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Bend Chamber
Weekly
February 27, 2009
By Courtney Linville, Communications Coordinator
This Week's
Highlights
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Members
get a dose of “reality” at Real Estate Forecast
Breakfast
During
Monday’s Bend Chamber Real Estate Forecast
Breakfast, attendees received a dose of reality
about the current real estate market and how to
survive it.
The presentations varied from the current numbers on
residential and commercial real estate to how to
cope during the tough economic times and how to
survive the current market.
Wendy Adkisson, The Garner Group Realtors, stated people
should really start taking a long term look at real
estate, instead of looking at the short term. Adkisson broke
down the median prices of a residential home in Bend
over the last nine years and compared pricing. If
the Bend Housing market had maintained a steady
growth rate, instead of a rapid rate, according to
Adkisson, the median home price would likely have
been around $263,000 today. “The market is adjusting
to a more normal level right now,” she said.
With some good news, Adkission announced inventory
levels are starting to drop. She also stated her
office has been busier in the first two months of
this year than the first four months of 2008.
Turning to the commercial side, Bruce Kemp of Compass
Commercial Real Estate Services stated the pace of
building during the last few years was unsustainable. Kemp also pointed to the
fact that the area is now feeling the “trickle down
effect” from items happening on the national level.
This includes such stressors as maxed out credit
cards, diminished home equity, losses in stock
portfolios, job losses, and no disposable income.
To hedge against inflation, Kemp says real estate
brokers should start advising their clients to buy
commercial real estate, apartments, and land.
On the purchases of land, Kemp warns most banks
won’t lend on land so it will have to be a cash
deal. “If you can afford to hold it for five years,
you will likely see the greatest (investment)
returns,” he said.
Bill Valentine of Valentine Ventures, LLC told
attendees he doesn’t expect to see the real estate
market recover for the next three years. “I think it
will get much worse before it gets better,” he said.
“My hope is that you will plan accordingly.”
Valentine stated he hopes he is proved wrong, but now
is the time to plan for things to get worse. The
audience was asked to accept the reality of our
current situation and move forward; just like the
stages of grief. Valentine told attendees they need
to balance optimism with pragmatism. “This is not a
wash out. This is not a depression. This is not
1929,” he said.
The final thoughts attendees were left with was how to
stay alive in the current market. Steve Scott of
Steve Scott Realtors pulled on his experiences in
Bend’s market and told the audience to “stay alert,
stay alive.”
Scott drove home the point that yes, understanding is
needed about the bad news circulating in the media,
but the bad news shouldn’t be internalized. “Make
sure your expectations are in line with reality
because you can fix it if you understand it,” he
said. “You have to understand where you are, to get
to where you want to go.”
Financing ideas where also a part of Scott’s message.
He told real estate brokers they should start
promoting seller financing (in certain cases) as an
alternative to traditional loans. “While it might be
perceived as evil, it’s a godsend,” he said. “We’ve
got to get back to that.”
Above all, the forecast brought to light the reality of
the current market, and gave attendees valuable
messages to make it through the next few years.
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New format
for County Forecast Breakfast
March is just
right around the corner and that means it’s time for
the County Forecast Breakfast. This year Deschutes
County Commissioner and Board Chair Tammy Baney will
inform Chamber members about the state of the County
with a more interactive format.
"This year's presentation won't be your typical State
of the County,” Baney said. “We have many
opportunities to attend functions that educate us
about the recession we are in, and attempt to
forecast its end. We want to share with you what we
are doing today to leverage and retain County
services as we navigate these difficult times.”
Commissioner Baney will cover the County budget, the
Board goals and objectives. She’ll also bring a
little humor to the event by providing the County’s
“Top 10 Ways You Know the Budget is Tight,” Dave
Letterman style.
There is also a bonus for those who are engaged and
interact with Baney; participants will have a chance
to win small prizes!
“Chamber members will hopefully find this talk
interactive and interesting, leaving with a smile,
rather than frown. Charles Swindoll says, ‘Life is
10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how
you react to it,’” Baney said. “I encourage members
to attend and see how County government is being
responsive, fiscally responsible, and remaining as
positive as possible. Together, we will get through
this."
If you are interested in attending this breakfast go to
www.bendchamber.org/county. For more information
on pricing look at the Upcoming Events section
below.
