Summerlin and Skye Canyon are the two master plans on the west side of the Las Vegas valley that buyers most often ask me to compare, and for a good reason: both back up to the mountains, both are still selling new homes, and both sit far enough from the Strip that the choice is really about daily life. In the 12 months ending September 18, 2026, Summerlin closed 1,936 MLS homes at a $630,000 median and $319 per square foot, while Skye Canyon closed 308 at $535,000 and $263 per foot, according to Las Vegas MLS data pulled through Repliers on September 19, 2026. That $95,000 gap is the headline, but it is not the decision.
The decision is what the $95,000 buys and what it does not. Summerlin is a 22,500-acre, 36-year-old master plan with 300-plus parks, its own downtown and a school cluster that families move across the country for. Skye Canyon is a 1,700-acre community that opened in 2015 at the base of the Spring Mountains, where 45% of last year's closings were homes built in 2025 or later. This guide puts the two side by side on the things that change your monthly cost and your weekday, with every figure dated, and ends with who should pick which.
Summerlin costs more and offers more: a $630,000 median at $319 per square foot in the 12 months ending September 18, 2026, against Skye Canyon's $535,000 at $263, with Summerlin delivering the deeper school cluster, Downtown Summerlin and the 215 Beltway commute. Skye Canyon wins on new-build choice, cooler elevation and mountain access. Budget-first families and outdoor buyers should tour Skye Canyon; buyers who will use the amenities daily should pay for Summerlin.
- Summerlin closed 1,936 MLS homes at $630,000; Skye Canyon closed 308 at $535,000 in the same 12 months.
- Skye Canyon's 45% new-build share dwarfs Summerlin's 10%, so builder incentives matter more in the northwest.
- Summerlin West master dues run $69 a month plus village layers and SID assessments on most new lots.
- Palo Verde and Sig Rogich are 5-star schools; Skye Canyon's zoned schools rate 3 to 4 stars.
- Both communities sit near 34 days on market, so resale liquidity is a wash at the master-plan level.
How Do Summerlin and Skye Canyon Compare at a Glance?
Every number in the table below comes from the same pull of Las Vegas MLS data through Repliers on September 19, 2026, covering closings from September 19, 2025 through September 18, 2026 and active listings on September 18, 2026. Communities are grouped from recorded subdivision names, so "Summerlin" aggregates every village from the 1990s Trails to the 2026 Kestrel parcels, and "Skye Canyon" aggregates every phase since 2015. Builder-direct sales that never hit the MLS are not counted, which understates new-build volume in both places and understates Skye Canyon's more than Summerlin's.
| Dimension | Summerlin (all villages) | Skye Canyon |
|---|---|---|
| MLS closings, 12 months | 1,936 | 308 |
| Median sold price | $630,000 | $535,000 |
| Price per square foot | $319 | $263 |
| Median days on market | 34 | 34 |
| Active listings | 880 | 123 |
| Months of supply | 5.5 | 4.8 |
| Built 2025 or later | 10% of closings | 45% of closings |
| Master plan size | 22,500 acres (Howard Hughes) | 1,700 acres (Olympia, then Century) |
| Freeway | CC-215 Beltway and Summerlin Parkway | US-95 at Skye Canyon Park Drive |
| Master HOA, 2026 | $69 a month (Summerlin West) | $75 to $200 a month by phase |
Three things stand out before the details. First, Summerlin is more than six times the size of Skye Canyon by closings, which is the practical meaning of a master plan that has been selling since 1990 versus one that opened in 2015. Second, the two communities sell at the same speed, 34 days median in both, so neither is a liquidity trap. Third, the per-foot gap of $56 is smaller than the headline price gap implies, because Skye Canyon's median closing is a slightly larger home: $535,000 at $263 per foot implies roughly 2,030 square feet, while $630,000 at $319 implies about 1,975. You are paying more per foot in Summerlin, not getting more feet.
What Do Homes Actually Cost in Summerlin vs Skye Canyon Right Now?
Master-plan medians hide the spread, and in Summerlin the spread is enormous. The ZIP-level pull for the same 12-month window shows why: 89135, which holds The Ridges, Red Rock Country Club and The Cliffs, closed 664 homes at an $840,000 median and $363 per foot; 89138, the Summerlin West ZIP with Kestrel, Redpoint, Stonebridge and Reverence, closed 720 at $769,750 and $335 per foot; and the older eastern ZIPs came in far lower, with 89134 at $492,500, 89144 at $560,000 and 89145 at $397,000. Skye Canyon's two ZIPs are much tighter: 89166 closed 710 homes at $510,000 and $251 per foot, and 89131, the older Centennial Hills ZIP that shares the US-95 corridor, closed 635 at $535,000 and $244 per foot.
