Spring Snow Sports to Enjoy in Central Oregon

What really makes spring snow sports in Central Oregon so special are the extended seasons.  It is no guarantee, but when the snow comes back again and again, it is like getting bonus time to savor the magical snow-covered landscapes.  Central Oregon is a winter sports enthusiast paradise, especially in spring time when we can see more comfortable conditions, more light and less crowds.  Here are a few of the most popular local snow excursions:

• Alpine Snow Sports - Mt. Bachelor offer great classic skiing and snowboarding opportunities and warm cozy lodges for snacks and people watching. 

• Cross Country and Skate Skiing- Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center, Meissner Nordic Center and Ray Benson Sno-Park are just a few of the popular locations to exert and have a blast in the snow.

• Snowmobilers - there are plenty of great spots to enjoy snowmobiling in Centr...

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Bend Home Prices Leveling Off

The January 2024 Bend real estate market shows some stabilization. Although the average and median price per square foot are both up, the average and median sales price on sold homes comparing January 2024 to January 2023 show little movement. The issue most Bend home buyers are still dealing with is lack of inventory which provides few choices for people looking to purchase. Although mortgage interest rates have come down from the high rates pushing 8% seen last fall, they are still in the mid sixes which also impact the purchasing power for home buyers.

When the January 2024 sales for Bend single family homes on less than an acre are compared with those from January 2023, the following changes can be seen:

• Average sales price down 1.9% to $842,669*
• Median sales price up 1.5% to $699,950
• New listings down 14.7% to 99
• Homes for sale down 28.4% to 204

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Redmond Home Sales Dropped in 2023

Redmond has been among the best locations in Central Oregon for middle class homeowners to reside.  Situated only 20 minutes north of Bend on Hwy 97, Redmond has been a more affordable option for many looking to purchase in Central Oregon and its close proximity to Bend has made Redmond a town from which many who work in Bend can fairly easily commute. 

Redmond experienced the same real estate market trends Bend did during the Covid pandemic with limited inventory and great demand pushing prices up. Low interest rates enabled many to purchase Redmond homes at lower prices than seen in Bend. However, when interest rates doubled in 2022, this greatly impacted the buying power of would-be Redmond homebuyers and in 2023, median home prices dropped in Redmond by over 4%.

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What's in the January, 2024 Bend Premier Real Estate Newsletter?

• Bend Home Sales Were Limited in 2024
• Bang Bang Cauliflower
• January Home Maintenance and Safety Checklist
• Chasing Frozen Waterfalls in Central Oregon
• Achieving Your Homebuying Dreams in2024

Bend Real Estate Sales Were Limited in 2024

Probably the biggest challenge for Bend Home Sales in 2024 was mortgage interest rates. Mortgage rates started the year at 6.48% and ended the year at 6.62%. During the middle of the year, the mortgage rates rose to 7.79% which greatly limited the buying power for most Bend homebuyers who needed to finance in order to purchase. Home sales in Bend continued, but at a greatly reduced rate than experienced during Covid when mortgage rates under 4% were normal.

High mortgage rates also kept many Bend home sellers from listing. The thought for many was why sell and give up a great mortgage rate of less than 4% to exchange to one over 7% on a different home? Many Central Oregon real estate brokers discovered that many listings were limited to just those who had to sell for a job tra...

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