $86,000 to $107,000 range for this parcel, not $250,000. That is about 0.35% of the ask on the MLS figure. Our explainers on the 3% versus 8% cap and on Henderson property taxes walk through the postcard and the district rates in more detail.
What Should an Ultra-Luxury Buyer Check Before Writing an Offer?
Start with the association package, because Nevada gives you a real exit if it turns up a problem. According to NRS 116.4109, the seller must furnish a resale package that includes the declaration, bylaws and rules, a statement of the monthly assessment and any unpaid obligations, the current operating budget and year-to-date financials with a reserve summary, any unsatisfied judgments or pending legal actions, transfer fees and other resale fees, a statement of current and expected charges, and proof of the association's insurance. The buyer can cancel by written notice until midnight of the fifth calendar day after receiving it. With two association fees on the MLS record, read both budgets and both sets of rules.
Then check the house the way an underwriter would. The MLS lists a fire sprinkler system and an elevator. Ask for the sprinkler inspection history, the elevator's service and inspection records, and the permits for the pool, the guest house and any additions. A 16,374-square-foot house by the county's measure, or 17,900 by the listing's, needs an insurance quote before you remove contingencies. I do not have a published local premium for a home like this, and I will not guess one. Get a written quote for replacement cost, not market value, from a carrier that writes high-value homes. The county's taxable value is not a replacement-cost estimate either.
Three more items belong on the list at this price:
- Hillside and drainage. Hire an inspector who looks at retaining walls, slopes and drainage around the pad, and read the Design Review Committee's guidelines before you budget any exterior change.
- Furniture and systems. The listing says furniture is optional at an additional price. Put anything you are buying on a separate bill of sale with an inventory, and confirm what the home automation system includes and who holds the accounts.
- Title and entity. If you plan to take title in a trust or LLC, check the federal reporting rule first. According to FinCEN's Residential Real Estate Rule page, a federal court in Texas vacated the rule on March 19, 2026, FinCEN and the Justice Department have appealed, and while that order stands no Real Estate Reports are required. Ask your title company what it is collecting, because the status can change.
Should You Finance a $24.5 Million Home or Pay Cash?
Either can work, but a loan at this size is a private-bank conversation rather than a rate-sheet one. According to FHFA's 2026 conforming loan limit announcement, the one-unit conforming limit for most of the country is $832,750 for 2026, and FHFA's 2026 county loan-limit file lists Clark County, Nevada at that figure. Any loan above that is a jumbo or portfolio loan whose down payment, reserve and pricing terms are set by the lender. At $24.5 million, even a 70% loan is more than 20 times the conforming limit.
To show the scale, here is one illustration, not a quote. According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the 30-year fixed rate averaged 7.03% for the week of September 24, 2026. That survey measures conforming loans, and jumbo pricing can be higher or lower. At that rate, principal and interest on a $17,150,000 loan, which is 70% of the ask with $7,350,000 down, would be about $114,445 a month over 30 years, before taxes, insurance and dues. The real number depends on the lender, the down payment and the assets you bring.
Cash is part of the picture at the top, but the published data does not measure it by price. According to Las Vegas REALTORS' August 2026 release, 21.9% of all local property sales that month were cash transactions, and the release does not break that share out for luxury homes, so I will not put a number on the luxury cash share. In our experience, sellers at this level ask for proof of funds or a lender's written commitment before the first private showing, and a cash buyer's offer is judged as much on certainty and timing as on price. Our guide to jumbo loans and all-cash purchases in Las Vegas covers the documentation, and our luxury buying guide covers the process from first showing to close.
How Much Can a Californian Save on State Income Tax by Moving to Henderson?
A lot, if the move is real. Nevada's constitution is the primary source here. According to the Nevada Constitution, Article 10, Section 1, "no income tax shall be levied upon the wages or personal income of natural persons." California is at the other end of the scale. According to the Franchise Tax Board's 2025 California Tax Rate Schedules, the top rate is 12.3%, which applies to taxable income over $742,953 for single filers and over $1,485,906 for married couples filing jointly. According to the FTB's 2025 Form 540 instructions, taxable income over $1,000,000 also owes the 1% Behavioral Health Services Tax.
Here is the arithmetic for one example. A married couple filing jointly with $5,000,000 of California taxable income in tax year 2025 would owe $576,673 under Schedule Y, which is $144,439.65 plus 12.3% of the amount over $1,485,906, and another $40,000 of Behavioral Health Services Tax, for about $616,673 before credits. As Nevada residents, the same couple would owe no state income tax on that income. That one-year difference is almost six times this parcel's unabated fiscal 2026-27 property tax of $106,841.
