While it is typical in the Bend and Central Oregon real estate markets to see a slowdown in sales once we enter into late fall, the change to our market seen in August 2023 did not follow the normal trends. With the 30 year mortgage interest rate now above 7%, the purchasing power of many potential home buyers has been significantly changed. In addition, the number of sellers willing to sell a home which has a mortgage of less than 5% has curtailed new listings coming on the market. This has kept inventory low, pushed prices up and greatly impacted the number of Bend real estate sales.

When we compare August of 2023 with August of 2022, Bend single family home sales on less than an acre show the following trends:
Originally developed as the "affordable" option to most of Brooks Resources' subdivisions in Bend, NorthWest Crossing quickly became one of the the most popular neighborhoods within the city, attracting many California transplants as well as locals to the healthy lifestyle characterized by the community. The initial style of homes - mostly craftsman bungalows - has evolved over the years with later phases built in the more modern design now desired by many. However, the resale value of the original craftsman homes has increased dramatically and the appeal of the neighborhood has remained among Bend's most favored.
NorthWest Crossing experienced the same market trends most of Bend had during the past three years with Covid creating a huge spike in demand for homes, leading to multiple offers and rising prices. Although home prices have le...
We never thought this would happen, but the average Bend single family home sold for over a million dollars in July, 2023. Despite mortgage interest rates hovering around 7%, high end Bend homes are selling. When demand exceeds supply, home prices rise. When mortgage rates jumped from 3.5% to 7% in the space of a few months, there was a drop in home sales. However, it appears that home buyers have become used to higher rates, and there are still a large number of Bend home buyers who are purchasing with cash. Lack of inventory continues to be a big problem and lack of affordability for Bend first time homeowners has pushed many to alternative cities.
When figures for Bend single family home sales are compared between July 2023 and July 2022, the following changes can be noted:
It has been awhile since we last looked at the data for Redmond Oregon home sales. Redmond's housing has consistently been more affordable than that available in Bend with the majority of homes in the city what most would considered middle income suburban. The Covid-19 housing boom impacted Redmond as it did most of the country, and now rising interest rates, lack of inventory, and relatively high prices are creating a housing market in transition.
We looked at Redmond home sale for the first half of 2023. When the first six months of 2023 are compared with the first six months of 2022, the following changes can...
We have been tracking Bend home sales for many years. Bend has been in a seller's market since 2012, but the level to which the seller's market changed during Covid was beyond any we had seen before. Home prices skyrocketed with multiple offers driving sales and inventory levels dropping to two weeks at the peak of the pandemic. However, since last summer, the Bend real estate market has been in transition with rising mortgage interest rates the biggest contributor to the change. While high mortgage rates have greatly impacted the buying power of many home buyers, lack of inventory remains an issue. We had seen home price increases level off and even drop yea...