MUSE Conference in Bend, Oregon: Proud Sponsor

We're always looking for meaningful ways to be involved in our community of Bend, Oregon, and that's why we're so excited about our second year of sponsorship for the MUSE Conference. This annual women's conference was designed to support and celebrate girls and women - inspiring them to create positive change in their lives and in the world. The Garner Group - and the whole community - is welcoming the conference back to Bend this March 7-9. 

Track the MUSE Conference on social media for all the latest updates - they are bringing in some amazing activists, artists, educators and visionaries. Just a few of the presenters on the three-day docket include: Zainab Salbi, the founder of Women for Women International; Amy Richards, co-founder of the Third Wave Foundation, a national organization for young feminist activists; and Lynne Twist, a recognized global visionary and author who once worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. 

So gather up your sisters, mothers, girlfriends, daughters and muses and make sure to attend this fantastic conference - a key example of the wonderful things we can bring into our community if we all work together. 

Congratulations to One Of Our Own! Bend, Oregon Girl Heads to the Big Apple

The Garner Group salutes Katie Wise, daughter of one of our own brokers Christina Wise, for a singular accomplishment. Katie, a proud Bend High School Lava Bear, was the only girl in Oregon chosen to perform with the Honors Choir in the 2014 High School Performance Series at Carnegie Hall.

The talented young soprano spent five days in New York City. She joined students from North America and abroad who rehearsed and performed with master conductors and performed before invited representatives of collegiate and professional music programs. High point of the week will be a concert by the Honors Choir at Carnegie Hall Feb. 9. New York sightseeing and Broadway musicals were also on the agenda.

Katie auditioned last fall for the Honors Performance Series and was accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board. “Being selected to the Honors Performance Series is something each finalist should be extremely proud of accomplishing,”said Morgan Smith, program director. “We process thousands of applications annually, selecting only the most talented performers applying on an international level.”

Katie studies music with Angelina Anello-Dennee of Bend and is a member of the Vocal Ensemble and Bend Freshman Choir. She also is active in track, honors scholastics and Musical Impressions.

Congratulations Katie! 

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.)

The Garner Group Real Estate in Bend, Oregon Welcomes Two New Agents

We're excited to welcome Lauri Miller and Christina Wise to our Bend, Oregon real estate team!  They each bring lengthy experience in different segments of the real estate industry.

A Central Oregon resident since 1987, Lauri Miller has a lengthy background as a Certified Public Accountant. She served for 19 years as Chief Financial Officer of Eagle Crest Resort, accumulating experience on the financial side of real estate development. Later, as a consultant, she was interim Financial Director for the city of Redmond. Lauri has been active in several community organizations and is currently a member of the St. Charles Health System Board of Directors. Lauri lives in Bend with her husband, Charley Miller, and a canine family member, Porter. They have two grown daughters: Campbell, a recent Dartmouth College graduate, lives in New York City. Shelby is attending Lewis & Clark College in Portland. 

With over 20 years of experience in fields related to real estate, Christina Wise has gained extensive knowledge of the industry. She has title and mortgage company experience and held a real estate license in Washington state before moving to Bend in 2000. She earned her Oregon broker’s license in 2001 and returned to real estate sales in 2010 after holding marketing and sales positions in the title industry. She is a native of Portland, Oregon and studied in Eugene before starting her career. Christina has two grown sons, David and Joseph, and a teenage daughter, Katie. While she participates in numerous Central Oregon outdoor recreation, fitness and community activities, Christina’s passion is softball. She has played for 30 years and currently plays league softball with Bend Parks and Recreation. She is an avid supporter of local high school sports and music programs.

Gains, Rises, Up! That's How We Describe the Bend, Oregon Real Estate Market

When we sat down and analyzed recent numbers and statistics, we saw increases across several key categories compared to a year ago. New construction sales were up 75% and represent 21% of total home sales for the year so far, measured early this month. 
During the same period a year ago, new construction sales accounted for 13% of the total. The average sale price for the period increased by 23%.

In NorthWest Crossing, building activity is influencing the numbers and causing sharper percentage changes. Overall, prices are rising and total sales are up.  

More on the positive front, for all properties throughout the Central Oregon MLS area, sales totaled 3,142, 8.3% above the first half of 2012. Dollar volume and volume of sales were also up - 11.3% and 39.2%, respectively, above comparable 2012 figures.

July marked a high spot in a 12-month snapshot of the market. Keeping up with demand, permits for new construction are rising sharply, with a gain of 79.7% over last year. New home construction has increased every year since bottoming out in 2009, when 68 permits were issued. Charts containing more information may be viewed by clicking here.

 Want to know more? Our monthly Central Oregon News Digest has a wealth of fantastic information on the market, locally and nationally. You can sign up on our website. 

One More Weekend for COBA Tour of Homes in Bend, Oregon

You have one more weekend to visit us at the Central Oregon Builders Association Tour of Homes! We are proud to be the presenting sponsor of this event! You can come see us at any of the following homes on the tour, and we'll be happy to show you around some of the best examples of Bend, Oregon real estate. Many of the homes we represented won awards for the tour. We are so proud of all our builders! Congratulations! 

• 2341 NW Floyd Lane, NorthWest Crossing. Tyee Development Inc.
• 2155 NW Lemhi Pass Drive, NorthWest Crossing. Leader Builders LLC
• Best Architectural Design
• Best Feature (Interior Architecture)
• 2355 NW Floyd Lane, NorthWest Crossing. Stone Bridge Homes NW
• 2487 NW Drouillard Avenue, NorthWest Crossing. Makena Custom Homes
• Best Landscaping
• 20528 Avro Place, Woodhill Park. Woodhill Homes Inc
• Best Interior Finish
• Best Master Suite
• Best Value
• Best of Show
• 1352 NW Elgin Avenue, Northwest Bend. Woodhill Homes Inc.
• Best Landscaping

Check here for a complete list of winners. 

Prices Rise, Inventories Low in Bend, Oregon Real Estate

At the risk of sounding repetitive, we have more fairly good news to report for the Bend, Oregon real estate market. As we recently reported in our monthly eNewsletter, Bend home prices continue to rise as inventories stay low. You'll notice some trends in the chart below.

Prices continue to chart an upward trajectory. The average sale price for a home and the average price per square foot in the Bend area YTD are over 20% above the same period a year ago. The gain in NorthWest Crossing is slightly less but still comfortably within double digits. The average price in NorthWest Crossing YTD is 49.1% above the average for the Bend area as a whole.

New construction sales have increased by nearly 90% and represent 22.4% of all home sales in the Bend area. Rising land and material costs are applying upward pressure to new home prices. 

On a national level, data reveals a growth gap between new and existing homes, a byproduct of low inventory levels that are plaguing the industry from coast to coast. Single-family resales were up 9% over April 2012 while new single-family home sales charted a 29% increase. Single-family housing starts, building permits and new home sales also were up sharply over the rates recorded 12 months before.

This is all good news, but buyers may have a harder time finding completed homes with the low inventories as our builders try to keep up. Now's the time to start looking!