A New Contributor This Month

We’ve got a special guest contributor/writer this month . . .

one with whom some of you long time readers will be familiar. Though he hasn’t written much since his near death experience, let’s extend a warm welcome back to Mackie, the top dog in central Oregon.

January 2019

Quite the headline at the top of the page . . . sort of an interesting way to kickoff the new year;  maybe not what we expected (though an unnamed pundit did predict that we’d see “fewer sales in the next couple of months.”).

What a month! We saw the purchase of just 125 homes. My master tells me that’s the lowest number in four years (February 2015). Another 144 went pending . . . not exactly an enthusiastic endorsement for the months ahead either.

To compound things, the median price again reached an all-time high (don’t worry, I won’t make you listen to that silly music again) at $450,000.

Inventory remained scarce . . . just 3.1 months overall. The market softened appreciably in the higher price points (over $650,000), where we even saw hints of a “buyer’s market” (over six months of available inventory).

Affordable Bend . . . $270,00

Wow! $270,000 . . . not really affordable to me!

This one was a rare single level on a large (.42 acre) lot; and an even rarer bank-owned property.

Four bedrooms, three baths, and 2024 square feet, the home featured solid surface counter tops and a stone fireplace.

It had a nice central location, just off busy Reed Market Road; it also sold for more than list price at $133 per square foot.

Bend’s Median . . . $450,000

“Welcome to 61229 Splendor Lane, where living is splendid indeed” . . . even I know that’s tortured syntax. Still, it’s a pretty nice place . . . 3/2.5, 2456 square feet . . . a Pahlisch home that closed in just 61 days.

Built in 2005, the flexible plan featured all bedrooms up, a great fenced back yard (where I could see myself cavorting), and an oversized three car garage that I know my mistress would love.

My master told me not to even mention the community pool.

Luxury Bend . . . $1,250,000

This month it was Sunrise Village (not Tetherow or Broken Top where I normally hangout), a cool older community off the road to Mt. Bachelor on Bend’s westside.

A two bedroom (wow again!), 2.5 bath, 3196 square foot single level designed by Steven Van Sant. Sited on almost an acre overlooking the Deschutes River Canyon, the house featured a great room plan with massive windows,

a formal office, two stone fireplaces, and a wonderful chef’s kitchen. It sold at $375 per square foot!

The Bend Lifestyle

With no real relevance to real estate in Bend (though often times a reason folks move here), nevertheless, this is something I’d like to share because I’m actually kind of proud of my master–as old as he is.

He doesn’t like to brag (too much). But, on January 25, he completed the rare and illusive “Bend quadfecta”–the mountain, golf, tennis, and craft beer–all in one day, no less. Here’s the summary . . . quite the day!

Snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor (9:00 to noon) . . .

Golf at Pronghorn Fazio (2:00 to 4:00) . . .

Tennis at the Athletic Club of Bend (5:00 to 6:30) . . .

And maybe a Boneyard RPM (IPA) or two (6:30 to 7:30) . . .

Auspicious Sale

One notable sale this month . . .

A 3/2.5, 2600 square foot home in Sagewood on Bend’s westside . . . a stellar buy at $600,000 or $231/square foot.

Looking Ahead

I have to admit that I haven’t done any prognosticating in a while. I’m a little rusty, so I’m going to play it pretty close to the vest by saying that I think we’ll just be seeing a little more of the same (low inventory, slightly escalating prices, fewer than normal sales) going forward.

Cheers,

Mackie