July 2016

The Oregon High Desert Classic has been a fixture in Bend for decades and it is underway now at J Bar J Boys Ranch in northeast Bend. The annual equestrian event features hunter and jumper horses from around the world but primarily Europe and North America. There are many different levels of competition leading to the prime event this Saturday evening at 5:30 in which up to 24 horses and their riders will compete in an Olympic style Grand Prix and will be jumping over obstacles up to four feet, nine inches high.  There will be cash awards given at the different events.

The Oregon High Desert Classic is the primary fundraiser for the J Bar J Boys Ranch which provides services for at risk young men ages 13-18.  The event is free to the public and will

Balloons Over Bend has been a Bend tradition for many years. The event encompasses a weekend of beautiful hot air Balloons ascending over Central Oregon.

At this morning's launch at Jewell Elementary in Bend,  a large crowd of people, many of which look like they just rolled out of bed, arrived at the school to watch a spectacular sight amidst a beautiful sunrise and with the moon still high overhead.  Along with Bob Shaw from Z21, people of all ages including wide eyed children, and some very excited passengers watched and marveled as 6 beautiful hot air balloons prepped for flight.  After a test balloon indicated near perfect conditions for liftoff, one by one each captivating balloon, pilot, and passengers lifted to the sky toward the rising

Just about everyone is familiar with the board game Monopoly. We would be quick to pick our favorite markers… the top hat, Scottie dog, thumbnail, or my favorite -  the sports car.  Then we were given a small amount of money to start from the bank.  And for the next several hours we would try to buy real estate, develop our properties with houses and perhaps a hotel or two, collect rent from other players who landed on our developments, and hopefully end up monopolizing the entire board by driving the other players into bankruptcy.  But few people know that today’s modern version of the game has its roots in a game called “The Landlord Game,” developed by a politically liberal woman named Lizzie Magie in the early 1900’s whose primary goal was to point

Just ask any real estate Broker in Bend how sales have been and they should tell you that Bend home sales remain strong. 2nd quarter statistics reflect continued optimism in the Bend real estate market with single family homes in contract up 8.6% from 2nd quarter 2015. When June 2015 is compared with June 2016, Bend homes in contract are up 24.4%. Home prices are also up - with active prices 13.6% higher than 2nd quarter 2015 and sold prices up 10.8% during the same period. The average sold price of a single family Bend home is now at $212 per square foot and we have only 2 months of inventory based on pending sales. The city of Bend is also months behind in processing building permits and new home construction cannot keep up with the demand.

So what