Posts from September 2021

After a month of terrible, hazardous air due to smoke from several forest fires settling in the Bend Oregon area, on Saturday, 9-11-21, Central Oregonians were thrilled to experience clean air as the bad air dissipated and the normal sparkling blue skies of September returned. We had planned on hiking Green Lakes on 9-11 as part of the series of scheduled hikes we had set up in April due to the newly implemented 2021 Wilderness permit system.  However, we were ready to cancel if the air quality was as it had been the Saturday before - extremely hazardous with limited visibility and health recommendations to stay indoors. As we drove up Century Drive towards the Green Lakes trailhead, the remaining smoke in the area was evident until we passed Widgi Creek and all of a sudden, the skies were blue rather than grey and the smell of smoke disappeared. The Green Lakes Trailhead had just a few cars and our 4.5 mile trip up Fall Creek with its numerous waterfalls to Green Lakes was extremely private with us seeing just a handful of people.

Upon reaching Green Lakes, we were amazed at the almost perfect weather conditions for photography with the air still and all 3 lakes mirroring the mountains and early fall foliage around them. We extended our hike past the northern most Green Lake over the saddle between Broken Top and South Sister and on to Golden Lake, extending our hike to between 16 and 17 miles total.  After lunch we returned the via the route we had arrived, thoroughly enjoying the beauty of the Three Sisters Wilderness and the clean air. This is a wonderful hike to a lovely location and is highly recommended.

What's in the September 2021 Newsletter?

• Bend Real Estate Market - Have We Turned the Corner?
• 4 Things for Homeowners to do in September
• What You Should Do Before Interest Rates Rise
• Pricing Your House
• There's a New Indian Food Cart in Bend

The new Indian food cart in town does NOT disappoint! Anita's Kitchen Gourmet Indian Food just recently opened during the thick of the pandemic, and we're so happy it did! Antia's does a great job of bringing Indian classic cuisine to Bend. We found the flavors to be on point, service was super fast, and the customer service was exceptional.

From the medium size food menu we decided to try a little bit of everything-and why not? Round one consisted of Samosas; a fried pastry filled with potatoes, onions, and a whole ton of spices. The flavor was on point and it was paired with a mint cilantro chutney dipping sauce which was quite the show stealer..

Round two consisted of the classic Butter Chicken, and Palak Paneer; for our...

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Bend Real Estate Sales Trends Mixed

As we move into Fall, Bend home sales typically slow as those who need to move prior to school starting have already purchased and the normal slight uptick we see in September and October with retirees and second home buyers has not yet begun. In 2021, August single family home sales on less than an acre for Bend reflected a mixed market with prices and new sales up, but closed sales and new homes for sale down. When August 2021 home sales are compared with August 2020, the following changes are seen:

• Average sales price up 18.7% to $776,735*
• Median sales price up 19.8% to $635,063
• New listings up 5.8% to 273
• Homes for sale down 56.1% to 276
• Pending sales up 41.3% to 431
• Sold homes down 23.7% to 232
• Median days on market down 40% to 6
• Months of supply down 64.5% to 1.1 months
• Average price per square foot up 32.2% t...

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Chelsea Will Join Her Mother Sherry as Part of the Ortega Family Network

Real Estate runs in Chelsea's blood with her mother having been an active real estate agent for over 30 years. It is natural that Chelsea would step into the business as part of the Ortega Family Network which has connections in Santa Barbara, California and Maui, Hawaii. Chelsea brings a global perspective to the family real estate network having lived in SE Asia and Australia, teaching yoga and traveling different parts of the world. Living and working in other countries has enabled Chelsea to recognize that housing is such an important need to people around the world and to appreciate and enjoy the excitement of helping clients find a home the fits their lifestyle.

Chelsea was raised in Bend and graduated from Summit High School.  She know...

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