March homes sales in Bend, Oregon, picked up compared with the previous month and registered the second-highest median sales price in the last 10 years.

The median price climbed to $395,000 in March. The only month in our data set (dating to the start of 2007) that figure has been higher has been May 2007, when it was $396,250.

March’s median sales price was 11.3 percent higher than February’s mark of $354,853. Year over year, March’s median represented a 14.2 percent increase.

The 11.3 percent monthly increase in March was the largest in Bend since January 2015 had a 13.7 percent increase from the month prior.

Can anything be learned from January 2015 that can be applied to the future of the current Bend market?

That can’t be answered. But it is worth pointing out that January 2015’s median sales price of $329,700 turned out to be greater than the year-end median sales price for the entirety of 2015 ($327,500).

And January 2015 represented the fifth-highest month for sales price in that year, whereas January usually is among the lowest months for median sales price.

Returning to the present year, remember that typically, March’s median sales price represents a “support” level, or a springboard, for prices for the remainder of the calendar year. In each of the last six calendar years, the month with the highest median sales price has been September or August. So it would be unusual for March’s median sales prices not to be exceeded in the coming months.

Other information in the March sales data support the position that Bend remains strongly a seller’s market.

For one, the inventory of homes on the market was 2.0 months. Inventory represents the amount of time it would take for all homes on the market to sell, given the current pace of sales. There is some debate about the boundary between a buyer’s and a seller’s market (with figures ranging from three to six months), but there’s no debating that March’s inventory was the third-lowest for the time span the Skjersaa Group has data and the lowest for any March in that period

The average days on the market in March was 112 days. That is 24 fewer days than in February (a halt to our record-breaking winter weather undoubtedly helped), and, perhaps more significant, 18 days fewer than in March 2016. The average days on market for the entirety of calendar year 2016 was 118 days.

We entered April with 273 pending sales, a number that promises another busy month.

As the real estate market gears up, it’s as important as ever to have a trusted, experienced Realtor on your side. Whether you’re looking to sell your home or considering buying, I can provide guidance and advice to ensure an optimal outcome for you. To learn more about how I can assist you, contact me at (541) 383-1426, or visit Bend Property Search to connect with me through my website.

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