Central Oregon Real Estate Info

I recently wrote a post about the CC&Rs in Sunriver and the condo associations in Sunriver. Many Real Estate professionals from around the U.S. commented on how their state has a clause in the contract that allows the buyer to review the CC&Rs prior to moving forward with the contract. In Oregon, our standard contract allows 5 business days (unless otherwise indicated) to review the CC&Rs and preliminary title report.

What does this mean for you the buyer? You may receive documents from your REALTOR® regarding the CC&Rs, but these are just to familiarize yourself with them, the official ones will come from the title company your escrow is opened with. Your REALTOR® will not receive a copy of them unless they request a copy. It is your responsibility to actually read these rules.

If you have any issues with the CC&Rs you need to let your REALTOR® know as soon as possible. At that point your agent should draft a document for you to sign and to be presented to the seller for signatures. If you have withdrawn from the contract and have done so in the time frame in which your contract states, any earnest money you have in escrow should be rightfully returned to you.

Buyers and Sellers of Sunriver Properties need to be aware of the CC&R's (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions) of the area of which a property is located. Sunriver has a set of CC&Rs and each of the condominium complexes has their own rules in addition to the ones set by Sunriver.

When a buyer uses a REALTOR® that is not familiar with what the CC&Rs are or what the Home Owners Association covers they put themselves at risk of buying something that will not allow for changes or uses that the buyer intended. Sunriver has a set of rules that help keep Sunriver what it is today. These rules range from the colors a home can be painted to the use of fencing. Sunriver is a resort community; however there are many full time residents in Sunriver. You can easily access most of these rules by visiting the website created for Sunriver Owners.

Many resort areas through out the United States have strict rules and regulations, Joanne Hanson, of Summit County Real Estate in Colorado has highlighted a few of the rules that affect buyers in her area. Joanne also represents many resort properties and is an expert in her field.

In addition to the Sunriver HOA fee each condominium complex has a HOA fee of its own. These vary from condo complex to complex. Just as the fees vary so do the amenities of the complex and what the fees cover.

Each of the condo associations has a manager. It is always best to check with the association to be sure you have the latest version of the CC&Rs of the complex. Another item that is beneficial when purchasing a condo is a copy of the minutes from the board meetings over the last year. This can often times alert you to possible changes being considered to the complex and to the fees you will be paying. There are times when an association will have a special assessment to cover additional costs not in the complex budget such as new roofing or decks.

To Read More About Sunriver CC&R's including Condo Associations and their additional rules click on the arrow at the bottom of this page.

As any of you that follow my posts know I am in love with RES - yeah I use to use another program and loved it.... but it never gave me the results that RES did... so... today as I am sprucing up some of my personal blog posts I noticed a new button on my Real Estate Shows check it out.... see where it says menu - click it.... oh my gosh how cool is this.... I am so excited and there is so much more you can do for publishing your shows too...

Central Oregon is known for the beauty and lifestyle that we all enjoy and I often share with all my clients and friends.  Recently we have had a lot of major forest fires, although they are a scary part of living in the middle of all these beautiful trees they can create a beauty of their own.

This photo was taken from Madras Oregon the smoke that created this beautiful sunset is from the Warm Springs Complex fire... this was 3 fires all started by lightening. 

I was tagged for a book Meme by Sandra Cummings... what a great lady you should check her blog out.  You can read her book meme here.

The goal of the book meme is to share 5 books you have read that you love.  Mine was tough.  I read a lot, I do not sleep much and my reading material is a varied as my music tastes.

I finally have taken it down to my 5 favorites of all time, well kind of... there are more than 5 here but I think you will get the point.

For Fun...

Where The Red Fern Grows - by Wilson Rawls, this book was first read to me in the 5^th grade by one of the best teachers to ever enter a school room, Mr. Hess.  This book is a family tradition for me, every year in the fall I pick up this wonderful book about a boy, his love of dogs, his adventure to get the dogs of his dreams and his relationship with his mates.  I still cry when little Ann and old Dan sacrifice their lives for the life of their master.  I read this book to my kids every year until they would no longer let me read to them.

I have two other favorite authors for fun reading and will read anything they write or have written and again they are as different as night and day.  The first is Roland Dahl the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach and so many other great books.  For Adult reading my favorite is Luanne Rice, not Ann Rice but Luanne, she writes books of life, and I am still catching up with her and her writing.  Cloud 9 is my favorite, it is a sad story about a woman that loves life and is stricken with cancer. 

My favorite book of recent writing is Tommy Frank's Autobiography, American Solider - I love history and this man is history.  No matter what your political view is the history covered in the pages of this book from the days of oil in Dallas to current day is incredible. 

