Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Erin Campbell Joins Bend, Oregon Real Estate Company The Garner Group

We keep on growing! We just added licensed broker Erin Campbell to our expert Bend, Oregon real estate team. With a background in customer service, event planning and education, as well as real estate and neighborhood planning, Erin brings diverse skills to our company.

A native of Oregon and a resident of Bend since 2000, Campbell has held an Oregon real estate license since 2008. She graduated from the University of Portland with a degree in communications and management and has worked in guest services for JH Ski Corp. in Jackson Hole, Wyo., as a corporate events planner for Nike Inc. in Beaverton, and as admissions director for a therapeutic boarding school in Bend. Campbell graduated from the University of Portland with a degree in communications and management.

As frequent vacation visitors to Central Oregon, Erin and her husband Jay chose Bend as the place to raise their family and moved here permanently in 2000. They have three daughters and enjoy Bend’s family outdoor recreation activities like skiing, running, boating and camping.

Welcome Erin!!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

New Urban Communities in Tough Economy - Trends in Bend, Oregon Real Estate

You may have recently read our article about this topic in our eNewsletter, but we think it's worth repeating. There has been much discussion at industry conferences and in trade publications about the strength of the new urban community in a tough housing market. This is remaining true even when you take a look at Bend, Oregon real estate - the neighborhood of NorthWest Crossing is a great example of this trend. 

What exactly does new urban mean anyway? Formally, New Urbanism is a specific set of planning and design principles that focus on reproducing pedestrian-friendly traditional neighborhoods containing homes, businesses, employment centers, parks and schools. Clearly, our most prominent local example of this is NorthWest Crossing, which was originally designed on these principles. 

While the movement has been embraced by eco-theorists and a broad array of social reformers, at its core is a solid base of professional thought articulated by the Chicago-based Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), founded in 1993.

Covering the 19th annual CNU conference in Madison, Wis. last June, opinion writer Mike Ivey of The (Madison) Capital Times reported that the tough housing market and high gasoline prices have drawn attention to the value of New Urban neighborhoods.

“Where all the well-intentioned planning in the world couldn’t slow urban sprawl, the economic collapse stopped it dead,” Ivey wrote. A February 2011 study by the National Assn. of Realtors shows most home buyers are willing to sacrifice square footage for less driving, he noted. Nearly 60% of respondents say they would choose a smaller home if it means a commute time of 20 minutes or less.

Andres Duany, one of the founders of the New Urbanism movement and co-founder of the CNU, told Ivey that economic and environmental realities will force changes in the way people think about their living situations. The housing crisis and financial meltdown offer a chance for a “great reset” on how communities function going forward, he said.

“The housing bust is temporary, but the 21st century is permanent,” Duany said, adding that challenges of expensive energy, concern over climate change and an unsustainable national debt will demand development based around self-sufficiency, urban agriculture and local decision-making.

NorthWest Crossing is recognized in a collection of planned community examples compiled by the Ithaca, NY-based New Urban Network. It employs a slightly different paradigm than the large-scale urban redevelopment projects in major population centers that often receive attention. Here, nothing had to be torn down. Preservation of natural features was emphasized. And the goals were grounded in practical market appeal rather than social reform.

NorthWest Crossing pushed the envelope in regard to green building, insisting on compliance with Earth Advantage standards. When the first home was sold in 2007, buyers not already practicing environmental impact reduction had be sold on the advantages of green building. Today, it is a practical philosophy that merges energy and resource conservation with hard economic benefits. Broad green building principles are now mainstream; advanced concepts are nearing the point of economic neutrality.

No crystal ball in the late 1990s or early 2000s could have revealed the changes in the housing market that would follow later in the decade. It would have been much safer to transform the 486 acres of pines, rimrock and pumice into an conventional upscale suburban community. But the foresight applied to creating a different kind of neighborhood for the time and place, and the employment of landscape architects and land planners experienced in the burgeoning New Urban concept, set NorthWest Crossing up for success.

While the rate of growth has been scaled back, NorthWest Crossing continues to challenge expectations of national trend analysts. Builders are building; buyers are buying.

