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Thom Gardner,
Buyers Broker Phone-
541-480-7554
Email-
Bendbrokersrealty@gmail.com
Mirror
Pond and Drake Park
ABOUT
BEND
FIRST, SOME LOCAL LINKS BEFORE MY OWN DESCRIPTIONS OF
OUR AREA:
Bend Visitor's Bureau
Downtown Bend
Website
Central Oregon Visitor's Guide
Bend Chamber of
Commerce
City of Bend Welcome
Brochure
Central Oregon Economic Development
Dept.
Deschutes County
Website
Nationally known, Bend is the crown jewel of Central
Oregon, and Bend Real Estate is a perennial hot property.
Most folks who move to Deschutes County from out of the
area look at Bend homes first, as it gets a lot of press.
Home to numerous parks, including the sprawling, riverside
centerpiece of Mirror Pond and Drake Park, Bend is an
outdoor enthusiast's paradise. Many professional athletes,
including NFL players, Mountain bike and Snow sports World
Champions, and Pro Golfers call the town home because it
offers them unparalleled opportunities to train or recreate
in all four seasons. And there is always something to do,
as Bend hosts festivals year round, drawing tourists and
residents from all over the area. Population is currently
about 80,000 happy people.
Few towns can match the proximity to recreation we have
here- The trail system for mountain bikers known as the
“Phil’s Trail complex” has been nationally recognized
numerous times, and is a big draw for people who dream of
riding straight from their homes to singletrack trails,
while Mount Bachelor, the largest ski area in the
Northwest, is a twenty minute drive from the West side of
town, and cross country, hiking, snowshoeing, and more
mountain biking trails are even closer. The Three Sisters
Wilderness area, featuring the Pacific Crest Trail and
others, and the Cascade Lakes Highway are less than thirty
minutes away. The High Lakes are renowned for fabulous
fishing, and there are hundreds of them. Numerous golf
courses dot the area, including Widgi Creek and River’s
Edge. And of course, the Deschutes River cuts right through
downtown for swimming and summer floating.
Bend holds the Cascade Music Festival each year, where
Classical and contemporary artists show their skills. The
Tower theater downtown has been renovated into an upscale
performing arts center, and the Les Schwab amphitheater,
located on the Deschutes River, hosts larger outdoor
concerts by acts such as Beck, Bob Dylan, Korn, Willie
Nelson, and Fiona Apple. A pair of Realtors from Eugene,
Oregon commented to me upon visiting, “Wow, so this is what
a revitalized downtown looks like!” Downtown has numerous
shops and restaurants, from low end to high end, including
Merenda, Deep, El Caporal, Staccato, Toomie’s, Typhoon, The
Blacksmith, El Jimador, and many more. In fact, great
restaurants, including ethnic choices like Japanese, Thai,
and Indian, are scattered all about the city, second only
to Portland in restaurants per capita in Oregon. That also
includes the micro brewpubs, which have grown in number
over the years from the original Deschutes Brewery, to Bend
Brewing, Cascade Lakes Brewing, McMenamins’ Saint Francis
School- where you can eat and drink while watching first
run movies in the theater, and the Silver Moon Brew Pub. We
also have our own distillery, the Bend Distillery, makers
of fine vodka and gin, and owner of two Martini Bars in
town.
The Old Mill has revitalized shopping here with stores like
Chico’s, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, The Gap,
American Eagle Outfitters, and REI, to name just a few.
There are also large shopping centers at The Forum (East),
The Cascade View Mall (North), and The Bend River Mall
(Center) with all of the usual big box stores, plus many
other locally owned little guys. Central Oregon Community
College sits at the edge of Awbrey Butte, and the Oregon
State University Cascade Campus sits next door with full
four year programs.
As far as Bend Real Estate values go, West Bend real estate
is generally more expensive, due to proximity to dining,
shopping, strolling, and the trails and mountain access
mentioned earlier. West Bend real estate ranges from the
mid 200’s to several millions. West Bend is generally more
treed, as it is close to the National Forest, and looks
less like the High Desert than does the East. Therefore it
gets less wind, but much more snow. You will find gorgeous
Bend homes here in places like Broken Top, Awbrey Glen,
Awbrey Butte, Three Pines, and many more, as well as a few
golf upscale golf course communities. Larger lots can be
found here at Sunrise Village and Saddleback. The old mill
row houses in the alphabet streets tend to be very small
and often rundown, but quaint and close to the action. And
the homes of the Historical District harken back to a more
leisurely time. Vacation homes, Investment properties, and
Second homes are all very popular here. You can also find
condos and townhomes for those on a budget, or retirees who
desire less upkeep.
