The Number of Bend Homes for Sale is DownWe have been tracking Bend single family home sales for many years, looking at the trends, how home prices rise or fall, what the changes are in price per square foot, median and average sales price, months of inventory and days on market.  We have consistently compared one month to the same month the year previously in order to follow  the long term changes instead of potential anomalies that can occur over a short time period. We have watched and recorded that happened to the Bend home market when the market crashed with the housing recession. And we have watched and recorded the latest changes that happened when the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders made Americans realize that home meant a whole lot more than it had in the p... 09/09/2022

Great Central Oregon Hike in the Mt. Jefferson WildernessHiking to Three Fingered Jack via Jack Lake and Canyon Meadow Loop is an annual event for us. Located in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, access to the trailhead is outside of Camp Sherman off Hwy 20 via several paved and dirt roads. But once hikers arrive at the trailhead, the path is obvious.  The trail starts next to Jack Lake, which reflects the burned trees of the 2003 B&B Complex Fire, but also the new growth that has come back since. It is evident that the new Wilderness Permits are required to take this hike. The trail opens at Canyon Meadow, which survived the 2003 fire unscathed. Canyon Creek runs through the meadow and during the summer, the blooming wildflowers, the sound of the creek and the beauty of towering Three Fing... 08/16/2022

The hardest tickets to get in Bend are not to the great acts at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater,  but rather the trail pass required to hike the Green Lakes trail. These tickets literally sell out in 60 seconds once posted on the Forest Service website. The trail largely runs alongside Fall Creek, which you will cross three times. And there is simply no shortage of beautiful waterfalls, wildlife, wildflowers, and amazing views along the way. This trail is considered moderate due to it’s length of 9.1 miles round trip and 1200 feet elevation gain, but it is pretty gradual almost the entire way and a very enjoyable adventure.  For the adventurous, taking the path past the last lake deeper into the Three Sisters Wilderness will result in views few experience, including the Northeastern flank... 08/09/2022

Bend Oregon Real Estate Sales Trends in Transition.As we have been writing for several months now, the Bend Oregon real estate market is definitely changing. Mortgage interest rates have risen impacting the buying power of would-be homeowners, especially first time home buyers. The buying frenzy experienced in 2021 is gone and the inventory levels of available homes are growing. The days on market of active listings are rising, but so are home prices when compared with the year before. However, the trend lines over the past few months are showing a softening in the market with over 254 price reductions in the past week for all Central Oregon listings. When the market softens, those properties priced well as perceived by buyers are those that sell first.  While the market is changing, ho... 08/08/2022

We climbed Four in One Cone for the first time in the middle of October, 2021. A moderate in and out hike with just over 1400 feet of elevation gain in 9 miles from the Scott Trailhead in the Three Sisters Wilderness, we looked forward to revisiting the area during the summer.  The early spring snow we had in 2022 delayed access to the higher reaches of the Cascades with patches of snow evident above 6200 feet. But the trip up to the cones was fairly straight forward with little snow along the trail. Mosquitos were the worst thing we had to deal with - along with over 30 fallen trees to get around or over. But once we reached the lava flows, the mosquitos mostly disappeared and our hike to the top of the cones was great. The views of North and Middle Sister, along with Mt. Washington, T... 07/25/2022

We have hiked Black Crater yearly since 2020 and although not the longest hike, it is challenging. The full hike is 7.5 miles up and back, but each hiker gains 2322 feet in the 3.75 miles up. And hiking through the burned forest from the 2017 Millie Fire can be hot and dusty during summer months.  On July 15, 2022 sufficient snow had melted from the higher elevations to allow hikers to avoid slippery snow patches and reach the summit. When we arrived, we were alone at the top until we began our trip down. The Cascade views from the summit of Black Crater were fabulous from Broken Top to Mt. Hood. And the cold wind we have felt in earlier visits was not blowing, keeping us comfortable and able to fully enjoy the views.It is interesting to see how certain plants have begun to reclaim the ... 07/18/2022

