Have you ever wanted to start your own…

Sitting just west of Tumalo with larger than life Cascade mountain views and high visibility this 1.8 acre parcel is a prime location for you to build a rural business. With multiple use agriculture (MUA 10) zoning you can run a small nursery, produce patch, grow flowers to go or animal sitting business. Neighboring business include Cascade Gardens Nursery, Bend Distilleries future tasting room and a small hop farm. What will be your vision for this property?

The property is fenced and has 1.6 acres of irrigation rights that supply an underground irrigation system. There is 434 feet of Highway 20 frontage to give your business plenty of exposure. The 1152 square foot home on the property is a very solid with an attached shop and carport which could be easily converted to retail or office space to run your business.

This property qualifies for USDA Rural Direct and Guarantee loan programs. Funding from these programs can be used to purchase and renovate the property at a low down payment and interest rate. Congress is set to restore funding to these programs next week.

Incentive extended to lure buyers to distressed Fannie Mae properties...

In an effort to reduce their distressed property inventory Fannie Mae announced today that it will be extending its buyer incentive program. The program offers a 3.5% rebate to those who purchase and close on a Fannie Mae owned home by June 30th. The rebate may be used toward the closing costs of the transaction, select Whirlpool appliances or a combination of the two. The program which was launched this past January was designed to help spur the sale of distressed properties reacquired by Fannie Mae. The program is offered to both first time and move up home buyers who will need to be owner occupants to qualify.
In the Bend there are currently 25 homes listed by Fannie Mae for sale, with more to come. Prices on these homes range from $39,900 to $355,000. Many of these homes will also qualify for HomePath mortgage financing or renovation financing. The HomePath mortgage program allows for down payments as low as 3 without having to incur mortgage insurance. You may use gifts, grants, loans from employers, the government or non profits to fund your down payment. Offered with reduced credit guidelines both owner occupied and investors may qualify for the mortgages but only owner occupied homes will qualify for the purchase incentive program. Fixed rate, adjustable rate and interest only loans are available through the mortgage program. Mortgage financing which includes funds for light renovation is available with the same guidelines and benefits to those properties which will be owner occupied.

This is a great opportunity if the program fits your needs and you do not procrastinate on selecting a home.

Privacy and Mountain views from the Paulina’s to Mt Hood…

If you have been looking for a private building site with mountain views from the southerly Paulina’s up north to Mt. Hood this is your calling. Close in to Bend this is a very unique property situated above 640 acres of state land that lay to the west. Offered at $485,000 this 26.22 acres this property has pasture land, a six bay pole barn, pioneer era rock wall, room for a riding arena and plenty of privacy. There is a CUP in place for you to get a jump on building your dream home. The pasture land is irrigated by 7.53 acres of Arnold irrigation water with wheel line and pump included. There is no need for the expense of drilling a well, as domestic water is provided by Avion Water Company. The convenience of Costco, Safeway, Whole Foods, Old Navy, a movie theater complex and St. Charles Hospital is five minutes away. Downtown Bend is just a bit further down the road. For more information call or email me. To take a virtual tour of the property, click on the link in the column to the right. 61545 Ward Road, mls #201003871

Have we hit the bottom yet?? ..... Can I sell my house in this market??

In a market that seems to know no bottom how can you get your home sold. Pressure from distressed properties in today’s market has sellers refining their sales strategy. It seems like today’s market is dominated by distressed properties and a quick look at the numbers bears this out with nearly 64% of Bend, Oregon area homes sold since the first of the year consisting of either “Bank Owned” properties or owners “Short Selling” who are their homes.


So what will it take for you to sell your home in this environment?

First realize that the prices fetched in the 2005 -2008 market will not be returning anytime soon. Take realistic look at what homes have sold for in your neighborhood recently. In most cases price is a primary motivator in the purchase of a home, having the correct price when you first appear on the market is critical to selling in a timely manner.

Appearance matters before you go to market make sure your home is at its best. Take the buyers view of your home; is it attractive from the street? When you walk in to the home is clean and uncluttered? Does the aroma from your pets dominate the olfactory senses when you walk through the door? Light and bright, clean and uncluttered is best, fresh flowers and scents are a plus when showing your home. Complete any minor repairs or other projects that have not yet been tackled. Do not forget your yard!! Curb appeal draws people in, if your driveway is cluttered people will expect the same for the interior.

