Dody's Blog

Real Estate in the Mat Su Valley!

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:17:48 -0500

It is an absolutely beautiful Spring evening here in the Mat Su Valley. The temps must be near 60 degrees and there isn't a cloud in the sky!

Real estate is doing well. Interest rates dropped back down again today and a steady stream of new listings come in each day. Along with that the pending and sales continue to be steady. We have about 7 months of inventory at this time. I still expect the inventory to pick up but right now it is holding pretty steady just over 700.

I just listed a couple of lots, one in Big Lake and one off of Upper Fire Lake in Eagle River. Check out my website www.dodykettler.com for more information!

I also reduced my home on Highlander Loop today. This ia just a beautiful 4 bedroom, 3 bath that sits on 2.81 acres. Horses allowed and a home warranty is included. Again, check out my website for more information.

Enjoy the daylight! Soon we will be fishing in the bright early mornings here in the Mat Su. If you are from out of state, make sure and get out and enjoy everything about Alaska! It is a great place to live.

Thursday Thoughts...4/24/08

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:27:31 -0500

It is turning into a beautiful Spring here in Alaska. The temperatures here at our house have reached 60 the last few days! The sun is out when I get up and still there when I go to sleep! I LOVE IT!

Along with Spring comes the bears! They have been waking out of their winter sleep over the past few weeks and yesterday this article was in the paper:

http://registration.adn.com/static/insite52/register.html?goto=http%3A//www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/384525.html

The first bear mauling of the year according to this article.

For those new and moving to the area there are a few things you can learn from this young man. First, PLEASE...never, never, never leave out food or dog food. Store it in a tightly closed container in the garage and put it out for pick up just before the garbage pick up arrives or take it to the dump in a timely manner. You might even be careful not to have food in your car. We have seen many times when bear decide to tear a car apart to get at the food. NEVER have your dog food or dog bowl out in the yard. My neighbors did that and the bears learned to open the gate to get at the dog food. The other thing you might learn from this young man is not to run from a bear. You are to stand your ground and then, if the bear continues to attack you, you are to play dead. Evidently this young man turned and ran. Most times momma bear with cubs will want to scare you and may even bite or hit you, but then will leave. They are usually defending their cubs and are not there to eat you. So, stand your ground if you can and then play dead and hopefully you will come away intact! LOL

On to Real Estate...interest rates were up just a bit yesterday to 6.25. Still great rates from a Realtor stand point. Anything under 7% is a great rate. If you were thinking of buying and haven't taken the first steps of pre-qualification, you might want to get that done. Annie Davenport at HomeState Mortgage Co is awesome. I work closely with Annie and trust her to do the best job for my clients.

Take advantage of this beautiful weather to get out there and see what is on the market. Check out my website for all of my listings! www.dodykettler.com

Just listed a great little ranch with a view in Palmer. It won't last long.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Tuesday Thoughts...4/15/08

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:47:40 -0500

I wanted to highlight one of my listings today. In case anyone was waiting until we had physical access to the Crystal Creek property in Eagler River...we now have access. We hiked this beautiful property with the owner on Sunday. What a glorious day it was and the views of the Eagle River Valley, the inlet, mountains, river and glacier were fabulous (before the clouds rolled in and it began to snow! LOL).

If you are interested in almost 10 acres around the 5.8 mile mark of Eagle River Road, give me a call or send me an email or look at MLS # 08-1710.

Here are some photos from Sunday:

Again, contact me for more information!

Quote of the Day:

Every job is a self portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence.
Anonymous

Tuesday Thoughts...4/1/08

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:06:40 -0500

April! That means it is another month closer to fishing season! I usually only fish for Salmon, so round about the middle of June I start hitting it hard for King Salmon! That means in 10 weeks I will be Salmon fishing! It is good that I can fish early in the morning before anyone needs a Realtor.

Yesterday we saw that listings here in the Valley jumped up quite a bit. That is good news. The bad news is that buyers and sellers are not coming to terms as easily as they should and we still have houses priced too high and buyers wanting to give too little. In case you are believing all the media says, here in the Valley, home prices are actually up 2%. That isn't much, but it is enough to prevent this from being a buyer's market.

Another note: I have had 2 multiple offer situations in the last few weeks. If you are looking at houses in the $200,000 range and you see something that is priced well and you like it...BUY IT! It won't be there the next day. I showed 6 houses on Wednesday and by Saturday 3 of them had pended.

Another hint for first time home buyers: It is difficult to buy a house when you are looking at the top of your price range and you have no money for closing. It leaves us with no room to negotiate. Save some negotiation room. You are probably going to need it right now.

