About Anchorage County, AK

The 2009 AHBA Parade of Homes was held the last weekend of September. The weather was nice and the 100's of people hit the streets to see the latest creations of the Anchorage Home Builders. The total number of entries in this years Parade of Homes was 25. These home were spread out across Anchorage and Eagle River. They ranged in price from $199,000 to $1,800,000, and were situated in new subdivisions as well as older established areas that were being rehabilitated.

Last night was the awards banquet held in Builder's Millwork showroom. The group assembled included builders, bankers, tittle companies, Realtors and their spouses. The night was entertaining and food was great, but the main reason we were all there was to see who walked away with the hardware. It is a great honor to win a ''Golden Hammer', showing that you are the best in your class (at least for this year).

I am very proud to tell you that two of the entries were located in Eagle River's Premier Subdivision, Powder Ridge. The Harmony Town-homes, built by the Peterson Group, and a single family home built on Ezi View Circle by Nolan Homes.

In the single family homes priced from $300,000 to $500,000 the winner was "Nolan Homes". The home on Ezi view won awards in the following categories:

• Best Exterior
• Best Design
• Best Interior
• Best Kitchen
• Overall Workmanship

And last but not least the home won the coveted

'Golden Hammer Award'

This years Parade of Homes was a great success, and I am glad that we were able to participate in it. I was able to meet many of you that came through the home and hopefully we will be able to work with you in the future. There is still time to start a new home this year and current prices and interest rates are added incentives. For information call or text me at 907-360-7471.

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The H1N1 vaccine is now available for FREE to kids ages 2-18 in Anchorage. While the vaccine to help prevent the "Swine Flu" is limited to children in this age bracket for now, it is expected to be available for everyone over the age of 6 months as soon as more shipments arrive, which should be very soon. Right now, the Anchorage Department of Health wants to focus on the children that are at highest risk for hospitalization. The vaccine will be available at the Neighborhood Health Center every Monday through Friday from 8-11am and 1-4pm. The vaccine will be administered as long as it is available. Regular shipments are expected to continue over the next several weeks.

The Municipality of Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services is planning to make the H1N1 vaccine available on a much larger public scale to Anchorage residents throughout November and December. And it will be absolutely FREE to the public. The Anchorage School District is expected to start offering FREE H1N1 vaccinations for all their students beginning in November as well. To find out who is offering the vaccine and where you can get it, please visit the Municipality of Anchorage's website. Bookmark it and visit it often, as dates and times are updated daily.

Pauline Hofseth, your Anchorage real estate expert

Trick or Treat Town in Anchorage is an annual event that promotes Halloween fun in a safe environment. Held October 23 and 24 at the ACS Warehouse (600 Telephone Ave, Anchorage), kids are allowed to dress up and come out to fill their bags with Halloween treats. On Friday, October 23rd, kids can go trick or treating at 5:30pm or 7pm and on Saturday, October 24th, they can attend the 12pm, 2pm, 4 pm or 6pm sessions. Tickets for the event are now on sale at www.anchoragemuseum.org. This is the 18th year in a row that the museum has held this great family event. Proceeds from the $7 tickets will go to benefit both the museum and the Imaginarium. However, if you wait until the day of the event, it will cost you $10 to get in the door. Get your tickets now! With a turnout of 14,000 people last year, these tickets are not expected to last long!

Pauline Hofseth, your Anchorage real estate expert

A Chinese Restaurant in Anchorage, Alaska, called Mandarin Kitchen just opened their doors yesterday. I had lunch there and I had the Seafood Noodle Soup and fried wontons. It was so delicous. My son had the house fried rice and he finished most of his meal, which is a lot for a three year old boy.

If anyone is looking for good Chinese food in Anchorage, Alaska, I suggest trying Mandarin Kitchen. Mandarin Kitchen will also serve fresh dim-sum starting October 16th. Dim sum is not something that can be found in Anchorage right now. Once October 16th rolls around, I know where I'll be dining.

Mandarin Kitchen is a family owned and operated restaurant. The owner and chef, Achi, also known as Zong Qi, used to be the head chef at Peking Palace. He was very when he cooked there and he was greatly missed by his diners when he left. Now that he owns his own Chinese Restaurant, his customers can eat his Chinese Food any time, as he is open 7 days a week.

Mandarin Kitchen is open 7 days a week and they offer FREE DELIVERY. If real Chinese food is your craving, call Mandarin Kitchen today, 907-258-0488

Mandarin Kitchen is located at 3020 Minnesota Drive #6. If you don't feel like driving, call for Free Delivery 907-258-0488.

Why Open Houses can Make a Difference in the Sale of a Home

It may be true that less than 5% of homes on the market are actually sold at open houses. However, open houses give potential buyers the chance to view your home in a relaxed atmosphere. Open houses increase the number of people you may get through your house. More exposure is always good for a home that's on the market, right?

Even if a home is not sold through an open house and the agent turns a couple of open house visitors into Real Estate buyers, this still helps the sellers. Because the buyers are buying other listed homes, they are taking homes off the market, which means less competition for the seller. Less competition for the seller means that the seller has a higher likelihood of selling his/her home.

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If you are a home seller and you'd like more tips on how to get your home sold, contact Vanna 907-720-4663. Vanna offers free homestaging to sellers, an invaluable service. Homestaging sets the atmosphere and can usually get your home sold faster and for more money. If these are your goals, call Vanna for a Free Market Analysis of your Home. Servicing Anchorage, Eagle River, Chugiak, Palmer and Wasilla.