About Anchorage County, AK

Veterans or active duty military personnel can move to Alaska and immediately qualify for in-state tuition assistance. The tuition assistance program is being offered to military dependents as well. The previous requirement of two-year residency for tuition assistance has been eliminated for any active duty personnel, veteran or their family members for all university campuses in Alaska.

The in-state tuition assistance can be combined with the new Post-911 GI Bill (effective August 1). Veterans who take advantage of the offer from Alaska University and qualify for the new Post-911 GI Bill will find that their education is practically free. Funds can be applied to tuition, books and housing costs.

Any veteran, veteran's dependent (spouse or child) or active duty personnel may take advantage of the Alaska University tuition assistance. However, the Post-911 GI Bill funds are limited. Only the veteran or one of their dependents can receive funds for an undergraduate degree.

The tuition assistance being offered to veterans and their families can result in a big savings per semester. If your tuition for a semester at an Anchorage university is $6,000, you would save about $4,000 after the tuition assistance was applied.

Veterans, this may be the opportunity of a lifetime. You can move north to Alaska and live in one of the greatest states in the nation while saving a bundle on your education. There are 16 campuses in Alaska. My favorite, of course, is Anchorage.

University Virtual Tours:

* UA Anchorage
* UA Fairbanks
* UA Southeast (Juneau)

For Tuition Assistance Information:
University of Alaska Anchorage: www.uaa.alaska.edu/financialaid/veterans.cfm
University of Fairbank:http://www.uaf.edu/veterans/.

For GI Bill Information:
Post-911 GI Bill www.gibill.va.gov.

Pauline Hofseth - Your Guide to Anchorage Real Estate

First time home buyers that are in the market right now are being given a wonderful opportunity to claim an $8000 refundable tax credit on their 2010 income tax returns. The First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit applies to home buyers that purchase and close on a home before December 1, 2009. So, if there are any first time home buyers out there, remember that you do have less than four months if you want to claim the tax credit next tax season.

The tax credit is good for many types of real estate, such as, single family homes, condos, mobile homes, and even some multi-family units. It is best to speak to your CPA about the details.

I service Anchorage, Eagle-River, Chugiak, Palmer, and Wasilla.

Relocating to Anchorage, Alaska? Alaska has just celebrated its 50th year of statehood. Alaska's motto, "big, wild, life" does not do this place justice. Yes, Anchorage, Alaska is big and wild, and full of life. Anchorage has a natural beauty about it that astounds first time visitors and life-long residents alike. It will take your breath away. To the east are the majestic mountains. To the West is the ocean.

Not only does Anchorage have natural beauty going for it, Anchorage is a culture rich city with a tremendous ability to open its arms to newcomers from all over the globe. Most people that you meet here will wave and even stop to chat for a minute, never too busy for a smile. It does get cold up here, but the atmosphere is warm.

Anchorage, Alaska has so much to offer to growing families. This is one of the few places that actually produced jobs in the United States. Don't let the unemployment rate fool you. Anchorage has a unique employment situation. Employees in some fields such as oil, fish, and tourism work seasonally. All in all, the best quality of Anchorage, the small town with big city amenities, is the people.

If you or someone you know is thinking about relocating to Anchorage, Alaska or any of the surrounding towns, such as Eagle River or Chugiak, request a free Relocation Packet.

If you are moving up here and would like to get a good idea of home prices, check out all the homes on the Alaska MLS right here.

Our new Mayor, Daniel Sullivan, is asking you to participate in a survey on how to best balance the Anchorage budget. Mayor Sullivan is taking the time to step back to look at the city services for cost-effectiveness before making decisions on how to spend your tax dollar.

I know that we all have opinions about making Anchorage a better place to live, how the municipality can serve us better and how money should be spent. Many states and cities have found themselves out of money because they have tried to spend their way to prosperity. The only way to prosperity is through common sense budgeting and spending within that budget. Living through overspending and borrowing is an inevitable road to disaster.

Each and every one of us must prioritize the way we spend money, especially if you want to save for the future. Mayor Sullivan seems to recognize the fact that the municipality must do the same.

Please take the time to send your ideas for improvements and budget cuts. Let the Mayor and his administrators know what they can do to serve you better.

Anchorage Survey - if this link does not open the survey page, please go to the municipality website at: http://socsurvey.muni.org/.

Pauline Hofseth - your Anchorage real estate resource guide

As I was tucking my 3 year old son into bed, he asked me "Where's Daddy?" for the third time that day. My husband works at the north slope (the kids call it North Pole) and he's usually gone for two weeks at a time and then he's home for two entire weeks. It's nice because when he's home, he's really home. He can sleep in late and really spend quality time with the children. However, I know that for a young one, such as my three year old son, it can be confusing sometimes.

When he asked me, "Where's Daddy?" I replied by explaining to him that his daddy was working because everyone works. I continued telling him that if people don't work, they don't have anywhere to live and nothing to eat. I think I may have given him more information than he really needed for his small little mind because he JUMPED out of bed really fast. I was so confused. Then he ran back in the room and with a big smile, said, "mommy, I have money, do you want it." Then he opened up his right hand and in it were two shiny quarters. He was so proud that he had money, and to him two quarters was quite a lot, and he was willing to give everything he had to me. Children have such sweet hearts.

This made me think. As grown-ups (in age at least), do we know when we have enough? Is there ever enough?

Searching for Real Estate in Anchorage Alaska can be a more ejoyable experience when you work with someone who is reliable and trustworthy. If you are thinking about putting your home on the market, call Vanna for a Free In Home Market Analysis of your Anchrage home. Currently servicing the Anchorage County, such as Anchorage, Eagle River, and Chugiak.