Bend Premier Real Estate Blog

The National Association of Realtors offers advanced training and certification in several real estate related topics. Among the best certifications for working with sellers is the SRS - Seller Representative Specialist. The SRS course provides the real estate professionals who take the training a foundation in best representing sellers' interests in today's market.

Bend Premier Real Estate is pleased to announce that Anita Keller, Laura Curry, Carrie DiTullio, Lynn Larkin, Sheri Hilton and Tina Roberts have all completed the SRS course and will soon have their SRS designation. These Brokers are taking their seller representation to the next level and show their commitment to be even better in their work with sellers of Central Oregon and Bend Real Estate.

Congratulations ladies!

At the Oregon Association of Realtors' annual conference last week, several presentations touched on recreational marijuana use within the state. We are now 1 year into legalized recreational marijuana and some of the rules and regulations which govern this use have been implemented. Anyone who wishes to engage in the growing, distribution or sales of recreational marijuana needs to be aware of these rules and regulations but also aware that the possession, growth and distribution of marijuana remains a federal crime subject to prosecution, should the Department of Justice ever choose to enforce the federal laws; the Cole Memo has outlined that at the present time, the federal government has elected to keep away from enforcing drug laws in states which have legalized marijuana use.

In Oregon, several counties - mostly in Eastern Oregon - have decided to keep the growing and distribution of marijuana illegal. In Desch...

Click Here to Read More...

Did you know that brass doorknobs actually disinfect themselves?  It's called the "Oligodynamic Effect," and according to Wikipedia, "Brass doorknobs disinfect themselves in about 8 hours, while stainless steel and aluminum knobs never do."  Other metals including brass, copper, silver, and iron also have antimicrobial qualities and would be good choices, but brass is the most antimicrobial of them all.  This is one very big reason that you see not only homeowners, but also hospitals installing or switching to brass doorknobs, plumbing fixtures, and even light switches.

Bend Premier Real Estate Brokers worked last Saturday as part of Central Oregon Association of Realtors Adopt a Road. The Brokers worked for several hours on 14th Street between Newport and Galveston. When they were done, they had collected several bags of trash and weeds; the roundabouts at Galveston and Newport looked manicured and cared for. Nice job Dan Cardot, Bill Raven, Sherry Ortega, Jack Zika, Anita Keller, Pualani Helmbrecht, and Stu Hicks!

The trend continues upward with Bend real estate. Data from August, 2016 continues to show strong sales and increased values for Bend single family homes. When compared with August, 2015, the average active home price is up 12.6% and the average sold price is up 8.9%. There are 1.2% fewer Bend homes for sale than a year ago with 6.3% more having sold;*  this continues the issue we have had all year with great demand and insufficient inventory to keep up with this demand.

One step to help with the insufficient inventory was made earlier this week when the Bend City Council gave initial approval to the plan to expand Bend's urban growth boundary by 2,380 acres. The plan, if accepted by the state, would allow for more than 17,000 additional homes to be built in Bend along with room for additional employment opportunities. Bend has been working on expanding the urban growth boundary for over 10 years and the need for th...

Click Here to Read More...