Bend’s Best Buys – 326 NW Roanoke $359,900

This eco-friendly house was formerly listed at $980,000 and is now bank owned and listed at $359,900. This 3124 sq. ft. home has 5 bedrooms, 4 baths and sits on a 0.3 acre lot. The 5th bedroom downstairs is currently set up as a studio apartment with a kitchenette, bathroom, and private exterior entrance. The master suite was plumbed for a kitchen and could be turned into a locked off rental if desired. This home was used as a vacation rental in the past. Some of the finishes include stained concrete flooring, radiant floor heat throughout, bamboo cabinetry, 5 reclaimed redwood decks, sustainably grown wood windows, granite counters in kitchen & baths, and a lovely water feature in the back yard. This home won’t be ideal for everyone since it is on 3 levels.

View the MLS listing detail and additional photos here: 326 NW Roanoke

If you’re at all interested in this home, do not wait. When I previewed this property today, there were 3 other agents previewing for their clients and 3 other agents showing the home to their clients. That’s just in the 15 minutes that I was there. This will go quickly. The easiest way to find this home is to turn left onto Roanoke from Awbrey Rd heading north.

Kitchen Trends for 2010

If you’re considering a kitchen remodel, you’ll want to visit the blog of Kit Tosello, kitchen designer, and read her most recent post about kitchen trends for 2010. The National Kitchen & Bath Association reported the styles for 2010 and here’s a summary of what they expect we’ll see:

1. Traditional will continue as the most popular kitchen design style in 2010, with contemporary following closely behind.

2. Cherry will remain the most popular wood for kitchen cabinetry, followed closely by maple, while alder increases in use. Medium natural, dark natural, glazed, and white painted cabinets will all be common while distressed and other colors are on the decline.

3. Ceramic and porcelain tile, as well as natural stone tile, remain popular kitchen flooring options, but hardwood will dominate the kitchen landscape more than ever in 2010.

4. For countertops, granite continues to be the most popular option, but quartz will nearly catch up in popularity. For backsplashes, ceramic or porcelain tile and glass will serve as the primary materials.

5. Standard kitchen faucets will become less standard in 2010 in favor of more convenient models like pull-out faucets and pot filler faucets. Kitchen faucets will most often be finished in brushed nickel, followed by stainless steel, satin nickel, and—surprisingly—polished chrome.

6. French door and freezer-bottom are the two most popular styles of refrigerators, and side-by-side refrigerators remain a popular option. Undercounter wine refrigerators have been recently specified by half of kitchen designers.

7. The tried-and-true range continues to serve as the workhorse for cooking, although the combination of a cooktop and wall oven is beginning to overtake it. Gas will maintain its position as the most popular type of cooktop over electric.

8. Standard dishwashers, with the traditional door that pulls from the top down, will once again be easily the most common type in 2010. However, an increasing number of dishwasher drawers will be installed in kitchens this year for their convenience and their ability to wash small loads of dishes in each drawer, thereby saving water and electricity.

Visit Kit’s blog for more information: http://highdeserthomecompanion.blogspot.com/

Just Listed – 2 Mill Quarter Townhomes

Mill Quarter townhomes are ideally located in the heart of Bend between downtown & the Old Mill District. The modern interiors reflect an industrial architectural design featuring dramatic vaulted ceilings with exposed ductwork, gourmet kitchens w/granite counters and Viking appliances, cork floors, wool carpet, custom tile & concrete, private elevators, and expansive private rooftop decks. No HOA dues!

17 Bond St., listed at $729,900, has 2,793 sf of living space with 2 beds/2 baths, plus 450 sf of storefront retail/office space that can be rented out separately. 37 Bond St., listed at $779,900, is a live/work townhome with 3281 sq. ft. and 3 bedrooms/3.5 baths. The 3rd bedroom (and full bath) on the lower level has a separate street entrance, making it an ideal home office. Both are short sales.

View the Video Tour

Bend’s Best Buys – Modern Design in NW Bend $599,000

I’ve been in love with this home since it was first listed at $1,095,000 in July 2008. It was designed and built by Szigeti Construction as the builder’s personal residence. It’s 3873 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms/3.5 baths on a 0.34 acre lot with a peek a boo view of the Deschutes River. The back yard has a trail down to the Deschutes River. Use the Bird’s Eye View feature on Bing.com to see the proximity to the river. The home features bamboo & concrete floors, porcelain tile counters in the master bath, and a Ceasar stone countertop in the kitchen. The home also features solar hot water, security system, & central vacuum. View the virtual tour: 630 NW Silver Buckle

NOW PENDING: Bend’s Best Buys – Three Pines Lot $79,900

(Sale Pending on 2/8/10) This bank owned lot is in the Three Pines neighborhood in NW Bend off of Shevlin Park Rd. This is a 0.22 acre corner lot and it last sold for $240,000 in 2005. Yep, pick this one up for 1/3 of its peak value. Three Pines has a picnic area, park, ponds, waterfalls, and access to trails. The neighborhood consists of custom homes currently ranging in value from $400,000 – $500,000. The address of this lot is 34 Mt. Shasta.

