Central Oregon Home Search

Now that we’ve welcomed in 2012, it’s a good time to look back and see how the various Central Oregon real estate markets fared in 2011.

To get a sense of how each compared to the previous two years and to each other, I charted the progress (or lack thereof, in a few instances) of the Bend, Redmond and Sisters Single Family Residential (SFR) and Residential with Acreage (RW) segments in four general categories for 2009, 2010 and 2011.

I tracked the total number of sales for each year, along with the average price of homes sold, the total volume of sales and the days on market (DOM), which is now paired with cumulative days on market (CDOM).

Of the three primary markets, Sisters made the most overall progress (especially with regard to its RW listings). On the other hand, Bend’s SFR market stumbled a bit, while its RW listings saw a slight improvement. Redmond also had mixed results –- with fewer sales and a lower sales price among its SFR listings but notable improvement among its RW listings.

Here’s a more detailed overview of how each area fared:

Bend
Sales activity in Bend saw little change from 2010 to 2011. Its SFR sales actually decreased slightly: down from 1,690 in 2010 to 1,689 in 2011 (although higher than 2009’s 1,564 sales). However, with 255 sales, Bend’s RW segment did see an increase in 2011, compared to 213 sales in 2010 and 155 sales in 2009.

When it came to the price of the listings sold, both SFR and RW listings saw a decrease. In 2011, the average sales price of SFR listings was $238,099, compared to $244,680 in 2010 and $265,831 in 2009. The average price of RW listings sold in 2011 was $354,981, compared to $386,670 in 2010 and $450,998 in 2009.

In terms of sales volume, Bend’s SFR listings saw a decrease, while RW listings saw an increase. For 2011, the total sales amount for SFR listings sold was $402,149,646, compared to $413,509,736 in 2010 and $415,759,990 in 2009. Meanwhile, the total sales amount for RW listings was $90,520,039, compared to $82,360,628 in 2010 and $69,904,659 in 2009.

As for days on market, there were only slight shifts in both segments for 2011 (one saw a slight increase in DOM: the other saw a slight increase in CDOM), but both have had a significant reduction since 2009. In 2011, SFR listings had an average of 138/154, compared to 143/180 in 2010 and 163/213 in 2009. In 2011, RW listings had an average of 171/205, compared to 172/243 in 2010 and 185/261 in 2009.

Redmond
Like Bend, Redmond saw a decrease in the number of SFR sales for 2011, although its decrease was more substantial. In 2011, there were 658 SFR sales, compared to 727 in 2010 and 634 in 2009. RW sales, on the other hand, were up substantially (also like Bend). In 2011, there were 84 RW sales, compared to 64 sales in 2010 and 56 sales in 2009.

When it comes to the average sales price of homes sold, SFR listings saw a decrease, while RW listings actually saw an increase (a rare thing, these days). In 2011, the average sales price of an SFR listing sold was $137,203, compared to $142,425 in 2010 an $170,515 in 2009. The average price of an RW listing, on the other hand, was $256,629, compared to $249,069 in 2010 and $346,799 in 2009.

Not surprisingly, overall sales volume for SFR listings was also down. In 2011, the total amount for SFR listings sold was $90,279,764, compared to $103,542,942 in 2010 and $108,106,428 in 2009.

As for days on market, there was little change in SFR listings but a fairly dramatic increase among RW listings. In 2011, SFR listings saw 148/181, compared to 135/186 in 2010 and 158/221 in 2009. In 2011, RW listing saw 225/274, compared to 161/220 in 2010 and 202/328 in 2009.

Sisters
Both SFR and RW listings saw an increase in the number of sales for the past three years. In 2011, there were 95 SFR sales, compared to 88 sales in 2010 and 70 sales in 2009. There were 63 RW sales in 2011, compared to 54 sales in 2010 and 26 sales in 2009.

When it came to the average sales price of homes sold, both SFR and RW listings saw a decrease in 2011. SFR listings sold for an average of $248,019 in 2011, compared to $295,488 in 2010 and $372,483 in 2009.