We're lucky enough to have our headquarters in this progressive neighborhood, and have the on-the-ground expertise to offer our buyers and sellers in NorthWest Crossing. Because of our commitment to green real estate in Bend Oregon, it is the perfect place for us to call home.  Interested in learning more? Contact us anytime. 541 383-4360

Monday, September 26, 2011

Green and Solar Home Tour Features Great Bend, Oregon Real Estate

We're proud to be a part of the Central Oregon Green & Solar Home Tour this coming weekend, and when we say "a part" we mean it! We are listing or co-listing two of the seven homes on the tour, which both have pending sales. The Garner Group Real Estate in Bend, Oregon is also proud to be a sponsor of this year's tour. After all, with more green real estate agents - with Earth Advantage STAR and NAR Green certifications - than any other agency in town, we are truly committed to sustainability.

The  event  starts with a  free kick-off meeting at COCC’s Campus Center, starting at 8:30am on Saturday, October 1. The Garner Group will have a booth at the meeting, along with other green and solar industry experts covering  the  latest trends in the  industry.  The  new Nissan Leaf 100% electric vehicle will be on display and will visit the tour homes during the day. This is a great event to attend if you are planning on visiting the homes on the tour, because there will be a sign up sheet for ride sharing and carpooling to look at all the homes. Homes are open starting at 10:30 am on Saturday.

Make sure to check out the two homes in NorthWest Crossing that we'll be hanging out at during the tour: the Net Zero Home at  2328 NW Dorion Way and the 674-square-foot cottage at 670 NW Mt Washington Drive. We can't wait to see you there and share about why green real estate in Bend, Oregon is the way to go!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Garner Group Bend, Oregon Real Estate Adds Three New Brokers to Team!



The Garner Group Real Estate, a family-owned company committed to green real estate in Bend, Oregon, just added three licensed Central Oregon brokers to its Bend, Oregon real estate team. 

Phyllis Mageau has been a licensed real estate agent since 1988, first in Hawaii and later in Oregon. She moved to Bend in 2004 from Maui. She is certified by the Earth Advantage Institute as a STAR (Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals) broker and by the Distressed Property Institute as a Certified Distressed Property Expert. Mageau is the current president of the Central Oregon Chapter, Women's Council of Realtors.


Sean Haidet is a second-generation Realtor who obtained his Oregon broker's license in 2010. He has lived in Bend since 2008 following a 15-year career as a fire fighter/paramedic in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Haidet competes in road, mountain bike and cyclocross races and is a cycling coach with the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation.



Gail Day has been licensed in California and Oregon over the course of a career that included managing and rehabilitating distressed apartment communities and renovating investment properties in the San Francisco Bay and Portland areas. She moved to Central Oregon in 2010. Gail has earned a Graduate, Realtor Institute (GRI) designation from the National Assn. of Realtors.


Welcome to the team everyone!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Risk Vs. Reward: Bend, Oregon Real Estate Values...Final Installment

We're wrapping up our article series on risk vs. reward for home buyers this week...the full article originally appeared last month in The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon's daily newspaper. Picking up where we left off...


“While some potential home buyers are trying to time the bottom of the housing market, it is equally important--and sometimes more important--to time the bottom of the interest rate market,” pointed out Larry Wallace, loan officer with the Bank of Oregon, a Bend-based mortgage brokerage.

“On a $280,000 loan, a one per cent increase in interest rates--which can easily happen--will cost an extra $168 per month. That totals $20,251 over 10 years and $60,754 over 30 years. It’s an expensive lesson for waiting too long,” Wallace continued.

With underwriting guidelines becoming tighter, buyers who wait for the “perfect moment” could find they no longer qualify, he said. “That has been an ongoing problem in the past few years.”

A tight rental market in Bend has dropped vacancy rates to around three per cent, Wallace noted, leading to rent increases. “This tips the balance toward home ownership when monthly mortgage payments are equal to or less than rent.”

Wallace observed that strong demand at the lower end of Bend’s housing market is likely to forestall further price decreases. “Good deals are attracting multiple buyers and bringing about bidding wars.”

In fact, Bend, Oregon residential prices are beginning to firm up. The Bratton Report, produced by Bratton Appraisal Group, slices MLS statistics into monthly increments. After tumbling along a bottom point between December and February, the median price zigzagged upward to $210,000 in June, roughly where it was a year ago.

