Sisters, OR

After two months of strong sales in the Sisters real estate market, the momentum slowed a bit in October, with 19 Pending and Closed sales, compared to 27 in September. On the plus side, the overall inventory continued to decrease (down from 217 in August to 180 in October).

Meanwhile, the median sales price for Active SFR listings dropped from $419,000 in September to $399,000, while the median sales price for homes on acreage decreased from $795,000 in September to $736,500.

Here are a few October highlights of the Sisters real estate market:

LISTING ACTIVITY
Active Residential Listings in Sisters: 180 (102 Single Family Residences; 78
Residential with Acreage)
Contingent Residential Sales in Sisters: 2 (1 SFR, 1 RW)
Pending Residential Sales in Sisters: 7 (5 SFR; 2 RW)
Residential Sales in Sisters: 12 (11 SFR; 1 RW)
Average Days on Market: 218 days for Active SFR listings
250 days for Active RW listings
261 days for the SFR listings sold in October
221 days for the RW listing sold in October

Median Sales Price: $399,000 for Active SFR listings
$736,500 for Active RW listings
$445,000 for the SFR listings sold in October
$1,075,000 for the RW listing sold in October
INVENTORY
Single Family Residence: 20-month supply (62 sales in the previous 12 months)
Residential with Acreage: 37-month supply (25 sales in the previous 12 months)

SALES PRICE:
Least-Expensive Single Family Residence Active Listing: $149,990
Least-Expensive Residential with Acreage Active Listing: $199,900
Most-Expensive Single Family Residence Active Listing: $1,325,000
Most-Expensive Residential with Acreage Active Listing: $4,900,000
Price Point with the Most Active Listings: SFR: $300,000-$349,999, (13 listings)
RW: $450,000-$499,000, $950,000-$999,999
& $1,000,000-$1,249,999 (each w/7 listings)

If you're interested in studying the market in more depth, below are a number of charts that capture various aspects of the Sisters real estate market in detail.

If you'd like to learn more about the Sisters real estate market, don't hesitate to email me at lisabroadwater@remax.net or call me toll-free at 866-963-2760.

About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Bend. If you'd like to learn more about Central Oregon, please visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com.

As summer turned into fall, the Sisters real estate market continued to gain momentum. August's strong increase in sales carried through into September, with 27 Pending and Closed sales (up slightly from 25 in August). The difference this month was that all but one of the 14 Pending sales were Single Family Residences, with only one Residential With Acreage Pending sale).

Also noteworthy is a significant decrease in inventory (down from 217 in August to 194 in September), which is a welcome change in what was an increasing inventory throughout the year (there were 136 active Residential listings in January).

Here are a few September highlights of the Sisters real estate market:

LISTING ACTIVITY
Active Residential Listings in Sisters: 194 (111 Single Family Residences; 83 Residential with Acreage)
Contingent Residential Sales in Sisters: 1 (1 SFR, 0 RW)
Pending Residential Sales in Sisters: 15 (14 SFR; 1 RW)
Residential Sales in Sisters: 13 (7 SFR; 6 RW)
Average Days on Market: 204 days for Active SFR listings
265 days for Active RW listings
199 days for the SFR listings sold in September
171 days for the RW listings sold in September

Median Sales Price: $419,000 for Active SFR listings
$795,000 for Active RW listings
$525,000 for the SFR listings sold in September
$424,000 for the RW listings sold in September

INVENTORY
Single Family Residence: 25-month supply (53 sales in the previous 12 months)
Residential with Acreage: 37-month supply (27 sales in the previous 12 months)

SALES PRICE:
Least-Expensive Single Family Residence Active Listing: $149,990
Least-Expensive Residential with Acreage Active Listing: $199,900
Most-Expensive Single Family Residence Active Listing: $1,475,000
Most-Expensive Residential with Acreage Active Listing: $4,900,000
Price Point with the Most Active Listings: $300,000-$349,999, in SFR (13 listings)
$950,000-$999,999 in RW (8 listings)

If you're interested in studying the market in more depth, below are a number of charts that capture various aspects of the Sisters real estate market in detail.

If you'd like to learn more about the Sisters real estate market, don't hesitate to email me at lisabroadwater@remax.net or call me toll-free at 866-963-2760.

About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Bend. If you'd like to learn more about Central Oregon, please visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com.

How fitting that just in time for my 100^th blog post, Sisters was named one of the Top 100 Adventure Towns in National Geographic Adventure magazine. The October issue provides a handy state-by-state guide of the country's "top outdoor hubs," which touts the Sisters area for its hiking, rafting, road-cycling, mountain-biking and skiing.