The savings depend on actually changing residency. According to FTB Publication 1031, California residents are taxed on all income, including income from outside the state, while nonresidents are taxed only on income from California sources, and part-year residents are taxed on everything received while a resident. Buying a Henderson house does not by itself make you a Nevada resident, and California-source income such as California rental property or a California business stays taxable there. This is not tax advice, and at this income level your CPA and attorney should plan the move before you close.
For the practical side of relocating, our California to Las Vegas relocation guide covers the logistics, and our moving to Henderson page covers the city itself.
How Does Our Team Help Buyers and Sellers at This Price Point?
At this level the work is mostly research, access and negotiation, and the numbers in this post are the homework I would do for a client looking at a home like the Empire Estate: the full MLS history of the street and the enclave, including withdrawn and expired listings and cumulative days on market; the county roll for square footage, recorded sales and taxable value; the tax bill under both caps; and both association budgets before you are committed. Then I would price the offer off closed sales, not off the next listing up the hill.
Nevada Real Estate Group is the #1 real estate team in Nevada, with 9,600+ closings, $4.85B+ in total sales volume, 150+ agents, 9,061+ five-star reviews and 16+ years in business. In 2025 alone our team closed 789 homes and $440M+ in volume. Across the 9,600+ closings we've represented, the pattern at the top of the market holds: the buyers who do best are the ones who arrive with their financing settled, their comparables read and their questions about the association, the club and the tax cap already answered.
If you are selling on the ridgeline, the same data works in reverse. The $24.5 million ask on Dragon Ridge Drive is not a comparable sale for your house, and pricing to it without the closed-sale evidence behind it is how listings end up among the 90-day and 180-day listings counted above. Our sellers page explains how we list, and our Las Vegas luxury homes page and luxury communities page show what is competing with you today.
If you want to see the Empire Estate, compare it with the other $20 million-plus listings in MacDonald Highlands, or talk through the tax and club math for your own situation, call me at (702) 637-1759. Our office is at 8945 W Russell Rd, Suite 170, Las Vegas, NV 89148. I will tell you what the records say about any home you are considering, including when they say the asking price has a long way to travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Empire Estate in MacDonald Highlands listed for?
The Empire Estate at 761 Dragon Ridge Drive is listed at $24,500,000. The MLS record shows it came to market on September 14, 2026 at that price with Douglas Elliman of Nevada, and it was still active and unchanged in our pull of Las Vegas MLS data on September 29, 2026. At the listing's 17,900 square feet, the ask is about $1,369 per square foot. The listing agent, as quoted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is Kristen Routh-Silberman. Furniture is not included in the price; the listing says it may be bought separately.
How many bedrooms and bathrooms does 761 Dragon Ridge Drive have?
The MLS record lists eight bedrooms and 13 bathrooms, split eight full and five half, and the listing remarks describe eight suites, including a primary suite in its own wing and six en-suite guest bedrooms. The Clark County Assessor's record lists seven bedrooms and the same eight full and five half baths. The assessor measures 16,374 square feet of living area including a 774-square-foot casita, against the listing's 17,900. Ask the listing side how the square footage was measured before you compare it with other homes.
Is $24.5 million a record price for Henderson?
It is an asking price, not a sale, so it cannot set a record until it closes. For comparison, 685 Dragon Peak Drive in MacDonald Highlands closed at $25,250,000 on July 11, 2025, the highest Henderson home sale in our 24-month MLS pull through September 28, 2026. The all-time Las Vegas record, according to the Review-Journal in December 2024 and again in July 2025, is a $35 million Summit Club sale in May 2024, and no MLS sale topped it through September 28, 2026. Only three homes closed at $24.5 million or more in the Las Vegas MLS in the 24 months we pulled.
What are the HOA dues on Dragon Ridge Drive?
The MacDonald Highlands Homeowners Association states on its own site that the HOA fee is $330 a month and has been the same for years. The Empire Estate's MLS record matches that $330 and lists a second association fee of $125 without stating the period, which I read as an additional association to verify. Neither fee includes DragonRidge Country Club. Ask for both associations' budgets, reserve summaries and rules in the resale package, which Nevada law lets you review with a five-day cancellation right.
Does buying in MacDonald Highlands include DragonRidge Country Club membership?
