I survived the two consecutive weekends of the COBA Tour of Homes and am finally caught up contacting my leads. Going into the Tour, we thought we were priced well but were discouraged that we didn't sell any homes so we had a meeting and decided to reduce prices substantially. Brand new homes at Mirada now range from $169,900 - $234,900 (formerly $189,900 - $259,900). I'm amazed at the competition right now in the $200,000 - $225,000 price range. It's not good enough to be priced well. We're convinced we have to offer more for less money and we're confident that we now offer exactly that. You can get into a 1332 sq. ft., 3 bedroom/2 bath home for $204,900. That price includes tile countertops in the kitchen and bath, hardwood floors, solid wood doors, brushed silver kitchen appliances ... 08/01/2008

The tour home at Mirada was awarded "Best Value" in its category for 2008 COBA Tour of Homes. I was one of the hosts in the model last weekend and I'm so happy about the feedback we got from attendees. It's wonderful to hear people say things like "We've been to every home in this price range on the tour and yours is by far our favorite." We had other people come through the model and then come back at the end of the day because they thought that our standard amenities were better than those in other homes they looked at. Our tour home is a 1332 sq. ft. single level floor plan with 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms. During the tour, the price is $214,900 ($229,900 after the tour) and that includes the following standard amenities: 12X12 inch tile countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms brushed si... 07/23/2008

My office is listing a new subdivision in NE Bend called Mirada. The neighborhood will be located at Butler Market Rd. and Eagle Rd. and will have 256 homes priced from $189,900 - $259,900. There will be a small homeowners association fee for upkeep of the grass medians and entrance signs. There are a few builders offering new homes in this price range and they are doing well compared to the higher price points. In Bend there are currently 84 new homes (2007 or newer) for sale, 15 are pending, and 22 have sold this year.  This price range is generally considered to be affordable for Deschutes County's present median income of $58,000. At least one model home will be finished in July and it will be featured on the 2008 COBA Tour of Homes. There are 6 floor plans ranging from 1152-1827 sq... 06/06/2008