Real Estate by Sarah Lynch

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Real Estate by Sarah Lynch Sarah Lynch Willis is a REALTOR® licensed in OR, helping clients buy and sell real estate.

Sarah really listens, is knowledgeable, experienced, and according to her client’s, "excellent in every way." Acquainted with hard work, follow-through, and bringing big dreams to life, Sarah is easy to get a hold of, thorough and responsive. Her background as a farm owner honed her skills in business development, customer service, sales, and marketing. She carries her core-values, skills and experiences from her farm career over to helping people achieve their lifestyle goals through buying and selling Real Estate. 

Passionate about helping clients achieve their highest standard of living, personal, and financial goals, Sarah shows her clients how investing in Real Estate can support all of the above in addition to gaining invaluable access to the uniquely active and healthy lifestyle the Central Oregon area provides. 
Outgoing and active, Sarah is a people person who values quality over quantity, quick, kind, direct communication, and performance through goal setting and problem-solving. A wide range of life experiences makes her multifaceted and relatable, easy to talk to, with an instinctive ability to make her clients feel comfortable sharing personal information, having hard conversations, laughing and having fun in the process! In addition to her passion for people and real estate, Sarah still enjoys growing and preparing food, spending as much time as possible doing all things outdoors, adventuring and memory making with her husband and two young kids.

Our buyers paid $119K under the original list price on this home. 🏡2565 NW Rippling River Court in Rivers Edge Village. ...
10/07/2026

Our buyers paid $119K under the original list price on this home. 🏡

2565 NW Rippling River Court in Rivers Edge Village. Single level, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, backing the 16th green with a view of the Deschutes and walking distance to the River Trail.

It listed in February at $1,159,000. It closed in September at $1,040,000, plus $35,000 in seller credits.

With rates where they are, that kind of spread changes the monthly payment and affordability in a real way. Deals are still getting done in this market. But they take patience and a willingness to ask.

The lesson for buyers: pay attention to days on market. A home that has been sitting 100+ days usually has a seller who is ready for a different conversation than they were on day one.

To our buyers: you were a joy from the first showing to closing day, and by the end it felt like working with friends. You've already sent your parents our way, which is the best compliment we could get. Thank you.

Listed by Heather Neet, Windermere Heritage.

- Sarah 🌄 + Suzanne ☀️

October in Central Oregon is crisp mornings, changing leaves, less traffic and a calendar that fills up fast if you know...
10/01/2026

October in Central Oregon is crisp mornings, changing leaves, less traffic and a calendar that fills up fast if you know where to look 🍂

Here's what we're putting on ours this month 👇

🎨 Oct 2-4: Bend Fall Festival
A Bend classic. Free art, music, food, and family activities to kick off the month.

🎬 Oct 7-11: BendFilm Festival
Independent films at local venues around town. Our favorite excuse for a few nights out without kids.

🌾 Oct 10-11: Sisters Harvest Faire
Local artisans, live music, and food in downtown Sisters. Worth the drive on a fall weekend.

🏡 Oct 10: Hollinshead-Matson Homestead Museum Open House
If you've been wondering what that old house is at Hollinshead Park, now's your chance to find out. Take a look at 1940s Central Oregon life at the historic homestead.

💼 Oct 15-16: Bend Venture Conference
For the entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone curious about what's being built here. A great place to meet other go-getters.

🌙 Oct 17: Moonlight Market
A spooky-season evening market at Silver Moon Brewing. Casual and family-friendly.

🎨 Oct 23-25: $20 Art Show
Local art, music, and food, and every piece is $20. An easy way to bring a little Central Oregon home.

🥫 Through Oct 31: Feed Sisters Food Drive
Help stock the Kiwanis Food Bank and support the Sisters community this fall.

Community doesn't pack up when summer ends here. It shifts into slower weekends, cozy evenings, and more chances to run into your neighbors.

Which one are you going to?

Suzanne ☀️ + Sarah 🌄

I've been licensed since 2020, and Real is my fifth brokerage.That's not something I regret, it's just part of my story ...
09/28/2026

I've been licensed since 2020, and Real is my fifth brokerage.

That's not something I regret, it's just part of my story - and evolution. Every move taught me what we actually needed to build the business Suzanne and I wanted.

Some of those places were great. Some just weren't the right fit at the right time and some we outgrew. Ultimately, they just weren't the right fit for who we are and how we work.

Real is where it has finally clicked. The team structure is built for growth, the tech far outperforms any prior options we've had, now we have multiple ways to earn income, we own stake in the company we're helping build, and leadership that listens.

People here work together instead of competing with each other.

The biggest shift is how far ahead we plan. We used to plan a year at a time. Now we're working toward our 5 and 10 year goals, and the only way to get there is to stay put and commit.

That's the part about time I wish I'd understood sooner. It only multiplies if you give it the chance.

If you're thinking about getting your license, my advice is to join a team. You'll learn on real deals, have people to call when things get messy, and skip a lot of expensive mistakes.

If you're on the fence about getting licensed, or you're licensed and it doesn't feel like the right fit, send me a message. I'm happy to share what I've learned.

- Sarah 🌄

09/23/2026

August market snapshot.

180 homes sold. $721K median. 34 days on market. 3.5 months of inventory.

Translation: buyers have options, and they're not settling.

For sellers, the game changed. Realistic pricing, strong presentation, and something extra (credits, financing, buydowns) are what move homes now.

For buyers, this is your window. You have leverage. You have choices. You just need someone who knows how to use them.

