The annual Central Oregon Builders Association (COBA) Tour of Homes is the premier showcase of all the beautiful homes being created in our region. Despite many in-person events being canceled around the area – and the globe – COBA carried forward with its two-weekend long event on July 10-12 and this past weekend, July 17-19. There were a total of 39 homes on the tour for 2020.
While things may have looked a bit different this year, as attendees physically distanced and wore masks, the energy and vitality of the event remained. In fact, Shelley Griffin of Harcourts The Garner Group Real Estate, our real estate partners for the new Discovery West Bend Oregon community and primary sponsors of the COBA event, said that there appeared to be more buyers at this year’s event as compared to “window shopper” crowds in years past.
It’s not surprising, as home sales have remained strong in the area. Data from the Bend Oregon real estate MLS shows that inventory is quite low, with only 1.5 months supply as of last month. When comparing June 2019 to June 2020, sales prices are up across the board, but the amount of new listings and homes for sale has dropped. Many believe that the market remains strong as people move out of urban areas to seek a new lifestyle after experiencing the global pandemic. We’ll have to wait and see what the future holds on this front, but all the wonderful things about living in Bend remain.
Despite low inventory, Central Oregon builders are still hitting it out of the park with their amazing designs and homes. As in the past, COBA awarded a series of Tour of Homes awards for homes that were showcased during the event. From its Green Building Awards honoring sustainable building practices in a number of price categories, plus its regular awards for categories such as Best Architectural Design and Best of Show, there was a great cross-section of construction professionals honored. We were happy to see many of our Builders Guild members from both NorthWest Crossing and Discovery West take home awards.
While shopping for a home has changed during the time of COVID-19, it was wonderful to see that an iconic event like the COBA Tour of Homes carried forward. The energy that the visitors brought to the tour, and the passion that was apparent in the work of the participating builders, made this a tour to remember.
The best news this year is that the Tour isn’t really over. COBA has uploaded a number of virtual tours to its site, so if people weren’t able to attend in person, they can still view these award-winning homes. You can watch the video tours here: https://www.cobatourofhomes.com/2020-tour-of-homes/ Central Oregon real estate at its best!