We try to hike the Cone Mountain Loop including Iron Mountain on a yearly basis, timing our hike to summer when the wildflowers are blooming. Located in the Willamette National Forest 20 miles east of Sweet Home on Hwy 20, this hike can be done multiple ways, but we opt for the longest route, parking at the Tombstone Summit parking lot (be sure to bring your National Forest Pass) and walking through the nearby nature trail and across the highway to the Cone Peak Trail. This trail switchbacks up the hillside in beautiful forest over several miles before it opens at the meadow at the base of Cone Peak which is filled with wildflowers (experts say there are over 300 varieties of blooming plants in the area). Continuing along the trail, hikers eventually leave the meadow and hike down the s... 07/12/2022

The Market is Changing for Bend Real Estate Sales For many Brokers, the past two years of real estate sales in the Central Oregon area have felt like warp speed.  The buyer frenzy in attempting to find a home that worked, writing as strong an offer as possible only to find out that the offer was one of many and the seller choose another, and then starting over again at another home to have that offer rejected as well.  Some of our brokers wrote as many as 10 offers for the same buyer before something was finally accepted or the buyer became so discouraged they stopped searching. From the seller side, putting a home on the market and then having 10 offers over the weekend which bid the price up to figures never seen before, sorting through them and finding the best offer that worked for... 07/06/2022

Cascade Hikes Open Up as Late Spring Snow MeltsThe late spring snow experienced in Central Oregon in 2022 resulted in a delayed opening of the trails in the higher elevations of the national forests and wilderness areas.  But in early July, warmer temperatures have melted some of the snow and enabled hikers to access some of the lower trails. Last Saturday we hiked from Santiam Summit to Square and Round Lakes, a hike we had never done before in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness.  During this moderate 10.51 mile in and out hike we experienced 1056 feet of elevation gain - mostly easy downs to the lakes and ups out of the lake basins. The beargrass was blooming and among the most beautiful we have ever seen.  The results of the 2003 90,000 acre B & B Complex fire were evident, but the bloomin... 07/04/2022

Now there's a "Sink in the pink!"  What say you? Remodel it or restore it? Please comment and let me know if I have found the "pinkest" bath you have ever seen! 06/17/2022

For those who don't know, Bend Oregon was incorporated in 1904 as a logging town.  Located at the Bend of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon, it's main employer for many years was the Brooks - Scanlon Lumber Company which had its mill on the river. Workers at the mill built small homes in the nearby neighborhoods, taking left over lumber home with them and building their homes piecemeal. Many of these homes (called the mill cottages) remain today and if remodeled, can command a very expensive price due to their proximity to downtown Bend. In the 1990's, the federal government shut down logging on federal land in Oregon. Most of the forests in Oregon are federally owned and managed by the forest service.  Many will attribute the expansive wildfires we have had over the past few years ... 06/17/2022

Bend Home Prices Up, But at Slower Rate Ask any Bend Premier Real Estate broker what the Bend home market is like late spring 2022 and they will tell you it "feels different" than it has been over the past two years.  The frenzied buying scenarios and multiple offers that were experienced on many listings in 2021 are fewer, days on market on many properties are up, and price reductions on homes that are not in contract within a few days are becoming more regular. While well priced homes in desirable locations are still receiving strong offers, and while bidding wars are occurring, we are not having the numbers of offers in these wars that we had in 2021. As interest rates grow, the buying power of potential homeowners shrinks. Cash offers are still prevalent and often will win over fin... 06/06/2022

How to Rock a Family Opportunity Loan   Looking to purchase or refinance a home for your elderly parents who wouldn't otherwise be able to obtain a mortgage on their own? Looking to assist a disabled or special needs adult child with housing or his/her own? Or how about putting a college-bound child into off-campus housing that you decide to purchase? All of these are both common scenarios and often difficult ones as viewed by the inflexible guidelines in the mortgage industry.  Until now... The Family Opportunity Mortgage can be a great way to thread the needle of otherwise detrimental occupancy requirements for primary homes, second or vacation homes and investment/rental homes.  And if used in the right situation, the Family Opportunity loan will often permit you to obtain lower rate... 05/05/2022

