jesse and kathy clifton: It's an American thing... - 04/16/09 12:20 AM
5:35AM. The view from the bedroom window was bleak.  Is that snow?  It was a morning that, if not for promises made, I would have succumbed to the urge to drift back to sleep.  Not today. Today we were going arm in arm with our fellow citizens to make our collective voices heard. 
"It's not a Republican thing... It's not a Democrat thing.  It's an American thing."  Partisan attacks were nowhere to be seen on this day.  We gathered... young, old, black, white, business owners, retirees and the recently unemployed... out of a growing anger that our representatives seem to have … (10 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Give Me Liberty... - 04/15/09 12:32 PM

More later, but the Fairbanks Tax Day Tea Party turnout was... GREAT!
… (13 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Fairbanks Ak Real Estate - Market Report - 04/15/09 07:33 AM
Fairbanks, Alaska Real Estate - Market Report As much as it will surprise many buyers, and a few sellers, parts of the Fairbanks market are starting to strongly favor sellers. A limited inventory of homes for sale is causing buyers to scramble for, and in many cases, compete with other buyers for homes. I've talked to no less than 7 or 8 agents in the past couple of weeks who say their clients lost 'the house' because of multiple offers. It's true. Multiple offers are alive and well in Fairbanks. North Pole, for example, has seen a marked decrease in the … (4 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: A Modern Revolution - Fairbanks, Alaska Tax Day Tea Party - 04/13/09 01:38 PM

It's time to send a message to our government... Stop Spending Our Money. 
I have long been a small government fiscal conservative.  The Federal Government was not designed to be nor did the Founding Fathers dream it would ever evolve into a bloated, inefficient, constituent ignoring, revenue inhaling entitlement distribution center. 
It's time for a modern Declaration of Independence from those who serve only to further their own power.  We need to return this nation to her people.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government … (11 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: The place I call home... - 04/12/09 06:57 PM

 
… (14 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: The art of the deal...or not - 04/12/09 08:22 AM
Principles of negotiation.  Books have been written about it.  Speakers travel the world lecturing about it.  Millions have been spent trying to uncover the secret.  For some, it will remain an abstract principle they will sadly never master.
A few weeks ago I had the chance to speak with a fellow for whom negotiations had not been a kind mistress.  This fellow, we'll call him Stanley, set out to buy a home for his family and ended up outmaneuvered by a more skilled negotiator into a contract he now wishes he had never signed.
Stanley and his family had been renting … (56 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Tell the world... - 04/12/09 12:39 AM
He's alive.... He's alive and we're forgiven!  Our debts have been paid in full.


It was arguably the greatest gift man will ever know.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Nailed to a rough-hewn cross and left to die. But, it was a flame they could not extinguish.  This day we celebrate the life that rose from the dead.
This day as every day, I Surrender All.  May God Bless and Keep You.
… (24 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Bullwinklette and Friends - 04/08/09 11:32 PM
One of the tidbits we always pass along to folks new to Alaska is to mind your pets and children when outside and never leave them unattended. Bears, wolves, and moose are routinely spotted in local neighborhoods.  While we're a little bigger than the fictional town of Cicely on Northern Exposure, we still regularly see critters wandering around town oblivious to the urban sprawl. 
This is still their country.
I snapped these photos this afternoon near the Airport Way/University Avenue intersection.  Although there were lots of rubberneckers and a few people, including yours truly, snapping photo's, Mamma and Baby were too … (55 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Spring in the Interior... - 04/07/09 08:27 PM
It isn't exactly an Kincaid landscape, is it?.  Like many of our northern neighbors we're still covered in snow.  A lot of it.  The good news is it is melting. The bad news is it's taking it's sweet time about it. 

 While I'll admit that I'm not overly fond of watching the mercury drop below negative sixty, I love winter.  The beauty that comes with a drastically altered landscape, weekend trips to the mountains to sit in front of a roaring fire and drink hot toddies or picnicking on the back of the snowmachine in the middle of a frosted forest. … (13 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Witchin' Wednesday... Up, Up and Away - 03/04/09 02:09 PM

 
Sometimes there's nothing like a little time in the air to clear the cobwebs from your brain. Btw, Don, don't get any wild ideas. :)
… (20 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Speechless Sunday... - 02/28/09 08:43 PM
... or not.
This seal is one of many adorning the vault doors in the old Courthouse.  Originally built as a Federal Courthouse in 1932, the building is now office condo's in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska.  This is one of about a dozen vaults in the building, most of which have had the lock mechanism removed... but a select few still remain. 

