Northwest Crossing Springs to Life…

Northwest Crossing continues to set the pace in homes sales and lifestyle for Bend, Oregon.

Kicking off the return of spring is the Northwest Crossing Spring Festival hosted at the heart of their merchant district. Highlighting this event will be music by “Larry and His Flask”, if high energy music is not on your agenda perhaps the “Street Chalk Competition”, the Fine Artist Promenade or the Spring Morning Yoga Session will suit you.

Start the 2013 year; twenty homes have been sold in the first quarter, far exceeding sales in any other Bend neighborhood. Currently the average price for home in Northwest Crossing has leapt upward over the $400,000 mark. Occasionally we will see homes from the founding portions of Northwest Crossing will be offered for under $400,000 but the days of easily finding a home in the $300,000 range have left the market of today.

New home starts in Northwest Crossing continue to pace the Bend real estate market with many of these new homes selling shortly after they are offered. In many cases the home will be pre-sold. West Bend Properties is pressing forward and are developing a new section that is slated for release this fall/early winter. Stay tuned for more on these lots and homes which should offer some lots that are larger than the norm for Northwest Crossing. They should be similar to lots recently offered off of NW Lolo Pass Drive and Drouillard Avenue.

If you have questions about the Northwest Crossing community or the Bend real estate market and need a source for information, please contact me.  I am glad to assist you in making informed decisions about Bend.

			List Price				Average
	Listings	Low	High	Average	Median	$/Sqft	DOM
Active	18	$419,900	$699,000	$520,467	$499,900	$232	75
New	15	$419,900	$759,900	$556,360	$539,900	$235	49
Contingent	1	$424,900	$424,900	$424,900	$424,900	$189	161
Pending	11	$310,000	$699,500	$443,536	$444,900	$231	122
Sold	20	$259,900	$725,000	$434,940	$390,832	$215	137

Address	Bedrooms	Bathrooms	Sq. Ft.	Sale Price	DOM
Mt Washington Drive	2	2	1115	$        259,900	17
Mt Washington Drive	3	1	1774	$        285,000	126
Mt Washington Drive	2	2.5	1378	$        305,000	67
Frazer Lane	3	2	1442	$        329,500	335
Labiche Lane	3	2	1586	$        335,000	102
Crossing Drive	2	2	1462	$        342,035	192
Sacaqawea Lane	3	2.5	1695	$        375,000	49
John Fremont Street	3	2.5	1816	$        380,000	38
Frazer Lane	3	2	1714	$        389,000	132
Shields Drive	3	2.5	2521	$        390,000	196
Frazer Lane	3	2	1500	$        391,665	212
Frazer Lane	3	2.5	2250	$        449,900	234
High Lakes Loop	3	3	2118	$        449,900	41
Lemhi Pass Drive	3	2.5	2627	$        460,000	229
Lolo Pass Drive	3	2.5	2185	$        508,500	211
Drouillard Avenue	4	2.5	2314	$        524,900	177
Crossing Drive	3	2.5	2734	$        539,500	103
Lolo Pass Drive	3	2.5	2337	$        624,000	169
High Lakes Loop	4	2.5	2569	$        635,000	0
Lolo Pass Drive	4	2.5	3861	$        725,000	110

Awbrey Butte Homes Are Selling, 2013 First Quarter Analysis…

Spring is in the air and homes on Awbrey Butte are selling. It is fantastic to see the upper end of the market showing some movement after years at a very slow pace. The homes that have sold are all range from a modest three bedroom, two and a half bathroom, Gary Laursen home to a older Awbrey Butte classic with a Cascade Mountain view worth a million dollars.

Currently there are homes listed from $419,900 for a four bedroom, two and a half bathroom home with great southern exposure and views of the city below to a series of spectacular homes that range in price from $1,100,000 through $1,850,000. These homes run from contemporary to chalet style with exquisite finishes in all.

One of these is a very contemporary home that has yet to built by Demarco Design & Building. This home is to be built on an exceptional lot with astounding Cascade Mountain views. Getting in early on this one would allow for you to select your own special touches and finishes.

Homes of this stature are quite special and require that appointments be made to be shown. It would be my honor to make these arrangements for you to tour these or any properties available in Bend.

