Mountain Property in the Far West

Bend, Oregon
Near Mt. Bachelor

This custom-built Scandinavian log home is 20 minutes from Mt. Bachelor and five minutes from downtown Bend. “The nice thing is you don’t really have to deal with a lot of snow at this elevation,” says Ruben Garmyn, an associate broker with RE/MAX Manzanita Properties. “The view is the major element, and the fact that the acreage is so close to town is another major point.”

The 6.5-acre property includes a pond fed by an irrigation system from the Deschutes River. In addition to the main house, which lies on one level, there’s a detached guest house with its own bath. The log-walled interior includes vaulted ceilings in the living room and master bedroom, which look out at Mt. Bachelor and The Three Sisters mountains. “Mid-market in Bend would be $300,000” for a single-family home, says Garmyn. “This is the low end of the high-end market.”

The technology boom in the Northwest is driving tourism development and real estate prices in inland towns like Bend. On the city’s trendy west side, “you have to pay $100,000 for a fixer-upper, and people are paying it,” Garmyn says. Many buyers are Seattle and Portland residents seeking a second home.
List Price $499,000
Square Footage 2,000, plus guest quarters of 500
Price Per Square Foot $200
Year Built 1995
Beds/Baths 3 bedrooms/2 baths in main house;
1 bed/1 bath in guest quartersAcreage 6.5 acres
Condo Dues N/A
Taxes In 1998 $3,255
Listing Agent Ruben Garmyn, RE/MAX Manzanita Properties, Bend, (541) 389-0200; www.bendoregonrealestate.com .

Squaw Valley, California
At Squaw Valley Resort

This home at Sierra Ridge Place is emblematic of the new, expensive twist put on Squaw in the Nineties. The 1990 construction of the Resort at Squaw Creek Hotel and the subsequent decision by Intrawest Corp. to build a base village at the venerable ski area “absolutely have driven the market,” according to Marynell Hartnett of Tahoe Real Estate Group.

This is a trophy home, with granite floors, a stone fountain, wet bar, copper light sconces and four baths “en suite” with the bedrooms. The primary views are to the east, toward the rock walls of the Truckee River canyon. Lake Tahoe is 10 minutes away; the base of the Squaw Valley ski area and the nearest golf course are a mile distant.

“What today’s client is looking for is a comfortable home for entertaining,” says Hartnett, noting that most buyers come from the Bay Area. “Today’s requirements have changed.” Older ski houses don’t appeal as much, she says, but even those are being sold quickly. “It’s hard to find anything now in Squaw Valley under $500,000 in a single-family home. That includes older cabins that people buy and remodel. The average price for condos now is $300,000, and those are snapped up right away.”
List Price $1.5 million
Square Footage 3,070
Price Per Square Foot $488
Year Built 1993
Beds/Baths 4 bedrooms/4 baths
Acreage .25 acre
Condo Dues $121 per month (private roads dues)
Taxes In 1999 $6,921
Listing Agent Marynell Hartnett, Tahoe Real Estate Group, (800) 653-5244; www.tahoewestshore.com .