Housing Economics Improve on a National Level...

And Bend, Oregon real estate is on the same curve!

We've been reviewing news from around the country, and are happy to report that the sentiment for housing and real estate is trending optimistic and positive. In fact, the top headlines today on realtor.com are putting smiles on our faces - check it out:

If you don't follow us on Facebook, you should. We often post news that catches our eye and can help you make educated decisions when it comes to your real estate future. Recently, in the Los Angeles Times, an article reported that median prices are showing biggest gains since 2005 and USA Today said that housing is the key to future job growth.

Want to know more? Contact us today at info@thegarnergroup.com or call 541-383-4360.

More Good News for Bend, Oregon Real Estate

We love reporting good news - and that's just what we got to do in the latest issue of our newsletter, the Central Oregon News Digest. If you don't receive it already, sign up on our website. It is full of great information each month.

We were pleased to see that on the Bend, Oregon housing front, year-to-date margins remain strong when compared to last year. The number of listings is dropping, while sales and prices continue to rise. This all equals absorption rates of 2.5 months of residential inventory, compared to 4.2 months last year at this time. See the chart below for details, and as always, contact our Bend, Oregon real estate office with any questions! 

As we reported in the newsletter, and you can see from the chart above, NorthWest Crossing "continues to exist in a world populated by faeries and unicorns, with an average sale price so far this year that is 53.2% above Bend as a whole. (Don't get us wrong--we like faeries and unicorns.)"

In addition, the Central Oregon MLS shows that figures are up with the ending of the third quarter of 2012. Compared with the first three quarters of 2011, here's how the number stack up:

Number of homes sold, 1,489, up 17.4%.

•  Average sale price, $258,511, up 9.7%.
•  Median sale price, $216,000, up 12.3%.
•  Total sale volume, $384,922,963, up 28.8%.

The number of transactions was the highest for the period in the rolling five-year MLS report. The median sale price was highest since 2008.

All this adds up to a great time to take another look at Bend, Oregon real estate. Whether you are buying or selling, now's a great time to be a home owner! 

Bend, Oregon Housing Market Continuing to Strengthen

Each month, we publish the Central Oregon News Digest, which is stuffed full of all the information you need most about Bend, Oregon real estate. We're happy to say that we've had good news for the past several months about the housing market here in our home region. Most recently, in our July issue, we provided data that showed the following happy news:

• NorthWest Crossing average sale prices year-to-date were 53.9% greater than the Bend area as a whole, exactly the same percentage as last month. The number of residential sales through July 10 increased 90% over the same period in 2011.  
• New homes continue to attract buyers at increasing rates. Year to date figures show new construction represented 12.7% of home sales through July 10, up from 8.0% in the same period a year ago. (Last month the percentages were 11.9% and 7.9%, respectively.)
• The Bend residential real estate market strengthened in the first half of 2012 compared with the same period a year ago. For homes on less than one acre in the Bend area, The Central Oregon Multiple Listing Service reported a 12.6% gain in the number of residential transactions and an increase of 10.2% in the median sale price. 
• Single-family building permits issued in Bend during the first six months of 2012 surpassed the comparable 2011 figure by 71.4%, 192 to 112. First half permits were valued at $42,137,815, up 63.1% from 2011. 

This is all great news for Bend, Oregon real estate, but it's just scratching the surface. For all the details, plus helpful charts - see our complete eNewsletter. Either way - it may be just about time to start celebrating!