Realtor of the Year Award in Bend, Oregon

We are so humbled and honored that the Central Oregon Builders Association (COBA) has awarded The Garner Group Real Estate LLC with the "2013 Realtor of the Year" award. 

The 2013 COBA Excellence Awards were presented Jan. 23 at the association’s annual awards night gala. COBA presented Excellence Awards in 28 categories.

Our president Sandy Garner, said, “We are grateful for this recognition. New construction has been a major part of our business through the years and our agents have been privileged to work with many of Central Oregon’s finest home builders.”

She noted that the revival of the real estate market over the past year has given builders the opportunity to help ease low inventories. “New construction represented 21 percent of total residential sales in Bend last year, versus 14 percent in 2012,” she said.

The Garner Group is a proud member of COBA and has been a sponsor of the annual COBA Tour of Homes in recent years.

(We're sorry our blog has had a bad case of the "crickets" in the past few months, but we now have some exciting news to share with our Bend, Oregon community! We're BACK! Look here for regular updates in the coming weeks.)

Raising Money for American Cancer Society: 2012 Relay for Life

Now that it's been a couple of months since we participated in the amazing Central Oregon Relay for Life, we can take a moment to reflect on the event and what we were able to accomplish. Being involved together in an event like this was special for all of us, and we are glad that the money we raised will be put to good use fighting cancer.

We are pleased to announce that this year's Relay for Life raised a total of $131,777 - the most money EVER RAISED for the Relay for Life (Bend/Redmond/Sisters). Last year, the event brought in about 2/3 of that amount at $88,813. We put in a lot of hard work and we are so delighted that it paid off!

Several people in The Garner Group's Bend, Oregon real estate offices participated in the planning for the event - Sara LaFaver, our principal broker, co-chaired the event along with Phyllis Mageau; Melody Lessar was co-chair for the Luminaria fundraiser, and Colleen Horton was the food chair.

Not only were many of us involved from the beginning in bringing the event to fruition, but Erica Davis and Alison Mata - our team captains - recruited a huge team to walk during the relay. Several people from our office, friends and family, and brokers from other agencies around town all turned out to lend their support.

Want to get involved? Next year's Relay for Life is schedule for August 10, 2013.

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!).

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!

We've Added to Our Team!

Three real estate agents have recently joined our Bend, Oregon real estate company at The Garner Group Realtors and Development LLC. They are Lisa Whitney, Angela Tweedie and John B. Taylor. All are licensed real estate brokers in the state of Oregon.

Whitney obtained her license in 2005 when she moved to Bend, Oregon from Portland and has been engaged in real estate sales since. A native of California, she attended UCLA and between 1989 and 1996 was affiliated with Whitney and Associates, a direct marketing firm serving non-profit organizations. Whitney recently earned the National Assn. of Realtors’ Green Broker designation. She is an active volunteer with the Bend Spay and Neuter Project.

Tweedie, a Texas native, lived in Alaska for many years and obtained her Alaska real estate license in 2005 after a 20-year career with Nordstrom in Anchorage, following which she earned several performance awards at an Anchorage brokerage. She relocated to Bend this year and obtained her Oregon broker’s license before joining The Garner Group.

Taylor has been licensed in Oregon since 2006. A Portland native, he moved to Bend in 2001. He is an active skier and former ski racer and coach who currently serves as a member of the Mt. Bachelor Volunteer Ambassador Program. Taylor’s background includes 25 years in the ski and outdoor industry and he is a former owner of Sheridan (Ore.) Forest Products, a wood chip producer.

Welcome aboard from the Garner Group!

Garner Group Goes Green!

Ten of our real estate brokers recently earned the National Association of Realtors’ GREEN designation. Each broker completed a three-day course focusing on fundamentals of green building practices, consumer awareness and marketing of homes built to green standards to earn the certification by NAR’s Green Resource Council. This is the only green training program recognized by NAR, and permits brokers to use GREEN as a signature designation among other advanced qualifications administered and certified by the national association.

At the Garner Group, we know that environmental awareness is a vital part of our industry our founder, Sandy Garner said, “It is important that our agents are up to speed on green building concepts.Green building practices not only are required of new homes in NorthWest Crossing but are becoming a mainstream influence in the overall housing market.”

Brokers with The Garner Group who earned the designation are: Rob Davis, Carol Donohoe, Alison Garner-Mata, Matt Garner, Shelley Griffin, Melody Lessar, Michael Mahar, Jody Tuttle, Lisa Whitney and principal broker Sara LaFaver.