| ZIP | Area | Closings | Median sold | $ per sq ft | Median DOM | Built 2025+ | Active | Months of supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89135 | Summerlin South and West (Ridges, Cliffs) | 664 | $840,000 | $363 | 34 | 5% | 312 | 5.6 |
| 89138 | Summerlin West (Kestrel, Redpoint, Stonebridge) | 720 | $769,750 | $335 | 39 | 27% | 357 | 6.0 |
| 89144 | Summerlin North (Willows, Trails, Canyons) | 302 | $560,000 | $302 | 30 | 0% | 139 | 5.5 |
| 89134 | Summerlin North (Sun City, Hills) | 732 | $492,500 | $300 | 33 | 0% | 279 | 4.6 |
| 89145 | Summerlin East (Pueblo, Gardens) | 384 | $397,000 | $254 | 29 | 0% | 134 | 4.2 |
| 89166 | Skye Canyon and northwest corridor | 710 | $510,000 | $251 | 33 | 25% | 326 | 5.5 |
| 89131 | Centennial Hills, south of Skye Canyon | 635 | $535,000 | $244 | 30 | 3% | 239 | 4.5 |
The practical takeaway is that "Summerlin vs Skye Canyon" is really two comparisons. If you are shopping the new villages west of the 215, you are comparing a $769,750 ZIP median at $335 per foot against Skye Canyon's $510,000 at $251, a gap of about $260,000 and $84 per foot. If you are willing to buy a 1990s resale in Summerlin North, the gap nearly disappears: 89134 and 89145 both closed below Skye Canyon's community median. Across the 9,600+ closings we have represented, the buyers who were happiest with a Summerlin purchase on a Skye Canyon budget were the ones who accepted an older home in an older village and spent the difference on a kitchen. Sun City Summerlin alone closed 518 homes at $450,000 in the window, though it is age-restricted.
For the new-build comparison specifically, the subdivision detail is instructive. In Summerlin West, the Redpoint and Kestrel parcels of Village 25 closed 69 homes at a $1,199,000 median and $405 per foot with 44 active listings, a 7.7-month supply, and Stonebridge closed 48 at $1,150,000 and $362 per foot. In Skye Canyon, a single new-construction plat, "Skye Canyon Parcel 506 Phase 2A," closed 36 homes at a $534,000 median, every one of them built in 2025 or later. That is the entire story of the two master plans in one line: new Summerlin West is a million-dollar product and new Skye Canyon is a half-million-dollar product, and both sold.
Who Builds in Each Master Plan, and What Are They Selling in 2026?
Summerlin's builder lineup is the largest in the valley. According to Howard Hughes' year-end 2025 Summerlin update, the community opened 10 new neighborhoods in 2025 alone: Raven Crest by Toll Brothers plus Mockingbird and Sandpiper by Lennar in the Kestrel and Kestrel Commons districts, and Ashland by Taylor Morrison, SHAWOOD at Arcadia, Glenrock by Toll Brothers, Caldwell Park by KB Home, Carlisle by Tri Pointe Homes, Primrose Park by Richmond American and Brantley by Pulte in the new Grand Park village. The same release counts more than 115 floorplans in 20-plus neighborhoods across seven villages, priced from the $400,000s to more than $1 million. Earlier openings in Kestrel included Crested Canyon by Taylor Morrison from the $500,000s, Falcon Crest by Woodside from the high $600,000s and Blacktail by Pulte from the high $500,000s, according to Summerlin's February 2023 neighborhood announcement, with Cordillera by Toll Brothers in Redpoint Square from the high $500,000s.
What that lineup sells at today is visible on the builders' own pages. According to Lennar's Mockingbird page, the Kestrel collection starts at $796,990 for 3,000 to 3,335 square feet. According to Toll Brothers' Las Vegas listings, Glenrock in Grand Park starts at $1,398,995, Cordillera townhomes start at $576,995, and the Ascension collections at The Peaks start at $1,854,995 and $3,150,000. Our Summerlin new-construction cost guide explains the land price underneath those numbers: Howard Hughes sold superpads at about $1.73 million an acre in the second quarter of 2026, which is why a new Summerlin home closed near $360 per foot.
Skye Canyon's lineup is shorter and cheaper. According to Skye Canyon's builder page, the master plan's current builders are Century Communities, Toll Brothers and LGI Homes. Century, which acquired the remaining 400-plus acres of the master plan in September 2020 with 2,500 homes still to build, according to its acquisition announcement, sells four Skyeview neighborhoods; according to Century's Skye Canyon pages, the community starts at $384,000 across single-family homes and townhomes, with Terra at Skyeview starting at $494,000 for 1,792 to 2,119 square feet. According to Toll Brothers at Skye Canyon, the Paloma Collection starts at $800,000 for 2,263 to 2,900-plus square feet with a private community pool. According to LGI Homes' April 8, 2026 announcement, Topaz at Skye Canyon is a 49-homesite townhome community priced from the $380,000s. Lennar, Woodside, Shea and Taylor Morrison built earlier Skye Canyon phases, which is why their names show up on resale listings even though they are not on the developer's current builder list.
How Big Is the New-Construction Share, and Why Does It Change the Way You Shop?
Skye Canyon's 45% new-build share is the single biggest structural difference between the two communities, and it changes how you should negotiate. When nearly half the homes closing in a community are brand new, every resale is competing with a builder three streets away who can offer a rate buydown, a closing-cost credit and a design-center allowance. That pressure is visible in the data: 89166's sale-to-original-list ratio was 98.1% in the window, one of the highest in the valley, because builders list spec homes at prices they intend to hold and adjust through incentives instead of cuts. Our top-selling communities ranking puts Skye Canyon seventh in the valley by closings and second only to Cadence among large communities for new-build share.