If you're thinking about buying or selling in Bend as we head into fall, let's talk about what actually works in this market.

- Sarah 🌄

Bend still issues short-term rental permits. But a new one has to sit at least 500 feet from any other permitted STR, an...
09/18/2026

Bend still issues short-term rental permits. But a new one has to sit at least 500 feet from any other permitted STR, and unlike this one, a new permit can't be transferred. In this part of town, that spacing rule means there's basically nowhere left to permit. The only way in is finding one of the rare existing licenses that already transfers, like this one.

This westside Bend home has one, and it transfers with the sale.

It's also sitting in the part of town most people are trying to get into. Two blocks from Columbia Park and the Deschutes River, walkable to Galveston Ave. Three bedrooms, two and a half baths, built in 2013, fully furnished, currently running as an active Airbnb.

If you're working toward real estate professional status this year, or you already have it and need a property in service before year end, this is exactly the kind of asset that counts, and STRs are the standard move for investors in that position.

Don't wait until the last few weeks of the year to go looking.

Whether you live in it full time, use it as a part-time Bend residence, or run it as an investment, you're getting the location and the license, and the license is the part that's genuinely hard to find right now.

Want the details? Send us a message.

Listed by Nick Wilhite & J.P. Faherty, The Agency Bend.

- Sarah 🌄 + Suzanne ☀️

A seller wrote a check just to sell their condo this year. Five figures, at closing, to walk away.Here's the math. Bough...
09/09/2026

A seller wrote a check just to sell their condo this year. Five figures, at closing, to walk away.

Here's the math. Bought in 2023 for just under $200,000, with HOA dues under $1,000/month. Sold this August for around $155,000, with dues on that same unit now over $1,500/month. Between what they owed and what it sold for, they closed with a check instead of a payout.

It wasn't a bad investment. It was a nightly rental grossing around $36,000/year. But the owners lived out of state, self-managed the whole thing, and eventually wanted it off their plate.

Condos can be an easy way into Central Oregon real estate. Lower price point, less maintenance on you. But HOA dues are one of the least predictable numbers in the deal, and insurance costs here have put real upward pressure on them the last couple years. Older buildings with deferred maintenance can see dues spike fast when that catches up.

If a condo's on your radar, especially as a rental, ask for two things before you fall in love with the numbers: the last 3-5 years of HOA dues history, and the most recent reserve study.

What's the biggest HOA surprise you've seen or heard about?

- Sarah 🌄 + Suzanne ☀️

08/18/2026

A lot of the people we work with moving here have one thing in common. They're not chasing a job, they're trying to spend less time behind a screen and more time outside.

That's not an accident. Bend's culture is built around it. Self-employed, remote, business owners, people who've structured their income so their location and their schedule aren't dictated by someone else.

If that's the life you're trying to build, and you've been wondering whether a place like this actually supports it, I guarantee you you're not the only one asking.

One caveat: if "outdoorsy" isn't really your thing, you might feel like you live in the middle of a desert. Plot twist, you do. We're a high desert.

What's stopping you from making a move like this?

-Sarah 🌅

Four flips, four years, here's what changed.2023: Hamilton Ln. Bought at $375K, ARV of $750K. The margin was big enough ...
08/14/2026

Four flips, four years, here's what changed.

2023: Hamilton Ln. Bought at $375K, ARV of $750K. The margin was big enough that we turned it into a hold.

2024: River Bend Drive. Bought at $925K, sold at $1.6M. Flips like this were still relatively straightforward.

2025: NW Hastings. Bought at $475K, sold at $900K. Still worked, but the deals that penciled were getting harder to find.

2026: Boyd Acres. Bought at $550K, sale still in progress. This one only works because it's genuinely distressed and the buyer is doing most of the renovation themselves.

That's the shift. What worked in 2023 or 2024 doesn't automatically work now. We still have buyers actively flipping in Bend, it's just a much narrower lane: the property has to be a real problem, not just a project, and you need to be doing a lot of the labor yourself to keep the margin.

The dirtier and more distressed it is, the better the numbers tend to work right now.

Thinking about a flip in Bend? Send me the address and I'll give you an honest read.
-Sarah 🌅

08/13/2026

Our buyers were the backup offer on this house. 🏡

2634 SW Umatilla Court in Redmond, a single-family home and the lot next door, sold together.

It had sat on the market a while, then went into a multiple-offer situation. Our buyers came in as the backup.

When the first buyer terminated, our buyers moved into first position, but their offer was still contingent. They hadn't sold their apartment yet that they wanted to 1031.

Right at our contingency deadline, the seller got another offer.

Our buyers had a decision to make: release the contingency and move forward without their own sale locked in, or risk losing the house.

They released it. And closed.

This is the second investment property they've bought with us since moving to Central Oregon less than two years ago. This house is now their second rental in Redmond. The lot next door, they haven't decided yet. Maybe they develop it. Maybe they sell it off.

If you're buying a house contingent on selling another one, this is the real lesson: be ready to let that contingency go if it comes down to it.

DM us CONTINGENT if you want to talk through your real options on a contingent purchase.

-Sarah 🌅 + Suzanne ☀️

The questions I get asked most once a transaction is actually underway. Swipe through, and if I didn't cover yours, send...
08/07/2026

The questions I get asked most once a transaction is actually underway.

Swipe through, and if I didn't cover yours, send it my way.

- Sarah 🌅

Address

Bend, OR

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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+15037395006

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