Wondering what to expect from the housing market in 2026? You're not alone. For the past few years, affordability has been the biggest obstacle between buyers, sellers, and their next move. High mortgage rates, limited inventory, and rapid price growth forced many households across Central Oregon to sit on the sidelines.
The good news is this: conditions are finally shifting. In 2025, affordability improved to its best level in three years, and most economists agree that progress should continue into 2026. That outlook is based on three fundamentals that matter everywhere—including Bend, Redmond,
November brought a shift in the Bend real estate market: strong buyer interest paired with a significant drop in new listings. Pending sales saw a sizable jump from one year ago, even though closed sales held flat and overall pricing trended slightly lower. With fewer homes hitting the market, buyers had to act quickly on the most desirable properties, while sellers benefited from motivated purchasers—even if final sale prices continued to come in below original asking.
October brought signs that the Bend real estate market is continuing to find balance as the year winds down. While closed sales and overall sold volume rose modestly from a year ago, several key indicators—such as new listings, pending sales, and median home price—show the market is cooling after a busy late-summer season. With homes taking longer to sell and buyers showing more caution, Bend's fall housing market reflects a shift toward more normal seasonal behavior after several years of atypical trends.
When comparing October 2025 to October 2024 for Bend single family home sales on less than an acre, the following changes can be noted:
Median sales price down 3.1% to $770,000
Closed sales
For many Bend real estate brokers, the first half of 2025 had mixed sales results. Home prices moderated, and inventory levels increased. With more homes on the market, buyers had more choices. However, high mortgage interest rates kept many would-be home buyers off the market. Home sales proceeded through the summer at a relatively lower pace than was typical for Central Oregon.
However, the market changed in September. In the beginning of September, mortgage rates dropped below 6.5%. This coupled with more motivation from
August is usually a month where home buyers with young children close their purchases and get settled before school starts. It is also a month in which sellers who didn't sell their properties during the peak summer selling season consider their next options. Often, for those who really need to sell, lowering the asking price can be the answer. For others, taking their property off the market may make more sense. However, in 2025, the August Bend home sales reflected a mixed market with prices up, closings up, inventory up and days on market up.
When August 2025 is compared with August 2024, th...