If you have questions about Awbrey Butte homes or the Bend real estate market and need a source for information, please contact me, I am glad to assist you in making informed decisions about Bend.

			List Price				Average
	Listings	Low	High	Average	Median	$/Sqft	DOM
Active	19	$419,900	$1,999,000	$1,107,322	$1,162,500	$269	273
New	8	$419,900	$1,850,000	$1,072,990	$1,212,500	$248	56
Contingent	0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	0
Pending	7	$469,000	$945,000	$309,710	$290,000	$194	107
Sold	9	$440,000	$100,000,000	$697,111	$610,000	$190	176

SOLD 1^st Quarter

NW Promontory Drive         3 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms, 2475 sqft.,    $440,000

NW Farewell Drive              4 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms, 2839 sqft.,    $502,500

NW Foley Court                    4 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms, 3146 sqft.,    $579,000

NW Promontory Drive        5 bedroom, 3    bathrooms, 4288 sqft.,    $600,000

NW Farewell Drive             5 bedroom, 3.5 bathrooms, 3740 sqft.,    $610,000

NW Redfield Circle             3 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms, 3839 sqft.,    $675,000

NW Three Sisters Drive     4 bedroom, 6    bathrooms, 5425 sqft.,    $892,500

NW Healy Court                  3 bedroom, 3.5 bathrooms, 3299 sqft.,    $975,000

NW Okane Court                 5 bedroom, 4    bathrooms, 4306 sqft., $1,000,000

Happy Holidays and a Belated Bratton Report for November 2012

Happy Holidays to All!!!

It has been quite some time since we have had a white Christmas here in Bend but this year Bing Crosby would have been proud. Over six inches feel in the days preceding Christmas this year making for a snow globe wonderland.

The Bratton Report for November is a bit tardy on my part and for that I apologize. The holiday season combined with moving to a new home has made for some hectic times taking me out of my normal rhythms.

Enjoy the report and we will be posting again in the New Year.

May you all have a safe and fun New Year’s celebration!!

Santa Likes These Numbers for Bend, Oregon (Duke Warner Market Trends Report)

Here’s to a happy and joyful holiday season for everyone. A warm holiday season it has been so far here in Bend, Oregon. This has not stopped Bendites from enjoying a great start to our ski season. Living in Bend has such great advantages to the daily grind, it is so nice to enjoy the snow in the morning then follow it up with an afternoon bike ride or escape the grind by heading out to the slopes for a quick hour or two.

Linked here is an early Christmas gift this month’s Duke Warner Market Trends Report.

In this month’s report we actually have seen an increase in active listings, while new listings coming to the market have declined. While most active listing categories are down but relatively equal to last month, listings in the $225,000-$325,000 range have jumped. This category saw an increase of 34 more homes actively listed. Many of these homes have come into the market to take advantage of the favorable reporting the last few weeks. The number of listings in the pending sale category also has dropped dramatically by 68 transactions. The homes that sold in Bend also dropped but this appears to be in line with the season.

Watching our daily sales trends makes me think that December will continue to be solid. One category in a pinch is with those trying to complete their short sales before year’s end. The “Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act and Debt Cancellation” for distressed homeowners expires then which could leave many successful short sale clients with enormous tax liability. While there has been intense lobbying to extend tax relief, it is being drown out by the fiscal cliff bickering. The effect this bickering has on the rest of the market remains to be seen. This bickering has cast a constant pall on the joyful holiday season and has effectively been the Grinch that is stealing Christmas and beyond. Soon Santa will come and go, as will this crisis too.

I have refused to give in to the Grinch’s his year and have asked Santa to send more referrals. I am pretty sure that Santa will not mind a little help from those of you out there that know someone in need of a hard working broker. Help keep the coal out of my stocking, I am easy to reach.

Have a great Holiday Season and spread a little joy to those known and unknown to you!!

 

October 2012 Market Report for the West Side Neighborhoods of Bend, Oregon

For those of you that have been following along for the past couple of weeks, I have been providing a mini market trend report for some of Bend, Oregon’s favorite neighborhoods. If you have not seen your favorite neighborhood feel free to contact me and I can put together a report for your favorite. Today we are going to focus on neighborhoods of Bend’s west side that are not located on Awbrey Butte.

