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.

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.

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!

Bend, Oregon Real Estate 2010 Report Card

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.

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