Optimism has governed Sandy Garner’s [owner of The Garner Group] career in real estate. “You have to be an optimist to succeed in this business. You have to dig in when times are tough. It’s an axiom that some 10 per cent of the Realtors in any given market make 90 per cent of the sales.”

The Garner Group became an independent real estate agency in January, 2008. “From a market perspective, it was an uphill climb, but we have increased business every year and are one of the most productive per-agent brokerages in Bend,” she concluded.

So what do you think? Feel like it might be time to buy Bend, Oregon real estate

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Risk Vs. Reward: Bend, Oregon Real Estate Values...Second Installment!

This is the second installment in a series article written by David Pease of The Garner Group Real Estate in Bend, Oregon. To read the first installment see our blog post from last week. The article in its entirety originally appeared in Bend, Oregon's newspaper, The Bulletin.

Bend displays evidence that all real estate is local.

“Don’t be unduly influenced by national news reports describing a housing Armageddon,” Sandy Garner of The Garner Group advised. “By definition, they don’t reflect local or even regional conditions. Reports come from different sources on different days. It’s a classic example of mixing apples and oranges.”

Even within Bend there are market fluctuations. NorthWest Crossing, the Bend, Oregon neighborhood where The Garner Group is headquartered, has created an environment that is attracting builders and home buyers, and supporting prices, on a scale not measured elsewhere.

As documented previously in The Bulletin, 48 of the 62 single-family building permit requests filed with the city during the first six months of 2011 were for homes in NorthWest Crossing. The neighborhood marketed as Shevlin Pines was second, with 13 permits.

Freddie Mac statistics show annual average commitment rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages peaked at 16.63% in 1981 and did not recede into single digits until 1991, when the annual average was 9.25%.

Rates have largely been below five per cent in 2010 and so far in 2011. The rate for June was 4.51 per cent.

We have one last installment of this article series coming next week! 

Friday, August 26, 2011

Risk Vs. Reward: The Value of Buying a Home in Today's Economy


Originally published in the Real Estate section of The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon's newspaper, earlier this month, this excerpt from an article by our own David Pease gives some insight into making the decision to buy a home. 

Prospective buyers who are waiting for prices to bottom out should consider the possibility of rising interest rates... those who wait until they feel prices have reached the absolute bottom may see their bargains disappear if mortgage interest rates fluctuate upward, as many industry observers predict they will.

“Predicting the bottom of the market is like reading tea leaves,” observed Sandy Garner, CEO of The Garner Group Real Estate in Bend, Oregon. “From what we see in terms of low inventories and absorption rates, we are at or close to a bottom by any workable definition.”

Absorption rates are “inside baseball” in the real estate community, but they are a useful way to measure the market. They calculate how long it would take to sell existing inventory based on the number of sales and homes on the market. Simplified, they show 4.8 months of inventory for June in the Bend, Oregon residential real estate market. The most recent high was 6.3 months in August, 2010.

“In the real estate business, anything under six months is considered a seller’s market,” Garner said. Rates are based on Central Oregon MLS Listing statistics.

Look for more from this article on Bend, Oregon real estate in upcoming posts! 

Friday, July 29, 2011

Pending Home Sales Rise in June - Bend, Oregon Real Estate Trends

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), pending home sales in June have risen by a couple percentage points - with largest increases in the West (yep - Bend, Oregon!) and South. All regions are showing significant gains over last year at this time. 


In the article, which was posted yesterday, the NAR says that the Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 2.4 percent to 90.9 in June from 88.8 in May and is 19.8 percent above the 75.9 reading in June 2010, which was the low point immediately following expiration of the home buyer tax credit. The data reflects contracts but not closings.


We're keeping a close eye on the statistics and trends across the country, and are hopeful that trends in Bend, Oregon real estate will continue to rise!


For the complete article, and video, click here.  

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

COBA Tour of Homes in Bend, Oregon

With the first weekend of the 2011 Central Oregon Builders Association Tour of Homes under our belts, we're looking forward to next weekend in the Bend, Oregon real estate market! Our agents are in homes all around Bend, including NorthWest Crossing, ready to show you what our beautiful town has to offer. 


