Bend Premier Real Estate Blog

Bend continues to be a destination for many west coast Americans thinking of relocating from an urban setting to one less congested and more conducive to an outdoor lifestyle.  Relative to home prices in the Seattle, Portland, or the Bay area, Bend real estate is still a bargain, although long time residents may find that current price trends are beyond what they ever imagined. When 2016 Bend home sales are compared year to date with sales from 2015, the number of listings sold are similar, but the average sales price is significantly higher. The average year to date cost of a Bend single family home on a lot less than an acre was $381,120 in 2015; for 2016 the cost is $409,787. The median cost in 2015 was $320,000 and in 2016 the median cost is $352,000.* And if trends continue, the total value of single family homes sold in Bend for 2016 may push $1,000,000,000. 

*Source - Central Oregon Association of Realtors

Built in the 1970's, Mt. Bachelor Village retains the amenities and location which made it a popular Bend neighborhood from its inception.  Located in SW Bend off Century Drive, Mt. Bachelor Village offers owners easy access to Cascade Lakes Highway, Mt. Bachelor, and the city of Bend. Some homes are located overlooking the Deschutes River and all owners have access to the community pool, tennis courts and clubhouse. With the recent decision of the Bend City Council to limit vacation rentals within the city limits, Mt. Bachelor Village is a Bend community which retains this option.  Many owners in Mt. Bachelor Village do rent their homes as vacation rentals, when they are not using the home themselves as a vacation home or full time residence.

Since June, 2015, 26 Mt. Bachelor Village homes have sold averaging 213 days on market and selling at 97% of asking price. The properties vary from fabulous 1719 sq ft condos...

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Bend has been seeing great movement in the luxury real estate market over the past year. What was unsellable in early 2013 is now a popular market, with Bend real estate trends continuing to show an uptick. According to Central Oregon MLS, 2016 year to date sales are up 15% over the same period last year in Bend homes valued over $1,000,000. And the demand is really pushing the value of these homes. The average cost per square foot has jumped over 5% for the same time frame and the days on market has gone down 30%. Bend luxury real estate is selling!

As one of the most used real estate websites in Central Oregon, our website can be a good indicator of where the real estate market is headed right now. For example, as home and land prices continue to trend higher, we are starting to see more expensive homes enter into our top 10 most searched properties such as this $479,000 Broken Top condo or this 1657 Nw Mt Washington Drive, Bend priced at $439,750. However, as a general rule, most of the top searched properties are still at the low end with an average price of the other top searched homes just $248,500. All of the top 10 searched homes this week were located in Bend.

When you drive around Bend, have you noticed there are a lot of red front doors? Although for these homeowners the reasons might be aesthetic, around the world red doors actually have a lot of meaning. The Chinese, for example, believe red is a lucky color and would paint their doors red before the Chinese New Year. Red doors can be an important element of Feng Sui by allowing "chi" to be drawn into the home. Catholics often paint their church doors red to remind people of Christ's sacrifice. During slavery, red doors were used to by the Underground Railroad to show this particular home could provide safe haven. There is even rumor that people would paint their doors red as a sort of "no solicitation" sign to that annoying Fuller Brush salesman… but again, that's just rumor. But the story we like most is that homeowners in Scotland paint their doors red to show that they have paid off their mortgage. Will you be painting your door red soon?