CENTRAL OREGON REAL ESTATE NEWS
According to the report released from the Central Oregon Association for realtors for the second quarter of 2006, Central Oregon home markets are sizzling still while most of the country is seeing a cool down in the real estate markets.

Sunriver, Oregon -
Sunriver, where home supplies are tight until the new development of Caldera Springs is built, saw sales drop more than 15 percent, to 88 homes, but the average sales price jumped more than a third, to $618,565, and the median price did almost as well, rising 24.3 percent to $534,000. Average days on market there held fairly steady, at 91 days.

La Pine, Oregon -
La Pine had more homes to offer buyers, with 67 sold in the first half of the year, up a whopping 63 percent from last year. The average sales price rose almost 24 percent, to $188,084, and the median by almost 20 percent, to $175,000. And the market got busier, with the average days on market just 135 days, almost 16 percent lower than a year ago.

Bend, Oregon -
1,146 homes sold in Bend in the first six months of 2006, that's down more than 8 percent from last year. Bend's total sales volume was up more than 18 percent, to $457 million, because the average sales amount hit $399,543, up 28.8 percent from last year's $310,443 figure. And the median price (half sold for less, half for more) zoomed to $343,950, up 33.3 percent from last year's figure of $258,000. The average days a Bend home spent on the market before selling also rose, but not all that much - three days, to 128 days, up 2.4 percent.

Redmond, Oregon -
Redmond, the fastest-growing city in Oregon, had 522 homes sold through June, up from nine sales, or 1.75 percent from last year. Sales volume jumped 40 percent, the average sales amount ($285,134) was up more than 37.5 percent, and the median price ($255,153) rose more than 45 percent. The average days on market dropped nine days, to 129, down 6.5 percent from a year ago.

Sisters, Oregon -
Sisters' home sales total was similar to a year ago, totaling 74, and the average sales price rose about 10.3 percent, to $435,167. The median sales price isn't far from that, at $408,750, up 24 percent from a year ago. The market stayed hot in Sisters, with average days on market down 23 days, or 13 percent, to 150 days.

Madras, Oregon -
Jefferson County's building boom was evident, with the 139 homes sold in the six-month period, almost double a year ago. The average and median sales amounts were both around $160,000, and up better than 35 percent. Crook County sales rose 11.6 percent, to 163 homes, with the average sales price ($198,268) and median ($185,000) both up around 40 percent in a single year.

Prineville, Oregon -
Crook County is another area that is booming due to affordability compared with its more expensive neighboring towns of Bend and Redmond. With an average sales price of $198,000 which was up 41.18% from 2005, Prineville is attractive to those who are looking for larger lots and lower prices.