Thought of the day:

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

Albert Einstein

Monday Musings...3/31/08

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:42:22 -0500

Wow! March is over and April is at the doorstep and life is moving so quickly!

Real estate is picking up in the Valley. We are starting to see more houses up for sale and more pendings and closings so that is a good thing for home buyers and sellers. I assume things will continue to pick up as we move into the summer season here in the Valley! The days are getting longer and warmer and the mountains SHINE in the beautiful sun. My family climbed the Butte this weekend and what a view we got from the top! Makes me happy I live in Alaska!

This morning I want to let everyone know that I have started using something called 'Talking House' for all of my listings! Just pull up to the sign in front of my houses and turn your radio dial to the channel indicated on the sign and listen to great information about that specific listing along with helps from me and, at this point, Annie Davenport from Homestate Mortgage Co. Talking house transmitters should be up and running in all my listings as of Friday of this week. If you are in the area, stop and listen at these locations:

2115 N Monte Vista (recently reduced to $310,000!!!)

1045 W Woodstock (great commute location for military)

1690 S Harvest Loop (new listing, beautiful home with tons of upgrades)

I would love some feedback on this. Please take the time to call me at 232-7331, email me at dkettler@prualaska.com or leave a comment here on my BLOG or the BLOG on my website at http://www.dodykettler.com/

Have a great first week of April!

Thought for the day: Live now. Make now always the most precious time.
Now will never come again.
-- Captain Jean-Luc Picard, U.S.S. Enterprise

Friday Fog!

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:06:35 -0600

Well, it has been some time since I blogged. A trip to Dallas and then too much work makes me unable to get everything done I want to!

I thought today I would highlight my listings in case anyone might be looking for what I have!

My Monte Vista home was drastically reduced yesterday! MLS #08-814 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 2255 sf, 1.01 acres, fenced, landscaped, all appliances and window coverings stay. Security system. Take a look at my website for pictures and more details! It is a screamin' deal!

My Woodstock home continues to have lots of lookers. It is a great buy with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, prow front, 2 car garage, fenced and a 6 person hot tub. Priced at $212,000 it is a great buy. Great communte location and within walking distance to Palmer. Again, check out my website. MLS # 08-1005

My land listings continue to draw a lot of interested. I have 9.77 acres in the mountains up Eagle River Road. Lots of interest and a great price of $79900! MLS #08-1710

I also have 40 acres near Big Lake that continue to draw interest. This is a GREAT deal at $97500! MLS # 08-1749

Have a great weekend. Stop by my Monte Vista open house Sunday from 10-noon for a cup of java and a cookie!

All of these are listed on my website and in the AK MLS

Monday Musings...what we do for fun!

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:49:55 -0600

Okay, take a peek at this link to see what we in Alaska do for fun in the dead of winter! This is a YouTube video of the 'Running of the Reindeer' in downtown Anchorage yesterday during the Fur Rondy event.

Looks like fun to me. I may have to be one of the runners next year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MBj_L67__Y&feature=related

Sunday something??

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:59:20 -0600

I try not to do a lot of work on Sundays, but I am home with a shoulder injury today so I thought I would take a little bit of time to catch up on my blog.

It has been an interesting week for me. As I continue to ponder the thoughts of the MatSu Valley being a buyer's market, I continue to find reasons I believe it wouldn't qualify as a 'true' buyer's market. At this time, our inventory is lower than this time last year. The average price of homes sold is up a bit, interests rates have come up 1 full percentage point since three weeks ago. My idea of a true buyer's market would be lower interest rates (although I feel anything under 7 is great), LOTS of inventory and prices lower than previously priced.

I think what we have here in the Valley is a 'perceived' buyer's market as the offers I am seeing are asking for many concessions from seller's and some are willing to do so. I see much lower priced offers as buyers think they can offer what they want, but I also see sellers not willing to accept these low offers. They seem to be willing to make concessions as to closing costs and things though.

It is all very interesting to me and I will continue to ponder as the market changes.

In case you are visiting the Valley, the next couple of weeks hold many wonderful events! Fur Rondy is happening RIGHT NOW. We enjoyed a beautiful, sunny, semi-warm day yesterday and were able to watch the dog pull events. It is so amazing to see these 40 pound dogs pull 920 pounds and then watch the 200 pound dogs pull nearly 2000 pounds! We saw the snow sculptures being completed and watch people from everyone enjoying the carnival and helicopter rides. What a wonderful thing in the midst of winter in Alaska.