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Town Hall Questions
Answered
Last Friday’s
Town Hall entitled “Health Care Reform and Business:
What’s Your Bottom Line?” had great participation
between the panel and the audience. Members who
attended were fortunate enough to hear a variety of
views from a great panel and also the views of
Congressman Greg Walden.
Listed below are just a few questions asked at Town
Hall with abbreviated answers:
Q: Reimbursement and medical flexibility, if we could
wipe the slate clean is there a perfect solution?
A: Panelist Julia James, Oregon Health Fund Board:
There are so many models in the world and none of
the systems are perfect. Everyone has problems. A
lot of people feel the answer is to have a large
menu of choices and the employee helps to pay. This
was the basic idea behind the plan for former
President Bill Clinton. The problem was after you
started picking at the issues around the plan; it
came to a point when you couldn’t implement it.
Q: Health care comes down to a basic problem. Is it a
right or a privilege? Before we solve the big
picture don’t we have to answer this simple
question?
A: Panelist Mike Bonetto, Cascade Healthcare Community:
It’s a question that comes up all the time, but I’m
not convinced it’s the right question. What we need
to address is in the end what we are trying to
achieve. If the end isn’t the overall improvement of
health … we will not get people to agree on that.
The other part to this is do we implement something
right away and watch the system blow up, or should
changes be made incrementally.
A: Panelist Dr. Knute Beuhler, MD, The Center: I
disagree; I think healthcare in this country is a
conditional right. If it’s a universal right, we
will pay for healthcare as much as is needed. The
challenge is deciding the baseline level of
coverage. We did it in Oregon with the Oregon Health
Plan. It’s a conditional right based on a defined
level of health care.
Please stay tuned for information on the upcoming March
Town Hall Forum.
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Early Bird pricing
available on Annual Excellence Awards Dinner
The Annual
Excellence Awards Dinner is quickly approaching and
we are rolling out the red carpet for our nominees!
The evening will be packed with scrumptious food,
sparkling entertainment and prestigious awards.
Early bird pricing is available for sponsorships and
individual seats at this “don’t miss” event so don’t
wait. Make your reservations early and get ready for
a dazzling evening with the who’s who of the Bend
Business Community. Contact
ann@bendchamber.org for sponsorship
opportunities or register online at
www.bendchamber.org/annualdinner.
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County residents
to decide fate of Local Rule
The ballots have already been mailed out and on March
10 the residents of Deschutes County will decide if
the Local Rule should be applied or repealed.
Measure 9-70, also known as the Local Rule (Ordinance
2008-12), would require residents in southern
Deschutes County to add to their septic system a
nitrate reducing filter or to hook up to a sewer
system (when possible) by 2022. The local rule is
designed to adapt to changing technology.
The purpose behind the Local Rule is to reduce the
impacts of nitrates on both the local aquifers and
the Little and Big Deschutes Rivers, says Deschutes
County Commissioner Dennis Luke.
Though the ordinance mainly impacts those in southern
Deschutes County, Luke is quick to point out the
problem can affect all county residents from La Pine
to Bend and Redmond.
“The rivers affect everyone eventually and nitrates
encourage the growth of algae. Algae has a bad
effect on oxygen levels and aquatic life,” he said.
“(The Local Rules) is a proactive position. The
water is not unsafe now, but when it gets bad it’s
going to cost more to fix the problem.”
According to studies conducted by the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS) and the Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ), nitrates have already been found in
the local ground water and some wells. In a letter
to constituents, Luke writes “There are three
aquifers in this area and the one from which most
people get their water is from around 0 to 40 feet
deep. There are over 6,400 septic drain fields that
also impact that aquifer.”
A big issue revolving around the Local Rule is addition
of the nitrate filter. While residents are required
to purchase filter, Luke says the County plans to
help citizens and has already put some money aside.
The county currently has $500,000 in an account and
looks to sell 500 acres of BLM land (the Newberry
Neighborhood) it acquired in the late ‘90s. A
pollution credit needs to be purchased in order to
build in the Newberry Neighborhood and that money
will be added to the fund. “Construction will pick
up again,” Luke said. “There was a lot of interest
in property south of Sunriver and the county was
issuing over 200 building permits per year. It will
pick up again.”
