If you wanted confirmation that things are turning for the better in the real estate market, look no further than the latest statistics about surges in the new home construction market. According to the Commerce Department, home construction rose 15 percent last month and applications for building permits, jumped nearly 12 percent, the highest since July 2008.

http://bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121018/NEWS0107/210180325/0/SEARCH

Bend was named in the Washington Post as the City you will Love to Hate! So stop hating Bend and just move here! Remember the bumper sticker...Your Vacation is Our Life! That is the great thing about the article...there is just nothing to hate about Bend! We have it all here, biking, hiking, skiing, fishing, relaxing, the arts, entertainment....the list goes on and on and on!!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/bend-ore-the-city-youll-love-to-hate/2012/10/04/9a7e2f10-042e-11e2-91e7-2962c74e7738_story.html

The Bend, Oregon beer is referenced as "the most balanced example I've tasted of the emerging white IPA style."

Read the full article here:

According to RealtyTrac, the latest foreclosure data is a reminder that a housing recovery nationwide will still be slow. RealtyTrack reported that foreclosure fillings rose by 9 percent in May.

http://economywatch.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/14/12203711-foreclosure-activity-jumps-in-troubling-sign-for-housing-recovery?lite

Stats are showing that more investors are purchasing homes in Bend, at the recession- level prices, with the hopes of seeing a profit by turning them into rental homes. In addition to this group of buyers, Bend is seeing more buyers from out of town who are seeing deals in the second-home market.

Interest rates are still at record-level lows and prices are beginning to increase due to low inventory.

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120614/NEWS01/206140306/0/SEARCH

U.S. News & World Report includes Bend in their list of 10 Affordable Mountain Towns for Retirees
The article says “Skiing, white water rafting, and hiking are just a few of the ways you can wile away your retirement in the Cascade Mountains.” .
http://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2010/07/12/10-best-affordable-mountain-towns-for-retirement

Central Oregon Visitors Association, along with Mt. Bachelor, have invited a dozen journalists from across the country to come and experience Central Oregon. The COVA and Mt. Bachelor hope that by impressing these guests, Central Oregon might be featured in some national articles as a great travel destination. There have already been write-ups in The Huffington Post’s travel blog, The Seattle Times and Portland Monthly.

Check out these links to see what was written!

“A guide to Central Oregon” by Meg Hemphill, The Huffington Post
www.huffingtonpost.com/meg-humphill/a-guide-to-central-oregon_b_1328215.html

“Thanks to thirsty poutdoors lovers, bustling Bend is awash in beer” by Brian Cantwell, The Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2017809710_trbend25.html

“Brand new in Bend” by Kasey Cordell, Portland Monthly
www.portlandmonthlymag.com/blogs/tripster/brand-new-in-bend-february-2012/

Central Oregon Builders Association and The ReStore of Bend are Hosting "Ramp-a-thon" Fundraiser!

Read the full article

Bend’s real estate might already be recovering according to Ron Ross, principal broker at Compass Commercial Real Estate Services and John Mitchell, a national economist with M&H Economic Consultants. Ross and Mitchell spoke at a conference in Bend last Friday. From 1986 to 2004 home prices increased an average of 6.1 percent per year then veered upwards to an average of 16 percent increase in value gains from 2004 to 2007 until they dropped significantly. If the price increase had stayed consistent in recent years at the 6.1 percent we would still have home prices where they are at today.

With 20,000 new jobs in Oregon last year, unemployment rates are beneath 9 percent for the first time in 3 years, interest rates are close to 4 percent and median families have more income to afford homes.

“I’m going to say that winter of 2011 and 2012 marked the beginning of the housing recovery in Bend,” Ross said. “There may not be a better time to buy a home in my lifetime than right now.”

Article

In an effort to build their reserves and encourage private lenders to make their way back into the market, the FHA will raise two of their fees.

The Federal Housing Administration helps borrowers who might not qualify for conventional loans. FHA loans currently account for about 40% of new purchase mortgages, which is significantly higher than previous years.

The fees the FHA plans on raising are it’s annual insurance premium to 1.25 percent of the loan amount, up from 1.05, starting on April 1, and their upfront mortgage premium, which will also increase this year from 0.75 percent to 1.75 percent.

The program isn’t expected to decrease in popularity as it still is the only program with just 3.5 percent required for a down payment, although borrowers with higher credit scores might be more apt to go for a conventional loan where they can still get a much better deal.

