Redmond's Biggest New Neighborhood Is a Long Game. This Winter's Buyers Are Shopping Resale.

If you're comparing Central Oregon towns, you may have heard that Redmond is building a 445-home neighborhood with three-bedroom houses priced near $309,000. Does that change what you can buy in Redmond this winter? The deal that made Northpoint Vista possible also controls when each part of it gets built, and for most buyers the answer is no. That same deal puts conditions on the cheapest homes there that set them apart from an ordinary purchase.

Redmond traded speed for affordability on this land

In 2019, the state chose Redmond for Oregon's Affordable Housing Pilot Program. The program let cities skip much of the slow process of expanding an urban growth boundary. In return, at least 30% of the homes on the new land must be restricted to households earning less than 80% of area median income, according to The Source Weekly. For a family of four in the Bend-Redmond metro area, that income figure is about $96,000.

The result is Northpoint Vista, a 40-acre mixed-income neighborhood planned for northeast Redmond. It is required to include at least 134 income-restricted units. Deschutes County donated the land, and the state contributed about $8.5 million in grants for infrastructure. The city lists deChase Miksis and Edlen & Co. as master developers. Housing Works, Cobalt and Pahlisch Homes are among the builders lined up for later phases.

The faster boundary process did not mean fast construction. Linda Cline, the city's housing program analyst, described the main lesson at the September 22 ceremony, as The Bulletin reported:

"I think one of the big lessons we learned is when the property is outside city limits, there's no infrastructure. And so it ended up being a very big project because we had to bring infrastructure in."

Crews started on that infrastructure in August 2025. Home construction began in summer 2026, seven years after Redmond joined the pilot.

The rules set the build order

The pilot first required the affordable homes to be built before the market-rate ones. In March 2026, the state let Redmond build both alongside each other because state funding for affordable housing was lagging. Under the current rule, construction must start on every affordable home before the city can issue certificates of occupancy for the last 15% of market-rate homes, or 47 units.

As of publication, the schedule stands like this:

So the first Northpoint homes a buyer can move into are the 30 land trust houses, due late in 2027. The market-rate homes, the ones open to any buyer at any income, are still a construction start date on a 2027 schedule. Northpoint will add a lot of housing to Redmond over several years, but it won't add any homes for sale this winter.

The low prices come with a lease and a resale limit

The 30 RootedHomes houses are expected to cost $278,000 for two bedrooms, $309,000 for three and $340,000 for four, The Source Weekly reported, citing RootedHomes executive director Eliza Wilson. For comparison, in the 12 months through September 2026, the busiest price ranges for Redmond-area single-family resales were $450,000 to $500,000 with 115 sales and $400,000 to $450,000 with 114 sales, based on MLS of Central Oregon data compiled by Beacon Appraisal Group. The three-bedroom price is roughly $100,000 below the bottom of the range where most Redmond resales happen.

Part of the difference is the land. Under the RootedHomes community land trust model, the buyer owns the house with a regular mortgage, and the land trust keeps the land and leases it back through a renewable 99-year lease. If the owner sells, the lease requires the house to go to another income-qualified buyer. The original owner gets what RootedHomes calls "a fair return" on their investment. Wilson explained the purpose in The Bulletin's coverage: the structure keeps the homes affordable and protects what the Northpoint partners have invested.

For a land trust buyer, the entry price is far below the resale market. In exchange, a land trust owner gives up some of the appreciation an ordinary owner would keep when selling. The lower price and the resale limit come from the same agreement. Before applying, buyers should read the actual lease and resale terms for their specific home.

RootedHomes' homeownership page describes how its general program works:

• Income limits vary by community. RootedHomes' 2026 table at 80% of area median income runs from $67,350 for one person to $96,150 for a household of four. Applicants are told to check the income level set for the specific home.
• The first step is an interest form. RootedHomes says the short form is not an application or a commitment. It's a way to get updates on new communities and application windows.
• Buyers have to be ready for a mortgage. The program is for first-time buyers who can show steady income and get mortgage prequalification.
• Down payment help exists. RootedHomes lists up to $18,000 in first-time homebuyer down payment assistance.

Redmond's resale market is less tight than Bend's right now

If Northpoint doesn't affect your timeline, Redmond's resale market does. As of September 2026, the Redmond area had 168 single-family homes listed and 557 sold over the previous 12 months. That works out to four months of inventory, the third month in a row at that level. The Bend area had three months of inventory, with 492 homes listed, and its median days on market for September sales was 38.

The extra month of supply helps buyers. More competing listings give a buyer more room to ask for repairs, credits or a better price. That holds most of all in the $400,000 to $500,000 range, where Redmond has the most sales.

Two other September 2026 figures matter. Cash purchases in the Redmond area rose to 16, up from 5 in August, while conventional-loan purchases held at 25. A buyer using a mortgage in Redmond this fall is competing with more cash offers than they would have in late summer. Permits for new detached single-family homes dropped from 58 in July to 15 in September. That suggests fewer new homes will be finished in the coming months, on top of the Northpoint homes that are still a year or more away.

What this means for buyers comparing towns

For a buyer comparing Redmond with Bend, Prineville or Sisters, Northpoint Vista helps explain what Redmond will look like in a few years. The land trust homes are a separate path into ownership, with income limits, an application process and a resale limit. If you qualify and plan to stay a long time, they're worth looking into on RootedHomes' timeline. Everyone else will be buying from Redmond's current listings this winter and spring, at four months of inventory, with cash offers rising.

FAQ

Can anyone buy a home at Northpoint Vista? Not yet. The first homes under construction are the 30 RootedHomes land trust houses, which are for first-time buyers who meet income limits. Pahlisch Homes and Cobalt plan to start the market-rate homes in 2027.

Where exactly is Northpoint Vista? It's on the east side of Redmond, in the northeast part of town, on 40 acres that were brought into the city's growth boundary through the state pilot.

Does a land trust home build equity? Yes, but within limits. The owner holds the house with a regular mortgage and gets what RootedHomes calls a fair return on resale, and the home must be sold to another income-qualified buyer. A February 2026 state land-use commission document on Northpoint says these homeowners will follow RootedHomes' shared-equity resale formula, which is set out in its ground lease and homeownership program policies.

This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Before acting on a ground lease, an income limit or a resale restriction, check your own situation with an attorney, a lender or the program itself.

If you're deciding between a Redmond resale now and waiting for Northpoint Vista, Brandon Cook Bostick can show you what four months of inventory means on the streets you're considering and help you compare the two options with real numbers. If you already own in Redmond and want to know where your home falls in the $400,000 to $500,000 range, start with a free home valuation.