A recent survey of 600 Americans and Europeans about their ideal homes showed some interesting results. The survey, conducted by Porch.com, showed many similarities, but some big differences as well. The survey asked respondents about their ideal home in terms of square footage, exterior style of home, flooring preferences and so on. Both groups tended to […]
Take Me Home
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Bend Median Home Price Declines 1.5 Percent for August
Number of sales increases, but median sales price decreases
While home sales have been declining in many areas, the number of August sales for Bend single family homes on 1 acre or less was 8 percent above July 2018. The median home price, however, decreased by 1.5 percent from $437,000 in July to $430,500 for August. Although the median home sales price decreased from […]
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Home Sales Cooling in Many Areas
Rising prices and low inventories pricing out buyers
Several recent reports have stated that as of July, home purchase contracts have declined for the seventh consecutive month. These are commonly referred to as pending sales. While this is true on a national level, there are exceptions, such as the West, which includes our local market. Rising inventory levels are happening mainly in markets […]
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Blokable Homes
Alternative Affordable Small Homes Built in Vancouver, Wash.
Many people seem to be fascinated with tiny homes—and lately it seems there have been many tiny home spinoffs and new developments. Prefabricated homes appear to hold promise as a partial solution for the affordable housing shortage. Oregon and Washington appear to be leading the trend in this type of housing unit that’s a little […]
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Home Improvements Outpacing New Home Construction
Being very concerned about the lack of affordable housing in our area, I’m constantly researching possible solutions and current and future housing trends. This past month, several media articles have stated that home improvement and remodeling projects are outpacing new home construction. Another hot topic: the increase in the median age of owner-occupied homes. These trends […]
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An ADU May Be More Feasible Than You Thought
An article in the most recent issue of Realtor Magazine on additional dwelling units mentioned a Portland company called Dweller making ADUs available to homeowners. ADUs come up frequently as a way to increase housing affordability and availability and, in recognition of this, cities are relaxing standards for them. In a nutshell, Dweller provides homeowners […]
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Bend Median Home Price Drops for July
Based on MLS statistics for July (as of the date of publication), the median sales price of Bend single family homes on 1 acre or less declined after a big jump reported for June. Not only did the median price drop, but so did the number of sales. The median sale price for July was […]
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Bend May Be A Retirement Destination
As the baby boomer generation ages, Oregon’s retirement age population is growing faster than the U.S. average. According to a recent report, the senior population for Deschutes County has increased by 53 percent since 2010 while the overall population growth has been 18.5 percent for the same period. Most of the state growth is not […]
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Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Home
The most important factor in buying a home is probably financing. Once you make the decision to buy a home, the first step should be to get loan approval and find out how much you can afford. Working with a good lender or broker who is resourceful is very important. Many prefer working with a […]
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Housing Bubble Concerns
With the increase in home prices reported in last week’s article, I have been asked by many people if we are staged for a correction or whether we are in a housing bubble. While recessions are inevitable in our economy, whether there will be one in the housing market is highly debated. Most real estate […]