In terms of sales volume, SFR listings saw a decrease while RW listings saw an increase (and a significant improvement since 2009). The total amount of SFR sales for 2011 was $23,561,771, compared to $26,002,979 for 2010 and $26,073,795 for 2009. The total amount of RW sales for 2011 was $28,836,950, compared to $25,841,375 in 2010 and $10,471,900 in 2009. The total volume was actually higher than for SFR sales, which was not the case for Bend or Redmond.

As for days on market, SFR listings sat on the market longer in 2011, with an average of 228/264, compared to 188/247 in 2010 and 222/245 in 2009. On the other hand, RW listings saw less time on the market, with 215/288 in 2011, compared to 237/292 in 2010 and 169/228 in 2009.

Want to learn more about what’s happening with the Bend, Redmond or Sisters real estate markets today? Then don’t hesitate to call me at 541-480-0987 or email me. I’d be glad to assist you whether you’re buying or selling real estate in Central Oregon.

About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater, GRI, CDPE s a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Bend.

When I recently listed a LEED-certified home in NorthWest Crossing, I received a crash course in sustainable building. Although I was already familiar with the concept of green building, I hadn’t previously worked with clients actively involved in what is shaping up to be a significant segment of the new-construction business, especially in the Pacific Northwest.

Luckily for me, my client, architect ML Vidas, designed this house, and it’s about as green as they get. Every aspect of the home — from site selection, floor plan design and interior/exterior construction to ventilation system, lighting and finishing details –- was approached with the intention of selecting materials and processes that were the most environmentally friendly, most energy-efficient and healthiest options available. Throughout the house, Vidas and her husband, Allan Staley (along with their builder, SolAire Homebuilders), incorporated local resources and chose state-of-the-art systems and materials that dramatically reduce energy use, improve air quality and minimize waste.

When ML, Allan and I first toured their home together, I was overwhelmed by the amount of thought that went into even the smallest detail of the house. I was also overwhelmed with the amount of information there was to learn about their home –- and the green-building community as a whole.

For starters, green building has its own distinct language, which is riddled with unfamiliar terms and acronyms, like ERV, VOC, PV, FSC, HERS and MERV. Also, to the uninitiated, the list of cutting-edge sustainable resources and products can seem rather intimidating (not to mention, impressively long). With that thought in mind, I decided to write a series of green-building-related blog posts that help explain the key aspects of sustainable design.

The first thing that tripped me up involved the numerous certifications that often accompany a green-built home. What do they mean? And are they all the same? (By the way, if you’re considering buying a green-built home, the MLS description will no doubt include a mention of any green-related certification that the home has received.)

Here in Oregon, there are three main designations often attached to a green-built home: LEED-certified, Earth Advantage and Energy Star (Vidas’ home attained all three).

Below is a description of each program.

 LEED for Homes
There are more than 70 green-home building programs in the United States; however, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) offers the only national home-rating system, which clearly defines and establishes uniform benchmarks to assure that so-called “green” homes are designed and built to be energy- and resource-efficient as well as healthy for their occupants.

As the global standard-bearer in sustainable-building certification programs, LEED for Homes promotes high-performance green building by instituting rigorous guidelines for rating the design and construction of a home based on how it scores in eight categories (design, site placement, overall environmental impact, water conservation, energy efficiency, reduction of material waste, indoor air quality and education).

Developed and implemented by the U.S Green Building Council, the LEED for Homes rating system offers four levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. LEED points are awarded on a 136-point scale (with Platinum status receiving the most points), and credits are weighted to reflect their potential environmental impacts.

All projects pursuing LEED for Homes certification must have a LEED for Homes Green Rater perform the required on-site verification. Green Raters verify that the home is designed and built to the requirements of the LEED for Homes Rating System; they are involved with the project from the design phase throughout the construction process.

Energy Star
A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Star was introduced in 1992 as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The goal of the Energy Star program is to reduce homeowners’ utility bills and protect our environment by encouraging the use of energy-efficient products and practices. The Energy Star label (which is government backed) can now be found within 60 product categories, and includes major appliances, office equipment, lighting and home electronics (computers and monitors were the first labeled products). The EPA has also extended the label to cover new homes and commercial and industrial buildings.

