Jefferson Park in Early Fall: Beauty and Renewal Along the Whitewater Trail

Some hikes are memorable because the trail leads to a beautiful destination. Others stay with us because the landscape tells a much larger story. Our September 8, 2026 hike to Jefferson Park from the Whitewater Trailhead offered both.

We have hiked to Jefferson Park several times over the years, including before and after the fires that dramatically changed this part of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. Our earlier visit, shared in Jefferson...

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Seller-Paid Rate Buydown vs. Price Reduction: Which Helps a Bend Homebuyer More?

Mortgage rates remain one of the biggest obstacles facing Bend homebuyers. Freddie Mac reported that the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.71% on September 3, 2026. At the same time, 44.7% of Bend single-family home sales in August included a seller concession, with an average concession of $7,400.

Those two figures raise an important question for buyers and sellers: If a seller is willing to give up $10,000 to complete a sale, is the buyer better served by a $10,000 price reduction, a seller-paid mortgage-rate buydown or assistance with closing costs?

There is no univ...

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Bend Oregon Housing Market Trends for August 2026

The Bend housing market continued to cool in August 2026 as affordability concerns, elevated mortgage rates and increasingly selective buyers affected sales activity. The median sales price declined from a year ago, fewer homes closed, and nearly 45% of completed transactions included seller concessions.

This is not evidence of a housing crash. However, it does show that Bend is experiencing a meaningful correction in pricing expectations. Buyers remain interested in Central Oregon, but they are taking their time, comparing their options and avoiding homes that appear overpriced.

The statistics in this report compare August 2026 with August 2025 a...

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Why Some Bend Homes Are Selling — and Others Are Sitting in 2026

The Bend real estate market has become increasingly selective in 2026. Homes are still selling, buyers are still moving to Central Oregon, and desirable properties continue to attract attention. But there is a noticeable difference between the homes buyers are responding to and those that remain on the market.

As we move through August, we are seeing inventory grow and buyer activity slow. We won't have fina...

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Maiden Peak: A Challenging Climb to One of Central Oregon's Best Views

There are hikes where the difficulty is obvious almost from the beginning, and there are others that save nearly everything for the end. Our August 1, 2026 hike to the summit of Maiden Peak definitely fell into the second category.

Starting from the Maiden Peak Trailhead off Gold Lake Road near Willamette Pass, our GPS recorded 11.41 miles round trip with 2,828 feet of elevation gain. Those numbers are consistent with published descriptions of this western route, which generally put the hike at roughly 11 to 12 miles round trip with about 2,800 to 2,900 feet of climbing. What those numbers don't convey particularly well, however, is how the hike actually feels. Much of the early trail is surprisingly moderate. Then, during roughly the final mile to mile and a half approaching th...

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