The national economic crisis combined with the dramatic downturn in our local real estate market has proven to be an extremely challenging combination for a lot of us. Property values are down, the lending industry is in upheaval and the continued economic slowdown has wreaked havoc with our savings accounts. And because the current economic climate is so unprecedented, few people have experience in dealing with the many daunting mortgage challenges that are becoming more and more commonplace. If you're having financial difficulties that may make it difficult or impossible for you to maintain your mortgage payments (or just want to become more educated about the distressed-property market), consider attending the upcoming seminar that our office, RE/MAX Town & Country Realty, is hosting... 02/08/2010

Unlike much of Central Oregon, traditional sales continue to dominate the Sisters real estate market. Here's the latest breakdown, as of Jan. 26, 2010: Of the 171 Active Residential listings (including townhomes, condominiums, single family residences, and homes on acreage), 82 percent are traditional sales (141 listings), and 18 percent are distressed properties (30 listings). Here's a closer look at those statistics in chart form:   About the Author:Lisa Broadwater, GRI, CDPE 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. 01/26/2010

At the end of 2009, Sisters had begun to make some decent headway in reducing its inventory (from 176 Active listings in November to 147 in December and a 2009 high of 219 in July). That helped bring the overall supply down from 18 months to 14 months for Single Family Residences and from 34 months to 30 months for Residential with Acreage listings.   That means that at the current rate, it would take 14 months to sell the existing Single Family Residences on the market, and 30 months to sell the existing RW listings. Not exactly ideal, especially when it comes to homes on acreage (a balanced market should have about six months of inventory), but it's at least a step in the right direction for sellers. One plus for buyers is that the median sales price for Active Single Family Residence... 01/12/2010

    Original photograph of the Sisters Mountains taken in downtown Sisters on Dec. 13, 2009, by Lisa Broadwater, Broker, GRI; RE/MAX Town & Country Realty, 178 S. Elm, Sisters, OR, 97759. 541-549-3333. All rights reserved and may not be reproduced or reprinted without express written permission. For more images and more information about Sisters, Oregon, visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com. 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. 12/13/2009

In November, perhaps the most notable aspect of the Sisters real estate market was that the median sales price for Active Single Family Residence listings reached its lowest point this year: $389,000. The median sales price of Active SFR listings peaked in June, at $492,500. Meanwhile, the median sales price for Active Residential With Acreage listings decreased from $736,500 in October to $699,000 in November, after an annual high of $797,000 in August (and some pretty broad fluctuations in between). Sales this month slowed a bit, down from 19 pending and closed sales in October to 14 pending and closed sales in November. And, once again, inventory was down slightly, from 180 Active listings in October to 176. Here are a few November highlights of the Sisters real estate market: LISTIN... 12/12/2009

  Original photograph taken by Lisa Broadwater, Broker, GRI; RE/MAX Town & Country Realty, 178 S. Elm, Sisters, OR, 97759. 541-549-3333. All rights reserved and may not be reproduced or reprinted without express written permission For more images and/or information about Central Oregon, visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com. 12/06/2009

Mother Nature shone bright on the annual Sisters Christmas Parade on Saturday. Under clear blue skies and relatively balmy temperatures (40-ish), the holiday-inspired procession of floats, pets, people and contraptions sauntered down Hood Avenue to the appreciative applause of a very large, very receptive crowd. Below are some photos taken curbside.                                                                                                                                       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. 11/29/2009

It's been a particularly busy month or so for the Sisters business community. First, shortly after the closure of Wild Dusty Rose florist (located in the RE/MAX Town & Country building), Flowers by Deanna opened in its place. Next, Blue Skies Gallery opened downtown (upstairs at the Sisters Town Square on Cascade Avenue), along with the Spirit of Sisters, a consignment gallery located at the corner of Hood and Elm, owned by bead-maker Sue Purcell. Then the Sisters Dollar Store opened in the Three Winds Shopping Center adjacent to the new Bi-Mart -- just in time for plenty of Halloween hoopla (see photo below). A joint venture between one of my RE/MAX cohorts (Cynthia Hydes) and Sisters resident Matt McCurdy (husband of another RE/MAX cohort, Marina McCurdy), the Dollar Store stocks a bi... 11/23/2009

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 ACTIVITYActive 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 ... 11/16/2009

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 ACTIVITYActive Residential Listings in Sisters:  194 (111 Single Family Residences; 83 Residential wit... 10/12/2009

How fitting that just in time for my 100th 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 lis... 10/11/2009

