Bend Premier Real Estate Blog

The Bend Real Estate Market is in Transition

As we have been writing for several months now, the Bend Oregon real estate market is definitely changing. Mortgage interest rates have risen impacting the buying power of would-be homeowners, especially first time home buyers. The buying frenzy experienced in 2021 is gone and the inventory levels of available homes are growing. The days on market of active listings are rising, but so are home prices when compared with the year before. However, the trend lines over the past few months are showing a softening in the market with over 254 price reductions in the past week for all Central Oregon listings. When the market softens, those properties priced well as perceived by buyers are those that sell first.

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Maybe we're late to the game but for this month's review we finally tried Sebastian's at the Grove!

Let's start with the Fish & Chips. Some of you may know our personal affinity for the British, and their food fairs. Well if you are also have that same affinity, we would Highly recommend Sebastian's fish and chips. While it not an entire fish, the nuggets they serve are the perfect ratio of fish to batter to flavors. Their breading is not overly greasy or dense but has a beautiful delicate buttery, herbed flavor which pairs perfectly with the LARGE chunk of fish it encases. Two giant fish nuggets on a bed of "chips" goes stunningly with tons of malt vinegar and will only set you back $18; fish portions are worth the price tag.

We also had to try the Teriyaki Smoked Salmon Mix Bowl while we were there for our lunch. The hot smoked salmon was perfectly prepared...

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Bend Premier Real Estate is pleased to welcome Travis Cannon to the brokerage.

Travis enjoys working in real estate, whether that be in representing buyers or sellers. Real estate sales have always been a passion of  his and he  works tirelessly to make the process of buying and selling his clients' homes a smooth and enjoyable experience. He prides himself in great customer service and stays up to date with market trends and technology to provide his clients the competitive edge in an ever changing market.

When not involved working with buyers or sellers, Travis focuses on breathing techniques and meditation on frozen lakes or in an ice cold river in various places in the Pacific Northwest. Travis also enjoys running, fishing, cooking, or drinking beer and is happy to direct people to favorite locations for these fun acti...

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Fabulous Cascade Views Await Those Who Climb the Cones

We climbed Four in One Cone for the first time in the middle of October, 2021. A moderate in and out hike with just over 1400 feet of elevation gain in 9 miles from the Scott Trailhead in the Three Sisters Wilderness, we looked forward to revisiting the area during the summer.  The early spring snow we had in 2022 delayed access to the higher reaches of the Cascades with patches of snow evident above 6200 feet. But the trip up to the cones was fairly straight forward with little snow along the trail. Mosquitos were the worst thing we had to deal with - along with over 30 fallen trees to get around or over. But once we reached the lava flows, the mosquitos mostly disappeared and our hike to the top of the cones was great. The views of North and Middle Sister, along with Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson, Black Crater and Belknap Crater are outstanding from the top of the cones.

Four in One Cone has this name due to the fact there are four distinct cinder cones adjacent to each other which all erupted at different times, but which create the unique geological feature it is.  The path at the top of the first cone traverses all the cones at the ridge line; it is roughly .4 miles to reach the end of the fourth cone and the drop off on each side of the path varies in steepness.  When we first hiked to the top of the cones in October, the wind made us a little uncertain and we did not reach the far cone. This summer hike had much less wind and we made it to the furthest point. 

After enjoying the views, we climbed back down the cones and decided to continue the hike to the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail, which was another mile past the cones. There is a large meadow at this junction and we were hoping to see wildflowers along with the view of North Sister. The wildflowers were sparse, but the view of North Sister was spectacular. 

Our return trip was much easier than the hike up due to the volunteer efforts of six amazing people who were clearing all the fallen trees from the path. These six plus one more hiking party of three, and one person we saw hiking the PCT were the only people we saw during the entire hike. Amazing solitude and a wonderful day.

Black Crater is a Challenging Hike

We have hiked Black Crater yearly since 2020 and although not the longest hike, it is challenging. The full hike is 7.5 miles up and back, but each hiker gains 2322 feet in the 3.75 miles up. And hiking through the burned forest from the 2017 Millie Fire can be hot and dusty during summer months.  On July 15, 2022 sufficient snow had melted from the higher elevations to allow hikers to avoid slippery snow patches and reach the summit. When we arrived, we were alone at the top until we began our trip down. The Cascade views from the summit of Black Crater were fabulous from Broken Top to Mt. Hood. And the cold wind we have felt in earlier visits was not blowing, keeping us comfortable and able to fully enjoy the views.

It is interesting to see how certain plants have begun to reclaim the burned forest, with manzanita, fescue grass, and various wildflowers becoming more abundant each year. Young trees are beginning to grow, although it will take many decades for them to reach the heights of the trees that were killed in the fire. Ferns have regrown in some more sheltered and wetter areas of the hike; there is a certain beauty in the burned, dead trees, especially as we begin to see green undergrowth reclaiming the land.

We recommend that people planning on hiking Black Crater start early in the day before it gets warm and before crowds arrive.  Allow 4.5 hours on your trip, which will provide time at the top to enjoy a snack and the views prior to returning to your car. Use your national forest parking pass and don't forget to complete and file the the free wilderness pass available at the trailhead.