Green Real Estate in Bend, Oregon: The Garner Group

It's not a secret that we pride ourselves on a real focus on sustainability here at The Garner Group Real Estate. Our brokers put in the time it takes to educate themselves (and their clients) about the benefits to buying "green" to make sure everyone can make informed decisions when it comes to purchasing a new home. Last month, nine of our brokers have earned the Earth Advantage STAR designation from the Earth Advantage Institute - bringing our total number of STAR agents on staff to a whopping ELEVEN!  

The certification was granted following a course of training that included classroom lectures, visits to green building sites and a final examination. “STAR” stands for Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals.

The training enables the brokers to identify home features and building products that provide greater energy, water and resource efficiency and create a healthier living environment for their clients. The newly-minted EA STAR agents at The Garner Group are:

·         John Anderson

·         Erin Campbell

·         Victoria Davis

·         Shelley Griffin

·         Sean Haidet

·         Suzanne Iselin

·         Melody Lessar

·         Alison Mata

·         Angela Tweedie

( Jody Tuttle and Phyllis Mageau earned the designation at an earlier date.) 

As we said, green real estate is a priority at the firm, with several other agents demonstrating their commitment to serving the green building market by completing an advanced training program conducted by the National Association of Realtors. Lessar, Griffin, Mata and Tuttle have earned the association’s GREEN broker designation, along with Carol Donohoe, Matt Garner, Patsy Roome, Rob Davis and managing principal broker Sara LaFaver. All individuals are licensed Oregon brokers with The Garner Group Real Estate LLC in Bend, Oregon. 

Congratulations everyone!

Shelley Griffin

John Anderson

Suzanne Iselin

Erin Campbell

Alison Mata

Melody Lessar

Sean Haidet

Victoria Davis

Angela Tweedie

Brokers Receive New Certifications

Three of our fantastic brokers have earned new certifications to help serve you even better! 

Sandy Garner, owner of the Bend, Oregon real estate firm, said, “Continuing education has always been a big part of our culture as a company. We believe that staying abreast of all the latest trends and information in the real estate industry is vital in providing the very best service to our clients.”

Alison Mata and Melody Lessar, who are both National Association of Realtors (NAR) certified GREEN brokers, have recently earned NAR’s Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) certification. This designation is awarded upon completion of an advanced course of study that focuses on the objectives of home buyers. Specifically, the program:

- Elevates the overall understanding and knowledge of the home buyer;

- Provides ongoing specialized information, programs, trends and updates regarding home buyers and their needs;

- Allows certified agents to access members-only online marketing tools and resources.

In addition, broker Carol Donohoe, who is also GREEN certified, has earned membership in the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing. To earn this status, she completed special training designed to build skills in the marketing of luxury homes and estate properties. The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing is the premier independent authority in training and certification for real estate agents working in the luxury residential market. 

Congratulations! 

New Website for Bend, Oregon real estate searches

Have you visited www.thegarnergroup.com lately? We've redesigned and relaunched with your needs in mind - it makes finding just the right property in Bend, Oregon even more simple. The site is built around an informative and user-friendly search module that makes it easy for viewers to locate and map all property for sale in Central Oregon.

You'll recognize the familiar slide show of local scenic views and events on the home page, but the Quick Search feature is brand new! Couple that with the new large buttons that connect to an advanced search, open houses, agentinformation and pages containing builder profiles and information on greenbuilding, and you have a website worth visiting! You can even sign up to receive an email message when new listings come on the market that meet your specified criteria.

As if that's not enough, you can also navigate to information about market trends, local information including an active weather report, buying and selling tips and The Garner Group’s newsletter and blog.

The search mechanism sweeps listing information from the CentralOregon Multiple Listing Service and allows you to choose criteria that will narrow the search to properties of interest. Selections display in list form or on an interactive map using Bing mapping technology. You may choose to show points of interest including schools, health care facilities and shopping venues.

“There has been a fundamental change in the way people use real estate web sites,” observed Sandy Garner, the Bend, Oregon real estate company’s president and CEO. “When our most recent site was designed, emphasis was placed on creating an attractive billboard for your business. We achieved that with some pretty advanced graphics for the time.

“Now, site visitors have made it clear that their number one priority is information about all listings in the area, To be competitive, you have to provide one-stop shopping. It’s not enough just to feature your own listings,” Garner said.

While the previous provided an MLS search, “it was pretty primitive compared with the new technology we have in place now,” Garner said. “People are a lot more tech-savvy.” The site is compatible with mobile devices, offering a simplified display that makes it easy to search and find property on the go.

The new site is hosted by Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies Inc., a company that serves over 9,000 real estate offices in the United States and Canada with software for a variety of business functions including back office accounting, transaction and contact management, lead tracking, data storage, information sharing and web site development.

Visit us today at thegarnergroup.com!

“We have employed Lone Wolf office management products for several years,” Garner said. “They specialize exclusively in real estate and understand our business.”

Bend Oregon Real Estate Agent News

We are excited to welcome back real estate broker John Anderson to The Garner Group Real Estate in Bend, Oregon! John has been a real estate professional in Bend continuously since 2001 and was previously affiliated with The Garner Group from 2008 to 2010.

Before entering real estate for the first time in 1996 in Corvallis, Anderson was a surveyor with CH2M Hill. Anderson grew up in Klamath Falls and graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and minors in fisheries and wildlife, civil engineering and surveying. He is an avid outdoorsman and horseback rider.