Check out our website to see all the homes that are open during the tour. In Bend, Oregon's NorthWest Crossing neighborhood alone, you'll want to make sure to check out these great family homes:

2330 NW Lolo Drive, Bend
















2498 NW Drouillard Avenue, Bend
















And many more - including several in NorthWest Crossing alone. Let our Bend, Oregon real estate experts help you find your dream home! We're excited to see what this weekend has to bring. COBA Tour starts Friday at noon!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Zero Net Energy Home Preview: Bend, Oregon Tour of Homes

We're so excited to host at many open houses this weekend at the kick-off to the 2011 Central Oregon Builders Association Tour of Homes - a showcase of Bend, Oregon real estate! While the actual tour starts at noon on Friday, July 15 we are co-hosting a special "Premiere and Reception" event at one of the very special homes on the Tour: SolAire Homebuilders' Zero Net Energy home. The first zero net energy home in Bend! 


Join us on Thursday, July 14 from 5-7 p.m. at 2328 NW Dorian Way in Bend, Oregon's NorthWest Crossing neighborhood. Cindi and Mike O'Neil and other representatives of SolAire Homebuilders will be available to explain the advanced energy-saving features that make this home unique. The home has created a lot of buzz in advance of the Tour, so this will be an opportunity for a casual and unhurried "look and learn" experience before the Tour begins.

And don't forget to visit us during the Tour! Nearly 25 percent of this year's tour homes are in our home neighborhood of NorthWest Crossing. We'll see you there! 

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Front Porches in Bend, Oregon's NorthWest Crossing

Ever thought the front porches you see on nearly every home in Bend, Oregon's NorthWest Crossing were an accident? Think again! Front porches are rising swiftly on homebuyers' wish lists - in fact a recent study by the National Association of Home Builders found that a front porch ranked higher that patio and rear porch in a report titled The New Home 2015. Since 1997, the number of homes with front porches has risen dramatically - more than 50%.

Why? Not only do front porches raise the value of the home (it is what home buyers are looking for), but people with front porches find that they have other benefits as well as indicated in a recent article from the Chicago Tribune. One front porch owner said that her front porch changed the "tempo and pace" of her life - being out on the porch encourages relationships with neighbors. "When a neighbor needs help, we galvanize."

A designer said that while the front porch gives definite curb appeal, it also provides a warm and inviting feel. The porch adds to the "architectural appeal of the house."

In Bend, Oregon, we're lucky enough to have a few neighborhoods that feature front porches. None more though than NorthWest Crossing on Bend's west side, where we are lucky enough to work every day (that's where our office is!).

Friday, May 27, 2011

Have you Seen the Signs? It's All Part of Bend, Oregon Green Real Estate!

We were so excited to launch QR codes on our "for sale" signs recently - a first for Bend, Oregon real estate. What's a QR code you may ask? Well, QR - or Quick Response - is a matrix barcode that is readable by smart phones. When the code is scanned, your phone will show you some interactive content. In our case - it's more information about the house for sale. 

This is a great initiative for us for many reasons, one of the top being that we're committed to sustainability. The QR codes on the signs reduce the need for printing fliers for distribution at sales locations, as most people can get the information that they want through their mobile device. This saves paper and contributes to our overall goals for conducting a green real estate business in Bend, Oregon. 

“There’s been a lot of hype in the real estate industry surrounding the use of QR codes, but no one has given a lot of attention to the green aspects of using codes instead of fliers,” said Sandy Garner, President and CEO of The Garner Group. “We obviously wanted to use them to help people find the information they needed quickly and easily, but we also see them as contributing to our corporate sustainability goals by reducing our paper usage.”

This isn’t our first step toward a more sustainable future. In 2009, we relocated its headquarters to the award-winning, “green” neighborhood of NorthWest Crossing. The building that houses its offices was built to high standards for sustainability and energy efficiency.

In addition, we have more agents than any other Bend, Oregon real estate company that have earned the National Association of Realtors’ GREEN designation. The certification by NAR’s Green Resource Council is earned through the completion of a three-day course focusing on fundamentals of green building practices, consumer awareness and marketing of homes built to green standards. The Garner Group has nine agents that hold this green real estate designation.

Going green! Scan one of our QR codes next time you see one! 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Pendulum is Swinging in Bend, Oregon Real Estate: A Look at the Numbers

With trustworthy amounts of sunshine becoming a reality in Bend Oregon, people are starting to think about spring and summer activities. There are street festivals, outdoor concerts, paddle boarding, hiking, biking and so much more to do all around Central Oregon. Typically, spring also brings heightened activity in the Bend Oregon real estate market, where the number of available homes has been decreasing while the number of homes sold has jumped dramatically.