From the Rondy comes the Iditarod. Next Saturday, the ceremonial start begins in downtown Anchorage and on Sunday the actual start of the race begins in Willow. If you get a chance to attend either starts, I highly recommend doing so. I will be in Dallas for a conference this year so will be unable to attend, but my family will be in attendance for me as we don't like to miss this event. Last year we cheered for Matt Hayashida and will do the same this year. Of course we all love Lance Mackey and will cheer him on also. If you get a change to view the DVD made from last year's race you will be in for a treat. It is so professionally done and just an amazing addition to anyone's Alaska collection. It can be purchase through the Iditarod homepage, linked above.

It is a great week to be Alaskan! Get out an enjoy some superb events, and take a peek at some great real estate. If you need some assistance, I will be glad to help.

Monday Musings...interest rates?

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:05:37 -0600

About three weeks ago we saw interest rates hit as low as 5.3. As of Friday morning they were at 6.125. That is quite a change in just a few weeks. When the rates hit 5.3 I asked some lenders what they felt the rates would do and although they wished they could really figure it out, they thought they would not drop much more and would start increasing. Here we are today with rates almost 1 percentage higher, so their 'gut' feelings were correct. I am interested to find out what this week holds as far as interest rates.

Any predictions on the short-term and long-term interest rates? If so, leave your comments here! I would love to see what others are thinking.

Fantastic Friday...Open house this weekend!

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:48:31 -0600

It is Friday and here at my house we are in the middle of a blizzard. We warmed up to 40+ degrees yesterday, melted a bunch of snow, turned my driveway to ice and now it is 14 and a full-blown blizzard is underway! Got to LOVE Alaska weather. You are never bored!

I am hosting an open house for my Monte Vista listing on Saturday. This house is just beautiful. I hope anyone who has buyers who need something in the low 300's will come by tomorrow and have the chance to walk through this home. This is a 4 bedroom with extra utility room, laundry room, master suite with jacuzzi tub, prow front, great room, breathtaking views of Pioneer Peak, a 2 car tuck-under garage along with a detached, heated 2 car garage/shop in addition to the tuck-under. 1.01 acres of land, fenced and landscaped. All appliances (including washer and dryer) and window coverings stay with the home.

I hope some of you in the community and fellow Realtors come take a look at this home.

Tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 16th from 1-3pm

2115 N Monte Vista

Take the Palmer-Wasilla towards Wasilla. Rt on Monte Vista (just before Equestrian Acres.) The house is up Monte Vista on the right. Look for the Prudential Open House signs.

Enjoy your weekend everyone. Every day is a gift!

Thursday Thoughts...

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:40:53 -0600

Wednesday came and went without a blog post! I didn't have time to figure out exact how I feel about it being a true buyer's market here in the Valley. I know there is certainly a 'lean' towards a buyer's market here in the Valley, BUT...loans are more difficult to get and inventory is still low, so I can't say that I would call it a true buyer's market...I may be wrong! Hopefully by next week I will be able to add a few more things up and decide what I really think. There are good deals out there for buyers who are pre-qualified that is for sure, but not much new construction.

Speaking of good deals! How about some land in Eagle River or Big Lake? Here are my new listings as of yesterday.

9.77 acres in Eagle River on Crystal Creek at the end of Eagle River Road. Rectangular lot is 1290X330. Power is in the area, but no physical access at this time. Once the snow clears a bit there will be access by trail. This is a great deal at only $79,900! My seller is also interested in REMOTE property and might be willing to trade for a comparable remote property. MLS # is 08-1710 for more details, or call Dody Kettler at 232-7331 or Larry Maulden at 360-9454. We are co-listing this property.

Aren't interested in Eagle River property? How about near Big Lake? I have 40 acres that is part bluff and part wetlands, with a creek running through the property. This is in the burn area so fresh growth is evident. A great mountain view too! Another great deal at $97,500! Again, access is by snow machine or hiking in at this time, but soon will be trail accessible. MLS # 08-1749 for more details, or call Dody Kettler at 232-7331. This is the same owner and again, owner may be willing to trade for comparable remote property.

Tuesday Tips...

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:55:20 -0600

Staging your home:

The first things potential buyers see is the entrance and front door of your home. The first thing you should do to attract buyers is to make the front entrance and front door appealing. Some basic landscaping (which is a little difficult to do in Alaska in the winter), some paint (most say a red door attracts customers), some new hardware, a little elbow grease, a nice mat and a plant can make all the difference as potential buyers look at your house. In today's market, buyers are looking at MANY houses before they decide on the house of their choice. Your house needs to stand out to them. So, take a little time to get that 'first impression' of your house a positive one. It will pay in the end.

