Bend Oregon Real Estate Investments

Bend Oregon has seen some of the fastest growth in the nation in the last few years. The real estate market has cooled down some now but there are still some opportunities out there for the smart investor. The days of buying a house, condo or land and then "flipping" it are over.

In my mind the good investments are going to be centered around the City of Bend's new Juniper Ridge development in North Bend. They are planning on a mixed use zoning and have already annexed 500 acres into the city limits. Most of this first phase will be light industrial (IL) zoning and research and Development. But the second phase will have a new four year college campus, some commercial and residential.

This land is all owned by the city of Bend but there are several hundred acres of private property around the development that are for sale now or will be on the market shortly. These are the properties that a smart investor can make some money on.

Most of this land is currently zoned for low density use. However, the city is in the process of rezoning most of this property and bringing it into the city limits. A new sewer main is proposed to border the south end of Juniper Ridge and run east to the sewer plant.

The city is supposed to make their proposed changes public on March 26, 2007. This is two years later than what was supposed to happen. So this date is not etched in stone. However, it should be made public soon.

The smart investor could be buying some of the surrounding property now and possibly doubling their money in a couple of years.

Now is the Time to Buy

There are a lot of good buys on the market today! River front properties, new homes and used homes that people have to sell. Some sellers won't negotiate much but some will. Time to start writing offers.

Bend Home Prices are Falling

Prices of Bend area homes have actually been falling for the past several months. It's just taken the "median priced" statistic method a while to start showing it. There are several factors that have falsely shown prices to remain high. One is that new homes are larger square footages. Another is that there have been fewer less expensive homes (glut) selling. So that shows a higher median priced home. Prices will continue to fall this spring so it's a good time to be shopping around for a good buy. Here's a great buy on Bend's Westside on 2.5 acres.

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

Bend Oregon Real Estate

Investments near Juniper Ridge

The City of Bend is supposed to come forth with their proposed move of the Urban Growth Boundry (UGB) and the city limits on March 26, 2007. At the same time they will be proposing zone changes for the new properties along with their Juniper Ridge project.

I have several properties listed now that should be brought into the city with the zoning change. Most of these properties are listed around $250,000 an acre. One property abuts the new Juniper Ridge project. The proposed sewer main is to be installed within 660 ft. of this property. Looks like a great investment to me!

There are some great investment opportunities for the astute invester or developer. This would be a geat place to put some 1031 money for 1-3 years.

Prices still rising!

I did a market analysis yesterday. I compared the median sales prices for January 2007 vs. January 2006. Prices per square foot were up just under 10%. It looks like there are going to be a good number of homes coming on the market this spring. Looks like a good time to buy.