I love Katherine Hepburn and her life story Kate Remembered by A. Scott Berg is a great read for those of you that are old enough to remember this great lady.  This book reads like you are listening to her tell stories and will bring memories back to those of you that are movie buffs.

Ok... now for my 2 favorite business books; they were both recommended during a CRS class and they have made the biggest difference in my business.

The Nine American Lifestyles - Who We Are & Where We Are Going by Arnold Mitchell - this is a comprehensive look at the values, beliefs, drives, needs and social trend that shape us and our lives.  This book has helped me understand my clients, and what makes them tick.  It has helped me understand their thinking and the way they put value on things.

Getting Past No - Negotiating With Difficult People by William Ury - this book and Getting to Yes are found in every place I work, I read them both over and over - they always hit me differently depending on what negotiating I am involved with.  They both focus on a win -win approach and I truly believe make me a better REALTOR(R), and a better negotiator for my clients.

Now for my 3 victims... I mean choices.

Ray Saenz   Lisa Hill    Steve Scheer

Success can be defined in many ways but I certainly think that for the golfers, spectators and people that worked at the Jeld-Wen Traditions golf tournament in Crosswater this last week success is simply defined as job well done.

Sunriver and Crosswater are no strangers to big golf tournaments but this was one of the biggest taken on by our small community. To the spectator it seemed like this was just another day in Crosswater that hosting an event like this happened all the time. In reality it was a first for this tournament. The weather was great expect for the last day, which started with rain and wind but ended with an over cast sky and sun breaks.

I know nothing of golf, and have never attempted to understand the game. After being involved with this tournament I can see why people love this game. If for nothing more a few hours with the beauty of our area, of course Crosswater is located in the heart of Central Oregon and the beauty surrounds the course.

Jeld-Wen has a contract to continue this tournament with Crosswater for the next 3 years, as well as this year went I can only imagine how great this event will grow to be.

Enjoy the photos, I have no idea who they are of or what I was shooting, but they seemed good to me. Next year I promise to have a little more golf knowledge to share with you.

In my last post I told you about the new Village at Sunriver. As is typical when you have public opinion and changes there are always people that are in agreement and those that do not agree with a change. The memories that have been created at the old Village Mall are shared by many; I remember ice skating, miniature golf, the Annual Chili Cook-off, the wine tasting and so much more. The Village Mall has been a part of my memories since I was a child.

As an adult, a REALTOR® that works in Sunriver and a local that cares about the area and the people of the area I think this project is long over due. I have watched business struggle to keep their doors open, businesses make due with substandard amenities and with technology moving so quickly, the wiring and phone lines are hard pressed to keep up.

Many of the Sunriver home owners I have worked with over the last several years have voiced concern over the occupancy rates for the mall. The lack of stability of business and the maintenance of the boardwalk that covers a large majority of the mall, they know that the visitors that rent their homes visit the mall. The mall needs to be a place of attraction and not embarrassment.

Over the last couple of years Sunriver has been seeing a few changes, this one is a big one. However, is we look at the success of Fremont Crossing condos, and the Maverick we can see that change is good for all of us in Sunriver. Read more of the changes at Sunriver Will Benefit From The Village at Sunriver.

Changes are coming to the Sunriver Mall; it is already being referred to as the new name, The Village at Sunriver. SilverStar Destinations, LLC has purchased the Village Mall and has started to make plans for a full renovation and upgrade of this well known landmark.

The new plan has between 90,000 and 120,000 square feet of commercial space and 500 to 600 condos and town homes, creating a place for people to gather, play, shop and make Sunriver memories.

The cost of this project is projected to be $100,000,000 (100 million) construction is scheduled to start in the summer of 2008 with the first phase taking 18 months. The hope is to be open for Christmas 2009.

Click on this photo to read more about the upcoming changes.

I often write articles about Central Oregon for my clients, to inform others of what Central Oregon has to offer and so on. Friday I was feeling uninspired, not really burnt out but really needing a chance to recharge my creative and positive energy.

My husband had never been to Crater Lake, although it is technically located in Southern Oregon it is just a 90 minute drive from La Pine. So, we loaded up the dog and headed south to see the natural beauty of this National Park.

Crater Lake is a beauty few have the opportunity to see first hand. The lake is crystal blue and is pretty much untouched by the forces of human development.

Crater Lake is on top of Mount Mazama which at one time was approximately 12,000 feet in elevation, when Mount Mazama blew its top it left a beautiful caldera of about 7,700 feet that has since filled with snow melt. There are still 2 cones that have formed in the lake, one is called Wizard Island and the other is actually under water still. Visit A Southern Oregon Must See for more information.