Are Bend Home Sales at a Crossroads?We have been blogging monthly about Bend real estate trends for many years. Often the data repeats itself month after month and it can feel a bit repetitious. However, since the beginning of 2022, we have noted changes with Bend home sales trends. There may be many things that are contributing to these changes - i.e. inflation, rising mortgage interest rates, the end of the Covid pandemic mask mandates and stay at home orders, the war in Ukraine, and the start of the mid-year election season to name a few. It remains to be seen whether or not these changes will continue as we move into the Bend's peak selling season which runs from mid spring into early fall.When April 2022 Bend single family home sales on less than an acre are compared with those fro... 05/04/2022

The Key to a Great RemodelWhat's the NUMBER ONE thing that will assist you with getting the dream kitchen you've always wanted?It's a simple four-letter word. … PLAN!Nothing will be more important for you or your remodeling contractor than to know what it is that you need. At the point when you go into a remodel of any sort, you'll have to know what you need for a final product.In this way, in the event that you want (or truly need) a kitchen remodel, November is an extraordinary time to begin!Here's the reason:     November starts the large occasion baking and cooking schedule.     November sunlight is more limited, so you're inside your home more.     November brings more indoor parties for loved ones.     ...thus, you will see everything you wish was different in your kitchen! We sho... 04/25/2022

Bend Real Estate Sales Up Despite Rising Interest RatesMortgage interest rates for a 30 year conventional loan with 20% down have exceeded 5% for the first time in over a decade.  Despite the decreased buying power this creates for many, especially first time homebuyers, the March 2022 pending sales of Bend single family homes on less than an acre are up an amazing 108% over the year before. Bend home prices are also up with the median sales price now at $775,000. Bend has become a town of the affluent and while affordability has been an issue for many years, it is now a level never before seen.When March 2022 is compared with March 2021, the figures for Bend single family home sales on less than an acre are as follows: Average sales price up 12.7% to $867,475* Median sales price up 31.... 04/09/2022

Bend OR Luxury Real Estate Sales Breaking RecordsIt is hard to believe, but ten years ago million dollar sales in Bend were rare and uncommon. Out of 1679 sales during the preceding 12 months that included February, 2012, only 9 were for more than one million dollars for Bend single family homes on less than an acre. This figure was .5% of total salesThe Bend real estate market has really changed! Out of the 2490 homes that sold during the preceding 12 months that included February, 2022, 433 closed for over $1,000,000, roughly 17% of total sales.  And while many of these sales would be considered "luxury homes," some are properties that just a few years ago were normal middle-class homes; due to extreme demand with little inventory these properties have seen their value increase into t... 03/15/2022

In an incredibly competitive Portland, Oregon real estate market, what can set your listings apart? The answer is professional, appealing real estate photography. It may sound simple, but the importance of a professional-quality photograph reflecting the beauty and benefits of the home can not be overstated. Potential buyers are attracted to the best-quality photos, so if you want to maximize your sales, professional photography is an essential factor to consider.The Portland Real Estate Market is Competitive The Portland real estate market remains hot, even amid the pandemic. The current demand exceeds the supply, causing an increase in competition and price. The market may be a seller’s market, but buyers are also trying to sift through available listings and focus on the best ones in... 03/14/2022

How High Can Bend Oregon Home Prices Go?It seems that every month we are breaking records with Bend single family home sales. Since coming out of the great recession, Bend has experienced high demand for available housing leading to an increase in home prices. But since the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting "stay at home orders" and recognition that working from home can be a viable option for many Americans, the increase in the number of people wanting to move to Bend has risen beyond that ever seen before. The lack of property for sale has resulted in tremendous price increases, with the median price of a Bend single family home on less than an acre up 67% above what it was in February 2020 when the pandemic began. While builders have tried to keep up with the demand, the price incr... 03/09/2022

Inventory Levels the Biggest Challenge for Bend Home SalesJanuary 2022 began the New Year with the same Bend housing market trends we experienced in 2021 - little inventory with a lot of demand. Bend Premier Real Estate Brokers are working with many buyers who are often discouraged when the available homes are sold before they can offer or end up in bidding wars. But with persistence, many of these buyers do successfully close on their Bend home and enjoy the many benefits of homeownership. Now may be among the very best times to be a Bend home seller. Prices are up, pending sales are up, inventory levels are down, and buyers are paying top dollar for Bend single family homes. Prices reached an all time high in 2021, but they are starting even higher in 2022. We expect Bend homes to con... 02/09/2022