An Energy Star-qualified home is at least 15 percent more energy-efficient than a home built to the 2004 International Residential Code. Typically, an Energy Star-qualified home includes additional energy-saving features that lower energy demand, reduce air pollution and contribute to improved comfort, making the home 20 to 30 percent more efficient than the standard home. (Another benefit: Energy Star homes qualify for a number of tax credits.)

Energy Star-qualified homes must be independently reviewed and verified by an EPA-approved Home Energy Rater (such as Earth Advantage Institute).

 Earth Advantage
The Earth Advantage Institute is a Portland-based non-profit organization that partners with the region’s building industry to help implement sustainable-building practices. The organization also offers educational opportunities, research services and technical aid for industry professionals.

In addition to partnering with other certification programs (including LEED and Energy Star), Earth Advantage offers its own certification program for new homes (it’s also developing a green-remodeling program). While the Energy Star program focuses primarily on reducing the amount of energy usage in a home, to achieve Earth Advantage certification, a home must meet certain standards set in five different categories and must achieve a minimum number of points in each of those — Energy (15), Health (10), Land (10), Materials (15), Water (10) — for a total of 60 points. (The points system was modified in January of this year.) There are also a number of prerequisites  that must be met. The standards are then veri­fied through third-party inspections and performance testing.

Stay tuned for Part Two of my series on green building, where we look at the language of the sustainability community (for example, what exactly does “green-built” mean?).

About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater, GRI, CDPE is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Bend and Redmond.

I spent the past several weeks hanging out with my mom in the house she and I used to share in Arkansas before I met Jack and moved to Oregon. It’s been eight years since Jack and I left, sort of on a whim, on a steamy summer day — our Chesapeake Bay retriever and newly adopted barn kitten in tow. We had packed whatever we could fit into a 24-foot Dutchmen trailer and then road-tripped ourselves to Central Oregon (by way of the Grand Canyon) without a real long-term plan in hand.

It never occurred to me that years would elapse before I would reunite with the bulk of my possessions, but it did. So, there we were, a few days after Christmas, loading as much of my pre-Jack belongings as we could fit, into his 31-foot horse trailer.

Deciding what to take back to Oregon and what to leave (and, subsequently, what to keep in the Little Rock house and what to discard altogether) was even more exhausting, and time-consuming, than I had anticipated. In the end, though, it was invigorating. By banishing some of that old stuff (even the good stuff) and organizing the remaining stuff — 30 years of books, clothes, photos, journals, Christmas cards, press clips, tchotchkes and wearable mementoes accumulated during my years as a fashion journalist (Todd Oldham shirt, anyone?) –- I feel like my actual life is now in order. Or at least a little more in order.

So when I stumbled upon “25 Things to Throw Out Today,” a blog post on Wise Bread written by senior writer Paul Michael, I was eager to see another person’s perspective on the subject. Just how well had I fared with Michael’s to-do list? (Here’s the complete post, in case you’d like to see how you fared.)

Actually, I did pretty darn good. I tackled 19 of the 25 categories Michael mentioned –- including the obvious (books, magazines, clothing and shoes, dated receipts and such, old medicine, outdated tech gadgets) and the not as obvious (coat hangers, socks, jewelry, makeup and food).

I also sorted through a few categories that didn’t make Michael’s list. The first is one that I don’t necessarily recommend doing in conjunction with anything else. (No, I didn’t exactly think this thing through. Nevertheless.) Two weeks before I made the trip to Arkansas, I bought a new computer. It was a Mac; the computer I’ve used for the past several years is a PC. Making that switch from XP to OSX required me to, like it or not, rethink many of my information-storage decisions. So, as I was purging my living space, I was also purging my cyber-space. Talk about de-cluttering! (Actually, I’m still dealing with that one, but that’s another story….)