First-time home buyers will be affected the most as they are often unable to come up with larger down payments necessary for standard mortgages and are then required to have mortgage insurance.

http://bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120228/NEWS0107/202280347

The analytics firm Capital Economics has predicted that the housing crisis will end this year. This expectation is based heavily on loosening credit requirements. Credit score requirements have remained consistent since this time last year, banks are lending more money based on borrower income and banks are loosening loan-to-value ratios, which could be the biggest indicator that the situation is improving. Even with all of these changes there are still potential homebuyers struggling to get a home loan.

http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=5567733516482908167&ids=cP8SdjsUdjcTdjsUcjwUd3sRdiMVcP0McPgTejoQczwQcP4RdPkRb34Tc3wMd3kOe3AVcjwMdP8TdjkIdP8RczkRejcOc3wPcPATejoRdiMTdz4Uc3AOe3gScjkPcPsTdzkR&aag=true&freq=weekly&trk=eml-tod2-b-ttl-0&ut=0YAW9BJgYTdl81

National Geographic recognizes Bend as one of the 25 best!

Thanks to attributes like its proximity to Mt. Bachelor, excellent restaurants, multiple micro breweries and quaint ski town culture, Bend has caught the attention of National Geographic, who listed it as one of the “25 Best Ski Towns in the World”. What a compliment to be listed among these other incredible places. Those of us who live here already know what an amazing place Bend is and we’re proud to call it home.

Bend has even more to offer than the article mentions, why do you think Bend is the Best?

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/trips/best-ski-towns-photos/#/bend-oregon-ski_47300_600x450.jpg

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785312249?bclid=1740033302&bctid=1395384286001

Two NAR legislators talk about upcoming bills that will affect Fannie and Freddie, the secondary mortgage markets. This is an interesting video to see how current legislation will affect the housing market.

The stats for the year (Dec 2010 to Dec 2011) are in! Home sales are down by 2.5%. Average sales price is up by 19.4% Number of sales are up by .5% and average square foot is up by 6.4%. Why is this great information? It helps you become a better informed consumer! With a Coldwell Banker agent you can be assured you are receiving the most up-to-date and current statistics.

AARP mentioned Bend, Oregon as one of the top ten sunny cities in which to retire. While this doesn't surprise many who live here, this might be surprising to many who think of Oregon as being a state filled mostly with rain.

Again, Bend, Oregon is noted for its unusual number of days of sunshine and the numerous outdoor activities that are available for all skill levels and age ranges.

There are two new possible footbridges proposed for spanning the Deschutes River in Bend. The two proposed bridges are located close to each other but differ in about $20,000 in price. Both are located near First STreet Rapids, which is a popular destination among kayakers.

The Bend Parks and Recreation Board will be making a decision tonight on where the bridge will be located. If the less expensive bridge is voted on to be built, construction could begin as early as this summer.

This means that the Bend River Trail will be complete, once this bridge is completed.

https://circulation.bendbulletin.com/publicus2/html/login?CSProduct=BUONLINE&CSAuthReq=1324424256:473449156149105:557187C34B869B111F1C7ACC6E62A06F&CSTargetURL=http://bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/login&AID=20111220/NEWS01/112200387

If a Facebook data center wasn't enough, Prineville now is in the running to possibly land an Apple data facility. This would probably mean that home prices in Prineville might increase as employees move to the area to fill up and coming employment positions.

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111205/NEWS01/112050340

The Bratton Appraisal Group published the latest numbers for Bend's housing market. The most notable of those data is that the median price for November was $166,000, the lowest median price in more than six years. The peak for median home prices in Bend was in May 2007, at $396,000.

For the complete story, please visit, http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111216/NEWS01/112160355

Bend and Central Oregon continues to receive more press. The latest publications include Ski Magazine, Ski Presse and Quarter Horse Journal. Ski Magazine tested their newest ski boots at Mt. Bachelor. SkiPresse, a leading German Ski Magazine, focuses an issue on ski resorts located in volcanic regions. They note Mt. Bachelor as a great ski area. The Quarter Horse Journal, German edition, spotlights Long Hollow Ranch, McMenamin's Old St. Francis School, Deschutes Brewery and Wanderlust Tours. Click on the links below to read the full articles.

http://www.skinet.com/ski/article/boots-how-we-test

http://www.visitcentraloregon.com/images/enews/ski-presse-oregon-2011.pdf

http://www.visitcentraloregon.com/images/enews/qtr-horse-journal-german-nov2011.pdf

“The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index released Tuesday showed prices dropped in September from August in 17 of the 20 cities tracked. That was the first decline after five straight months in which at least half the cities in the survey showed monthly gains,” according to AP Real Estate Writer, Derek Kravitz.

It is projected that while this decline isn’t as severe as what we have seen in the past, it is a decrease from the first and second quarters of this year.

Bend, Oregon is seeing a slight boost in the price per square foot of homes, which has increased over the past year by $10/sf.

In order to see a real increase in housing prices, it is projected that the economy must rebound to a healthy pace.