Bend Real Estate Statistics December 2009

December was another decent month with 1073 homes for sale, 185 contingent sales, 314 sales pending, and 190 sales. Bend mirrored the national trend in that we had slightly fewer sales than in November but more homes were pending. The median home price was $224,000.

Only 92 (8.5%) of the homes for sale are bank owned, while 86 (27%) of the homes pending and 64 (34%) of the homes that sold were bank owned. The median price of the bank owned properties that sold was $176,000 with most of the sales occuring in the $120,000 – $160,000 price range.

Short sales make up 210 (19.5%) of the homes for sale, 180 (17%) of the contingent sales, 110 (10%) of the pending sales, 49 (4.5%) of the homes that sold. Currently 28% of the homes for sale are distressed properties and 59% of the homes that sold were distressed properties.

Here’s a look at the past 6 months:

The median sales price has been hovering around $225,000 and the inventory has been declining as the number of homes sold remains steady and even climbs a bit. 

View the complete statistics for December 2009

SOLD: Bend’s Best Buys – West Side Cottage $136,900

(Sold on 1/29/2010 for $141,240) This home was built in 1922 and has been beautifully updated. It has 2 bedrooms/1 bath and 866 sq. ft. and sits on a fully fenced corner lot. You’ve probably driven past this house several times as it sits on the corner of 15th and Newport Ave. in northwest Bend. Some of the features include maple wood floors, fresh paint, granite countertops, new appliances, bamboo blinds, updated lighting, and ceiling fans. The bathroom has travertine tile and the original clawfoot tub. This is a bank owned home and the seller is offering a 6% contribution towards the buyer’s closing costs. This will sell quickly and probably for quite a bit more than the current list price. Don’t wait! List price $136,900 Sales price $141,240

Bend Real Estate Statistics November 2009

Yes you read that correctly, November stats in January. I am incredibly behind. I actually compiled the stats during the first week of December but never posted them. Here goes!

November was a great month for sales. There were 1210 homes for sale, 216 contingent sales, 288 sales pending, and 203 homes sold. The median sales price was $235,500. Compare these numbers to November 2008 when we had 1961 homes for sale, 59 contingent sales, 126 sales pending, and 69 homes sold. The median price was $284,500. Although the median price was lower in November 2009, nearly 3 times as many homes sold as in November 2008.

Of the 203 homes that sold, 80 were bank owned and the sales prices ranged from $40,000 – $702,500. 42 of the sales were short sales with prices ranging from $114,900 – $860,000. About 60% of the sales in November were distressed, either short sales or bank owned. The remaining sales were traditional and prices ranged from $38,500 – $1,700,000. When looking at sales prices, the average % of list price received was 96%. For homes that sold in the first 60 days, it was nearly 100% and slightly declined the longer the home spent on the market.

Here are the complete November 2009 statistics.

ALREADY PENDING: Bend’s Best Buys – $159,900 in River Rim

(Sale Pending as of 1/8/10) This single level home in River Rim is situated on a corner lot. The floor plan includes a tile entry, arched entry ways, living room with a gas fireplace and TV nook, office with french doors, spacious master with walk in closet,  kitchen with lots of cabinets, solid granite countertops, and travertine floor. The tiled dining area has a sliding door that leads to the back patio and fenced back yard. River Rim has walking trails and community parks throughout the neighborhood. In addition, the brand new Brookswood Meadow Plaza neighborhood shopping center offers easy access to numerous shops and conveniences including Snap Fitness, Toddles Preschool, The Rim Coffee House Company, and coming soon, a grocery store. This bank owned home is located at 19544 Fishhawk Loop in SW Bend.

SALE PENDING: Bend’s Best Buys – Bank Owned Home in SW Bend

(Sale Pending 1/22/2010) This home in the Aspen Rim neighborhood is the Aspen floor plan built by Renaissance Homes. The kitchen features slab granite counters, rich cherry cabinetry, a 5 burner cooktop and stainless wall oven. The huge master suite is on the main level. The utility room has a sink and custom cabinets. Two of the bedrooms upstairs share a Jack/Jill bath with a skylight and private sink/vanity areas for each room. All baths have tile counters and floors. The Aspen Rim neighborhood has a community park and pool and river trail access. This home has 4 bedrooms/3 baths, and 2995 sq. ft. and is listed at $339,900 ($113/sq. ft.) Washington Federal is offering a special financing package on this home located at 19697 Harvard Place.