Receiving specific nods are the McKenzie River (for its Class III rapids), Black Butte (for its scenic hiking), Smith Rock (for its sport climbing) and Mount Bachelor (for some of the best ski runs in the West). Too bad the guide neglected to mention our much-closer (albeit less-glamorous) neighbor, Hoodoo Resort, located at the summit of Santiam Pass.

I was also bummed to see that Sisters only ranked #84 -- until I gave the intro a closer read. The list -- which also features Hood River (#33), Klamath Falls (#39) and Portland (#69) -- was organized alphabetically. In any event, it's great to see Sisters acknowledged once again.

About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Bend. If you'd like to learn more about Central Oregon, please visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com.

Wow! August proved to be a banner sales month for the Sisters real estate market. After two months of slight growth in sales, Sisters saw a significant jump. In fact, sales almost doubled -- from 15 pending and closed sales in July to 25 pending and closed sales in August. Included in the mix was a strong showing of higher-end sales (six sales above $500,000, including one just under $1,000,000).

Also noteworthy, however, is the dramatic increase in inventory since the beginning of 2009. In January, there were 136 active Residential listings (which include Single Family Residences and Homes on Acreage), compared to 217 active Residential listings in August. When looking at the previous 12 months' of sales, those numbers translate into an 11-month supply of homes in January compared to a 30-month supply of homes in August. That means that buyers will remain in the driver's seat for the foreseeable future.

Here are a few August highlights of the Sisters real estate market:

LISTING ACTIVITY
Active Residential Listings in Sisters: 217 (133 Single Family Residences; 84 Residential with Acreage)
Contingent Residential Sales in Sisters: 2 (2 SFR, 0 RW)
Pending Residential Sales in Sisters: 12 (8 SFR; 4 RW)
Residential Sales in Sisters: 13 (8 SFR; 5 RW)
Average Days on Market: 193 days for Active SFR listings
268 days for Active RW listings
157 days for the SFR listings sold in August
57 days for the RW listings sold in August

Median Sales Price: $439,000 for Active SFR listings
$797,000 for Active RW listings
$315,000 for the SFR listings sold in August
$328,000 for the RW listings sold in August

INVENTORY
Single Family Residence: 30-month supply (53 sales in the previous 12 months)
Residential with Acreage: 42-month supply (25 sales in the previous 12 months)

SALES PRICE:
Least-Expensive Single Family Residence Active Listing: $149,990
Least-Expensive Residential with Acreage Active Listing: $199,900
Most-Expensive Single Family Residence Active Listing: $1,475,000
Most-Expensive Residential with Acreage Active Listing: $4,900,000
Price Point with the Most Active Listings: $550,000-$599,999, in SFR (15 listings)
$200,000-$250,000 in SFR (14 listings)

$950,000-$999,999 in RW (8 listings)
$1,000,000-$1,249,999 in RW (8 listings)

If you're interested in studying the market in more depth, below are a number of charts that capture various aspects of the Sisters real estate market in detail.

If you'd like to learn more about the Sisters real estate market, don't hesitate to email me at lisabroadwater@remax.net or call me toll-free at 866-963-2760.

About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Bend. If you'd like to learn more about Central Oregon, please visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com.

Earlier this year, I attended a free two-hour mortgage-counseling workshop in Redmond that was designed to provide struggling homeowners with information on the ins and outs of the foreclosure process. Hosted by NeighborImpact (the Redmond-based nonprofit group that provides a number of home-related community services to residents of Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties), the program offered a wealth of information that is becoming relevant for more and more people in Central Oregon.

Now NeighborImpact is offering a four-part series of free two-hour "financial-fitness" classes in Sisters, which will address everything from budgeting, banking and borrowing to credit-card management. Offered in partnership with the City of Sisters and the Bank of the Cascades, the educational program is open to all Sisters-area residents who'd like to learn how to make more informed financial decisions.

The four classes, which will be held at the Sisters Chamber of Commerce office (291 E. Main), will run every other Tuesday from 6-8 p.m., beginning Sept. 22. Dinner will be provided from 5:30 to 6 p.m. (courtesy of the City of Sisters and Bank of the Cascades).

Here's the full schedule of topics covered:

Sept. 22: "Banking and Budgeting"
Oct. 6: "Maxed Out: Credit Cards"
Oct. 20: "Credit Management and Credit Reports"
Nov. 3: "Borrowing Basics"

For more information or to register for the classes, call NeighorImpact at 541-548-2380, X158, or email info@ci.sisters.or.us.

About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Bend. If you'd like to learn more about Central Oregon, please visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com.