Peggy Kimball

Hello Mitch or Mitch's sister,
I am happy that you are at least looking and inquiring that is a good step in the right direction. Sunriver homes are expensive but if you are patient and keep looking you will find what will work for you. You need to have access to the MLS (multiple listing service) which will have all the homes on it other than "for sale by owner". (That you can go to their website). If you want to look at the MLS go onto my webpage and look around in the home search. You will give me no information this is a free service and I don't ask for any of your information -all I want to do is help. Then if YOU want to , all of my contact information is there if YOU want to call me I can answer most questions. Or if you have been working with a realtor call them , talk to them we can help.
P.S. Interest rates came down yesterday half a point. - Thu Oct 9 2008, 11:39

You wouldn't believe how many times we hear should we buy now or wait. I wish I had a crystal ball it would be so great. (no pun intended)
In the Central Oregon area we have a slogan called "Best Buyers Market in 20 Years". We have a glutton of homes, some homes are in price ranges that have up to a 21 months of homes. (if you sell 1 house a day it would take 21 months to sell them all- that doesn't count for the ones that come on during that time) The banks just lowered interest rates to the 6%, it was 6.5. Now with the economy the way it is, it is always hard to know what to do. I know (it has been proven) that once a new president comes into office our interest rates will most likey rise. Between PRICE or INTEREST RATES would be what I would look at. Another area is our short sales, they are all over Central Oregon and in many ways are a excellent way of aquiring instant equity. Please make sure that you get a agent that will know what to do concerning short sales. They require at times, a lot of patience because of the length it takes in time to go from start to finish. Sometimes 2 months but can be up to 8 months. Just depending on the Bank or Banks (if they have 2 loans) that your agent will work with.
Sunriver is a beautiful place to aquire a vacation home and if she has the time she can purchase a very beautiful home now or in the spring whatever she wishes. I don't forsee short sales going away for awhile and if a seller wants to sell they have to compete with them. All I would say is watch out for interest rates going up in November. - Fri Oct 3 2008, 17:50

DRW area is a great area for ponderosa tree's , big lots, cooler during the summer but more snow in the winter. You do have a major railway through that area, so you have to contend with that. It has it's own little store just as you enter into the subdivision that you can get grocery's and gas at so you don't have to go into town to purchase them. My question to you would be why did you decide on DRW? There are a lot of great area's in Bend that you can chose from. You can look on the MLS thru my web site to check out prices through out Bend and it is free. Bend is a great town to retire in and has a lot to offer everyone. - Fri Jul 18 2008, 12:07

Some of the best neighborhoods in Bend. There are quite a few. It would really depend on what your activities are, that you like to do. If you like winter skiing then SW might be the answer because it is easier to get to Mt. Bachelor from there (which we are rated #4th in the nation for winter skiing). Also if you like more snow then south Bend might be the answer. Out East of Bend you have a thermal area which is warmer than others (in case you like to do a garden) For more city activities then yes in town area some which have homes dating back to the early 1900's and the old mill (which is newer housing after 2000) would be great. I have lived in the Central Oregon area for 32 years. Since 1978 watched it grow from a Timber town to what it is today. It is a beautiful town with lots to do and see. I do agree that working with a Realtor will help you the best because we can match your interest with location. - Thu May 22 2008, 11:53

Options to buy or rent can be found thru http://www.Bendbulletin.com or thru the MLS. There are many homes on the market right now that owners have had listed for quite a while. Many sellers are renting them out with option's to get over this real estate market. Going thru a good realtor is a very good idea, they can help you find a house that will suit your needs but also be able to negoiate the lease and interest rate to better help you the renter. We just did one for a client with a lease option to buy for a three year period. They put an extra $100 a month for 36 months, we had the purchase price put in the contract (so that it will not go up) and interest was set also for the 3 year period. It proved to be a win , win situation for the renter (now buyer) and seller. - Sun Apr 6 2008, 21:32

If your looking at a short sale with no issues time frame is between 6 weeks to 2 months. This is if the bank is willing and so is the seller. Usually most realtor's will have experience with the short sale process to guide you through to make it as easy as possible. But there are and can be some hurtles if you are not careful. Know what you are doing before jumping in to the arena so to speak. If you know a good realtor talk with them about the pro's and con's of a short sale. If done correctly you can make a very good return on your money when buying. - Thu Feb 28 2008, 13:38