Judging by the numbers of homes closing each week in Trulia, and the 6% annual growth rate in Eugene homes prices reported by Zillow, housing prices and demand for homes in Eugene remains strong.

What’s most interesting to those who follow the local real estate market and home listings, is how Eugene is both resilient to the national housing slump and changing almost monthly:

• Sub-prime lending in Eugene does not compare with the level of sub-prime lending that took place in larger, more exposed and inflationary markets. The vast majority of Eugene homeowners have been conservative about their borrowing, and local lenders conservative about who gets the money.
• The City is finally doing something about downtown - a complete renovation of West Broadway.
• The City is getting serious about the need for another large hospital to handle population growth.
• Phil Knight just donated $100 Million for a new basketball stadium.
• The airport is getting another runway.
• Eugene will host the summer Olympic Trials next year.
• Pottery Barn is opening in the North. There will soon be a new REI in the South. PF Changs opened this year as well.

When you live here it’s easy to take these changes for granted, but the way all of these developments have arrived at once says something about where Eugene is headed. Opportunity and change are happening right in front of us. Both elements are needed to ensure a vital real estate market, and a strong local economy.

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