Realtorsâ and other crystal ball gazers study absorption rates—the comparison of inventory and sales figures used to calculate the theoretical number of days it would take to sell the plate clean. From this source, we can compare sales and listing totals accrued from December through May of this year with comparable six-month numbers in each of the three previous years (12 months in the case of 2008). The number of homes sold over the full period increased by 72% while the number of active listings dropped by 64%. (Figures based on MLS statistics for Bend, Oregon residential listings on less than one acre.)

Date of Report        Active Listings            Homes Sold in the Prior 6 Months

May 2008                    1417                            473
May 2009                    1131                            490
May 2010                    738                              639
May 2011                    513                              814

What follows is a little wonky but stick with us: Annual rates of change were not equal between active listings and sales. Six-month totals ending in May 2009 showed the number of active listings dropped 20% while the number of sales increased only 4% over the comparable period a year before. The pace of sales picked up considerably the following year, to 30%, increasing another 27% for the six months ending May 2011. The number of listings continued to dive, 35% and 30% in subsequent years, measured in comparable six-month periods.

Bend Oregon real estate sales exceeded the number of active listings for the first time in the six months that ended this May. During the same period, Bend had one-third as many residential real estate listings as it did in 2008 and nearly twice the number of homes sold. While we see more listings coming on the market as spring moves toward summer, the numbers don’t lie. We can see the pendulum swinging back toward a seller’s market. This is good news for homeowners, and a little push for buyers to start finding their dream homes.

With fewer active listings and more sales, demand is outpacing supply. And that’s something we can all cheer about! 

Friday, April 22, 2011

Bend, Oregon Zero Net Energy Home Takes Shape!

We're thrilled that the Zero Net Energy home in Bend, Oregon's NorthWest Crossing is making progress, with walls up and ready for "greening." But those walls will remain "open" for a little while yet.

That's because there's an "Open Wall Open House" planned for May 7, from 1-4 p.m. that will display some of the energy-efficient features of the home. The walls will showcase a special

EcoSeal product, installed and visible to visitors, to help them understand the comprehensive air tightening measures that go hand-in-hand with additional insulation.

One of the most ambitious targets in green building design, Zero Net Energy, has been associated with expensive custom homes that showcase leading-edge environmental technology. Now, thanks to developers Joe Emerson and Ann Brayfield, the home under construction in this forward-thinking Bend, Oregon neighborhood puts the Zero Net Energy concept squarely in affordable territory.

The three-bedroom home is located at 2328 NW Dorion Way. SolAire Homebuilders of Bend will have it ready for big Bend, Oregon real estate showcase: the 2011 COBA Tour of Homes in July.

The home is co-listed by brokers David Sailors of GoBend Realty and Alison Mata of The Garner Group Realtors and Development LLC.


Wednesday, April 20, 2011

A Receding Recession? Much Better Than, Say, A Receding Hairline



We just read an uplifting article (finally) in Oregon Business entitled:The recession is finally over in Oregon. With a headline like that, who couldn't help but read on? Sounds promising!

The article goes over some statistics that we've long held to be indicative of economic recovery - namely, the unemployment rate...

"By the end of March, Oregon’s jobless rate had fallen to 10 percent. Chances are good it will drop into single digits by the end of April for the first time in more than two years. The state gained 42,000 jobs over the past year."

...and the housing industry.

"At the current rate of home sales, the market would be cleared out in 7.1 months [in Portland]. (Imagine that – a clean slate!) Compare that figure to the 19.2 months worth of housing inventory on the market in January 2009, and you get a sense of where we’ve been and where we’re heading."

Of course, the article heeds a "not-so-fast" warning, but we'd rather not read that far...actually the article is right in that real estate is a tricky one - the figures don't always "add up" at any given time due to a number of variables.

