It has been awhile since we last reported on Bend luxury home sales. We pulled a report showing year to date activity over the past three years. While Bend home prices in general are back to a small upward trajectory year over year, the numbers of sales are significantly down, as they are in all price points in most of the markets in Central Oregon and across the country. Higher interest rates have changed the buying power of would-be home purchasers, even in the high end, and have also kept many would-be sellers off market. Why sell when the mortgage interest rate many homeowners have is so good? A replacement home, while potentially being better for the current lifestyle of a home seller, may cost more on a monthly basis with the higher interest rate with which they may need to purchase.
When the first six months of high end Bend home sales are compared year over year between 2022 and 2023, the following change...
We have been tracking Bend home sales for many years. Bend has been in a seller's market since 2012, but the level to which the seller's market changed during Covid was beyond any we had seen before. Home prices skyrocketed with multiple offers driving sales and inventory levels dropping to two weeks at the peak of the pandemic. However, since last summer, the Bend real estate market has been in transition with rising mortgage interest rates the biggest contributor to the change. While high mortgage rates have greatly impacted the buying power of many home buyers, lack of inventory remains an issue. We had seen home price increases level off and even drop yea...
The Bend real estate market has been on a roller coaster over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic triggered a massive boom in Bend single family home sales, resulting in multiple offers, dramatic price increases, and limited inventory. However, since the peak in home prices the summer of 2022, home prices and home sales have dropped, inventory levels, days on market and interest rates have risen while new homes hitting the market are significantly down. Many Bend homebuyers cannot find property that meets their needs. While more homes are on the market, the numbers are still not at balanced levels with less than 2 months of inventory. If we throw into the mix the shifting mortgage interest rat...