Summerlin's 10% new-build share means the opposite dynamic. Roughly 1,740 of its 1,936 closings were resales, and the largest single contributors were two Sun City Summerlin plats in 89134 that closed 254 and 204 homes. The Summerlin ZIPs closed at 95.3% to 96.6% of original list, two to three points below Skye Canyon, which tells you resale sellers in Summerlin are pricing ambitiously and then negotiating. For a buyer that is leverage; for a seller it is a warning that the first price matters. The exception is 89138, where 27% of closings were new and the Summerlin West builders behave much like Skye Canyon's, holding list and moving on incentives.
In our experience, the practical rule is this: in Skye Canyon, get the builder's incentive sheet before you tour resales, because the incentive is the true discount and a resale must beat it; in Summerlin, outside 89138, get the last 90 days of closed comps for the specific village, because the resale seller is the one with room to move. The new construction page tracks the active builder communities in both master plans, and the Las Vegas homes for sale search lets you filter by year built to see resale and new inventory side by side.
What Do HOA Dues, SIDs and Sub-Associations Add to Each Address?
The monthly layers are where the two communities are more alike than buyers expect, but the amounts differ. Summerlin's master association fee rose effective January 1, 2026; in our Summerlin HOA fee guide we documented the Summerlin West master assessment at $69 a month, which already includes the $37 Summerlin Council portion that funds the parks, pools and trail system. Villages and gated enclaves add their own layer: our Kestrel and Redpoint research put combined master-plus-village dues at roughly $165 to $210 a month in Kestrel and $175 to $220 in Redpoint, with attached Redpoint Square product higher because the association maintains roofs and exteriors. According to Lennar's Mockingbird page in Kestrel, the HOA is approximately $156 a month and the listed special assessment fee is $863.94, which is the SID layer showing up on a builder's own page.
That SID line deserves a paragraph. According to the Clark County Treasurer's explanation of Special Improvement Districts, SIDs finance streets, sidewalks, streetlights and sewer and water facilities; the government issues bonds, apportions the cost among the benefiting parcels, bills the assessment semi-annually, and the unpaid balance is a lien on the property under Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 271. Most Summerlin West new homes carry one. Skye Canyon was also built in phases inside the City of Las Vegas, and later phases used City special improvement district financing, so some Skye Canyon parcels carry an assessment and others do not; the only reliable way to know is to pull the parcel's tax bill before you write. Our earlier Skye Canyon buyers guide described the community as free of a significant SID overlay, and for the early phases that is generally what the tax bills show, but do not assume it for a 2024 or 2025 lot.
Skye Canyon's association dues are lower on average and vary by phase. Our Skye Canyon community page puts master dues at $75 to $200 a month depending on the sub-neighborhood, with Skye Center and Skye Fitness access included at every tier rather than gated behind a separate club membership. The Toll Brothers at Skye Canyon neighborhood adds a private pool and a sub-association on top. According to Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 116, every Nevada common-interest community must deliver its budget, reserve summary and CC&Rs in the resale package, so on either side of the valley the number to trust is the one in that package, not the one in the listing remarks.
| Layer | Summerlin West | Skye Canyon | Where to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master association | $69 a month (includes $37 Summerlin Council) | $75 to $200 a month by phase | Resale package under NRS 116 |
| Village or sub-association | Roughly $100 to $150 more in Kestrel and Redpoint | Varies; gated pockets and Toll's pool add a layer | Builder price sheet or HOA budget |
| SID or LID assessment | Common; Lennar lists about $864 at Mockingbird | Phase-dependent; many early lots carry none | Clark County Treasurer parcel lookup |
| Property tax rate | $3.2782 per $100 assessed (District 200) | $3.2782 per $100 assessed (District 200) | Clark County Treasurer |
Both communities sit inside the City of Las Vegas, so the property tax rate is identical. According to the Clark County Treasurer's rate table, District 200, Las Vegas City, carries a total rate of $3.2782 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal 2025-26, and according to the Clark County Assessor assessed value is 35% of taxable value. On a $630,000 taxable value that works out to about $7,228 a year before the abatement; on $535,000, about $6,138. The 3% primary-residence cap then limits how fast the bill can rise year to year.
How Do the Commutes Compare: 215 Beltway vs US-95?
This is the part of the comparison that buyers underweight and then live with every weekday. Summerlin is served by two limited-access roads: Summerlin Parkway, which runs east into US-95 and downtown, and the CC-215 Bruce Woodbury Beltway, which loops south to Harry Reid International Airport and Henderson without touching I-15. According to Howard Hughes' Summerlin overview, the community sits nine miles west of the Strip. In our Summerlin commute guide we measured the Bellagio run at roughly 11 miles and 20 to 30 minutes off-peak, downtown at about 13 miles and 20 minutes, and the airport at about 15 miles and 20 to 30 minutes via the 215. The morning pattern is eastbound on Summerlin Parkway and southbound on the 215; the evening pattern is the reverse.
