Fall is settling many of us back into school schedules or just the excuse to get back into a routine, and I'm no exception. It's a great time to reflect on the year to date, forecast and dig into the data. Nationwide, home sales are down over 16%, but Bend sales are down 10% mostly due to lack of inventory in spite of new construction around town. Real estate data in Bend is healthier overall than much of the US (so don't put too much weight on the national headlines), with average home prices in August yielding 6.98% higher than the year before, but average days on market at 54 days compared to 32. In comparison, I used to tell my Sellers in 2012 to expect it to take 6-8 months to sell their homes. Summer lookers often become Fall buyers, so I do expect transactions to pick up through late October at least. Read on for Bend's "top 25" coverage in Forbes, construction loan concepts, river access improvements, client appreciation events and more.