Take a look back at last Tuesday Tips for my local listings. Later today I will have two separate lots of land available and will post them here. If you are looking for land in Eagle River or near Big Lake, give me a call! I may have what you are looking for! 232-7331

Monday Musings...Days on Market

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:26:22 -0600

A beautiful Monday morning where the extreme cold temperatures have given way to warmer temps (5 above this morning) and lots of snow falling! I love it. What a nice way to start another week in Alaska. Not only are the temperatures rising, but the sun is hitting our house again! We live on the south side of a mountain and for a few weeks in the winter the sun doesn't hit our house...but NO LONGER! We have SUN!

This week I have been researching the 'days on market' information and statistics from the AK MLS. I have found it very interesting as I have taken the time to look at these numbers.

I decided to check 2007 for average DOM for Palmer and Wasilla only, for closed, pending and expired, for residential and for existing and new construction already built. Those are the parameters I seem to work with the most often, so the things I was most interested in. Hopefully you find these numbers interesting:

These are from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007:

Area	Number of Sales	Average DOM


PA - Palmer	282	78



WA - Wasilla	781	76

These are from January 1, 2008 through today, February 11, 2008

Area	Number of Sales	Average DOM


PA - Palmer	20	71

WA - Wasilla	51	120

AlaskaMLS disclaimer..."This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to, the subscribers of Alaska Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (AK MLS, Inc.). AK MLS, Inc. does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by AK MLS, Inc. is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. "

Fantastic Friday...Open houses this weekend!

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:09:55 -0600

Friday! I love Fridays.

Information about my open houses this weekend:

Tomorrow, Feb. 9th, I will be at my 2115 N Monte Vista home in Palmer from 2-4pm. I took about 25 Realtors through this house yesterday on our Prudential tour and they all think it is a great house. If you have a buyer in the 300s range, please take them by and see this house. I have it listed on my Tuesday blog post so I won't list it again here, but call me at 232-7331 if you are interested in a showing, or stop by the open house tomorrow and say hello.

Sunday, Feb. 10th, I will be out at The Ranch off of Fairview Loop in Palmer. Look for the Prudential Open House signs! This is new construction. The open house is in a 'sold' version of this builder's plans which will be available for viewing at the open house. If you want more information, call me...or again, stop by and see this for yourself. We will be there from 1-4.

Lots of great new properties are hitting the market as of late. Interest rates are low! If you have been thinking of buying, this might just be the time to actually do it.

Dody Kettler

Prudential Jack White/Vista Real Estate

232-7331

Thursday Thoughts...

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:17:10 -0600

At the Valley Board of Realtor's monthly meeting yesterday, we had the opportunity to listen to Neil Fried, Alaska's state economist. He was full of wonderful information and really fun to listen to. I found some of the information from Neil to be very helpful in learning more about real estate in the MatSu Valley. Here are a few highlights from Neil's presentation:

The MatSu Valley experienced its 11th year of uninterrupted economic growth.
Job growth slowed however in 2007, but still increased.
The MatSu lost 170 jobs in the construction field in 2007.
56% of the folks that live in the Valley, work in the Valley...this does not include self-employed or the Federal Government.
Mining statewide is up.
Oil production is down, but those employed in Prudhoe Bay increased to 9000.
There are more registered vehicles in the MatSu Valley than there are PEOPLE!
The average home in the MatSu Valley sold for just about $228,000 last year.
Those who work with demographic predict the population in the MatSu will rise by 44% by the year 2020.

The overall impression I got from Neil's presentation was that our MatSu Valley economy is strong, though slower than the last 4 years. This is good news to me as I try and make heads or tails out of our nation's economy and our local real estate market.

If any of you get a chance to hear Neil, I highly recommend you doing so. He is very entertaining and so very informative. A big kudos to the Valley Board of Realtors for hosting Neil!

Wednesday Wonderings???

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:58:08 -0600

If there is one question I am asked regularly, if not daily, it is "Is this a buyer's or seller's market?"

If you, as a consumer or Realtor, have a definite answer one way or the other, I would be interested to hear your thoughts and why you feel this way. Alaska, and more so the MatSu Valley, seem to have their own micro-economy making it hard to determine this question for me.

What makes it a buyer or seller's market? What is your definition of these titles?

Next Wednesday I will give you my 'definition' and give you my thoughts on the market here in the Valley. Until then, I would love to get comments as to what you believe this market is today. If you live in another area, I would greatly enjoy hearing what you feel your market is and why. Just tell me where you are from, what 'title' you would give your market and the whys behind that title.

