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

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

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

Lack of Inventory the Most Pressing Issue for Bend Oregon Real Estate 2021 has come to a close and the Bend housing market has broken records when it comes to volume, price and inventory levels. The huge influx of residents moving to Bend which started with the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic continued in 2021. Bidding wars, multiple offers, and a general lack of inventory drove prices higher than they have ever been. Builders have not been able to keep up with the demand and the supply shortage of building materials has impacted the pace by which new homes can be completed. When 2021 is compared with 2022, the sale of Bend single family homes on less than an acre show the following trends: Average sale price up 26.6% to $774,860* Median sales price up 27.7% to $645,000 New listings up 2.4% to ... 01/11/2022

Bend OR Real Estate Sales Still Strong November 2021Bend homes prices are still rising, despite the seasonal slowdown that is experienced in 4th quarter. Demand is strong, but there is a significant reduction in inventory as is typical in the fall, especially once the holiday season begins. The median home price of a Bend single family home has broken a new record and is now pushing $700,000. More purchases this fall have involved loans as compared with the 2021 summer when cash buyers usually won in a multiple offer scenario. With fewer multiple offers, more buyers with loans are having their offers accepted. If the price of the home works for their budget, first time homeowners are now seeing their offers accepted.When November of 2021 is compared with November of 2020, the following ... 12/10/2021

Bend Oregon Inventory Levels Down and Prices UpCentral Oregon is now in the fall season and typically during fall, Bend real estate sales drop. However, Bend single family home sales in October 2020 were anything but typical with sales breaking historic records. Speed forward to October 2021. While lack of inventory is still impacting prices, compared with the frantic fall sales of 2020, home sales in October 2021 seem more measured with offers often undergoing counter offers and negotiations on home repairs back with most transactions. This is a win for Bend homebuyers and for sellers, a strong sellers' market makes it a great time to list.When October 2021 is compared with October 2020 for Bend single family homes on less than an acre, the following changes can be seen: Average sales ... 11/08/2021

Are Bend Oregon Real Estate Sales Returning to Normal?Are we getting back to a normal, seasonal adjustment to Bend real estate sales? Typically Bend single family home sales drop off in the fall once children start back to school and regular fall activities resume.  Bend's usual homebuyer in the fall includes retirees, the second home buyer and investors.  However, Bend home sales fall of 2020 did not drop off with homebuyers snapping up available property at amazing levels through the end of October. Sales remained above normal even through the holidays.As we reported in an earlier blog this year, Bend home sales started shifting from the frantic buying seen over the past 12 months to a more normal level in July, 2021 and this trend has continued through September. Although well priced... 10/08/2021

Experts Predict a Changing Bend Real Estate Market It is a bit of a puzzle to figure out how the Bend Oregon real estate market will wrap up the year.  Experts are really struggling right now when it comes to forecasting where our market is headed in terms of home prices and interest rates.  As put by CNBC, "Fall is usually the start of the slower season for the housing market, but nothing is usual in today's pandemic-driven housing market." 2019 was an excellent real estate year across the country, but the 2020 market was truly unique when the pandemic initially tanked Bend real estate sales and then on the rebound, sales were escalated beyond what had ever been seen.  Work from home orders provided an opportunity for homeowners to rethink where they lived. This resulted in locations ... 10/06/2021

Bend Oregon Real Estate Trends MixedAs we move into Fall, Bend home sales typically slow as those who need to move prior to school starting have already purchased and the normal slight uptick we see in September and October with retirees and second home buyers has not yet begun. In 2021, August single family home sales on less than an acre for Bend reflected a mixed market with prices and new sales up, but closed sales and new homes for sale down. When August 2021 home sales are compared with August 2020, the following changes are seen: Average sales price up 18.7% to $776,735* Median sales price up 19.8% to $635,063 New listings up 5.8% to 273 Homes for sale down 56.1% to 276 Pending sales up 41.3% to 431 Sold homes down 23.7% to 232 Median days on market down 40% to 6 Months of supply... 09/09/2021

