alaska: Escape The Matanuska Wind
- 01/10/10 03:03 PM
I thought I'd make a video today about the Matanuska Wind. This wind howls down the Matanuska River Valley in the winter. Usually we get 5-6 good wind storms a winter. These usually last several days each and there is no where to hide. Well, almost no where. The Butte area outside of Palmer usually does not get this wind and today was no different. The wind was strong everywhere EXCEPT between Clark-Wolverine Road and the Butte. The video is 8:28 minutes long and gives you a good idea what one of our wind storms are like.
This map shows … (4 comments)
alaska: Point Mackenzie Is A Happening Place
- 12/02/09 05:50 PM
A deep water port, a new prison, Burma Landing for fishing, a new ferry system in the future as well as a possible railroad extension are just some of the attractions in the area. This area is about 16 miles from downtown Wasilla on a paved road so it's easy to access. Port Mackenzie is a growing deep water port. I just found out today that the dock will double in size next summer so that much larger ships will be able to dock there. When the planned rail way spur goes in this area will explode with commercial activity. … (2 comments)
alaska: This Buyer Hit The Jackpot !
- 11/22/09 05:52 PM
We just helped a buyer close on this brand new home with a fantastic loan. This buyer just happened to hit all the right qualifications for interest rate reductions. She ended up with a 4.375 fixed 30 year loan. AND she received $15,500 back after closing, AND she paid ZERO down. The buyer qualified for the AHFC reduced interest rates for lower income buyers, and bought a 5 star plus home so qualified for another interest rate reduction. Combining the AHFC loan with a rural development loan provided the zero down payment. Since this was a first time home buyer … (5 comments)
alaska: Alaskan Alternative Energy
- 04/20/09 06:17 PM
Alaska is slowly becoming a leader in Alternative Energy solutions. There are several factors that tend to bend Alaska in that direction. One of the reasons Alaska is moving out in front in the alternative/renewable energy field is the many different options that are available. We have rivers galore, tidal and wave action in the oceans, geothermal possibilities all over the place, wind and more wind, and believe it or not we get a lot of sun. Actually, we get a lot of sun in the summer…not so much in the winter. The fact that hydro-fuels are so expensive in many … (0 comments)
alaska: Technology and Real Estate
- 04/11/09 07:16 PM
I got an Iphone today. It made me aware of how much technology has changed the way we do business. I remember my first experience on the Internet when I was the tech worker at the University of Alaska library in Fairbanks back in 1981. I kept the copy machines running, microfilmed old books, operated the only fax machine on campus, and sent an occasional message on a computer over the Internet for some VIP on campus. Then we got cell phones, digital cameras, and more. Now I can update my blog from my Iphone. If you would like me to … (0 comments)
alaska: Sharks in Alaska?
- 12/22/07 04:25 AM
If you have been paying any attention at all to real estate news in Alaska you should have noticed this story in the Anchorage Daily News about nine people charged with mortgage fraud. They had almost every level of a real estate transaction involved in the scheme. They had buyers, sellers, loan officers, a title officer, and an appraiser. It’s pretty amazing that they were able to pull this kind of stuff. What people don’t think about is that real people are often hurt in these scams. In this particular case I don’t know of anyone hurt, but just this past … (1 comments)
alaska: Alaska's Matanuska Valley in the Fall
- 10/05/07 12:24 PM
The family and I took a trip up the Glenn Highway last weekend. The Glenn Highway is part of the National Scenic Byway system. I was showing a house about 60 miles from Palmer so we made it a family outing. The photo above shows the Matanuska River Valley, with King Mountain on the right and Castle Mountain on the left. They are in two different Mountain Ranges. Castle Mountain is part of the Talkeetna Mountains and King Mountain is part of the Chugach Range. This photo is taken about 10 miles east of Palmer and looking to the east. At the … (2 comments)
alaska: Rehab Loans For Alaskan Investors
- 08/18/07 07:03 PM
I often talk with people who are interested in purchasing “fixer-uppers” as an investment in Wasilla and Palmer. Problem is, usually these properties are so degraded that they don’t qualify for financing and the investor is stuck in a catch-22. It is the kind of house that you can make money on, but you need cash to purchase it. I recently discovered from Jo Oxentenko that the rehab loans work for investors as well. I thought these loans were only available to people that were going to occupy the home themselves but she informed me that investors can use them as … (1 comments)
alaska: Alaskan Acreage in Wasilla
- 06/19/07 06:37 PM
Every once in awhile a real special property hits the Wasilla Real Estate Market. This is one of those properties. This 94 acres is part of a homestead that has been in one family for many decades. The cabin was originally built in 1962, and as you can see from the photos, (click to expand photos), it is in really good condition. The land is level and almost completely wooded. There is about a 5 acre hayfield in the back of the property. Wildflowers line the field and some irises are volunteering right out in the middle. This is a great … (5 comments)
It’s hard to describe this property, you really need to feel it. Idle down the lupine lined drive into a secluded park-like setting.
