Thursday, March 22, 2007

Bend is Still Growing

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Deschutes County is the 60th fastest growing county in the United States. That goes to show what a great place this is to live. The Bend Bulletin recently reported that Deschutes County building permits were down over 50% from this time last year. This all points to the fact that now is the time to buy real estate in Bend.

More and more houses are coming on the market this spring. So there are going to be some good buys this summer. I'm betting that the market will bottom out this year and head back up next spring. Now is the time to pick up a good buy in this Buyer's Market

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Bend Oregon Real Estate: Real Estate Statistics - Reading Between the Lines

Bend Oregon Real Estate: Real Estate Statistics - Reading Between the Lines

Bend Oregon-A Great Place to Live

People keep moving to Bend because it's a great place to live. I went fishing at Lake Billy Chinook Sunday. It was over 60 degrees and beautiful. We saw one Golden Eagle and several Bald Eagles. The fish weren't bitting but it was a great day to be out.

Last month I had a nice retired couple from Colorado here looking at moving here. They are fly fisherman and I'm betting they will be living here next year. Yesterday I met a man from California and it looks like he will be moving here with his wife and 3 children.

Bend has so many different things to offer people will always want to move here. Here is a little virtual tour of Bend I put together. Enjoy!
Link to Bend Virtual Tour http://www.distinctivehometours.com/tour.asp?tour=BendOregon

Friday, March 2, 2007

Real Estate Statistics - Reading Between the Lines

The government statistics that came out yesterday prove one thing. Bend is one of the top real estate markets in the country. A closer look at the statistics shows a little different story. These statistics did include home refinances. My analysis showed that the median priced home that sold was up 19.8%, still an unbelievable number. That is calculated on a price per square foot basis.

I broke down the 4th quarter sales of 2005 vs. 2006 even further and found:
- 1% Homes over 3,000 square feet
+4.3% Homes under 1,350 square feet
+7.6% All New Homes sold

One thing that the government report also showed was that 21 of the 26 California markets had negative home appreciation. The California market is a leading indicator to the Bend real estate market. So you can look for our market to go down this year. I do think this summer will be the bottom but no one really knows.

The statistics don't show the "perks" that new home builders are giving with their new homes. Granite counter tops, hardwood floors, appliances and back yard landscaping are just a few. Some are giving away $25,000 cars or making your payments for six months. There are also many more finished new homes on the market now than there has been in the last few years.

Interest rates are low and I see this as a good time to be shopping around and finding a bargain!

Here's a link to a Virtual Tour of Bend:

http://www.distinctivehometours.com/tour.asp?tour=BendOregon

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Bend Oregon Home Prices Increase

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) reported today that prices incresased in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Significant HPI Findings:

Highest and Lowest Appreciation:

1. The states with the greatest rates of appreciation between the fourth quarter of 2005 and the fourth quarter of 2006 were: Utah (17.6%), Wyoming (14.3%), Idaho (14.0%), Washington (13.7%), and Oregon (13.5%). The states with the lowest rates of appreciation for the same period were: Michigan (-0.4%), Massachusetts (0.5%), Ohio (1.0%), Indiana (2.3%), and Minnesota (2.5%).
2. The Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with the greatest rates of appreciation between the fourth quarter of 2005 and the fourth quarter of 2006 were: Bend, Oregon (21.4 %), Wenatchee, Washington (20.9%), and Provo-Orem, Utah (19.9%). The MSAs with the lowest rates of appreciation for the same period were: Kokomo, Indiana (-5.3%), Santa Barbara-Santa Maria- Goleta, California (-4.2%), and Jackson, Michigan (-3.9%).
3. Of the 282 cities on OFHEO’s list of “ranked” MSAs, 256 had positive four-quarter appreciation, 25 had price declines, and prices were unchanged in one city.

Prices are now leveling off and there are some good buys in today's market.
www.bendoregonrealestateexpert.com