These days in the Southern Oregon real estate market, listings and prices are all over the map. Generally speaking, in this market teeming with uncertainty and overshadowed by a lumbering, slow economic recovery, the properties that sell are the ones that are at bargain basement prices, plain and simple. Often multiple offers come in on foreclosures that are listed for a “bargain-basement price,” and anything priced over 400K is a slow boat sailing toward China.

Given this bleak reality check driven by low-end distressed prices, there is one proven “must sell” strategy. First, determine what you believe is a fair price for the property. Next, determine what your bottom line price would be for the property. Then, decide Continue reading Foreclosures, Bargain Basement Prices, and the Southern Oregon Real Estate Market

These days the Southern Oregon real estate market, along with real estate markets across the country, are dominated by short sales and foreclosures. For the past 2 years, real estate experts have continued to predict that until the inventory of short sales and foreclosures diminishes, overall property values will continue to be depressed.

Imagine trying to sell your home by competing on price against short sales or foreclosures. It doesn’t take an expert to predict that the attainable price for a non-distressed property has been driven downward by market conditions, and the Southern Oregon real estate market is no exception to these circumstances.

So what are sellers to do? Continue reading Short Sales, Foreclosures, and the Southern Oregon Real Estate Market

Some real estate markets are more protected than others. For instance, take Ashland real estate. In the last 90 days, the median price from homes in Jackson County is $186,000. That means that half the home sales were for more than $186,000 and half the home sales were for less. But in Ashland, the median price was $328,000. Wow. That’s quite a difference. And it tells us that Ashland real estate is some of the most prized real estate in the Southern Oregon Real Estate Market.

What is it about Ashland that makes it stand out Continue reading Ashland Real Estate and the Southern Oregon Real Estate Market

Attaining the Oregon Dream is as old as the Oregon Trail itself — that historic mass migration that began in 1843 when around 1000 rugged pioneers struck out from Missouri to travel over 2100 miles in pursuit of their dreams. Life on the Oregon Trail meant a difficult 6 month journey moving only 15 miles per day. The invisible force driving the pioneers west was nothing more than a dream — the dream of owning your own homestead in a land rich with beauty and natural resources.

Many of these early pioneers were among the first to discover the joys of life in the Southern Oregon real estate market. Of course in those early days, Southern Oregon was undefined as a region. Today, the passage of time has defined Southern Oregon as that land beginning around Canyonville and moving south to the California border. And the Oregon Dream has not wavered. Recession or not, people still set their sights on the Southern Oregon real estate market as the place where dreams can come true.

Lately much has been written and said about the tremendous values in real estate available in Southern Oregon. As a region, we continue to Continue reading The Oregon Dream and the Southern Oregon Real Estate Market

Like the Sleeping Giant in countless fairy tales, the Southern Oregon real estate market is finally awakening from its deep slumber and regaining consciousness. And like the Sleeping Giant that awakens, the Southern Oregon real estate market must rub the sleep out of its eyes, yawn, scratch, and stretch before finally struggling to its feet. Then, once upon its feet, it will no doubt require several cups of coffee as it bumbles around shaking off the sleepy-time grogs.

Intoxicated and seduced by the greed of the sub-prime market, the Sleeping Giant has been in a near-comatose siesta since real estate’s high water mark of May, 2005. That’s been 4 years ago and the Southern Oregon real estate market is just now awakening and struggling to regain consciousness.

But to overwork the metaphor, like a Sleeping Giant nursing a horrific hangover, the temptation to return to bed, pull the covers overhead, and fall back into a deep slumber remains a possibility, one that we hope does not occur.

Instead, it is our hope that Continue reading The Sleeping Giant Awakens In The Southern Oregon Real Estate Market

Recent statistics for July point to a national increase in new home construction nationwide and this is good news for every builder who has been waiting to return to work. Here in the Southern Oregon real estate market, most builders now accept the new reality of going green as the future of new home construction. Breaking out of a comfort zone has always been a challenge and going green is no exception.

From a pragmatic stand point, for builders going green means learning about new building technologies and then applying them to the trade. For buyers in search of a new home, going green means digging a little deeper into the pocket book. Fortunately, recent surveys are encouraging. Buyers are willing to pay more for the long-term money-saving advantages of going green. With the tighter framing envelopes of new home construction, power bills will go down for the life of the home and this is a feature worth investing in.

The Southern Oregon real estate market reflects the nationwide trend as developers explore the trend of going green. For example, the Summer Field subdivision in Grants Pass will be a subdivision of new homes with a green component that includes increased state-of-the-art insulation and a solar-power generation component.

Yes, the last year for the housing sector has been challenging, but the future of new home construction has never looked better. No one ever said change would be easy… that is, until it’s behind us.

Michael Masters

A Socially Conscious Real Estate Consultant