“Zoom Town”

I guess we’re officially a “zoom town” now . . .  a catchy title coined by NPR’s Planet Money to denote towns sought by more Americans who are “no longer bound by a commute during the pandemic,” folks who have joined the hunt for a new place to call home (or second home); places like Bend, Truckee, and Missoula to name just a few.

September 2020

The hottest September on record; and despite some smoky weather,

the real estate market remained warm too. Considering solely single family residential on less than an acre in Bend, we saw 286 homes purchased (exceeded historically only by July and August of this pandemic year). Once again, the luxury market led the way with fully 32 homes selling for more than a million dollars.

Bend’s median price hit another all-time high at $549,900. Median price per square foot likewise topped the charts at $264. On the flip side, overall inventory hit a historic low at just .6 (that’s point six . . . less than a month!) month’s supply. What a time to be a seller!

Affordable Bend . . . $273,000

The lack of quality marketing photos for a particular listing always blows my mind. And these have to rate as some of the worst I’ve ever seen.

Gives me a headache to look at these (sorry, if it affects you the same way), but I guess it just goes to show that a good deal is a good deal.

This one was a 3/2, 1050 square foot “sweat equity special” that went for $273,000 ($247 per square foot) . . . sadly, the only Bend home in the last three months to sell for less than $300,000!

It was a “cash only” deal and went pending in just three days at 105% of list . . . the current Bend market in a nutshell!

Bend’s Median . . . $549,900

As mentioned above, another all-time high! I’ll spare the music. This 3/2, 2400 square foot house also went pending in just three days (at full list price).

A nice home in the Foxborough neighborhood . . . stainless appliances, solid surface counter tops, pretty white wood cabinets.

The home featured mostly single level living (only a large bonus room complete with a pool table, full bath, and a large closet up). What more does one need? It sold for $229/foot.

And now our potential re-location readers’ favorite data . . . a contrast of the median prices on each side of town:

East side     $444,000

West side    $760,000

What can I say?

Luxury Bend . . . $3,200,000

A big win at Tetherow (again!) at $3.2M . . . this after starting at almost $4M ($3,999,500) and basting on the market for 818 days. Kudos all around for closing this one!

The 4 bedroom, 4 bath, 5652 square foot “timeless contemporary” featured extraordinary detail throughout.

Sited on a .98 acre parcel overlooking Tetherow’s signature 17th. hole, the home finally sold at a beefy $575 per square foot.

Auspicious September Sales

Our favorite section! As always, these sales were notable because we made them.

A magnificent home in Sisters on 18.15 acres, overlooking Whychus Creek and featuring stunning Cascade mountain views . . . $1,700,000

What everyone seems to want–a clean single level (with three car garage!) on a quiet cul-de-sac in Shevlin Ridge . . . $991,000

A “career listing” . . . a custom homesite overlooking the second hole of the River’s Edge golf course; a bargain at $155,000

An awesome .81 acre view lot on Awbrey Butte at just $275,000

Looking Ahead

Things appear to have slowed just a bit (169 pending sales) from the super frenetic days of summer . . . not so much for lack of demand, but rather due to the lack of inventory. Still, it appears that our bubble isn’t ready to burst just yet.

Like any smart pundit, we’ll go easy with prognostications pending the results of the upcoming election.

Please get out and vote!