No. Club membership is separate from owning a home and is not automatic. DragonRidge's membership categories page lists Full Golf and Social categories, says food and beverage minimums apply to all of them, and directs pricing questions to its membership manager. It does not publish initiation fees or dues. If the club matters to your decision, get the current category schedule in writing from the club and ask whether there is a waiting list before you remove your contingencies, and budget it separately from the $330 monthly HOA fee.
What would property taxes be on a $24.5 million Henderson home?
Nevada does not tax a home on its purchase price. For fiscal 2026-27, the Clark County Assessor values 761 Dragon Ridge Drive at $10,308,346 of taxable value and $3,607,921 of assessed value, and Henderson's district 500 rate is 2.9613 per $100, for an unabated tax of $106,841. The MLS record shows $85,870. A sale does not reset the base, but it removes the 3% owner-occupied cap until the new owner files the county's claim; otherwise a cap of up to 8% applies.
How long do $10 million-plus homes take to sell in Las Vegas?
In our MLS pull of Las Vegas and Henderson homes that closed at $10 million or more between September 29, 2024 and September 28, 2026, the 42 sales had a median of 42 days on market and an average of 88. Eleven took 90 days or more, and the median sale-to-original-ask ratio was 91.0%. The six sales at $20 million and up had a median of about 110 days. As of September 29, 2026, the 42 homes listed at $10 million or more had a median age of 161 days.
Which Sources Inform This Empire Estate Guide?
- Our own pull of Las Vegas MLS data through Repliers on September 29, 2026: the 761 Dragon Ridge Drive listing record; every Las Vegas and Henderson home closing at $8 million or more with a sale date from September 29, 2024; MacDonald Highlands closings at $1 million and up in the 12 months ending September 28, 2026 and listings on September 29, 2026; Dragon Ridge Drive sales since 2013; and all $10 million-plus listings. These are our tabulations, not official Las Vegas REALTORS statistics.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal, September 29, 2026: the Empire Estate's $24.5 million listing, size, lot, features and the listing agent's comments.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 19, 2025: the $25.25 million MacDonald Highlands sale on July 11, 2025, its 2021 purchase for $25 million and the restated $35 million record.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal, December 29, 2024: the $35 million all-time Las Vegas record, the $30 million 2023 sale and the $29.25 million December 2024 sale.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal, April 2021: Enclave Court in Country Club Hills as the seven-home "Billionaires Row."
- Clark County Assessor, parcel 178-27-414-006: square footage by floor, bedrooms, baths, 2016 construction, the March 2013 recorded sale and fiscal 2026-27 taxable and assessed values.
- Clark County Treasurer, tax rates by district: the 2.9613 per $100 rate for district 500, Henderson City, fiscal 2026-27.
- Clark County Assessor, tax abatement: the 3% owner-occupied cap, the cap of up to 8% for other residences and the effect of a recorded ownership document.
- Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 361: assessment at 35% of taxable value, how taxable value is determined and the partial abatements in NRS 361.4722 (the general cap formula, up to 8%) and 361.4723.
- Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 116: the NRS 116.4109 resale package and five-day cancellation right.
- MacDonald Highlands Homeowners Association: $330 monthly HOA fee, the five-person board and Design Review Committee approval.
- MacDonald Highlands, Numbers to Remember: the Valle Verde Main Gate and Stephanie Gate and the community's master listing agent.
- MacDonald Highlands, FAQs: QuickPass guest access.
- MacDonald Highlands, Our History: hillside origins and design guidelines stricter than the City's.
- MacDonald Highlands, DragonRidge Country Club and community page: course length, par, designers and the club's place in the community.
- DragonRidge Country Club, membership categories: Full Golf and Social categories, food and beverage minimums and pricing through the membership manager.
- Las Vegas REALTORS August 2026 release, as published by Nevada Business: the $475,000 August 2026 single-family median and the 21.9% cash share.
- FHFA, 2026 conforming loan limits and 2026 county loan-limit file: the $832,750 one-unit limit, including Clark County.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 7.03% 30-year average for the week of September 24, 2026.
- FinCEN, Residential Real Estate Rule: the March 19, 2026 court order vacating the rule and the pending appeal.
- Nevada Constitution, Article 10, Section 1: the prohibition on a personal income tax.
- Franchise Tax Board, 2025 California Tax Rate Schedules, 2025 Form 540 instructions and Publication 1031: 2025 brackets, the Behavioral Health Services Tax and residency rules.