Bend’s west side has been popular for as long as I have lived in Bend (1977). With proliferation of restaurants and pubs along with a great variety of shopping filling out the main thoroughfares, the west side is popular as ever. Neighborhoods that once were mostly comprised of old mill homes have seen a good many of  those homes renovated or removed to be replaced by new more efficient homes. Empty lots have been creatively in filled with new craftsman or contemporary homes. The good news is there is still plenty of opportunity on the west side, though at a higher price than its east side cousins.     

As with the Neighborhoods of Awbrey Butte analysis a few days ago you can see the diversity of these neighborhoods with prices currently running from $180,000 to $1,399,000. October proved to be a more productive month with 12 homes selling versus the 9 that sold in September.  

Currently there is just one home available under $200,000 and four under $300,000. One of these homes under $300,000 a new Pahlisch Homes in the Newport Landing neighborhood, there is not much of a yard but Pahlisch Homes does an outstanding job with their construction and selection of finishes for their homes. In this grouping of homes are some Bend’s oldest and most prestigious homes located on Congress and State Streets. These are classic homes that you find in most towns; they were the homes of the mill managers back in the day. Being that Bend is a relatively young town there are not many homes of this stature which helps them command a healthy price.

If you have questions about any of the homes available on Bend’s west side or the Bend real estate market in general or perhaps you need a source for information. Please contact me, I would be glad to assist you in making informed decisions about Bend real estate.

List Price
Average
Listings
Low
High
Average
Median
$/Sqft
DOM
Active
23
$180,000
$1,399,000
$568,559
$499,000
$237.62
150
New
3
$334,500
$1,195,000
$764,833
$765,000
$359.04
41
Contingent
1
$449,000
$449,000
$449,000
$449,000
$111.83
52
Pending
10
$165,000
$499,950
$309,710
$290,000
$172.09
75
Sold
12
$142,000
$532,041
$281,683
$249,000
$187.06
107

October 2012 Market Report for the Neighborhoods of Awbrey Butte in Bend, Oregon

For those of you that have been following along for the last week or so I have been providing a mini market trend report for some of Bend, Oregon’s favorite neighborhoods. If you have not seen your favorite neighborhoods feel free to contact me and I can put together a report for your favorite. Today we are going to focus on the Neighborhoods of Awbrey Butte.

You might be curious as to what comprises the neighborhoods of Awbrey Butte? In my thinking they are Awbrey Heights, Awbrey Point, Awbrey Road Heights, Bend View, City View, Greyhawk, Hawks Ridge, Heights of Bend, Hillside Park, Tumalo Heights and a few others. These neighborhoods consist of a diverse collection of homes on the lower flanks of Awbrey Butte. There are modest homes built in the late forties to the ultra contemporary with spectacular views of the city and the Paulina Mountains to the south.

The older of these neighborhoods have been extremely popular with folks looking to renovate a classic home into some more contemporary. A key feature for many of these homes is their proximity to downtown Bend. Many of these homes sit on larger than average lots as well lending to a feel of having a larger home.

One other quirk is the tax rate for many of the older homes is significantly less than their newer counterparts throughout Bend. This in part to a property tax limitation measure (measure 50)passed back in 1997. It is a little too complicated to get into right now but in certain circumstances owners of older homes benefit greatly.

In the chart below you can see the diversity of these neighborhoods with prices currently running from $299,000 to $2,395,000. Last month was a slower month for the neighborhoods with only two homes selling versus September when seven homes sold. A portion of that difference may be accounted for in the number of pending sales which is sitting at four more than September. With a decent inventory of homes going in to the holiday season sales should remain consistent. Hopefully this spring we will see an influx of newer listings to tickle buyer’s fancies.

If you have questions about any of the homes available in the neighborhoods of Awbrey Butte or the Bend real estate market in general or perhaps you need a source for information. Please contact me, I would be glad to assist you in making informed decisions about Bend real estate.

                                            List Price Average
            Listings    Low         High          Average    Median    $/Sqft  DOM
Active        14   $299,000   $2,395,000   $658,268   $517,475   $210   159
New             4   $385,000    $750,000     $514,975   $462,450   $159   27
Contingent 0   $0               $0                 $0             $0             $0       0
Pending     5   $285,000     $469,900   $353,880   $290,000   $149   98
Sold            2   $300,000     $390,000   $345,000   $345,000   $191   117