Are Lower Mortgage Interest Rates Spurring Bend Real Estate Sales? Mortgage interest rates have come down to their lowest rate in a year with the 30 year mortgage now at 6.35%. This has made a difference in both the buying and selling side of Bend home sales with buyers now being able to afford more than they could just a few months ago and sellers, who have been sitting on the fence on whether or not they wanted to give up their great mortgage rate for a new, higher one on a different home, feeling comfortable enough to at last list their home.  We are seeing more listings at lower median and average listing prices and more pending sales in August as a result. When August 2024 is compared with August 2023 for Bend single family home sales on less than an acre, the following changes ca... 09/09/2024

If you are one of the people who love to climb mountains, you are probably familiar with the climber's trail which provides the established way to summit North Sister in the Oregon Cascades. For those not that ambitious but who love a long day hike, taking the trail part way will enable hikers to have amazing Cascades views plus close up access to Hayden Glacier on Middle Sister. The route to Hayden Glacier starts at the Pole Creek Trailhead. This is the same trail that is taken to reach Camp Lake which provides for wonderful access to the north facing slopes of South Sister. The first 3.5 miles is through the burned forest of the 2012 Pole Creek fire, but after leaving burned woods, the trail enters healthy forest and the trek is shaded. Before hikers reach the North Fork of Whychus C... 09/06/2024

Golden Lake is Not an Easy HikeFor Central Oregon residents and visitors looking for a great day hike, there are a good number of options available. For many, a hike of 2 to 4 miles to an amazing destination followed by the same distance back can create a full day with time to relax and enjoy both the original destination and the time back home. However, for those wishing to see more in the Cascade forests besides what is seen in a day hike, many will backpack and spend more time enjoying the destination before venturing further or coming back. Golden Lake is one of those rarely seen destinations. It can be accessed through multiple approaches. These include the popular Green Lakes Trail in which hikers walk past the northern most Green Lake and travel above the valley to the pass betwe... 08/22/2024

Black Crater Trailhead is Located off McKenzie Hwy 242 For those wanting a relatively short hike which provides for a lot of elevation gain, Black Crater is one of the best. Located off McKenzie Hwy 242, the hike is limited to the summer season when McKenzie Hwy opens each year. Unfortunately, the 2017 Milli fire burned a lot of the forest on McKenzie Hwy, and the lower slopes of Black Crater were impacted. In the seven years since the Milli fire, manzanita, certain grasses, some wildflowers, and young trees have begun to grow in the dead landscape, but it will take decades until the cinder cone is entirely forested again. The one advantage of the burned forest is the views toward Mt. Washington are far more visible in the lower elevations than they would have been eight years ago. Rou... 08/15/2024

Camp Lake is at the Base of South Sister Although many will hike to Green Lakes and enjoy the experience of the lakes in the valley between South Sister and Broken Top, relatively few hike to Camp Lake and see South Sister so close from the north. The hike to Camp Lake (Pole Creek trailhead just outside of Sisters) takes you through several miles of burned forest before hikers enter living forest, so it can be hot and dusty in the summer. However, once hikers reach unburned trees, the hike becomes more pleasant. In recent years, the fallen trees of the burned forest have been cleared from the path, so scrambling over, under and around fallen logs was not an issue in 2024.  On August 3, 2024, the air in Central Oregon was better than it had been earlier in the week (many Oregon forest f... 08/13/2024

What's in the August 2024 Bend Premier Newsletter?The latest issue of the Bend Premier Real Estate newsletter has great articles on the following topics: Bend Real Estate Sales at a Crossroads Avocado Peach Salsa August Home Maintenance Checklist Hike Cooper Spur on Mt Hood Home Inspections for Sellers: How to Prepare Original blog can be read at Bend Premier Real Estate's website. 08/13/2024

Bend Real Estate Sales at a CrossroadsThe data has been published and the trends we have seen for many years for Bend home sales have changed. Instead of seeing home sales prices increasing year over year, in July 2024 home sales prices decreased year over year. This change directly reflects on the increased inventory levels the town has experienced in the last few months. The Covid pandemic resulted in tremendous demand for Bend homes which drove the price up when inventory could not keep up with the number of people wanting a Bend home. Now, at a level pushing four months of supply, the Bend home market is at a transitional time with many more homes and a more limited buyer pool. High home prices and high mortgage interest rates have priced many out of the Bend market and sellers are ... 08/09/2024

