Whitewater Creek Trail Open

Jefferson Park, located on the north side of Mt. Jefferson, Oregon's second tallest Cascade mountain, is a hidden gem with stunning views, pristine alpine lakes, and beautiful meadows full of wildflowers during the mid summer months. Two years after the lighting caused Whitewater fire closed the most popular access trail to Jefferson Park, the Whitewater Creek trail opened this month. Last Saturday we hiked the trail to this popular destination.  

The Whitewater Creek trail head is at the end of a 7.4 mile gravel road off Hwy 22 ten miles east of Detroit. The area was burned during the fire and while loggers have removed much of the dead trees around the parking lot, there are still slash piles which impact the number of cars which can safely park. We arrived just before 9:00 am, but shortly after we parked, several cars came and the available parking was already gone.

The first 4 miles of the hike to Jefferson Park is in an area hard hit by the fire which burned roughly 25 square miles. Acres of burned old growth trees are abundant, but signs of life are returning with ferns, blackberry, Oregon grape and other plants growing among the blackened tree trunks. Very young seedling trees are starting to emerge from the soil, but it will take decades for the area to fully recover. 

Shortly after you leave the burn area and cross Whitewater Creek, you join up with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) which runs through Jefferson Park itself.  Once you reach the park, several side trips provide access to Bay, Scout, Park and Rock lakes, all clean and clear alpine lakes with sandy bottoms with many camping areas nearby.  We hiked to Russell Lake, the furthest lake, and enjoyed our lunch on the shore. The hike back to the Whitewater trail head went relatively quick, allowing for stops to make way for the campers coming up the trail, and we arrived back at the parking lot with plenty of time to get back to Bend before evening.  This hike is sure to become one of our favorites and a "must do" for many summers to come.

Bend Home Prices Keep Rising

The July 2019 figures are out and Bend single family home prices continue to go up while closings are down.  However, homes in pending contracts have had a huge increase over the year before.  When July 2019 is compared with July 2018 for Bend single family homes on less than an acre, the following changes can be seen:

• Homes for sale down 6.1% to 604*
• Homes sold down 1.6% to 239
• Homes pended up 28.3% to 263
• The average price per square foot for sold homes up 4% to $261
• The average days on market down 5.3% to 90
• The sold/original listing price difference is unchanged at 98%
• The average active price is up 4.9% to $686,000
• The average sold price is up 9.2% to $544,000
• The months of inventory based on closed sales is down 3.8% to 2.5

Click Here to Read More...

Real Estate Trends in Bend, Redmond, Sunriver and Prineville

We focus a lot on the real estate market trends for Bend and Redmond, but Central Oregon also encompasses many other towns and areas, all with their own charm and unique lifestyle. Housing prices and types of homes vary in these towns and it is interesting to see how each community compares with the next. While Bend has seen the bulk of growth over the last 3 years, Redmond was the fastest growing town in Central Oregon in the second quarter 2019 according to the multiple listing service. Sunriver, Central Oregon's most known resort community, has maintained a relatively stable real estate market over the last 3 years, and Prineville, one of the most hard hit towns during the recession, is now seeing tremendous growth.

Housing Growth In Central Oregon Cities

While...

Click Here to Read More...

Up for Bocce Ball?

The Bend Premier Real Estate team made up of Lisa Wettstein, Debbie Walsh, Colleen Dillingham and Diane Lozito participated August 22, 2019 in Amerititle's 8th annual Bocce Ball Tournament. Over 48 teams were there representing the real estate industry throughout Central Oregon. Although they didn't win, the Bend Premier "alley cats" had fun and thousands of dollars were raised for Central Oregon charities. 

Congratulations on a well played tournament and thanks to Amerititle for this fun, annual event.