Bend Oregon Passive Solar Homes

BEND OREGON PASSIVE SOLAR HOMES will become more and more popular as heating costs continue to rise.  There are many things to consider when building or buying a passive solar home.

Orientation to the sun, type of construction, solar mass, heating system, windows, style, heat recovery ventilation systems and landscaping are a few factors to consider.

My wife and I have lived in our passive solar home for less than a year as of this post but it is proving to be extremely efficient and very comfortable.  We installed a Trombe wall which is a large amount of solar mass inside the home sitting behind a windows that have high solar gain.

The temperature between the wall and the window reached 94 degrees this past December and the inside temperature reached 76 when we decided to open a few windows.  It's really nice to have fresh air coming into your home in the dead of winter!

For more information on our passive solar home click on the link in the first sentence.  Feel free to contact me with any questions about solar homes or Bend Oregon real estate in general.

Real Estate is Booming In Bend Oregon

Bend Oregon Real Estate is booming again.  Home prices are rising and the rental market is extremely tight.  Inventory of homes for sale is low and there is a shortage of affordable rentals.  A recent report by KTVZ, Bend's local TV station, was titled: C.O. rental crunch: The squeeze is on.

Property owners gain while others face hardships.  They reported the vacancy factor is around one half of one percent.  The working class is having a hard time finding affordable housing again.

Meanwhile the construction industry is back to full production.  Tracy Thompson owner of Tyee Development said construction costs, both labor and materials, are up 10 to 12 percent over last year.

Bank Foreclosures are almost none existent this year.  One reason for the lack of foreclosures is that prices are starting to catch up with owners property who were previously underwater.

To search the Central Oregon Multiple Listing Service click here.  Free MLS Real Estate Search.

Awbrey Glen Homes for Sale

 Awbrey Glen is an established neighborhood with a limited number of homes available.  Here's a link to Awbrey Glen Homes for Sale.  Retired buyers are always looking for single level homes with a triple car garage.  A client of mine is currently designing a single level home that will break ground in the spring of 2014.

Awbrey Glen is a gated golf course community located on the west side of Awbrey Butte and close to down town Bend Oregon.  Homes are built around an 18-hole championship Bunny Mason designed golf course. Be sure and check out the pro shop for sales on quality golf equipment and clothing.

The neighborhood features tennis courts, trout fishing lake, swimming pool and a nice resturant with good food.  The times I have eaten lunch there the service and food has been excellent.  During nice weather be sure and eat out side with a view of the golf course.

If you have interest in this home or any other Awbrey Glen homes contact Jim at Bend Oregon Real Estate Expert.  541-389-4511

Bend Oregon CRS

Jim Johnson is a Certified Residential Specialist and has been selling homes in Bend, Oregon since 1981.  Broker Referrals.  I am the owner and principal broker of Bend Oregon Real Estate Expert.  Whether you are a broker referring your clients to me, a buyer or seller, you will receive top professional service.

I raised my children here and now my grand children are enjoying the Bend schools and the great number of outdoor activities provided in Bend.  Feel free to contact me today about referrals or buying or selling a home in Bend.  Bend Oregon CRS

Northwest Crossing Is Booming

Northwest Crossing in Bend Oregon is a booming neighborhood.  A lottery for the NorthWest Crossing Phases 20 – 22 was in September with 42 of 52 lots available selected by 19 NWX Guild Builders that participated in the lottery. These are the last residential lots on the east side of Mt. Washington Drive. As a result, West Bend Property is currently seeking land use approval for a 175 lot tentative plan west of Mt. Washington Drive referred to as the Discovery Park area. Prior to any subdivision construction, major grading and compaction earthwork will be taking place.

Part of the new development is a 32 acre park which includes a 12 acre parcel that will be developed and will include a 3 acre pond.  The city of Bend Park and Recreation will eventually take over the park once it is developed.  This new neighborhood  will surely prove to be as attractive to buyers as the rest of Northwest Crossing has been.

West Bend Property LLC anticipates completing the earthwork and the first phase of residential lots (Phase 24) in spring/summer 2014. Phase 24 will include 53 lots varying in size from 4,500 square feet to over 9,000 square feet.

Stay tuned for more progress report for Northwest Crossing.

Bend Oregon Property Taxes Rise

Since the end of the great recession real estate taxes in Bend have started going back up.  Most people saw a drop in their property taxes along with the drop in value of their homes and other real estate.  Now that property values are going up so is the assessed value with the Deschutes county tax assessor.

It looks like property taxes on all real estate will be going up 3-5% this year.  Even though Oregon has an income tax and average property taxes as compared to the rest of the country, it does not have a sales tax.  When we take our winter vacation and go to Arizona in the winter we end up paying 7-10 percent sales tax on most everything we buy.

So paying a little more property tax each year is no big strain.  It just means the value of our homes is going up.  To learn more about the real estate market in Bend go to:  Bend Oregon Real Estate Expert

Bend Real Estate Market Leveling Off

The  real estate market in Bend Oregon is leveling off after an impressive come back from the great recession.  Price increases have finally started to slow down as well as multiple offers which were common last year and early in 2013.

I partly judge our market by the amount of activity I have on my web site.  By using Google Analytics I can see the number of "hits" I get on my real estate web site.  Earlier this summer I was getting over 200 hits a day.  40% of those hits were first time buyers.  Now I'm averaging around 100 hits a day and 36% are first time buyers.

Select neighborhoods like: Awbrey Butte, Awbrey Glen, Broken Top,  and Northwest Crossing continue to show strong buyer interest.  Granted our marketing efforts are higher in these neighborhoods than some others.  One of the areas that's starting to show increased sales and buyer interest is Tetherow.

Tetherow is an exclusive neighborhood on Century Drive on the way to Mount Bachelor and the high lakes of the Cascade mountains.  It features a gated quality golf course community, club house, restaurant and the owners have plans for a hotel and town homes.

Even though the market is leveling off there are plenty of opportunities for buyers to find the home of their dreams.  Interest rates are at very attractive levels which may not be seen for a long time coming.  Bend is highly desired place to live and will only continue to grow.

If you are looking for an experienced broker to help you find a home in Bend feel free to contact me.  I have raised my family here and have been selling quality homes since 1981.