Prineville Home Sales Trends Mixed The Prineville Oregon real estate market appears to be showing good sales the first half of 2024. While home prices are up year over year, it is at what is considered a normal healthy market increase. New listings are up, but so are sold and pending homes. Days on market are down and inventory levels are reflecting a strong buyer's market. It appears that people are moving to Prineville and there is demand for active listings in the market.When the first half of 2024 is compared with the first half of 2023, the following changes for Prineville real estate sales can be noted: Average sales price up 5.5% to $424,172* Median sales price up 3% to $415,750 Average list price up 3.7% to $448,024 Median list price unchanged at $432,495 New listings up 13% to ... 08/01/2024

Cooper Spur is the Highest Maintained Trail on hood  When smoke from forest fires makes hiking in Central Oregon unsafe, one option can be to go north towards Mt Hood.  There are times in which air quality is hazardous in Central Oregon and the air is clear in the north part of the state. This was the situation on July 27th. It is a bit of a drive from Bend to Mt Hood (plan on 2.5 hours), but the air was clear mid morning in the Mt. Hood National Forest.Cooper Spur is located on the northeast flank of Mt. Hood and has multiple ways to hike to it. The hike from the Cooper Spur Trailhead is one of the shorter ways, but it does gain almost 2700 feet of elevation in roughly 3 miles so it is considered a more challenging hike. To access the this trailhead, hikers drive on close to 9 miles o... 08/01/2024

Many people living or visiting in Central Oregon will take the drive outside of Sisters to Three Creek Lake to enjoy the quiet of this 28 acre shallow lake, fishing, boating, swimming or just relaxing around the shoreline. The campgrounds in this area are usually very busy during the summer and many people will come up daily to recreate in the area.Besides the lake, many will take the 5.3 mile round trip hike (permit required) above the lake to Tam McArthur Rim, gaining over 1200 feet in elevation to reach the rim. Typically the views from this spot are clear from Broken Top and the Three Sisters all the way to Mt. Hood. However, in recent years summer forest fires have added haze and smoke often obstructing the views. On July 20, 2024, the day started with a slight haze but by the end... 07/26/2024

Bend Luxury Home Buyers Have More Options The figures are out and the first six months of 2024 reflects an increase in Bend homes for sale over $1,000,000. The amount of Bend luxury home inventory is significantly up compared with 2023 and 2022 which leads to more options for the Bend home buyers who can afford a high end home. The days on market are rising and home sellers who really need to sell are recognizing that with more competition, asking price needs to reflect today's market.Bend Luxury Home Listings Are Often Experiencing Price Reductions During Covid Bend home listings were bid up with multiple offers to a point in which many homes sold over asking, even among the high end. In today's market, however, we are often seeing Bend home listings with price reductions. Sellers who... 07/23/2024

Marion Mountain Hike Has It All In Central Oregon Past Santiam Pass off Hwy 22 over the bridge at Marion Forks is the turn off to the trail head for Marion Lake/Mountain. Hikers have to travel over 5 miles down a paved, then decent gravel road to the trail head and must present a forest pass to hike the trail. Once past the trail head, hikers climb two miles through old growth forest until they reach Lake Ann, accessing the lake shore over a stone covered creek which flows from the lake. The trail skirts the end of Lake Ann and after a half a mile, reaches Marion Lake. The trail splits here. Hikers wishing to take the path next to Marion Lake can do so, and others wishing to bypass the lake and travel on to either Marion Falls or Marion Mountain can do that. The path to Marion Mountain... 07/18/2024

Central Oregon Market Trends 2nd Quarter 2024The Central Oregon real estate 2024 market trends for most of the major urban areas continue to reflect a seller's market in 2nd quarter, although that has changed in La Pine where inventory levels at 7.4 months reflect a buyer's market; Powell Butte and Madras are in a balanced market at 6 months. Although still in a seller's market, inventory is at a level in Bend that hasn't been seen since July, 2015 when the average home price was $391,000 and mortgage interest rates were at 4%.* With more inventory, days on market have also ticked up, but well priced homes can still sell quickly and multiple offers can happen. Bend, Redmond and Sunriver are showing strong upward trends in all categories (the only exception for Bend is the number of home... 07/15/2024