… (12 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Wordy Wednesday - 02/25/09 10:08 AM

The worst is behind us... winter weather, that is.  It seems as though we have passed through the dark days of winter and are emerging into spring mode. 
It's a little early yet t break out the John Deere and although we'll have snow on the ground for a while longer we're earerly looking forward to summer.
Before we know it we'll be having backyard BBQ's, planning trips to the lake and digging out my 'Fear No Fish' cap to slay some salmon.  There'll be trips to McKinley, wildlife to view and friends and family will start piling into Hotel … (33 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: First-time Buyers of Fairbanks, Alaska homes get up to an $8,000 Rebate! - 02/19/09 07:16 PM
First time buyers of Fairbanks, Alaska homes get up to an $8,000 Rebate!
The "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" recently signed into law improves the Federal tax credit to first-time Fairbanks homebuyers.  This is a credit back to first time Fairbanks homebuyers or a credit against taxes currently owed to Uncle Sam.
How does this apply to Fairbanks homebuyers? To qualify for the tax credit...
You have to be a first time home buyer; meaning the borrower(s) can not have owned a home at anytime in the last three years; Your income can't exceed $75,000 for a single borrower or … (13 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: When EXACTLY is enough, enough? - 02/09/09 10:33 AM
The news de jour today is that the US Senate is voting on yet another proposed economic stimulus package.  Well, pardon me if I don't break out my pom-pom's and kazoo and shout hallelujah.  I actually feel more like sitting on the curb, putting my head in my hands and saying a prayer the Capitol will suddenly fall into a giant sinkhole never to be seen again.
When do we say enough is enough? 
"The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government’s commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than … (106 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Fairbanks AK Real Estate - December 2008 Market Review - 02/03/09 05:10 PM
Fairbanks Alaska Real Estate - December 2008 Market Review
Yes, the title says December. It's been a busy month for the Fairbanks estate market... or at least it has for our office. End of month stats will ultimately tell the tale if it's market wide.  
We saw some surprising numbers in December.  Although the number of Fairbanks homes sold was down 19% over December 2007, we saw a near 36% increase in sales over November 2008. Many folks I spoke to were expecting the December numbers to be quite bleak.
Homes in Fairbanks spent less time on the market in December … (0 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Attention: Eielson AFB Students - Scholarship Funds Available - 02/03/09 06:06 AM
Together, the Air Force Sergeants Association, the Airmen Memorial Foundation and the Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force Association offer annual scholarships to eligible, dependent children of Air Force Active Duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command enlisted members and Air Force Sergeants Association Members in active, retired or veteran status.More than $1.5 million has been awarded through the AFSA Scholarship programs.  Dependents with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and a minimum combined SAT score of 1650 or a combined ACT score of 24 are encouraged to submit an application.  Applications for the upcoming academic year … (3 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Mt. Redoubt....Where have all the virgins gone? (LOCALISM FEATURED) - 02/02/09 07:54 AM
Yesterday while standing in line at the grocery store I overheard two fellows talking about Mt. Redoubt.  I was thumbing through the latest National Enquirer Alaska magazine while waiting on the cashier to figure out what the produce code for a yellow squash was when I overheard...
"All we need is to find a few good virgins and the volcano gods will be happy again."
After a round of hearty laughter the other fellow looks at him and says "yea right, do they even make them anymore." 
The official news from the Alaska Volcano Observatory is that we're still experiencing significant … (53 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Fairbanks Condominium Directory - 2008 Market Review - 02/01/09 05:31 PM
Fairbanks Alaska Condominiums... All the benefits of home ownership without all the work. Sound good? If so, a Fairbanks condominium might be perfect. Fairbanks has a wide variety of condominium projects to choose from starting with a cozy 1 bedroom 1 bath flat for $88,000 to a stunning new condominium development on the Chena River for $350,000. Most Fairbanks condominium fees include heating oil/natural gas, water/sewer, lawn care, snow removal, refuse service, structural insurance and building maintenance. There are a handful of condominiums that include everything listed above except heating oil/natural gas. For those select developments the condominium fees are generally … (4 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Mt. Redoubt Eruption Update... - 02/01/09 06:21 AM

News from the Alaska Volcano Observatory this morning suggest we're getting closer to a Mt. Redoubt eruption.  Located approximately 95 miles southwest of Anchorage, Mt. Redoubt has been showing increased seismec activity for more than  a week. 
While an eruption hasn't ocurred yet, smoke plumes have been spotted on a number of ocassions and hole in the glacier has greatly enlarged since the last AVO overflight, suggesting the likelyhood of an eruption remains very high.
According to the latest measurements, the opening in the glacier is now the size of two football fields wide and increasing.  The photo to the … (20 comments)

jesse and kathy clifton: Alaskans brace for Redoubt Volcano eruption - 01/30/09 07:48 PM
It's not as though we haven't had our share of weather challenges this year.  According to a meteorologist friend, the nice little cold snap we recently experienced is getting ready to pale in comparison to the cool temps heading our way.  What was 60 below zero could very well turn into 80 below.Now, of course we're hearing rumblings that Mt. Redoubt near Anchorage is getting ready to blow her top.  The folks at the Alaska Volcano Observatory have observed significant seismic activity at Redoubt, signaling an eruption could be imminent. An AVO observation flight this afternoon reported no sign of ash … (26 comments)