Until then...stay warm! Here in Alaska it is 20 below this morning!

Tuesdays Tips...TWO! Listings in Palmer!

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:44:43 -0600

2115 N Monte Vista in Palmer, AK AK MLS #08-814

4 bedroom, 3 bath on 1.01 acres. Two story with great room, prow front, master suite with jacuzzi tub. All appliances and window coverings stay. Fenced, landscaped and a breathtaking view of Pioneer Peak.

Call Dody Kettler at 232-7331 if you are interested in a private showing.

1045 W. Woodstock Dr in Palmer, AK AK MLS #08-1005

4 bedroom, 2 bath in a great commute location, within walking distance to downtown Palmer. Two story, fenced with a 6 person hot tub in the backyard. Great for relaxing amongst the Northern Lights! This house has been beautifully maintained and a HOME WARRANTY is included.

Call Dody Kettler at 232-7331 if you are interested in a private showing.

Tuesday Tips...

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:19:16 -0600

Pre-Qualify!

In today's market, sellers are looking for solid, pre-qualified buyers for their homes. It only takes a short amount of time to get pre-qualified. Items you will need in order to do so are as follows:

Pay-stubs for last 30 days

W-2's & 1099's for last 2 years

Federal tax returns complete with all schedules and attachments

Bank statements for last 2 months including checking, savings, stocks, mutual funds, retirement accounts

VA Certificate of Eligibility & DD214 from eligible veterans

Address and Landlord history

There may be additional items you will need depending on the individual circumstances or the loan program being applied for.

If you have not pre-qualified here in Alaska but would like to, contact Annie Davenport at Homestate Mortgage. She is wonderful to work with! 352-4248

Monday Musings...Pt II

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:15:48 -0600

Because tomorrow is 'Super Tuesday' I thought I would pass on this link. My friend and fellow Realtor, Marty Van Diest has a great post about the primary and caucus and some helpful links if you are unsure who to vote for. Please check out Marty's wonderful blog at www.valleymarket.com

Monday Musings...

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:02:08 -0600

Monday, February 4th, 2008

Taken from the Alaska MLS. These are the most current market conditions from January 1st-February 3rd, 2008:

Property Type

Area

Current Active

New

Pend

Sold

Average Sales Price

DOM

Residential	BG - Big Lake	37	12	5	3	184,333	121
Residential	HO - Houston	25	4	1	2	234,500	138
Residential	PA - Palmer	137	34	16	19	226,559	105
Residential	PM - Pt McKenzie	1	0	0	0		49
Residential	WA- Wasilla	369	90	44	58	218,463	117
Residential	WI- Willow	38	6	2	1	275,000	162

Watching these statistic each day provides valuable information for me as a Realtor and for you as a buyer or seller in the unique market that is the MatSu Valley of Alaska. The inventory in the Valley is increasing each week. I expect the inventory to continue to increase as Spring approaches. If we would compare the DOM (Days on Market) to last year, we would find a significant increase. I will do the research on that and post it here possibly next Monday in my Monday Musings.

Real Estate in Wasilla and Palmer, Alaska! Calling all Military!!!

Dody Kettler (Prudential Jack White/Vista) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:25:57 -0600

Welcome to my real estate blog!

Calling all Military! Have you always dreamed of orders to Alaska? Have you been given orders to Alaska and are unsure you want them? Are you being asked to serve your country in another area besides Alaska and have to give up your home here? If so, you are in the right place!

Dody Kettler is married to a Air Force man and has been stationed all over the world. Her ability to work in different and difficult situations is heralded by her friends and clients. It is that ability that she wants to share with you as you begin, continue or end your military career in Alaska.

Many military members who are stationed at Elmendorf AFB or Fort Richardson Army Post, while working in the Anchorage area, find affordable, hometown living in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley (known as the Mat-Su Valley) of Alaska. This beautiful Valley consists of smaller towns like Palmer, Wasilla and Big Lake. The Valley is within a reasonable commute to both bases and has become very sought after by the military community.

Dody is very familiar with the requirements of military living, the desires of military family members and their sponsers and works to enhance your living experience here in Alaska. Working with military families not only offers great rewards, but is exciting and just plain fun!

If you or someone you know need more information about housing in the Mat-Su Valley, don't hesitate to call Dody Kettler at (907)232-7331. This military wife and mother, and ALASKAN FISHERWOMAN will be able to help you find your Alaskan dream...or help ease the pain of leaving this fantastic state!

Dody helps you "Know the realities...find the dreams" in this grand land!

Contact her today!