retire in bend oregon and go kayaking

Retire in Bend Oregon

How to retire in Bend Oregon:

CONTACT ME if I can be of help to you as you look to retire in Bend Oregon!

AND, READ TESTIMONIALS FROM MANY OF MY CLIENTS who chose to retire in Bend Oregon.

The majority (about 65%) of my Bend Oregon real estate buyers are people over 55 who wish to retire in Bend Oregon.  They range from people who have already retired, to those who are pre-tirees, and just have a few years left to go, and want to get a home here that they can start to visit on their off times, and in doing so obtain a better price than they would in a few years, while getting used to the relaxed and recreational lifestyle that Bend offers.

People retire in Bend oregon for many reasons, chiefly among them to enjoy the astounding natural diversity and easy to access recreation that Bend is famous for.  Most recreational activities are within 30 minutes of downtown- mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, cross country and downhill skiing, boating, beaches and swimming, fishing, and hunting, and a million other activities are all right here.  It’s the kind of place where you can kayak a high lake in the morning and hike the river trail (the “Bend super highway”) to meet friends for a happy hour meal in the late afternoon.  And we are blessed by so many good restaurants, live theaters, frequent festivals, an airport that is better than most in cities twice as large, and a world class hospital featuring top tier cancer and orthopedic centers.

Many of my clients in the 55-75 range ask if they will feel out of place in restaurants, festivals, pubs, and events if they retire in Bend Oregon, as they might at home.  The answer is an emphatic NO!  Our town is indeed demographically skewed to a healthy retiree age, and I frankly have many friends between 60 and 70 that I recreate with often, on high lakes, on trails, and go to movies, plays, or out to eat with.  When we go to a happy hour or a place to recreate, there is a wonderful mix of age groups that is rare to find in any city.  You will not be alone, and chances are you will find a much busier social life than you have ever had before.

My clients who wish to retire in Bend Oregon have specific needs, and they tend to be very similar from client to client.  I’ll give you the basic list that I often encounter when talking to retiree clients.  They want;

1- A home that preferably has a single level only, or at worst, a master bedroom on the main floor.

2- A home that has some outdoor living space, PROVIDED that the  space is low maintenance and not too large.

3- Often, if over 70, they want to be close to medical services, or, if younger, they want to be close to trails and restaurants.  For the former group I highly recommend the East side, where our hospital and the majority of our doctors are, and for the latter I recommend Bend’s West side, where the trails, pubs, and restaurants are generally congregated.

BUT, not everyone is the same, of course, and one of the best parts of my job is listening to each new client, and getting to know their individual needs.  I am fascinated by people, and I am lucky in my job to get to meet different folks from all over the world.

SO, if I can create a specific search for YOU, as specific as you like, based on YOUR needs, right on the Bend MLS system, please drop me an email, and I will be very glad to set it up for you.  And remember, I won’t bug you until you need me, so don’t fear being spammed to death- that’s not my style.  I am here to help, on YOUR time frame.

West side Bend Oregon real estate tends to be much more expensive, as that is also where most younger families and couples want to be for the lifestyle opportunities it affords, and the walkability (you can find walkability scores for homes on my Bend Oregon Home Search page) and ride-ability of the area.  An average 1500 foot home with three bedrooms and 2 baths on a postage stamp lot will run about $450-$550,000 here, as of this writing in 2016.

East side Bend Real Estate runs as low as 250,000 for the same sort of home. This side of town holds St Charles hospital, listed as one of the 100 best hospitals in the country, as well as most of our medical community, and it is a natural for seniors concerned about the proximity of health care. Bend Oregon is lucky to have such a great hospital, and many medical professionals want to live here so we get the cream of the crop. There are many retirement and nursing home complexes on this side of town as well.

So you can see, to retire in Bend Oregon is a beautiful thing!  I can introduce you to many previous clients to help start your groups of friends here if you like as well.  I tend to remain friends with my clients, and hope to add you to that list as well.  And the great thing for me about my friends who retire in Bend Oregon is that, like me, they often have weekdays off, and can recreate on our bountiful area when the tourists are gone!  Nirvana, I tell you!