Buyers and Sellers Have Different IdeasAfter months of seeing record breaking prices where multiple offers, bidding wars, and buyer panic was the norm, we are finally seeing this historic balance between buyers and sellers start to reverse both nationally and in our Bend Real Estate market. The major reason for this… Buyers have simply had enough! Although those saying it’s a good time to sell reached another record high according to a recent Fannie Mae survey, home sellers saying it’s a good time to buy also reached an all-time low. We are certainly seeing this trend locally as well with an end to the recent “panic” buying and even a lot of “price improvements” as buyers are no longer willing to pay thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars over asking price.Souring buyer sentimen... 08/12/2021

Bend OR Real Estate Trends Starting to ShiftAsk most Central Oregon Brokers what happened with July 2021 real estate sales, and they will tell you that they saw a change to the market during the month. Although prices were up considerably over those from a year ago, compared with June, 2021, prices actually were down on average.  A good number of price reductions were seen on a daily basis and the pace and number of multiple offers on listings were dramatically down. Compared with a year ago, the trends we have seen over the past year remained consistent, but not at the extreme levels experienced during the Covid lockdowns. Some offers on properties are now experiencing counter offers and the days on market are lengthening.  It remains to be seen whether or not these trends will continu... 08/11/2021

Bend OR Luxury Home Sales Have Spiked in 2020 When we think of luxury homes in Bend, we have a vision of a grand property with stunning mountain or river views, lots of elbow room, and fabulous amenities. Easy location to access the Bend lifestyle, which includes proximity to downtown, the mountains, the river, and the Old Mill also checks a lot of homebuyer's luxury wish lists. Having an up-to-date architectural design and interior features are also important to many who are making Bend their home. Yet with so many people moving to Bend over the past year and with inventory supply not keeping up with demand, homes that are not considered luxury have pushed the million dollar market into never before seen figures. The chart below outlines the last ten years of million dollar home sales ... 07/28/2021

Bend's Market Starting to Show Positive Moves for Homebuyers To say Bend has been in a seller’s market for some time now would be an understatement. There has been so much demand in our local market that Bend single family home prices are up roughly 40% from a year ago. Much of this is spurred by this new “Zoom” generation where, thanks to the pandemic, people are realizing they don’t have to live and work in the metro areas. Instead, they can live where they want and work from home and meet with people with teleconferencing software like Zoom. However, amidst what has seemed like an impossible situation in Bend for home buyers who have missed out writing offers on numerous homes… and still not getting any offer accepted… there are a couple signs of hope. The supply of homes in Bend is ... 07/22/2021

Bend Real Estate Prices Escalated During Covid We typically look at Bend real estate trends based on comparisons each month - seeing what the data shows the same month a year previously.  This has resulted in some startling information, especially when trends over the past year are reviewed. The Covid pandemic impacted the Bend Real Estate market in ways we never anticipated when the initial stay at home orders were given. However, to get a full idea on what has happened to Bend home prices, it is often very helpful to look at a longer timeline.  Ten years ago Bend was just starting to turn around from the Great Recession in which poor lending practices led to the mortgage melt down. Real estate brokerages' businesses consisted of working with short sales and foreclosures. It was a ver... 07/16/2021

How High Can Bend Oregon Home Prices Go?The sales figures for June, 2021 have been published and Bend home prices continue to rise as demand is still outpacing supply. However, there appears to be a slight softening of the market as we enter July with extreme heat and the normal real estate trends connected with graduation and vacations coming back as the state moves out of Covid restrictions. Whether or not these trends continue have yet to be determined.Bend OR Real Estate Costs a Lot More Than It Used ToWhen comparing June 2020 Bend single family home sales on less than an acre to June 2021, the following changes can be seen: Average sales price up 40.3% to $842,157 Median sales price up 38.5% to $640,000 New listings up 19.1% to 299 Homes for sale down 75.9% to 181 Pending sales up ... 07/08/2021