Redmond Single Family Home Sales Strong Redmond Oregon is a booming town. For those who live there, that is evident every day with new construction, new businesses, and new residents moving into this vibrant community. Over the past decade, the town's population has grown by 27% and has a large percentage of the town's residents being families with an average of 3.15 residents per home according to the city website. There is not a wide variation in home prices in Redmond with average and median sales price close over the past six months. Although home prices have risen, so have the numbers of pending and sold homes. The months of supply has grown, but Redmond remains in a seller's market, although not as extreme has was seen a year ago. When the first six months of 2024 is compared wit... 07/13/2024

What's In The July 2024 Bend Premier Newsletter? Our latest newsletter has some great articles. Check it out! Bend Home Prices Up As Are Inventory Levels Filipino BBQ Pork Skewers 9 Tips to Keep Your Home Cool Without AC Maxwell Butte Trail Things to Avoid After Applying For a Mortgage   For more blogs and for all information on Central Oregon real estate, check out our website!    07/11/2024

Bend Home Prices Up As Are Inventory Levels Bend home prices are up year over year but so are inventory levels. The rate of the increase in Bend home prices has dropped, but we are still not experiencing overall reduced home prices. While buyers have more options, mortgage interest rates (just short of 7% as of July 3, 2024) remain high which has limited the buying power for many. July typically is the busiest month of the year for Central Oregon home sales and it remains to be seen whether the combination of high prices and high mortgage interest rates will curtail Bend real estate sales this summer.When June 2024 is compared with June 2023, the following changes for Bend single family home sales on less than an acre can be noted: Average sales price up 5.9% to $969,547* Median sales ... 07/09/2024

Maxwell Butte Is A 10 Mile Hike In The Willamette National Forest The 4th of July 2024 was a clear and beautiful day to hike in the forests of Oregon's Cascades. Despite a few mosquitoes in the early hours of the hike, the well marked trail to the top of Maxwell Butte was cleared of fallen trees and only had a few snow patches once the trek up the butte itself began. However, the walk through the woods was lovely with many shade-loving wildflowers blooming and no one else seen. After passing small Twin Lakes and the junction with the Lava Lakes Trail, the hike passes through more woods and open areas until the final push up Maxwell Butte starts. The trail steepens and switchbacks and as hikers gain elevation, the views towards North and Middle Sister, The Husband, the Wife and then Bro... 07/08/2024

Iron Mountain and the Cone Peak Trail are probably one of the best hikes for wildflowers in Central Oregon. Each year many Oregonians will hike to the top of Iron Mountain, or take the full Cone Peak loop to enjoy the flowers.  Experts state that most of Oregon's 300 + wildflower species can be located near Iron Mountain as well as over 17 species of trees. For those starting at the Tombstone parking lot, the entire hike exceeds 1900 feet of elevation gain in seven miles. The time of the hike will probably depend on how often hikers stop to check out the flowers and views, but most can complete the full loop, including the side hike up and back to the top of Iron Mountain, within 4 hours. The mountain was especially beautiful the end of June, 2024. heck out our website blog for more gr... 07/03/2024

The Hike To Tumalo Mountain Still Has Snow 6-22-24 After a winter which had good snowfall, hiking into the high Cascades has been delayed due to the snow accumulation. However, the warm days experienced over the past week have aided snow melt.  Last Saturday, June 22, 2024, enough snow had melted on Tumalo Mountain to enable hikers to walk the 1450 feet of elevation gain in two miles from the trailhead to the top. It appeared as if half the time the trail was covered by snow, but it was fairly easy to follow the route until the last 1/2 mile; GPS helped navigate this as did microspikes over ice.The hike up Tumalo Mountain is only 2 miles, but the views from the top toward South and Middle Sister, Broken Top, and Mt Bachelor can be spectacular. For those who take the hike early in the d... 06/25/2024

Newberry Crater Is Hikeable NowWhile waiting for the snow to melt from the higher elevations of the Cascade Mountains, people looking for a Central Oregon hike with mountain views can consider Newberry Crater National Monument. Besides the well-known Paulina Falls, Obsidian Trail, the hike to Paulina Peak, and the various treks around both Paulina and East Lake, there is the relatively little known hike starting at the Cinder Hill campground at the end of the road by East Lake up to the Crater Rim and then to the Cinder Hill viewpoint. Although not the longest hike, there is close to 1000 feet elevation gain over two miles and then the relatively easy 3/4 mile hike along the Crater Rim trail to the view point. The hike from the campground to the rim is not difficult due to multiple swit... 06/21/2024