The good news in Oregon is that, according to the article:
  • Intel is building a $2.5 billion factory in Hillsboro and just announced its most lucrative quarter ever.
  • Facebook is pouring millions into its Prineville data center.
  • Google is investing $100 million in Eastern Oregon wind power.
  • Crop and beef prices are up for farmers and ranchers.
  • Crab and salmon prices are up for fishermen. There will be a salmon fishery off the coast this summer.
  • Exports are growing, with the weak dollar playing in Oregon’s favor.
  • New businesses are popping up in downtown Bend and Bend's Old Mill District.
  • Statewide, trucking is up 26 percent year over year, online job ads are up 23 percent, and business and personal bankruptcies are down 3.4 and 8 percent respectively.
What does this mean for Bend, Oregon real estate? We think things are looking better than ever!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

We Keep Growing and Growing!

We are pleased to welcome our two newest Bend, Oregon real estate brokers to the team: Suzanne Iselin and Natalie Raymond!

An Oregon native and graduate of the University of Oregon, Iselin first became an agent in 1999 while living in Hawaii and earned her Oregon license nine years ago. For her, real estate runs in the family as both her parents were long-term brokers in Oregon. She enjoys all the recreation the area has to offer with a special interest in tennis, skiing, hiking and biking.

Raymond obtained her Oregon broker’s license this year after moving to Bend from Phoenix, Ariz., where she was a business owner and partner in

an automotive financial services company. Previously, she was a real estate investor who managed home remodels and contractors, giving her a solid understanding this side of the real estate industry, which she now shares with her clients. She moved to Bend with her four daughters to be near her mother, who had also relocated to the area.

Interested in Bend, Oregon real estate? Then we can help! Our agents have a wide variety of experience and areas of expertise that can help you buy or sell your home in this swiftly changing market.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Zero Energy? We Say Hip, Hip Hooray!


We are pleased to be co-listing (with GoBend Realty) a Zero Net Energy Home in NorthWest Crossing, being built by SolAire Homebuilders in Bend. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on the property, which is located in Bend, Oregon on the corner of Dorian Way and Newport Hills Drive, last Tuesday.

What does "Zero Net" mean you may ask? Just that - the home will contain features that that define the most advanced elements of green building. It will use a combination of passive and active solar energy to average zero electrical consumption over the course of a year. Building materials, finishes and mechanical systems will embrace healthy home, clean air and sustainable building concepts. There's some more information on the concept here.

At The Garner Group in Bend, Oregon, we believe in going green. Many of our agents are green-certified. Our offices are located in the sustainable Bend, Oregon neighborhood of NorthWest Crossing. We are so excited to represent this new home, which is scheduled to be in the Central Oregon Builders Association Tour of Homes 2011.

The home will qualify for certification as an Earth Advantage Zero Net Energy Home, Earth Advantage Platinum Home, Energy Star Home, Energy Trust of Oregon Advanced Performance Home and Oregon Department of Energy High Performance Home.



Monday, March 7, 2011

Open House in Bend, Oregon: Just Like the Old Days!


Last week, we hosted an open house in the Bend, Oregon neighborhood of Shevlin Pines, which has developed building sites and new homes near Shevlin Park on Bend's west side. Our 100 or so visitors loved the new neighborhood, commenting often on the larger lots and variety of builders that are building homes. This range of influences in home design keeps the streetscapes away from that "cookie cutter" feeling of many new areas.

The festive, positive atmosphere of this open house reminded us of events we used to hold during the glory days of Bend, Oregon real estate! Many visiting builders expressed interest in buying lots in the next phase of Shevlin Pines, which will be released in early spring 2011. The number of lots to be released in that phase are being determined over the next couple of weeks.

The best news of all? The home in which we were holding the open house SOLD during the open house! Luckily, our agent Shelley Griffin had a SOLD sign in her car to put up!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Bend, Oregon Real Estate 2010 Report Card


Ali-sold-sign.jpg We are proud to say that we've just completed our third year as an independent real estate company on an optimistic note. The number of transactions we closed in 2010 was up 27% from 2009. Counting new residential construction in Bend, Oregon we were Number One in dollar volume at the end of the year with nearly 20% of the market. A snapshot taken among Central Oregon MLS members in late February 2011 ranked us No. 3 in Bend residential listings by dollar volume and No. 4 by number of listings, both up from the end of 2010. We continue to add new brokers and now have 19 licensed agents engaged in real estate sales. We realize success is something that is earned and we are grateful to our clients, builders and colleagues in the Bend, Oregon real estate community.