Thirty seven acres of your own secluded park. And talk about secluded, check out this aerial shot from Google Earth…see any neighbors? That little dot in the center is the cabin and the shop. This property is about 3/4 mile off of the Glenn Highway south of mile 93. It is surrounded almost totally … (6 comments)
alaska: Alaska Wilderness, Own Your Own Piece Of It
- 04/30/07 02:40 PM
Have you dreamed of owning a piece of the real Alaska? I mean the kind of property where your nearest neighbours are moose and other wildlife, rather than smelly cars and trucks? Have you dreamed of building your own log cabin from logs gathered from your own land? Here is your opportunity, for only $15,000. This lakefront parcel is smack dab in the middle of a beautiful part of Alaska. Although it's only about 40 miles northwest of Anchorage by air, it would take a two hour drive by car the boat launch at Deshka Landing, then down the Susitna to the mouth of … (2 comments)
alaska: Marty's Mat-Su Market Memo
- 04/25/07 05:20 AM
This week's statistics for the Wasilla Real Estate News show a continued healthy real estate market. The inventory is dropping. The closed sales remain in the twenties but the pendings are starting to grow. There is still a huge gap between the average sales price and the average asking price. That is why there is also a huge difference in days on the market for the inventory as a whole compared to the closed listings. The houses that are in the lower price ranges sell fairly quickly. Higher priced homes are on the market much longer. The chart below shows the stats for … (2 comments)
alaska: Buyers Can Cancel Their Contract
- 04/09/07 08:00 AM
Ever since I started in real estate in Wasilla and Palmer, it has been my belief that a good transaction means that all parties are happy right up to the closing table. If something comes up between the initial offer and the closing table it is important to communicate the issue to all parties. Usually, good communication can ease the problem and help all to see a way to continue the transaction. But,if things start to unravel it is usually the buyer who initiates the recission. In Alaska, the buyer has quite a few opportunities to walk away from a deal. Here are a few of them. 1. … (1 comments)
alaska: Mat-Su Real Estate Stats for March 2007
- 03/10/07 05:35 PM
Well, I expected to see a continued upward trend in pending sales and new listings this week, but it didn't happen. The reason I expected it is that we have seen increased activity on our own listings with more showings and three offers over the weekend. The only thing that went up was total listings There were two closing over $300,000 this week but the bulk of the activity is still on the lower end. Notice that the average price for closed sales this week was under $200,000. That is because there were two very low priced FORECLOSURE that sold this week … (0 comments)
alaska: Do You Need It? Or Do You Want It?
- 03/10/07 05:29 PM
Way back in January I wrote about the five steps to buying the right house in Palmer or Wasilla, and I said I would follow up on each of the five steps. The first was to pre-qualify and then I dropped it...so I'm following up with the second step. You have already pre-qualified for a loan since that is the first step. You know about what the payment will be and should have decided your top dollar that you will pay for a house. Now you need to decide what you really need. What is it that you really want in house? … (0 comments)
alaska: Hiding from the Matanuska Wind
- 02/22/07 07:12 AM
It's -15 degrees in Wasilla Alaska this morning and a balmy -1 in Palmer. Forecasts today are for winds to 20 mph with gusts to 40. That Matanuska Wind really magnifies the cold. Hey, it's clear and beautiful outside! There is always a bright side. I don't mind the wind or the cold until it gets really cold, like -20 or more. There are some advantages to being built like a walrus. The cold and wind remind me that we haven't tamed everything yet, and that's a good thing. Since people often say they like Palmer but don't like the wind, I thought I would tell you how … (3 comments)
alaska: Wasilla and Palmer Real Estate...New Construction
- 02/08/07 03:51 AM
New construction has become a major force in our market. Before 2004 most new homes were pre-solds. That is, the buyer would decide they wanted a new home, they would contract with the builder to build the home before any actual construction had begun. This pre-sold market was a reaction by lenders and by builders to the real estate crash of the mid-1980s. At that time builders were building homes as fast as they could and buyers were buying them as fast as they could...until 1985, when plummeting oil prices and oil field layoffs rippled through Alaska and killed the real … (1 comments)
alaska: Willow Winter Carnival...And More
- 02/06/07 01:48 AM
The Willow Winter Carnival organizers must have fantastic weather forecasters. They schedule this years in advance and hit the weather perfectly. It was a bright, windless day and a balmy 20 degrees. The carnival is two weekends long, the last weekend in January and the first weekend in February. Events were held all weekend including skijoring races, cross country ski races, snow shoe races and all sorts of other competitive and just-for-fun events. Most of the people attending were from Willow, Talkeetna, Wasilla, and Palmer. We went primarily for the vintage snow machine show. People from all over were encouraged to drag … (0 comments)
alaska: Zoning in Palmer, Wasilla, and the Mat-Su Valley
- 02/03/07 07:31 PM
The cities of Palmer, Wasilla, Houston have true zoning. Here are the zoning maps for Palmer, Wasilla, and Houston. These maps are similar to what we generally think about when we hear the term "zoning". The maps are also useful in that they delineate the city boundaries. In the rest of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough there really isn't zoning in the traditional sense. The borough says that they do have zoning because they are trying to get everyone accustomed to the term. Eventually we will probably have zoning here. The borough government is certainly planning in that direction and is staffing the departments accordingly. There are certain … (4 comments)
alaska: The Sun Rose On Real Estate
- 02/01/07 02:26 PM
It must have been the weather. The day dawned bright and clear, and it felt warm. I showed houses in shirt sleeves today. The phone rang, and rang, and rang. By 11:30 AM I had more than 60 calls. I know this because my cell phone only holds the last 60 phone numbers. I looked for a number from an early morning call and found it was before the 60th number. I checked again at 6 PM and the 60th number was at 12:01 from Don Zimmerman from IEC Realty. Thanks for lunch Don! So that's more than 120 calls for the day. … (4 comments)
An online description of real estate in the Matanuska Susitna Valley of Alaska. Includes statistics about real estate, and off subject articles about local places and people
I thought I'd make a video today about the Matanuska Wind. This wind howls down the Matanuska River Valley in the winter. Usually we get 5-6 good wind storms a winter. These usually last several days each and there is no where to hide. Well, almost no where. The Butte area outside of Palmer usually does not get this wind and today was no different. The wind was strong everywhere EXCEPT between Clark-Wolverine Road and the Butte.
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