Skye Canyon has one freeway, US-95, which it meets at the Skye Canyon Park Drive interchange. According to Skye Canyon's own comparison page, the Strip is approximately 25 to 35 minutes via US-95 South and Summerlin is roughly 15 minutes away. In our Skye Canyon guide we put the 7-to-9 a.m. Strip drive at 25 to 32 minutes via US-95 and I-15, the airport at 32 to 38 minutes via US-95 and the 215, and Mount Charleston at about 15 minutes via Kyle Canyon Road. Downtown Summerlin, with its Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and the ballpark, is the closest large retail and dining hub for many Skye Canyon residents, which is why the 15-minute link between the two communities matters more than the Strip number for daily life.
The honest way to frame it: a Summerlin address is 10 to 15 minutes closer to almost everything on the valley floor, and it has a second freeway when the first one is jammed. A Skye Canyon address is 10 to 15 minutes closer to the only alpine forest in Southern Nevada, and it has a single freeway that carries the whole northwest valley. If your job is on the Strip, in the medical district or at the airport, that difference is roughly two hours a week. If you work from home or in the northwest, it is nothing. Our moving to Las Vegas guide walks relocating buyers through the commute test we run before any tour.
Which Schools Serve Summerlin West and Skye Canyon, and How Do They Rate?
School zoning is the reason many families pay the Summerlin premium, and the state's own ratings show why. According to the Nevada Department of Education's 2024-25 Nevada School Performance Framework star ratings, Palo Verde High School, the comprehensive high school for Summerlin West, earned 5 stars, Sig Rogich Middle School earned 5 stars, and the Summerlin-area elementaries range from 4 stars at William Lummis to 5 stars at Billy and Rosemary Vassiliadis and John W. Bonner. West Career and Technical Academy, the magnet many Summerlin West families apply to, is also 5 stars. Our Summerlin schools guide lists Lummis Elementary and the newest Summerlin West schools, a Summerlin West middle school feeder and Palo Verde or West CTA for the 89138 villages, and notes that zoning for Kestrel, Redpoint and Stonebridge is still being redrawn as those villages build out.
Skye Canyon's zoned schools rate a step lower on the same framework. According to Century Communities' Skye Canyon page, the schools serving the community are William and Mary Scherkenbach, James Bilbray and Kenneth Divich elementary schools, Ralph Cadwallader and Edmundo Escobedo middle schools, Arbor View High School and the Somerset Academy Skye Canyon charter campus. On the 2024-25 framework, Scherkenbach and Divich earned 4 stars, Bilbray 3 stars, Cadwallader 4 stars, Arbor View 4 stars and Shadow Ridge High School, which serves some Skye Canyon addresses, 4 stars. The standout is the charter: Somerset Academy Skye Canyon earned 5 stars, and Doral Academy Red Rock, in Summerlin, earned 5 stars at every grade span.
| Level | Summerlin West (89138 and 89135) | Skye Canyon (89166) |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary | Lummis 4 stars; Vassiliadis 5; Bonner 5; Givens 4 | Scherkenbach 4 stars; Divich 4; Bilbray 3 |
| Middle | Sig Rogich 5 stars | Cadwallader 4 stars; Escobedo (verify by address) |
| High | Palo Verde 5 stars; West CTA magnet 5 | Arbor View 4 stars; Shadow Ridge 4 stars |
| Charter nearby | Doral Academy Red Rock 5 stars | Somerset Academy Skye Canyon 5 stars |
Two cautions. First, star ratings measure proficiency and growth, not whether a school fits your child; a 4-star school with a strong STEAM program, which is what Scherkenbach runs, may serve a particular family better than a 5-star school across town. Second, both communities are growing fast enough that boundaries move. A new Skye Canyon elementary is planned and a Skye Canyon high school has been discussed for 2028, and Summerlin West is adding school sites inside Redpoint and Grand Park. Verify the exact address on the Clark County School District locator before you sign, and ask the builder in writing which school the lot is zoned to on the day of contract.
What Amenities Come With Each Address: Skye Center vs Downtown Summerlin?
Skye Canyon's amenity model is concentrated. According to Skye Canyon's parks page, the 15-acre Skye Canyon Park anchors the community with a junior Olympic swimming pool, sports fields and a half-mile walking path, surrounded by six smaller neighborhood parks: Eagle Canyon, Skye View, Big Skye, Starlight, Liberty Skye and Knight Skye. Beside the park sit the Skye Center, with its Aspire coffee house and event lawns, and Skye Fitness, which Toll Brothers describes as a 10,000-square-foot fitness center. According to Skye Canyon's home page, the community also runs a resident program called Skye Pass with events, fitness classes and workshops, and the Skye Canyon Marketplace provides in-plan shopping. Everything is within a short bike ride, and every HOA tier includes access.
