💡 Key Takeaways & Compassionate Advice

Advice for Sellers: Price Strategically and Sparkle

In a market where the median DOM is 66 days, time is money. If you want to be one of the “winners at the dance,” your pricing strategy is everything.

• The Gold Rule of Pricing: The report highlights that closed homes sold in the first 30 days received nearly 99% or more of their original list price. However, sellers who languished on the market had to offer a steeper discount, suggesting they’re having to “cut from” their original asking price.
  • Sellers who transacted in 31-60 days saw an average of a 5% discount.
  • Sellers who closed in the third month saw closer to a 10% discount.
• Be the Fresh Face: With current inventory being a mix of transacted and stale listings, the market desperately needs fresh inventory. A competitively-priced, well-presented new listing can be that “fresh face” that attracts quick buyer attention.
• Clean Up and Consult: Don’t be “aspirational” with your price. Consult with your agent to “strategically price it and market it,” cleaning up every detail (like “all the trim paint” and “stuff on the kitchen counter”) to be one of the “winner properties”.

Advice for Buyers: Date the Rate, Marry the House

National trends, which often signal future local market activity, point toward a thawing market in 2026. For serious buyers, now is a great time to get a deal.

• Marry the House, Date the Rate: Interest rates are on a one-year low, and the overall trend suggests rates may continue to soften into 2026, especially with a potential “dovish appointee” to the Federal Reserve in the spring. You can always refinance later when rates drop.
• Inventory Growth is Your Friend: While Bend’s inventory is still tight at 3.5 months, nationwide inventory continues to grow, creating a “lot nicer environment to shop in” than years past. This means more choices and less pressure.
• Look for Concessions: Sellers who have been on the market for a while are finding their buyers, but “usually that’s involving a price adjustment”. The current market environment is one where sellers are selling with concessions or pulling their listings. This is your opportunity to negotiate!

🔮 Looking Ahead

The market is showing resilience and potential for future growth.

• Affordability Help is Coming: We are seeing the median mortgage payment come down monthly due to easing interest rates. Combine this with increasing wages and a compressing mortgage spread, and you have the three ingredients to “help the buyers on the market”.
• The Unfreezing: Many homeowners have been “stuck,” or “frozen,” by higher rates, leading to the lowest turnover rate in decades. However, people are “unfreezing and saying hey, I still wanna do what I wanna do”, which is expected to lead to a nearly 10% jump in home sales next year.

The best time to buy or sell is always “whatever is right for your family”. If the time is right for your family now, take advantage of the slower season and consult with a local real estate advisor to make a plan.

Read the full Beacon Report for Central Oregon November 2025