The East side of Bend Real Estate features many more family
neighborhoods, and is more affordable, if not quite as
Chic. It’s a great fit for people with kids who need
affordability and quality neighborhoods, and people who
want space, as lots tend to be a little larger. First time
buyers often buy an East Bend home. Costco and the Forum
shops are close by, as are the Desert trails just outside
of town. East Bend Real Estate runs as low as the mid 100’s
here, to the multi millions for some of the large and
beautiful properties on the edge of town. This side of town
holds St Charles hospital, listed as one of the 100 best
hospitals in the country and much of the medical community,
so is a natural for seniors concerned about the proximity
of health care. Bend Oregon is so lucky to have such a
great hospital, because so many medical professionals want
to live here. Small farm and ranch properties dot the outer
rim of this side of town, and bare land is more available
than on the West side. There are many retirement complexes
here as well.
North and South of town you will find many more small
acreage real estate properties, from Deschutes River Woods
in the North, to Starwood and Whispering Pines in the
South. The South end is higher, and has more snow and
trees, while the North is known as the “banana belt” of
Central Oregon real estate, with warmer temperatures and
less snow, though we challenge you to try to grow the
yellow fruit there.
Folks tend to be more conservative on the East side, which
tends to vote Republican, while more liberal on the West,
which tends to vote Democrat. Unlike many towns in Oregon,
however, polarization is rare, and the two sides generally
find middle ground in a laid back fashion. The great thing
about buying Bend Real Estate versus that in other towns in
the area, is that it generally has a neighborhood or home
type to fit any need or desire. It has become a bit of a
melting pot, and you will find neighbors here from every
state in the Union and many foreign countries as well, all
gravitating here to live a recreational, laid back
lifestyle, with many amenities not found in other towns of
its size, anywhere.
BEND’S
BEDROOM COMMUNITIES
Alfalfa and Tumalo
Other than the larger towns of Sunriver, Sisters, Redmond,
Prineville, and LaPine, Bend has two much closer bedroom
towns, Alfalfa, and Tumalo.
Tumalo is a real gem. Situated between Bend and Sisters,
homes here feature, for my money, the best views in all of
Central Oregon real estate, as the entire Three Sisters
range is viewable from the best angle, where you can see
them in their entirety, something not possible even from
Bend real estate, due to Tam MacArthur Rim blocking much of
South Sister and the beautiful saddle between it and Middle
Sister. Real estate here is very valuable, and some of the
most expensive homes you will find in Central Oregon real
estate are here. The West side of Highway 20 provides close
access to the Mountains, and there are many upscale horse
ranches here, where people can ride right from their home
into the Cascades. Real estate here is rarely less than
500k, and can be in the several millions. The East side of
the Highway features luxury view homes along the rim of the
canyon overlooking the Deschutes River, which runs through
town. A trail lines the river, with some great swimming and
hiking/ horse riding/ biking fun to be had. Past the rim,
real estate consists of a mix of large, irrigated acreages,
and smaller, upscale acreages.
Beyond this, there is the Whispering Pines subdivision that
sits on and around Long Butte, where 2-3 acre, desert
properties are the norm, and real estate is still
reasonable, from the high 100’s for a manufactured home, to
the high 200’s and up for a stick built home. Across Tumalo
Road sit the nicer and more expensive communities of
Starwood and Cascade View Estates. Starwood is a secluded,
yet suburban looking subdivision of single family homes
from the 300’s, while Cascade View real estate features
small acreage bare land lots and homes from the 400’s up.
Alfalfa retains the feel of Eastern Oregon, with large
farms and ranches, home to cattle and hay. Brasada Ranch
features fine real estate around a Peter Jacobsen designed
golf course from the 500’s, but manufactured home
properties on dirt roads can be had from the 100’s on up.
Views of the Cascades, though far away, are gorgeous, snow
accumulation is rare, and Bend is just minutes away.
Alfalfa often means anything East of the Bend airport, in
real estate terms. It is not uncommon to see residents
going into the little town center on horseback.
Figured out which area is for you? Fill out my free Bend
MLS portal form offer
HERE,
and I can set up a SMART search for the area YOU like,
your own page where it will send you ONLY those
properties, homes, or condos that match your
requirements, automatically! And you can always ask us
questions about different areas. That’s what we are here
for, and we really do believe we are the best choice in
Bend Oregon Realtors!
Thom Gardner