A recent article in the Central Oregon Association of Realtors real estate news referenced an article in the Central Oregonian, which reported some surprising information on the Prineville housing market. The article mentioned that the rental vacancy rate in Prineville is less than one percent, and that like Bend, the Prineville City Council was dealing […]
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August Real Estate Stats: Redmond is Hot
Central Oregon may be a hopping real estate market overall—but it’s Redmond that’s seeing the biggest changes. According to the Beacon Report, based on MLS statistics, the markets for Bend and Redmond can be summarized as follows for Aug. 2016. I have also added Aug. 2015 figures to provide a comparison and calculated the percentage […]
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Multi-generational Housing Trends
According to a recent report by the Pew Research Center that analyzed census data, in 2014, 60.6 million people, or 19 percent of the U.S. population, lived in multi-generational households. Recent statistics are showing that multi-generational households have been steadily increasing. Multi-generational households are defined as having two or more adult generations or one that […]
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Hope for Credit-Challenged Buyers: FHA Loans
Many people who are renting today are paying more than they would with a mortgage. At the same time, those renters may think they can’t qualify for a loan because of damaged credit and more stringent loan requirements. Conventional loan criteria require higher credit scores than in the past, but the good news is that […]
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Home Ownership is Important, but Still Elusive for Many
There was an interesting article in The Wall Street Journal recently about the lopsided recovery of our national housing market—which is true for Bend as well. The statistics show that the housing market has rebounded substantially from the recent recession in terms of price appreciation, but that the middle class is very much struggling to […]
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Housing Prices: Astronomical Growth for Central Oregon Cities
The Beacon Report for July was just released this week—a compilation of statistics based on Central Oregon MLS data. According to the report, the July median price for a single family residence in Bend was $364,000 and the average days on market dropped to 70 days, reflecting the high demand and low inventory levels. This […]
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Why Isn’t Inventory Increasing?
The housing market in Bend and nationwide is showing increased home sale volume, but low inventory levels. A recent article on national existing home sales and housing inventory showed that sales nationally have increased by about 600,000 between 2012 and 2015 while housing inventory has been flat or has decreased. Nationally, existing home sales are […]
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Don’t Have the Cash for a Traditional Loan?
You could consider seller financing options
The housing crisis provided many opportunities for investors to purchase distressed properties at bargain prices and hold them as rentals or flip them at a higher price to a buyer unable to qualify for a loan at the time. This was evident with the increase in rent-to-buy homes and other seller financing options. In a […]
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Investing IRA Funds in Real Estate: Better for Stock Market Newbies?
Most people who have IRA accounts have the type which is administered by a custodian—which is typically a bank or investment brokerage. Recently though, there’s been more talk of self-directed IRAs that allow you to use the funds on other investment opportunities, including real estate. A self-directed plan is controlled by the client rather than […]
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More Than It’s Worth
The perils of overpricing your home
Pretty much everyone in Bend is aware that we have a seller’s real estate market. This often makes sellers price their homes for more than they are worth. While it is natural to want to get the maximum return on your home investment, it is very important to price it correctly. In our current market, […]