Stop by RE/MAX Key Properties tonight during First Friday Art Walk.

It's the Grand Opening of our new office and we're excited to be downtown.  We'll be serving up wine, appetizers and fun!  Check out our fantastic new office in Downtown Bend, OR.

Friday, Dec. 3 @ 4:00pm

431 NW Franklin Ave. across from Connecting Point.

Hope to see you there!

RE/MAX returns to Bend, Oregon as RE/MAX Key Properties.  You may notice some logo and company name changes across my blog today and in the upcoming week.  Taft Dire is now RE/MAX Key Properties..we're the same great firm with outstanding service, quality results - now with new tools to serve you better.  Here's a copy of our press release that just went out.

RE/MAX Returns to Bend, Oregon

Knowledge, Experience, Full-Service Showcased at Locally-Owned Franchise

(Bend, OR - November 30, 2010) – The RE/MAX Pacific Northwest Region is proud to announce the opening of RE/MAX Key Properties in Bend, Oregon. Recruited by the RE/MAX Network to bring RE/MAX back to Bend after an office closure in 2008, new Broker/Owners Bill Duffey and Pat Huber will open for business on December 1st. Duffey and Huber most recently operated Taft Dire Real Estate Resources, a respected and successful local boutique office.

Duffey says joining with RE/MAX matches perfectly with their company’s strategy. “We’ve seen some big changes in the Central Oregon real estate market, but we see growth for our business and community,” says Duffey. “Just like us, people enjoy Central Oregon and want to live here. They want to own property and there are so many great opportunities that exist in today's market, especially for first time homebuyers and investors. It’s simple - RE/MAX helps us, our agents and our clients be successful in meeting our goals.”

Independently owned and operated, RE/MAX Key Properties will service Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Sunriver and other areas of Deschutes and Crook Counties. The office will specialize in residential real estate, new construction, distressed property and the luxury home market.

In addition to Duffey and Huber, who is a licensed CPA and broker, RE/MAX Key Properties has three staff members and more than twenty agents. To serve both the office and the customer, RE/MAX Key Properties features diversified in-house support services including communications, marketing, financial and business management.

The RE/MAX Key Properties office is located at 431 NW Franklin Avenue in downtown Bend. For more information, go to remax.com or contact Colleen McNally, Marketing/Broker at (541) 728-0033 or cmcnally@remax.net .

###

About RE/MAX Key Properties: Independently owned and operated, RE/MAX Key Properties is a full service real estate marketing and sales company located in Bend, Oregon. Originally formed in 2007 as Taft Dire LLC and converting to a RE/MAX franchise office, RE/MAX Key Properties opens on December 1, 2010.

RE/MAX Key Properties offers brokerage services to agents and consumers as well as specialty services to residential builders and developers including business and financial analysis/strategy, communications, marketing, and customer service/sales representation.

Partners Bill Duffey and Patricia Huber currently lead a staff of three and more than twenty agents. Active in the Central Oregon community, the firm has supported such organizations as Bend Habitat for Humanity, Central Oregon Builders Association, Family Access Network and area schools.

About the RE/MAX Network: RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger. From a single office in Denver, Colorado, it has grown into a global network of over 90,000 Sales Associates in more than 80 countries, an international presence greater than any of its competitors. Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX.

RE/MAX has been recognized as the leading real estate franchise in the “2009 Franchise Times Top 200,” and has also been honored as the top real estate franchise for nine of the last 11 years in “The Franchise 500 Survey,” published by Entrepreneur magazine.

Today, all U.S. home listings in thousands of cities and towns can be found at www.remax.com , the most visited real estate franchise web site. (Compete.com, Hitwise, ComScore for 6-month period through July 2010) RE/MAX is proud of its Premier Community Citizenship, which has raised over $100 million for deserving organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, Children’s Miracle Network and The Sentinels of Freedom Foundation.

Things to do in Bend Oregon: 2010 Veterans Day Parade in Downtown Bend.

Bundle up the family and head downtown for Bend's annual Veterans Day Parade.

When: Thursday, November 11, 2010

Where: Downtown Bend, Oregon

Time: 11:00 am

Veterans Day began in 1919 following the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Veterans Day or Armistice Day on November, 11, 1919, as a day for America to "reflect on the heroism of those who died for or country's service". In 1954, Armistice Day was expanded from a remembrance of World War I Veterans to a day for which to recognize and celebrate ALL Veterans who have bravely served our country.

Hope to see you downtown this Thursday to showing your support and thanks for our local Veterans.

Yes it is possible to get Free Money to help purchase a home in Bend. It's called the Neighborhood Stabilization (NSP). Home buyers in Bend can receive up to 20% of the purchase price or $35,000, which ever is less for down payment assistance, mortgage reduction, closing costs and/or pre-paid items in order to make the home more affordable for the buyer. The following point give an overview of some of the requirements and benefits of the program.

Type of Loan: Second Mortgage

Rate: 0%

Repayment: There is no prepayment penalty. The loan must be repaid when the home owner refinances or sells the home.

Eligible Properties: Single family homes, condominiums, townhomes, and FHA approved manufactured homes. which have been foreclosed upon (bank owned properties). The home must be your primary residence. This program is not available for investment properties / second homes.

Education: Prior to closing the borrower must receive and complete at least 8 hours of home buyer counseling from a US Housing and Urban Development approved agency. Contact us for more information on approved classes.

Income: There are income requirements for the Neighborhood Stabilization program. The household income can not exceed 120% of the HUD median income adjusted for size of family and location. For example the maximum income for a 2 person household is $60,720 and the maximum income for a 4 person family is $75,840.

This is a summary of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program in Bend Oregon, this program is also available in Redmond. For complete details contact Kryste Adams with Taft Dire to determine if you and the homes you are looking for are eligible to participate in this Government funded program to make homes more affordable.

Happy House Hunting!

Home Prices in Bend are Up in August - Here's hoping it's a trend!

The Bend Bulletin posted the following article this morning, "Home prices in Bend, Redmond rebound:

The median sales price of a single-family home in Bend bounced back up last month to $190,000 after diving to $175,000 in August, according to a report Tuesday from Bratton Appraisal Group of Bend.

While September's median was 8.6 percent higher than August, it was still 4.5 percent below September 2009, when the price was $199,000.

Redmond's median sales price also rebounded in September, rising 19.6 percent from August to $122,000. But that was down 21.3 percent from the September 2009 median of $155,000.

Bend's peak sales price was $396,000 in May 2007. Redmond's was $289,000 in November 2006.

Bratton's numbers do not include condominiums, townhomes, manufactured homes and acreage.

In Bend, the median sales price per square foot — considered in the industry to be a better measure of value — was $108 in September, up from $99 in August, but down from $113 in September 2009. In Redmond, the median sales price per square foot rose to $76 from $70 in August, but was down from $86 a year ago.

I personally have seen an increase in activity from both buyers and sellers.  In addition to these numbers, there are currently 95 bank owned homes listed for sale in Bend.  With the nationwide halt to foreclosures by several national lenders we may see a decrease in bank owned homes hitting the market in Bend. Not all lenders are halting foreclosures so the constant stream of bank owned homes hitting the market in Bend may be here to stay.  Since Sunday 10 foreclosures have come on the market.  Either way, it's a good time to buy a home in Bend!