Northwest Crossing New Construction Still Booming

New Construction Is Going Crazy At Northwest Crossing in NW Bend Oregon

New roads, construction crews working hard everywhere, and homes in various stages of construction is what you'll find in Northwest Crossing in Bend right now.  Northwest Crossing is one of the most popular subdivisions in town.  It's no wonder that homes are being built and sold at an astonishing rate.  Home buyers love the area for it's own little downtown area, all of the parks, nearby schools, location, and nearby recreation.  Home building has picked up in the first half of 2013. Recently 2 new access roads have been opened up to the subdivision.  One is from the Newport Hills subdivision, and the other is off of Skyliners road. Off of these 2 new roads you'll find new home…

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Westside Bend Home For Sale

Westside Bend home for sale,  located 1 block from Deschutes River and Columbia Park

1027 NW Albany Ave, Bend Oregon   $399,000

• 3 Bedrooms plus a guest quarters
• 3 Bathrooms
• 1978 Sq Ft
• Guest quarters/studio
• Garage with small shop area

Location! Location! Location!  This updated home has a great Westside Bend location. 1027 NW Albany is located on a quite street, but yet very close to westside shops, dining, brew pubs, and more.  Enjoy the Bend lifestyle.

The main home consists of a living room, kitchen, family room, 3 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms.  The living room features cork laminate flooring, a woodstove, and a sliding glass door leading out to the patio.  The kitchen has been updated with stainless steel appliances and concrete…

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First Step In Buying A Bend Home: Mortgage Pre-approval

Getting Pre-Approved For A Bend Home Loan

If you're thinking of purchasing a home in Bend, the first step is to get pre-approved for a mortgage (unless you're paying cash of course).  The mortgage pre-approval process has become more of a chore over the past few years than it was prior to the real estate bubble bursting.  But it's still a relatively easy process.

First Step of Mortgage Pre-Approval Process

Contact a local Bend mortgage broker or bank, preferably a referral from a friend, family, or your real estate broker. You should interview the mortgage professional and ask any questions that you have.  Make sure to let them know how much you feel comfortable spending on a monthly mortgage.  Ask them about different home loan options,…

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Bend Market Update 2013

Bend Real Estate Market Summary For First 2 Months Of 2013

The market is going strong in Bend, maybe too strong... There still isn't enough inventory available to satisfy the amount of serious buyers, causing bidding wars.  So prices continue to climb.  Many lower end buyers are getting priced out of our market. A little over a year ago, you could buy a nice, newer home for $150,000 in Bend. Today it's hard to find anything over 1500 square feet and doesn't require a lot of work for under $200,000.

Bend Residential Real Estate Sales January and February 2013

Let's look at the sales of stick-built single family residences through February this year (statistics taken directly off of the Central Oregon MLS, excluding townhomes, condos, and manufactured…

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Buying a HUD owned home in Oregon

Buying a HUD home in Bend

I'm currently representing a buyer in a transaction on a HUD owned home in Bend, and the process has changed a lot over the past couple of years.  So I thought a blog post on the subject was necessary.

HUD stands for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.  FHA (Federal Housing Administration) has been a part of HUD since 1965.  FHA insures lenders against losses due to borrowers defaulting on their home loans.  When a FHA backed loan is foreclosed on, usually HUD ends up owning the property.  They then put the HUD owned home on the market to the public.

Online Bid Process

When HUD puts a home that they own on the market, they will list it with a local real estate broker and the property will be put on the…

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Bend log home with views REDUCED $50,000

Bend Log home With Mountain Views

PRICE REDUCED $50,000!  Now available at $629,0000.

Spring is almost here in Bend and with it comes a great deal on this log home. With the Bend real estate market heating up, now is the time to score a great buy on this one of a kind home. Who wouldn't want to live with this view daily? This is a spectacular setting in Bend with a full view of the Cascade Mountains, from Mt Bachelor to Mt Jefferson.

Inside you'll find a floor to ceiling rock fireplace, huge windows to take advantage of the views, and the master bedroom on the main level with it's own fireplace and deck.  The grand living room includes towering ceilings. custom log work, a breakfast nook, granite counters, and more. 

View the slide show…

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Mt Bachelor and Bend make another top 10 list

Mt Bachelor Makes MSN's Top 10 List

MSN's "Top 10 Hippest Ski Areas You Rarely Hear About" article includes Mt Bachelor here in Bend. Roughly 20 minutes from Bend, Mt Bachelor is one of the only mountains that you can ski 360 degrees. In the past couple of days the ski area has received well over a foot of fresh snow, yet Bend has been dry. Another reason I love living in Bend! There aren't many places that receive as little amounts of snow as Bend, but have a ski resort 20 minutes away that gets a ton of snow every year.

Read the full MSN article

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Bend Breweries, Bendites Love Their Beer

Breweries in Bend Oregon

CRUX Brewery in Bend

Bend is known for many things, it's sunny weather, mountains, rivers, scenery, outdoor recreation, lifestyle, and OF COURSE IT'S BEER!  The craft brew craze has taken over in the northwest, and Oregon is on the map for it's production of craft beer.  And we have some of the best breweries right here in Bend.  Lately, it seems like a new brewery is popping up every few months. Normally you wouldn't associate beer with tourism, but our breweries are getting so much national attention that people are coming in flocks to see the breweries in person. So much so, that Visit Bend made a Ale Trail Beer Tour, that includes a smart phone app. 

Our Breweries

In no particular order, below is a list of the Central…

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Bend Oregon Foreclosures

Bend Foreclosure Deals

Although foreclosures aren't dominating our Bend real estate market like they used to, there are still opportunities to score a bank owned home in Bend.  Currently there are only 16 on the market, but they sell really quick.  There are currently 19 REO's pending sale, (REO means Real Estate Owned by the bank, and is another term for foreclosure).  We're starting to see more REO activity, and I think we'll see more listings hitting the market throughout the next few months.  I don't think it's going to be the big surplus that some have talked about, and the foreclosures shouldn't have a big impact on our overall market prices. 

Even thought it's a foreclosure, it doesn't mean it's a good deal.  Some of the banks have put listings…

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Elk Lake Resort, A Winter Getaway in Bend, OR

A Winter Day Trip to Elk Lake Lodge

Yesterday I decided to load up the old snowmobile and saddle up for a ride to Elk Lake Lodge for lunch with some friends.  We parked at the Vista Butte Snow Park, (a pull off parking area a few miles before Mt Bachelor), unloaded the snowmobiles, and geared up for the ride.  It's a short 4 mile ride to Dutchman snow park, which is the closest snow park to Elk Lake.  We elected to park at Vista Butte, because Dutchman fills up fast and can be challenging to find a spot for a truck and trailer.  

From Dutchman, it's an 11 mile ride on a groomed trail to Elk Lake Lodge.  It's a beautiful ride with views of Broken Top, Bachelor, and the Three Sisters along the way.  You'll also see the frozen Sparks and Devil Lakes.

…

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