By the way, are you following us on twitter @thegarnergroup? Do you like us on Facebook? If not, please connect with us on social media to stay up-to-date on all the latest happenings!

Friday, February 25, 2011

What Is With All This Snow Anyway?


It's just about an even split here in Bend, Oregon: half the population loves all this white fluffy stuff and have used up all their sick days to spend flying down Mt. Bachelor, and half the population is huddled by the fire counting the days until summer. Is this amount of snow "normal" for Bend? A little look at history may tell us:

For the period between January of 1928 and December of 2005, the average maximum temperature for February was 45.2 degrees, with an average low of 24 degrees (that's looking pretty balmy as we stare -2 degrees in the face for tonight)! Average total snowfall for the month was only 3.2 inches. Looking outside, we'd say we've far exceeded that so far this February. In fact, the storm mid-month brought more than 9" overnight to some places in Bend, Oregon!

Many visitors have been asking us if this weather is normal, and based on historical data, the amount of snowfall we've gotten this year is above average, and temperatures are colder than normal. So, if you like snow - get your gear on and get out and enjoy it! You can even Nordic ski right here in town! If you don't - well, it's likely next year will be a completely different story - and we do have very beautiful summers here in Bend, Oregon. Happy winter!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The View From My Seat ;Bend Oregon Real Estate


As transaction coordinator for Bend, Oregon real estate company The Garner Group, I really feel it when things pick up because action in our sales office keeps me hopping! And lately, I’ve been very busy and noticing some interesting trends:

1. Multiple Offer Situations
My husband, who buys homes, was recently one of thirteen offers on a single property in the $250,000 range. Another agent in our Bend, Oregon office mentioned that she was ready to make an offer on a home, and when she called the listing agent there were 27 offers already made on the property. In fact, four other agents at The Garner Group have run into similar problems recently.

2. Low Inventory
Inventory in MLS is the lowest it’s been in a long time, with only 495 residential listings in Bend, Oregon right now. Last month’s inventory was in the 570 range, so this would indicate that houses are selling faster than agents can list them! (Seems like the perfect time to list a home, yes?)

3. Transactions, Transactions (I’m Busy!)
In January of this year I opened 41 transactions with 38 of those accepted and on schedule to close. To have 93 percent of the transaction written in our Bend, Oregon real estate office come together and close is fantastic. This is compared to January 2010, when I opened more than 30 transactions and only had 13 that closed as scheduled.

Another interesting note: MLS average sales price for 2010 was $191,750. The Garner Group average sales price for 2010 was $320,089. I think that’s pretty awesome and wanted to share! We’re working hard as your Bend, Oregon real estate experts.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Two New Brokers Join The Garner Group in Bend, Oregon


We're pleased to add two new agents to our Bend, Oregon real estate team! Both are licensed brokers in the state of Oregon.

Arlene Edwards has held an Oregon license since moving to Bend from California in 2008. A native of southern California, she was licensed in that state between 1991 and 2002, during which time she marketed new home communities for several large national building companies. She has earned the Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP) designation from the National Assn. of Home Builders’ Institute of Residential Marketing, an advanced course designed for specialists in new home sales.

Victoria Davis earned her Oregon real estate license in 2010. A native of Kennewick, Wash., she graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a BS degree in geology. Her professional experience includes conducting hydrogeologic site studies for municipalities, private and corporate clients and environmental site assessments triggered by real estate acquisitions, permitting or divestiture. Victoria was a licensed Realtor in the state of Washington during the late 1990s, practicing in the Tri-Cities area.

Welcome Victoria and Arlene!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

It's Still a Buyer's Market In Bend, Oregon


While falling home prices may not be the news some homeowners want to hear right now, it is true that these trends are making it easier than ever to buy a new home in one of the best places on earth - Bend, Oregon! In a recent news broadcast on our Bend, Oregon real estate market (our own Sara Garner Lafaver was interviewed), a cited report showed that median home prices have dropped 57 percent over the last five years.

See the full story at the KTVZ web site here: http://www.ktvz.com/news/26474780/detail.html

This is not bad news for those looking to buy here in Bend, Oregon - there are some wonderful deals on homes and many are hoping that visitors will decide to take up permanent residence with us. Are you a buyer looking for a home in Bend? We're the experts! Contact us today at info@thegarnergroup.com or call at 541-383-4360.