San Diego, CA · Member since 2015 · 9 posts · 1 vote
I have a close family friend looking to move to Bend Oregon. They need at least .75 or more acres (1 acre or more would be perfect) of land because they own a business and will have 3 large trucks to store. My question is they are looking at a few bank owned homes in La Pine Oregon. I have spoke with several real estate agents and they have all given me bad feed back about living in La Pine. They talked about snowed in roads with huge pot holes. Very low temperatures compared to Bend ect ect..
Should they just settle and get a property in La Pine because they can find something great for under their $300k price range or do you think they should hold out and try and find something closer to Bend and not in La Pine?
Real Estate Agent · Salem, OR · Member since 2015 · 6 posts · 1 vote
7y
I'd have them take a look at Redmond and Prineville as well as La Pine. Both are north of Bend and at a lower elevation (I think 🤔). La Pine is higher elevation and gets worse weather. Winter commutes between La Pine and Bend can be a little dodgier.
Realtor, General Contractor, and Developer · Redding, CA · Member since 2009 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
7y
@Kyle Craig We remodeled a manufactured home in La Pine, and did very well with it. La Pine is a very nice little community, and they've been doing a lot of improvements to give it more character. I love it.
However; it does get more snow than the Bend area and north of Bend. We also built a new house in Oregon Water Wonderland 2 subdivision which easily sold, and did a remodel in Sunriver, which is currently on the market.
The question is, what type of business does your friend have, and does it matter which town he's in? What lifestyle do they have? If they like more people, and city amenities, then Bend is the place, though more expensive to live. If they like the rivers, fishing, etc. the area south of Bend is unbeatable.
I'd suggest they go up and check out the various areas. I have a niece that works in Sunriver as does her husband (he grew up in Oregon) so that helped us when we were looking. Message me and I'll send their names if you're looking for someone.
Yes it does snow a lot more in La PIne (check weather today Feb 25th) however, there isn't going to be affordable land in Bend where you can park three large trucks. Might check east of Bend area or Deschutes River Woods. Tumalo is very expensive.
La Pine is growing a lot, but definitely different than Bend, so it depends what you want. Income, education levels all lower. Make sure to check water issues there. Very shallow water table in some areas causes septic issues. Might also try to get closer to 97...way off of the highway could be an added challenge in weather. 97 is always the priority for ODOT to clear of snow.
Investor · Bend, OR · Member since 2019 · 6 posts · 3 votes
7y
Hi Kyle,
Here are my two cents....
La Pine gets a bad wrap around here but the reality is, most of us non-native Central Oregonians relocated here for the mountains, the rivers, and the 300 days of sunshine every year. In my opinion, La Pine is under rated and it has a great deal to offer when it comes to that criteria.
Bend is of course the ideal spot around these parts but at the end of the day, its getting crowded and most of us have a hard time finding ways to afford property, especially with any acreage. La Pine is maybe stuck in time a bit but its certainly has plenty to be enjoyed. I think your friend ought to invest some time into what sort of amenities they need for their lifestyle and go from there. If living a bit further out in the country is their prerogative then La Pine might be the place.
Real Estate Broker · OR · Member since 2018 · 311 posts · 226 votes
7y
La Pine certainly has value but i personally would not want to live there. If you wanted to be close to the mountains, rivers and get a great deal on some tree'd acreage then LaPine may be your place. I was a live-in student firefighter there for awhile and if i were to pick a small community that has affordable plots of land i would go on the outskirts of Redmond or Prineville.
Thats just my .02! Send me a PM if you have any specific questions