In other news, Patsy Roome, a Bend Oregon real estate broker with The Garner Group has recently earned her GREEN Designation from  The National Association of REALTORS® . The Garner Group has more agents who have earned this designation than any other Bend, Oregon real estate company.

The certification by NAR’s Green Resource Council is awarded to those who complete a three-day course focusing on fundamentals of green building practices, consumer awareness and marketing of homes built to green standards. The Garner Group, which specializes in green real estate in Bend, Oregon, has several agents who hold this designation, as well as the Earth Advantage STAR designation.

The Garner Group is headquartered at 2762 NW Crossing Dr., Suite 100, in Bend, Oregon’s NorthWest Crossing neighborhood. http://www.thegarnergroup.com.

2nd Zero Energy Home in NorthWest Crossing Underway

We are excited to be co-listing the second Zero Energy home in our headquarters neighborhood of NorthWest Crossing, which recently started construction. The Garner Group Real Estate and GoBend Realty are jointly representing the new home, which is being built by SolAire Homebuilders and underwritten by investors and environmental activists Joe Emerson and Ann Brayfield. To gain Zero Energy status, the new home is planned with advanced green features and energy conservation measures. 

 “We received a lot of feedback from the first Zero Energy project, especially during the 2011 Tour of Homes,” explained David Sailors, GoBend Realty broker. “As a result, this home has a more elegant and spacious floor plan than the Zero Energy home from 2011. It will accommodate a different segment of the market.”

The three-bedroom, single-level home uses advanced green construction techniques, mechanical systems and energy monitoring technology. With 1,878 square feet of floor space, plus a 160-square foot unheated flex room, the home was designed by Neal Huston & Associates Architects of Bend, Oregon. A signature element of the floor plan is a large south-facing courtyard recessed into the structure. Screened from the street, it provides a comfortable and private outdoor living space.

The Zero Energy concept focuses on energy conservation and generation measures that are modeled to bring consumption of electricity from the power grid to zero when seasonal utility demands are leveled out over the course of a year. A computerized home energy monitoring system gives the owner real-time consumption data and calculates the debit or credit status. With many energy efficient features built-in, the home also receives electricity and hot water from a 7,030-watt solar array.

To find out more about this Zero Energy home, contact Alison Mata, alison@thegarnergroup.com, at The Garner Group Real Estate or David Sailors, dsailors@bendbroadband.com, at GoBend Realty. Both Sailors and Mata hold the Green Broker designation from the National Assn. of Realtors Green Resource Council.

Patsy Roome Joins The Garner Group Bend, Oregon Real Estate

We are pleased to announce that Oregon broker Patsy Roome is joining our growing team of Bend, Oregon real estate agents. Roome brings experience in all phases of residential and commercial real estate, and urban planning to the firm.

“The growth of our company is indicative of the strength we’re seeing in the Central Oregon real estate market,” said Sandy Garner, founder of the Bend, Oregon real estate company. “Because she is a Bend native, Patsy has intimate knowledge of this community. In addition, she brings decades of professional real estate and planning experience to our team. We are excited to have her join us on this journey to the future.”

Roome initially received her real estate license in Aspen, Colorado, where she lived for 19 years. She later worked as an urban planner for the City of Big Bear Lake, California, Deschutes County and the City of Bend before obtaining her Oregon real estate license in 1997. Patsy is active in professional and civic associations including Oregon and National Assn. of Realtors, Central Oregon Assn. of Realtors, Commercial Investment Assn., Commercial Brokerage Assn. and Habitat for Humanity. She is president and secretary of the Bend River Heights Homeowners Assn. and treasurer of P.E.O. International Chapter EA. She holds a degree in business from the University of Redlands in California.

She grew up enjoying Central Oregon’s outdoor recreation opportunities and continues to do so today. Her husband, Ronald L. Roome, is an attorney with the Bend law firm of Karnopp Petersen LLP. They have two daughters, Jamie and Erin, and two grandsons, Connor and Chase.

Welcome Patsy!

Mollie Jurgenson Joins Bend, Oregon Real Estate Team at The Garner Group

Welcome to the team Mollie Jurgenson! Mollie is a professional artist and is new to the industry, bringing a fresh perspective to the Bend, Oregon real estate market. 

"We are excited to add Mollie enthusiasm and creativity to our team at The Garner Group," said Sandy Garner, founder of the Bend, Oregon real estate company. "She has a fascinating background and a long history in the Central Oregon region that will serve clients well in the real estate space."

Mollie has lived in Bend, Oregon since 1993, and is a professional artist with an established reputation as a painter in the genre of abstract naturalism. Mollie's works are included in private and commercial collections across the United States and she is currently exhibiting at the Lahaina Gallery in Bend and Gallery 903 in Portland. Mollie was artist in residence for Central Oregon Arts in Education in the 1990s where she developed a program called Prehistory's Mysteries that combined archaeology and art. She also is a member of the Archaeological Society of Central Oregon.

Mollie joined The Garner Group last month upon earning her Oregon real estate license. Mollie gained knowledge of real estate and residential construction working in support of her husband, Kurt Jurgenson, who is a real estate broker in Bend. Her roots go deep in Central Oregon as her mother, Laura McMurdo (Brenner), was born in Tumalo in 1916.

Welcome Mollie! 

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!

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!