Summerlin's amenity model is distributed and much larger. According to Howard Hughes, Summerlin has 300-plus parks and 132,000 residents, and according to Howard Hughes' 2025 year-end release the community has 10 golf courses and 26 public, private and charter schools. Downtown Summerlin is a 400-acre walkable core with more than 800,000 square feet of retail, the Las Vegas Ballpark and City National Arena, the Vegas Golden Knights' practice facility. The trail network, which the developer puts at more than 200 miles, connects the villages to the parks and to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, where according to the Bureau of Land Management more than three million visitors a year use the 13-mile scenic drive and its trails.
The comparison is not close on scale, and it should not be; you are paying $95,000 more at the median for it. The fairer comparison is on use. Skye Canyon residents use the Skye Center because it is the only hub, and the community programming is built around that. Summerlin residents spread across dozens of village parks and pools, and many never set foot in Downtown Summerlin except for the ballpark. If you want one walkable hub where you will know the neighbors at the Saturday market, Skye Canyon delivers it. If you want a Nordstrom Rack, a Triple-A ballgame and a 200-mile trail system, only Summerlin does.
How Do Lot Sizes, Home Sizes and Price Per Square Foot Differ?
Neither developer publishes a typical lot size, so the honest way to compare is through what the builders are selling. Skye Canyon's current product is compact: Century's Terra at Skyeview runs 1,792 to 2,119 square feet from $494,000, Arroyo at Skyeview townhomes start at 1,531 square feet, and LGI's Topaz is a 49-unit townhome community. Toll's Paloma Collection, at 2,263 to 2,900-plus square feet from $800,000, is the top of the Skye Canyon range. In the Repliers pull our team ran for the Summerlin land-price guide, Skye Canyon's 120 new single-family closings in the 12 months ending September 17, 2026 had a median size of 1,816 square feet and closed at $522,500, or $274 per foot. Small homes on small lots is the Skye Canyon formula, and it is what keeps the price under $550,000.
Summerlin West sells a wider range and a bigger top end. Lennar's Mockingbird homes in Kestrel run 3,000 to 3,335 square feet from $796,990, according to Lennar; Toll's Glenrock in Grand Park runs 2,897 to 4,557 square feet from $1,398,995, according to Toll Brothers; and the Astra custom homesites at La Madre Peaks offer 167 lots across 171 acres, according to Howard Hughes' year-end release, which works out to roughly an acre each before roads and open space. At the same time, Summerlin is deliberately adding smaller product: Redpoint Square and Kestrel Commons are built around attached and small-lot detached homes, and KB Home's Caldwell Park in Grand Park starts at $412,990 for 1,430 to 1,947 square feet, according to Summerlin's June 30, 2026 neighborhood spotlight. The cheapest new single-family entry point in Summerlin now overlaps the middle of Skye Canyon's range, but it does so by putting a smaller home on a smaller lot.
On price per foot the gap is consistent whichever way you cut it. The community-level figures are $319 in Summerlin against $263 in Skye Canyon, a 21% premium. The ZIP figures are $335 in 89138 against $251 in 89166, a 33% premium. And the new-build figures from the land-price guide are about $360 in Summerlin against $274 in Skye Canyon, a 31% premium. The premium is land: Summerlin builders paid $1.73 million an acre for superpads in the second quarter of 2026, and the $290,000 to $430,000 of land per home at common densities has to come out of the sale price. Skye Canyon's land basis was set by Olympia's 2015 purchase and Century's 2020 acquisition, and it shows up as a lower floor on every home.
How Much Elevation and View Do You Actually Get in Each Community?
Both master plans market elevation, and both have it, but not in the same amount. According to Summerlin's village pages, Kestrel is "perched above the valley at over 3,000 feet," and according to Summerlin's Redpoint Square announcement, Summerlin West reaches more than 4,550 feet above sea level at its highest point. That top elevation belongs to the Peaks and La Madre Peaks parcels against the Spring Mountains, which is where the $1.8 million to $3 million-plus Ascension and Astra product sits. The view from a Summerlin West lot is typically east across the whole valley toward the Strip, with Red Rock's escarpment to the west; the eastern view is the one that carries the lot premium, and in our Cliffs, Kestrel and Redpoint research view lots commanded $40,000 to $185,000 premiums depending on durability.
Skye Canyon sits lower. According to Skye Canyon's comparison page, the community sits at elevations between 2,800 and 3,200 feet and runs 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the valley floor on summer afternoons. The views there face the other way: north and west into the Spring Mountains and Mount Charleston, which is snow-capped in winter, and back south toward the valley from the higher western lots. You do not get a Strip-view lot in Skye Canyon at any price. What you get is the closest driveway in Las Vegas to the highest peak in Southern Nevada, and the U.S. Forest Service's Spring Mountains National Recreation Area trailheads are 15 to 30 minutes away.
For temperature the difference between the two is smaller than either marketing department suggests. Kestrel at 3,000-plus feet and Skye Canyon at 2,800 to 3,200 feet are within the same band, and both sit several hundred feet above Harry Reid International Airport, where the National Weather Service records the official valley readings. Both are meaningfully cooler than the east valley on a July evening, and both catch more wind. The elevation difference that matters is inside Summerlin: the 4,550-foot lots at the top of Summerlin West are a different climate and a different price from the low-lying lots in the eastern villages. If cool evenings are the goal, either community works; if a Strip view is the goal, only Summerlin does.
