Who Hit the Pause Button?
Winter has arrived in Bend, and with it, the market slowdown we expect every year. The difference this December is subtle but important: the pace has eased, yet the underlying fundamentals remain surprisingly resilient. Whether you're gearing up to buy in early 2026 or preparing your home for a spring listing, here's what you need to know about the latest market trends.
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New Listings: A Seasonal Retreat
New listings slid again this month — roughly 20% fewer year-over-year. Not surprising for December.
Bend homeowners tend to wait out the holiday season, choosing to list once we hit clearer skies, longer days, and stronger buyer activity. Sellers are preparing for the traditional early-year surge, and many are waiting for the right moment to re-enter the market.
How long will they wait?
Typically just a few more weeks. January and February bring a substantial inventory rebound.
October brought signs that the Bend real estate market is continuing to find balance as the year winds down. While closed sales and overall sold volume rose modestly from a year ago, several key indicators—such as new listings, pending sales, and median home price—show the market is cooling after a busy late-summer season. With homes taking longer to sell and buyers showing more caution, Bend's fall housing market reflects a shift toward more normal seasonal behavior after several years of atypical trends.
When comparing October 2025 to October 2024 for Bend single family home sales on less than an acre, the following changes can be noted:
Median sales price down 3.1% to $770,000
Closed sales
For many Bend real estate brokers, the first half of 2025 had mixed sales results. Home prices moderated, and inventory levels increased. With more homes on the market, buyers had more choices. However, high mortgage interest rates kept many would-be home buyers off the market. Home sales proceeded through the summer at a relatively lower pace than was typical for Central Oregon.
However, the market changed in September. In the beginning of September, mortgage rates dropped below 6.5%. This coupled with more motivation from
August is usually a month where home buyers with young children close their purchases and get settled before school starts. It is also a month in which sellers who didn't sell their properties during the peak summer selling season consider their next options. Often, for those who really need to sell, lowering the asking price can be the answer. For others, taking their property off the market may make more sense. However, in 2025, the August Bend home sales reflected a mixed market with prices up, closings up, inventory up and days on market up.
When August 2025 is compared with August 2024, th...
Summer is traditionally the peak selling season for Central Oregon homes. For home buyers looking to buy a Bend home before school starts, July is usually the month when many purchases happen, with August the month for closing these sales and new owners moving into their new homes. While July 2025 has followed these trends to a certain extent, the change in the market with high mortgage interest rates limiting buying power, it has become a price driven market with sellers recognizing that if they really need to sell, the asking price has to match today's market and not that of previous years. July 2025 also saw a mar...