
After a month of terrible, hazardous air due to smoke from several forest fires settling in the Bend Oregon area, on Saturday, 9-11-21, Central Oregonians were thrilled to experience clean air as the bad air dissipated and the normal sparkling blue skies of September returned. We had planned on hiking Green Lakes on 9-11 as part of the series of scheduled hikes we had set up in April due to the newly implemented 2021 Wilderness permit system. However, we were ready to cancel if the air quality was as it had been the Saturday before - extremely hazardous with limited visibility and health recommendations to stay indoors. As we drove up Century Drive towards the Green Lakes trailhead, the remaining smoke in the area was evident until we passed Widgi Creek and all of a sudden, the skies were blue rather than grey and the smell of smoke disappeared. The Green Lakes Trailhead had just a few cars and our 4.5 mile trip up Fall Creek with its numerous waterfalls to Green Lakes was extremely private with us seeing just a handful of people.
Upon reaching Green Lakes, we were amazed at the almost perfect weather conditions for photography with the air still and all 3 lakes mirroring the mountains and early fall foliage around them. We extended our hike past the northern most Green Lake over the saddle between Broken Top and South Sister and on to Golden Lake, extending our hike to between 16 and 17 miles total. After lunch we returned the via the route we had arrived, thoroughly enjoying the beauty of the Three Sisters Wilderness and the clean air. This is a wonderful hike to a lovely location and is highly recommended.
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As we move into Fall, Bend home sales typically slow as those who need to move prior to school starting have already purchased and the normal slight uptick we see in September and October with retirees and second home buyers has not yet begun. In 2021, August single family home sales on less than an acre for Bend reflected a mixed market with prices and new sales up, but closed sales and new homes for sale down. When August 2021 home sales are compared with August 2020, the following changes are seen:
Real Estate runs in Chelsea's blood with her mother having been an active real estate agent for over 30 years. It is natural that Chelsea would step into the business as part of the Ortega Family Network which has connections in Santa Barbara, California and Maui, Hawaii. Chelsea brings a global perspective to the family real estate network having lived in SE Asia and Australia, teaching yoga and traveling different parts of the world. Living and working in other countries has enabled Chelsea to recognize that housing is such an important need to people around the world and to appreciate and enjoy the excitement of helping clients find a home the fits their lifestyle.
Chelsea was raised in Bend and graduated from Summit High School. She know...
For Bend Real Estate sales, 3D Virtual Tours have become an increasingly important tool since the coronavirus outbreak last year. More specifically, homebuyers, sellers, and real estate agents have had to deal with new restrictions and grapple with safety concerns when it comes to exposure to both the original strain of Covid-19, and now also with the even more contagious Delta variant.
Recently both Matterport and Redfin conducted a survey of 1000 home buyers and 1000 home sellers to learn about their current concerns in the home buying and