Which Community Is Easier to Sell Later?
At the master-plan level, resale liquidity is a tie. Both communities posted a 34-day median time to contract in the 12 months ending September 18, 2026, against a 30-day median for the whole four-city market. Months of supply on September 18, 2026 favored Skye Canyon slightly, 4.8 months against Summerlin's 5.5, but both sit inside the four-to-six-month band that most agents call balanced. Summerlin's 880 active listings against a pace of about 161 closings a month and Skye Canyon's 123 actives against about 26 a month describe the same market at different scales.
The ZIP detail is where the two diverge. Summerlin West's 89138 carried 6.0 months of supply and a 39-day median, the slowest of the Summerlin ZIPs, because new construction there competes directly with resale; the Village 25 parcels specifically ran 55 days and 7.7 months of supply. Summerlin's older ZIPs were tighter: 89145 at 4.2 months and 29 days, 89134 at 4.6 months and 33 days. Skye Canyon's 89166 ran 5.5 months and 33 days with a 98.1% sale-to-list ratio, and the adjacent 89131 ran 4.5 months and 30 days at 97.6%. In plain terms, an older Summerlin resale and a Skye Canyon resale sell at about the same speed; a new-village Summerlin West resale is the one that takes longest, because the seller is competing with the builder.
Our average days on market guide covers how DOM behaves by price band, and the pattern matters here: the valley's median DOM rises with price, and Summerlin West's million-dollar product sits in the band where 50-plus days is normal. Across the 9,600+ closings we have represented, the resale risk in a new master plan is not that homes do not sell; it is that a resale seller in year two or three is competing with a builder's incentive package on a nearly identical floor plan. That risk is highest today in Skye Canyon's newest parcels and in Summerlin West's Village 25, and lowest in the built-out Summerlin villages where there is no builder left to compete with. The market report tracks these figures monthly.
What Does the Monthly Payment Look Like at Today's Rates?
Price comparisons become real when you run them through a mortgage. According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the average 30-year fixed rate was 6.95% for the week of September 17, 2026, with the 15-year at 6.26%. The table below applies the 30-year rate to the community and ZIP medians with 20% down, principal and interest only, and leaves out property tax, insurance, HOA and SID on purpose, because those layers differ by parcel and the point is to isolate the price gap. Run your own numbers with a lender before relying on any of these.
| Purchase | Median price | Loan at 80% | Monthly P and I |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summerlin, all villages | $630,000 | $504,000 | $3,336 |
| Summerlin West ZIP 89138 | $769,750 | $615,800 | $4,076 |
| Kestrel and Redpoint parcels (Village 25) | $1,199,000 | $959,200 | $6,349 |
| Skye Canyon, all phases | $535,000 | $428,000 | $2,833 |
| Skye Canyon ZIP 89166 | $510,000 | $408,000 | $2,701 |
| Skye Canyon new single-family (12 months ending September 17, 2026) | $522,500 | $418,000 | $2,767 |
The community-level gap is about $503 a month in principal and interest, and the new-village gap is about $3,500 a month. Add the recurring layers and the spread widens: a Summerlin West new home commonly carries $250 to $450 a month in combined HOA and SID before tax and insurance, against a Skye Canyon master fee that starts near $75. On the cash side, 20% down on the Summerlin median is $126,000 against $107,000 in Skye Canyon, a $19,000 difference; on the Summerlin West ZIP median it is $153,950. First-time buyers should also know that Skye Canyon's entry product, the $380,000s townhomes at Topaz and the $384,000 Century starting price, sits inside FHA and Nevada Home Is Possible territory, and our first-time buyer page walks through both.
What the payment table cannot show is what happens to the two prices over time. Summerlin's premium has been remarkably durable for three decades because the land is finite and the amenities are built; Howard Hughes has roughly 5,000 acres left of the original 22,500. Skye Canyon is closer to the end of its build-out than the beginning, with Century holding the remaining acreage, and the community's price floor will be set by what happens when the builders leave and resale is the only inventory. In our experience that transition usually firms prices, because the incentive competition ends, but it also ends the steady stream of brand-new comps that have kept 89166's sale-to-list ratio above 98%.
Who Should Choose Summerlin, and Who Should Choose Skye Canyon?
Choose Summerlin if you will use what the premium buys. Families who want the Palo Verde and Sig Rogich pipeline, buyers who will walk or bike the trail system every week, anyone whose job is on the Strip, in the medical district or at the airport, and buyers who want a Strip-view lot or a golf-course lot should pay for Summerlin. So should buyers who want the widest builder choice: with 10 new neighborhoods opened in 2025 and more than 115 floorplans selling, Summerlin gives you Toll, Lennar, Pulte, KB, Tri Pointe, Taylor Morrison, Richmond American, Woodside and SHAWOOD in one master plan. And buyers on a Skye Canyon budget who still want the Summerlin address should look hard at the 89134, 89144 and 89145 resale villages, where medians of $397,000 to $560,000 undercut Skye Canyon's community median.
