Foreclosure Search in Central Oregon

Our MLS has recently added a "bank owned" category to its system.  What does this mean for my clients?  It means that it is now easier to search for foreclosures in Central Oregon!  Buyers can now sign up on my Bend Foreclosure page to receive foreclosure listings in their e-mail.  After sign up they'll receive all of the listings matching their criteria and price range, plus  get new listings e-mailed to them as they come on the market.

In the past, brokers in Central Oregon couldn't find foreclosures in one place.  We had to search through owner names and marketing remarks to find them.  It was nearly impossible to find them all.  Now we can pull up all of the foreclosures with a click of the mouse. …

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Bend's Cascade Lakes Highway

A Scenic Drive

Last weekend I took an afternoon drive to Elk Lake off of the Cascade Lakes Highway.  I recommend this drive to anyone visiting the Bend Oregon area in the summer months.  The road is closed at Mt. Bachelor in the winter months.

The highway lakes offer fishing, boating, water skiing, and swimming.  There are many lakes between Mt. bachelor and HWY 58 at the end of the Cascade Lakes HWY.    Todd lake is the first.  It's a small mountain lake a short hike from the parking area.  Other small lakes include Sparks Lake, Devils Lake, Lava Lake, and Hosmer Lake.  The bigger lakes include Elk Lake, Cultus Lake, Crane Prairie Reservoir and Wickiup Reservoir. 

Here are a few photos that I took from our drive.

Mt…

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Bend Real Estate Market Update

More Sales & Higher Median Price for May

According to the Bratton Report, (a Central Oregon real estate market report published by Bratton Appraisal), home sales numbers were up in Bend for the month of May.  The report shows that 102 homes sold in Bend in May, compared to 91 sales in April.  The number of sales should continue to rise through summer, our busiest "buying season".

Along with the rise in sales, the median home price rose in Bend as well.  The median home price jumped from $270,000 in April to $303,000 in May.  In my opinion the median home sales price is up in Bend due to people relocating to the area and buying higher priced homes.  The report shows that 56% of the homes sold were still in the…

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Bachelor fires 4 executives

On Tuesday May 20th, Mt. Bachelor fired the new GM and 3 other high ranking executives.  Powder Corp, the company that owns Mt. Bachelor, fired the 4 employees to "re-energize" the company.  The mountain has recently taken some heat for mechanical and customer service issues.  They're hoping that hiring new staff will allow them to rejuvenate the customers experience and satisfaction.

Mt. Bachelor had a great year for snow in 07-08

Mt. Bachelors website claims that the mountain received 566 inches of total annual snowfall. 

What does this mean for the Real Estate Market

The resort brings in people from all over the country to ski/snowboard.  These tourists usually stay in Bend or Sunriver.  Our economy relies on tourism,…

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Portland is the king of "green building", but we're not far behind them in Bend. 

Going green is becoming more and more popular among home buyers in the Northwest.  Portland is home to more accredited LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects than most (if not all) other cities in the United States.  Here in Bend, Green building is a fast growing trend as well.

What is green building?

Green building is described as a building practice that uses healthier building practices that are more resource-efficient.  The main features of a green home are:

• Energy Efficiency-  Using Energy Star Appliances and Windows, Insulating properly, and using efficient heating and cooling methods
• Environmentally Healthy Products- Using recycled…

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Is Bend the new Boulder?

In an article in USA Today on 5/22/08, Bend was named "the new Boulder".  The article talks about Bend's recreational opportunities like skiing, mountain biking, hiking, rafting, kayaking, fly fishing, and golf.  All of these activities can be done within a short drive from Bend. The article compares Bend's outdoor activities to that of Boulder. 

The article also states that Bend's vacation home owners are starting to move to Bend full-time.  It goes on to talk about the mild weather and natural beauty of bend.  Journalist Tim Neville describes Bend as "all the fun associated with the Pacific Northwest, but without the rain".

Broken Top, Northwest Crossing, and Pronghorn subdivisions are all featured in the Bend real estate…

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What's Going on in the Bend real estate Market?

Homes are selling in Bend? 

Of course they are.  There is always going to be a need for housing in Central Oregon.  People love it here and are relocating to the area frequently.  The real estate market is still slow going, but we're starting to see it pick up.    Our real estate market depends on "Supply and Demand".   As our inventory goes down, the market will start to settle.   If our inventory keeps rising, prices are likely to remain at current levels and may drop more.

Is now the right time for you to buy Bend Oregon real estate? If I only had a magical crystal ball! 

It could be the right time, as long as you're not looking to "flip" a property and make a quick buck.   Each home buyer is in a…

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The HWY 97 Re-route Project in Redmond is Nearing Completion

  ODOT, (Oregon Department of Transportation) is finishing up the final touches on the HWY 97 re-route project in Redmond. The re-route project should free up Redmond traffic tremendously. The project includes a parkway similar to Bend’s parkway. Drivers will now have the option to bypass downtown Redmond.

The project is scheduled to be completed this weekend. If weather allows, the northbound lanes will open of for a trial by pedestrians and cyclists on Sat. from 10 am to 2 pm. The lanes will then open to automobile traffic on Monday. The southbound lanes are slated to open on May 12th.   This bypass will be great for Downtown Redmond. Through traffic will avoid the downtown area,… Read Full Post