Bend’s Best Buys – North Rim Lot $145,000

A 1.13 acre lot in North Rim on Awbrey Butte is now listed at $145,000. North Rim is an Awbrey Butte neighborhood featuring 122 homesites, all 1 acre or larger in size. Some have dramatic Cascade Mountain and Deschutes River Canyon views. The neighborhood has a tennnis court, trails, Deschutes River trail access, 18 acres of open space, and a stunning lodge which can be used by homeowners for social gatherings and special events. Homes in North Rim are high end and must be 3000 sq. ft. or larger and be designed to complement the native environment. Average sales price for lots in North Rim is currently $235,000. This lot last sold for $455,000 in September 2005. The address of this homesite is 3399 NW Greenleaf Way.

Housing Inventory Plummets in Bend

A recent article in The Bulletin indicates that the local real estate market may be shaping up for recovery. The number of homes for sale is roughly 50% off its peak of August 2007. Low home prices, low interest rates, and the tax credit incentive  have all contributed to the increase in home sales. An inventory of 6 months is considered to be a balanced market. Anything less signifies a seller’s market and anything greater indicates a buyer’s market. For homes listed at $300,000 or less, which is the most active segment of the market, the inventory is currently 3 months. Bend’s median home price seems to have bottomed at $195,000 in April of this year and currently sits at $220,000.

Read the entire article here: Housing Inventory Plummets in Bend

SOLD: Bend’s Best Buys – $362,900 Bank Owned on Golden Butte

(SOLD for $350,900 on 12/29/09) This contemporary home at 1986 SW Troon Ave. in Bend has 3 bedrooms/3 baths, 2635 sq. ft. and sits on a 0.19 acre nicely treed lot with a view of the Cascade mountains and Broken Top golf course. The private backyard has a nice wooden play structure and a water feature. This home last sold in 2006 for $660,000 and is now offered at $362,900.

Bend Real Estate Statistics October 2009

During the month of October there were 1275 homes for sale, 239 contingent sales, 352 homes pending, and 210 sales. The inventory is down and the sales are up compared to the last few months. In fact, the last time we saw this many sales in one month was towards the end of August 2006 when the market started to cool. Roughly 250 properties were taken off the market last month. Some were terminated or withdrawn and others expired. Some of these properties might be relisted but this tends to be the time of year that many homeowners that weren’t able to sell during the summer give up. This is why it’s important to keep your home on the market if you’re serious about selling. There’s much less competition and buyers that are willing to look in the dead of winter are serious about buying.

Once again, most of the sales were in the $200,000 – $250,000 price range, although I have noticed an increase in activity in homes priced over $500,000. Twice as many homes over $500,000 sold in October compared to September.  12 homes sold over $1,000,000 compared to 3 in September. 5 of those sales were in Pronghorn, several of which were part of a bulk deal. The other sales included:

$1,050,000  5 beds/3.5 baths, 3709 sq. ft. home at 456 NW Kansas St. downtown.

 

$1,200,000  4 beds/5 baths, 6772 sq. ft. home at 3450 Greenleaf Way in North Rim on Awbrey Butte

 

 

$1,250,000  4 beds/4.5 baths, 5580 sq. ft. home at 1518 NW 1st St. on the Deschutes River

 

 

$1,769,000 4 beds/4.5 baths, 6035 sq. ft. home on a 1.27 acre lot in Sunset View Estates.

 

$1,800,000 5 beds/4 baths, 5500 sq. ft. home at 437 Drake Rd.

 

 

$2,800,000  5 beds/7 baths, 10,881 sq. ft. home at 61886 Bunker Hill Ct. in Broken Top.

 

 

Below is a quick comparison of the previous 6 months. Here’s a link to the full stats: October 2009

	Active	Contingent	Pending	Sold
October	1275	239	352	210
September	1543	264	328	173
August	1546	236	211	153
July	1751	238	275	184
June	1789	236	297	158
May	1829	205	242	138

SOLD: Bend’s Best Buys – West side cottage $144,750

(Pending after 3 days on the market, Sold for full price) This 2 bed/1 bath, 980 sq. ft. cottage was just listed. The address is 64 NW Portland Ave., near downtown, the river trail, Pioneer Park, and one block from the river. It has a great floor plan with a front office/dining room, large living room with fireplace, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and a utility room off the kitchen. The full basement is unfinished but is very usable and provides lots of storage space. It also has a 360 sq. ft. detached garage. This would make a great investment property, as the current tenants would like to stay. It’s not a short sale or bank owned but it’s being sold as-is at this price.