Choose Skye Canyon if the budget is the constraint and the mountains are the draw. A buyer with $2,800 a month for principal and interest gets a 2,000-square-foot home built in the last two years in Skye Canyon, or a 1990s resale in Summerlin North; that is a real choice, and plenty of our clients take the new home. Outdoor households who will actually drive to Kyle Canyon, Lee Canyon or the Bristlecone trail on weekends get a 15-to-30-minute head start over Summerlin. Buyers who work in the northwest, at the Centennial Hills medical corridor or from home lose nothing on the commute. And buyers who want a brand-new home with a 5-star charter option should know Somerset Academy Skye Canyon rated 5 stars on the 2024-25 framework.
The one group I steer away from Skye Canyon is the short-hold buyer. If you expect to sell in two or three years, you will be competing against Century, Toll and LGI on nearly identical product, and the 98% sale-to-list ratio that helps you buy will work against you when you sell. Those buyers do better in a built-out Summerlin village or in the guard-gated communities where supply is fixed. Everyone else should tour both on the same day, drive the commute at 7:30 a.m., and let the Las Vegas map, not the brochure, decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Skye Canyon cheaper than Summerlin?
Yes, at every level of comparison. In the 12 months ending September 18, 2026, Skye Canyon closed 308 MLS homes at a $535,000 median and $263 per square foot, while Summerlin closed 1,936 at $630,000 and $319 per foot, according to Las Vegas MLS data pulled through Repliers on September 19, 2026. The gap widens in the new villages: Summerlin West's 89138 closed at $769,750 and the Kestrel and Redpoint parcels at $1,199,000, against $510,000 in Skye Canyon's 89166. Summerlin's older eastern villages in 89134 and 89145, however, closed below Skye Canyon's median.
Which builders are active in Skye Canyon and Summerlin in 2026?
According to Skye Canyon's builder page, the current Skye Canyon builders are Century Communities, Toll Brothers and LGI Homes, with Century starting at $384,000, Toll's Paloma Collection from $800,000 and LGI's Topaz townhomes from the $380,000s. Summerlin opened 10 neighborhoods in 2025 alone, according to Howard Hughes, from Toll Brothers, Lennar, Taylor Morrison, KB Home, Tri Pointe, Richmond American, Pulte and SHAWOOD, with more than 115 floorplans selling from the $400,000s to more than $1 million across Kestrel, Kestrel Commons, Redpoint Square, Grand Park, La Madre Peaks, Summerlin Centre and The Peaks.
Does Skye Canyon have a SID like Summerlin West?
It depends on the phase. Most Summerlin West new homes carry a Special Improvement District assessment; Lennar's Mockingbird page in Kestrel lists a $863.94 special assessment beside a $156 monthly HOA. Skye Canyon's early phases generally show no SID line, but later phases inside the City of Las Vegas used special improvement district financing, so some parcels carry an assessment. Under NRS Chapter 271 the balance is a lien billed semi-annually with the tax bill. Pull the parcel's Clark County Treasurer record before you write an offer in either community rather than relying on the listing remarks.
How long is the commute from Skye Canyon versus Summerlin?
Summerlin sits nine miles west of the Strip, according to Howard Hughes, with the Strip and airport each about 20 to 30 minutes via Summerlin Parkway and the 215 Beltway off-peak. Skye Canyon relies on US-95: the Strip runs approximately 25 to 35 minutes, according to the community's own page, the airport about 32 to 38 minutes in the morning peak, and Summerlin about 15 minutes. The practical difference is 10 to 15 minutes each way to most valley-floor destinations, and Summerlin has a second freeway when the first is congested.
Which schools are better, Summerlin West or Skye Canyon?
On the 2024-25 Nevada School Performance Framework, Summerlin West's Palo Verde High School and Sig Rogich Middle School both earned 5 stars, and the area's elementaries range from 4 to 5 stars. Skye Canyon's zoned schools rate 3 to 4 stars: Scherkenbach and Divich elementaries 4, Bilbray 3, Cadwallader Middle 4, Arbor View and Shadow Ridge high schools 4. The charter alternative, Somerset Academy Skye Canyon, earned 5 stars. Boundaries in both communities are being redrawn as new schools open, so verify the exact address with the Clark County School District before contract.
Which community is higher in elevation, Summerlin or Skye Canyon?
Summerlin West reaches higher. Howard Hughes describes Kestrel as perched above the valley at over 3,000 feet and puts Summerlin West's highest point at more than 4,550 feet above sea level, in the Peaks and La Madre Peaks parcels. Skye Canyon sits at 2,800 to 3,200 feet, according to the community's own comparison page, and runs 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the valley floor on summer afternoons. The mid-range lots in both communities are at similar elevations; the difference is that Summerlin West offers a genuinely higher, Strip-facing tier that Skye Canyon does not.
Is Skye Canyon or Summerlin a better investment?
Both closed at a 34-day median in the 12 months ending September 18, 2026, so neither is a liquidity problem. Summerlin's premium has held for three decades because the land is finite and the amenities are built, and its resale villages carry no builder competition. Skye Canyon offers a lower entry price and a 98.1% sale-to-list ratio in 89166, but a resale owner there competes with Century, Toll and LGI on similar product until build-out ends. For a hold under three years, a built-out Summerlin village is safer; for a five-year-plus hold, Skye Canyon's lower basis is a reasonable bet.