The second additional category I addressed is one I realize won’t apply to everyone: art. But as a print journalist who covered the fine arts for much of the ‘80s and ‘90s, I managed to assemble quite a stash of paintings (primarily folk art), prints, fine crafts (especially ceramics) and random oddities (don’t ask).

The truth is, as much as I still love much of my collection, I no longer have the room nor the proclivity to display some of it. In fact, when pressed to admit it, there are some pieces I would probably never hang again — at least as long as I’m living a rural vs. urban life.

I did realize that, although I no longer wanted these artworks to grace my walls and tabletops, I didn’t want to simply discard them, either. So, while much of my cast-off stuff did make its way to the neighborhood Goodwill donation center, I found a more personally satisfying fate for my “old” arts and crafts: I gave several things to a friend I thought might enjoy them. Doing so not only brought a smile to my face but a sense of relief that those once-cherished possessions had found a good home. My friend (who used to own an art gallery) then agreed to see if she might find a buyer among her circle of art-loving friends for a few of the pricier artworks. Talk about a win-win.

So I’m tired today. Relieved and less encumbered by stuff, but tired. I still have a lot of unpacking to do.

About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater, GRI, CDPE s a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Bend.

So

It isn’t every day I list a property like 2446 NW Dorion Way in Bend’s NorthWest Crossing. But then, it isn’t every day that anyone lists a property like this one — there are only a handful of homes like it in Central Oregon.

One thing that makes this home so special (and it is, in fact, extremely special) is that it’s LEED Platinum-certified. That means it has achieved the global benchmark of high-performance green-building standards. By attaining this prestigious level of LEED certification, it can be counted among the greenest buildings in the world.

So not only does the home generate much of its own power and hot water, but it was designed for more healthier living using as many renewable resources as possible. Best of all, it was designed by the homeowner, architect ML Vidas, whose goal wasn’t just to create something that was “green,” but to also create something that was beautiful and comfortable. And in that she has succeeded –- the home she designed for herself and her husband, Allan Staley, is indeed a beautiful, very livable residence that is a reflection of its Central Oregon surroundings.

Vidas chose as her contractor SolAire Homebuilders, an award-winning, Bend-based company known for its high-quality green-built custom homes. Their focus is on providing superior construction that incorporates sustainable, extremely energy-efficient materials in homes designed to last

Since the two-story, 2,243-square-foot home was built in 2008, it has garnered numerous awards. It was featured on the 2008 COBA Tour of Homes and won three COBA tour awards in its categories: the Green Building Award, Best Architectural Design and Best Master Suite.

It was also named the National Association of Home Builders’ Green Building Project of the Year for 2009 for luxury/custom homes, and is ranked as a High Performance Home by the Oregon Department of Energy, is Earth Advantage-certified and is an Energy Star home.

So exactly what are the green features of 2446 NW Dorion Way? Here’s a list that details the materials chosen and green-building techniques that were incorporated in the home.

Here’s a closer look at the home, in a video tour hosted by owner ML Vidas:

More About 2446 NW Dorion Way

• Built in 2008 by SolAire Homebuilders
• 2,243 square feet in two stories
• 4 bedrooms, 3 baths
• Solar power, solar hot water, in-floor radiant heat
• Superior construction with 8-in. staggered-stud walls
• Whole-house ventilation system with ERV
• High-efficiency vinyl windows with insulated Hunter Douglas honeycomb shades
• Low- or no-VOC paints, finishes & sealants used throughout
• Open floor plan, with master bedroom on the main level
• Cook’s kitchen with top-of-the-line stainless appliances, custom knotty-alder cabinets, PaperStone countertops, hand-blown glass pendant lights & built-in recycling center
• Many custom alder built-ins throughout the house
• Travertine tile, slate, hickory and woven bamboo flooring
• Low-maintenance xeriscape landscaping with native plants & fruit-producing trees
• Great location in popular NorthWest Crossing.

If you’d like to learn more about this outstanding home or arrange a private showing, just call or text me directly at 541-480-0987.

About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater, GRI, CDPE is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Bend, Sisters, Tumalo and Redmond.