Deschutes County is not the only area in the U.S. that
is faced with having to use nitrate reducing
systems. According to Luke, when the County received
its grant to study nitrate reducing systems there
were areas in Montana and Florida that were looking
at the same thing.
The overall message the County is trying to spread is the
Local Rule is a preventative measure that’s trying
to not only save local ecosystems, but to also save
residents and taxpayers money in the future.
“We are early into it and we hope to try to check it
now and to get to the point where we won’t have to
spend a lot of money to fix it,” Luke said.
If the Local Rule is defeated, Luke warns the expense
down the road could be much more and residents could
be forced to follow stricter rules and guidelines
imposed by other agencies.
or more information on Measure 9-70 or the Local Rule, go to
www.co.deshutes.or.us.
A “yes” vote will keep the local rule in place and a
“no” vote will repeal the local rule.
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In the news
Oregon
Senate approves cuts to Legislative Assembly: On
Wednesday, the Oregon State Senate approved $4.3
million in cuts from the remainder of the
Legislative Assembly’s budget for 2007-2009. The
cuts resulted in frozen salaries for most
legislative employees, eliminated out-of-state
travel and overnight in-state stays, and cut funding
from the legislature’s fiscal and revenue office,
legislative counsel, legislative administration, and
legislature’s leadership offices. The Oregon House
approved the cuts on February 12; this will now go
before the Governor.
Openings on Public Transit Advisory Committee:
The City of Bend has announced it's seeking
applications for three positions on its Public
Transit Advisory Committee. Committee members are
appointed by the Bend City Council and will serve
for two years. The committee reviews, advises, and
assists the transportation program in its efforts to
work with citizen’s transportation needs.
Applications must be turned in by Thursday, March 5 at 5 p.m.
For an application or more information contact the
City of Bend at 388-5505 or
www.ci.bend.or.us.
Bend Police Department accepts applications for
Citizen Academy: The Bend Police Department is
now accepting applications for the spring Bend
Police Citizens Academy. The Academy will start on
Tuesday, March 17. The Academy is meant to
familiarize the citizens with the what, how and why
the Department operates. Instructors include SWAT,
K9, Detective, Traffic, Training and other
disciplines. The Academy meets each Tuesday for
eight weeks from 6:00 – 9:00 PM at the Police
Department. Applications for the Academy can be
picked up at the Police Department, 555 NE 15th St.
For further information contact Steve Esselstyn,
Community Liaison, 322-2976.
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Upcoming Events
March 5 – County
Forecast Breakfast - Please join us as Deschutes
County County
Commissioner and Board Chair Tammy Baney discusses
the County's budget, goals and objectives, successes
and challenges in the current economy, partnerships
and more. The event will take place at the Bend Golf
& Country Club from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The
member price is $30 per person (non-member $50 per
person). Corporate Table Sponsorships are available
for $395 (includes 8 seats). Please RSVP for this
event by noon on Wednesday, March 4 at
www.bendchamber.org/county.
March
10 - Professional Development Series – Prioritizing
What Matters Most in the Midst of Change - As
the global economy evolves, following your passions
in work and life is no longer a luxury; it is
necessary to compete in today’s work environment.
During this session Speaker Dusty Niles Founder of Enlightened Synergy, will
help you to learn how to identify who you are and
what you want in business and in life, how to create
and recreate your passion, and how/why this affects
everything you do. Please RSVP for this event by no
later than noon on Monday, March 9 at
www.bendchamber.org.
Price is $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
If you have trouble signing up, call 382-3221.
March 17 – Professional Development Series -
Manage Your Email Before it Manages You -
Clearly, the problem of email overload is taking a
toll on our time, productivity, and sanity! Managing
the flood of email messages that most of us need to
interact with on a daily basis is a growing
challenge; no one's volume is diminishing. Join
Tracy Campbell, founder of Simplicated, LLC, in this
interactive training and discover best practices
that have helped thousands of Fortune 500
professionals reduce email processing time by 20
percent and information management time by 35
percent or more. Learn how to reduce clutter,
establish order, write better messages to colleagues
and clients, reduce liability and discover
time-saving email tech tips. RSVP for this event by
Monday, March 16 at
www.bendchamber.org. Price is $35 in advance and
$45 at the door. If you have trouble signing
up, call 382-3221.
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