Can I get into Summerlin on a Skye Canyon budget?
Yes, if you accept an older home. Summerlin's eastern and northern ZIPs closed well below Skye Canyon's $535,000 median in the 12 months ending September 18, 2026: 89145 at $397,000, 89134 at $492,500 and 89144 at $560,000, mostly 1990s and 2000s resales. Sun City Summerlin closed 518 homes at $450,000, though it is age-restricted. You give up a new build, a warranty and the mountain-gateway location, and you gain the Summerlin school cluster, the trail system and the 215. Many of our clients make exactly that trade.
Ready to Tour Summerlin and Skye Canyon With Nevada Real Estate Group?
The right way to decide between these two master plans is to tour them on the same day, in the order you would live them. We start most comparison tours at 7:30 a.m. so you drive the US-95 commute from Skye Canyon Park Drive and the Summerlin Parkway commute from the 215 in real traffic, then walk the Skye Center and Downtown Summerlin an hour apart. By lunch, most buyers know which community fits, and the afternoon is spent on the specific villages and builders that fit the budget. Across the 9,600+ closings and $4.85 billion-plus in volume our 150-plus agents have represented over 16-plus years, that single-day tour has settled more Summerlin-versus-Skye-Canyon decisions than any spreadsheet.
Once you have a direction, we do the work that the brochure does not. For a new build in either community we pull the last six closings on the exact parcel from the Las Vegas MLS as of the day you tour, request the SID payoff statement and the association budgets under NRS 116 before you write, run the full monthly cost at the current Freddie Mac rate with the builder's incentive and without it, and compare the preferred lender's Loan Estimate against an outside quote line by line. For a resale in a built-out Summerlin village we pull the 90-day comps for that village, because a 1990s Trails home and a 2024 Kestrel home are different markets that happen to share a name.
If you are relocating, the moving to Las Vegas guide covers the tax, water and cost-of-living questions that come up on every call, and the Las Vegas homes for sale search lets you filter both communities by year built, price per foot and HOA before you fly in. When you are ready to see them in person, call Nevada Real Estate Group at (702) 637-1759, or stop by 8945 W Russell Rd, Suite 170, Las Vegas, NV 89148. Chris Nevada, LPT Realty, license S.181401.
Which Sources Inform This Summerlin vs Skye Canyon Guide?
- Las Vegas MLS data pulled through Repliers on September 19, 2026: closings from September 19, 2025 through September 18, 2026 and active listings as of September 18, 2026, grouped by recorded subdivision and ZIP. Counts are MLS closings only; builder-direct sales are excluded.
- Howard Hughes, Summerlin closes out 2025 with 10 new neighborhoods: 2025 neighborhood openings by builder and village, floorplan and village counts, golf course and school counts, Astra homesites.
- Howard Hughes, Summerlin regional overview: 22,500 acres, 5,000 acres remaining, 300-plus parks, 132,000 residents, Downtown Summerlin's 400 acres and 800,000-plus square feet of retail, nine miles west of the Strip.
- Summerlin village pages and Summerlin's Redpoint Square announcement: Kestrel's elevation over 3,000 feet and Summerlin West's 4,550-foot high point.
- Summerlin, new neighborhoods broaden home options: Kestrel, Kestrel Commons and Redpoint Square builder openings and starting prices.
- Skye Canyon builders page, Skye Canyon home page, Skye Canyon parks page and Skye Canyon vs Henderson communities: current builders, amenities, park acreage, elevation and commute statements.
- Century Communities, Skye Canyon: starting price, home types, 1,700-acre footprint and the schools serving the community.
- Toll Brothers at Skye Canyon and Toll Brothers Las Vegas communities: Paloma Collection, Glenrock, Cordillera and Ascension starting prices.
- Century Communities, Skye Canyon acquisition, September 16, 2020: the 400-plus-acre purchase, 2,500 remaining homes and the 15-acre park.
- LGI Homes, Topaz at Skye Canyon announcement, April 8, 2026: 49 townhome homesites priced from the $380,000s.
- Lennar, Mockingbird at Summerlin: starting price, sizes, approximate HOA and special assessment figures.
- Nevada Department of Education, 2024-25 Nevada School Performance Framework star ratings: star ratings for every school named above.
- Clark County Treasurer, District 200 tax rate, Clark County Assessor, real property and Clark County Treasurer, understanding SIDs: the $3.2782 rate, the 35% assessment ratio and how SID assessments are billed.
- Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 116: resale-package disclosure requirements for common-interest communities.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: 6.95% 30-year and 6.26% 15-year averages for the week of September 17, 2026.
- Bureau of Land Management, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and U.S. Forest Service, Spring Mountains National Recreation Area: visitor counts, the scenic drive and mountain-recreation context.
Prices, incentives, association dues, assessments and school boundaries change without notice. Confirm the current figures for the specific lot or home you are considering before making an offer.
