Eastern Promise

Sunny Central Oregon, just over the mountains and basking in a whole different climate, always beckons to Portlanders. Established pleasure spots like Sunriver and Bend, and golf destinations like Broken Top, Tetherow, or Pronghorn, are subject to high demand, high prices, and an influx that Steve LaCrosse of Bend real estate agency Cascade Sotheby's eyeballs as “seven new arrivals a day.” For deals, look to Redmond, Prineville, and Sisters.

The Highland Hideaway

According to David Lythgoe of Merit Properties, Mount Hood’s ski-centric destinations don’t currently offer much inventory. “We haven’t seen the buyer frenzy the Portland area is experiencing,” he says, but he notes prices are climbing in the likes of Government Camp, Welches, and Rhododendron.

Seaside Havens

Cannon Beach–based agent Duane Johnson points to that town’s Chapman Point area, near the John Yeon State Natural Site just south of Ecola State Park, as a pricey hot spot of dramatic views and newer homes. (One four-bedroom in that microhood recently listed at around the $3M mark.) Buyers from out of state dominate down south, where the drive from Portland is more daunting (six hours to Brookings, for example, at the Cali border). Still, our southern coast has its recommendations. “Everyone falls in love with Bandon,” notes agent Mel Garrett of Gold Coast Properties—adding that the town’s warmer (and cheaper) east side competes with its beachfront properties. One factor that might make some road time alluring: cost. Zillow’s median price in Bandon is less than half of its median for Cannon Beach.

The Windy Retreat

Oregonians covet the Columbia River Gorge for sports, outdoors, and scenic escapes an hour or so from the city, with established destinations like Hood River and up-and-comers like Mosier or Washington’s White Salmon gusting through many local imaginations. The caveat? According to Maui Meyer, of Gorge-based Copper West Properties, Gorge homes for sale tend to be “fully valued.” Copper West recently cited a median price of $650,000 for its Hood River listings—versus Portland’s June Zillow temperature check of $445,000.