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... 09/13/2009

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 i... 09/10/2009

69436 Ox Yoke, Sisters OR$199,900Location:69436 Ox YokeSisters, OR 97759Map and DirectionsSingle Family Home2 Bedrooms1 Bathroom1 Partial BathroomInterior: 1068 sqftLot: 0.53 acre(s)DescriptionPERFECT Second Home/Cabin or..make Sisters, Oregon your primary home. Vaulted Ceilings, Wood Accents, Open Floorplan. Detached Carport. Newer Metal Roof, New Septic, Well maintained property. Beautiful .5+ acre lot with lots of trees. Located on a culdesac. BEST priced home currently available in Tollgate, just minutes to the town of Sisters. Lock this up quick, it will go fast.PhotosFeaturesSingle Family HomeBest Buy in Tollgate2 Story ChaletVaulted CeilingsGreat RoomDen/OfficeDining AreaLiving RoomPatio / DeckLandscapedSprinkler SystemNeighborhood InfoLocated in Tollgate Clubhouse / Rec room Po... 08/21/2009

July 2009 was a month of increases for the Sisters real estate market. Inventory continued to increase (from 212 to 219, with seven new Single Family Residence listings and no new Homes on Acreage). That high volume of inventory continues to be a long-term concern for sellers and helps explain this month's increase in days on market for both active Single Family Residences and Homes on Acreage. On the plus side, sales increased again this month, if only slightly (15 pending and closed sales), including the first million-dollar transaction since February. Here are a few July highlights of the Sisters real estate market: LISTING ACTIVITYActive Residential Listings in Sisters:  219 (129 Single Family Residences; 90 Residential with Acreage)Contingent Residential Sales in Sisters:  1 (1 SFR... 08/17/2009

Well, some folks said it would never happen (and some Sisters purists wish it never had), but the town's first discount retailer opened its doors today. And judging by the hefty crowds at the new Bi-Mart, plenty of folks in Central Oregon couldn't wait to see this new addition for themselves. Even before Ray's Food Place moved into its new location next-door last November, speculation ran rampant about what would happen to the former Ray's mammoth storefront. Soon, Eugene-based Bi-Mart was mentioned as the front-running candidate. Many locals had a hard time believing that was possible.  Certainly, the regional big-box discount retailer -- which boasts everything from a pharmacy, photo/sound department, housewares, sporting goods, automotive parts, hardware, health and beauty products, ... 08/12/2009

At last, the popular Old McKenzie Highway (also known as Highway 242) has opened for the season, a few days before its Aug. 15 deadline. A nearly $4 million dollar highway improvement project, funded by the Federal Highway Administration, caused the delay (read my blog post about the Highway 242 closure here). That multimillion-dollar price tag is a far cry from the historic wagon route's original toll of $2 for a wagon drawn by two horses (or $2.50 for a wagon with four horses, $1 for a man on a horse and 10 cents each for loose cattle and horses). The first route over the McKenzie Pass, which was completed in 1872, connected the Willamette Valley with Camp Polk, near what is now Sisters. The McKenzie Pass Highway became a seasonal scenic highway in 1962 with the completion of the Clea... 08/11/2009

Last Saturday, while returning a library book in Sisters, I stumbled upon an event I hadn't even realized was in town. Just around the corner from the library, folks had gathered for the first annual "Glory Daze Car Show," which meandered along Main Street (plus several side streets). Automotive aficionados are frequent visitors to Sisters because of the many scenic roadways nearby. So I wasn't too surpised to see that the show had gathered an impressive crowd of car buffs, both young and old alike, by the time I arrived mid-afternoon. There was something of interest for just about everyone, from classic hot-rods of all shapes and sizes (not to mention colors) to old-time pickups and vintage roadsters to my personal favorite: a luscious bright-orange-and-white 1937 Ford dubbed "Creamsic... 07/21/2009

  Original photograph of a doe and her twin fawns in downtown Sisters, Oregon, taken by Lisa Broadwater, Broker, GRI; RE/MAX Town & Country Realty, 178 S. Elm, Sisters, OR, 97759. 541-549-3333. All rights reserved and may not be reproduced or reprinted without express written permission For more images or for more information about Sisters, Oregon or information about real estate in Sisters, Oregon, visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com. 07/19/2009

2009 Sisters Quilt Show Now Underway   Having lived here in Central Oregon for most of my life, I had always wanted to attend the Sisters, OR annual quilt show.  It is said to be the largest Quilt show in the entire United States.  For whatever reason it has taken my wife and I decades to finally attend it. I've always known it was a big event, however once we were heading out of Bend towards Sisters, there was a traffic road sign that said 'Caution Slow Traffic, Sisters Quilt Show.' Sure enough as we drove towards Sisters, about 1/2 a mile outside of town, there were cars that were parked alongside the Highway.  We decided to chance it and drive into the town itself hoping to find a parking space that some sun weary tourist might be vacating to go back to their hotel and catch a cat na... 07/11/2009