Other influences will affect the sale of your home such as location, amenities, size and layout of the home. In most cases you as the seller have little control over these factors, so it is best not to stress about what you cannot change. Better to focus on what you can influence.

Now that the home is ready it’s time to get the word out!! The first month of your home being on the market is the most critical. Your marketing strategy should have a strong presentation with both words and photos highlighting the attributes that set your home apart from other homes on the market. The most powerful tool will be exposure to real estate brokers, listing your home on the multiple listing service (MLS) provides this huge benefit by exposing your property to hundreds of brokers not to mention buyers who search the MLS on the internet. Other internet tools such as Craigslist, Facebook, Trulia, Zillow, Listhub, REALTOR.com® are just a small part of the internet arsenal available to your broker to market your home.

While the market remains daunting for those who wish to move on and get their home sold, there are buyers out there for your home. Plenty of buyers prefer not deal with the headaches and heartbreaks associated with the distressed sales. So prepare well, spring is here, interest rates are still low, buyers sense that this is a great opportunity to buy that will not last forever. We will get your home sold.

Wow how the mighty have fallen….Great Deal Near Drake Park....

This home just hit the Bend market it sold in October of 2006 for $1,475,000, today it is bank owned and offered at $600,000. This four bedroom home with 2.5 bathrooms is located near Drake Park and is situated close to all that makes Bend so special. If this is something that piques your interest call me to arrange a showing.

Yikes, since I posted this earlier today there are seven offers on this property. Moral of the story if you find something you like and it is an outstanding value be prepared to step up to the plate and make an offer quickly!

It’s getting to be PPP time…

You know spring is here in the high desert when it’s 60 plus degrees one day and 30 something the next day. Two Saturdays ago we had nearly two feet of deep fairly light powder, what a way to kick off the spring season. The recent snow fall has insured that there will plenty of good riding at Mt Bachelor through the Pole Peddle Paddle and the last day of lift served skiing which falls the day after the PPP.


Speaking of PPP several clinics are coming up to help you prepare for this grand daddy of events for Central Oregon. “A Gathering for Success” features four past winners who will share their insight of how to find success on and before race day. Muffy Roy, Dan Simoneau, Marshall Greens and Sarah Max cover key issues like how to reduce time in the transitions, handle the logistics of team mates and equipment, the course and how to focus your training. The event is scheduled for Wednesday April 21st from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the downtown branch of US Bank at 102 NW Oregon Avenue.

Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation (MBSEF) will also be hosting various hands on clinics for skate skiing, paddling, cycling and transitions with Dan Simoneau and Marshall Greene click more information call Molly at MBSEF 541-382-0002 or follow this link http://www.mbsef.org/_files/File/PPP_2010_Clinics_v2.pdf to an informational flyer.

Rebound Physical Therapy will also be hosting a clinic on Wednesday May 12th starting at 7:00 p.m. This clinic will focus the importance of a good fitting bike to achieve maximum performance on your cycling run and will be coached by Professional triathlete Matt Lieto and physical therapist Tim Evans. For more information and the location of this clinic call Gina Miller

541-585-2540.

If clinics are not for you maybe the tired advertising slogan works best, “Just Do It”. While it’s not yet time to put the winter toys away it is definitely time to bring out some of the warm weather toys and enjoy what spring has to offer.

New Grant Program available to help first time Oregon homebuyers!

Available starting today is a grant for first time home owners who earn less than or equal to the median income for their area of the state. Created by a partnership of the Oregon Association of REALTORS® and the Oregon Bankers Association, the HOME Sweet Home Program (HSHP) is designed to provide homeownership opportunities for Oregonians.


The Ira Gribin Workforce Housing Grants Program has provided the initial funding by providing $80,000 grant to the Oregon Realtors Association HOME Foundation. The goal is to address the growing need for affordable housing to the average layperson.

First time homeowners will be eligible for a $2000 grant funded by HSHP. Those interested in this program must be working on the home purchase with a broker who is a REALTOR® and obtain their mortgage through an Oregon Bankers Association member bank.