About Anchorage County, AK

The economy in Alaska is based upon many things. But let's not be foolish, we all know the main source of jobs in the great state of Alaska is oil based. We know that oil production and oil availability has declined by 50%. I am wondering what we as Alaskans are going to do to keep up w/ job losses when the oil industry goes away.....

If oil jobs dissapear, will alot of our population leave the state? This just made me think... what can we do in Alaska to make our state sustainable??? Let's sustain our future and jobs so that people can still make a living here. Let's sustain our economy!

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I met a really nice man and his family at their garage sale. They called me a couple weeks after meeting because they wanted to put their home on the market. They bought the house for over $300,000 in 2006. They wanted to be able to sell and get their $$$ money back (mainly their huge down payment). That may have been possible if the square footage of the home is actually what they thought thay bought it for. However, keep in mind that here in Anchorage, Alaska we have not experienced a substantial increase in home prices since 2006. Thank goodness, prices have not dropped dramatically like in some parts of the USA.

Let me explain their situation. When they bought their home they were told that the house was almost 2000 square feet. The house was a for sale by owner and unfortunately for them, they didn't use a realtor either. Well, when I was over at his house I could tell it was not almost 2000 square feet. And according to the city records, the house had a bit over 1700 square feet which is a big discrepancy.

While I was at the house, he showed me some of the docs from their purchase. I noticed that the appraisal report said that the house had about 1720 square feet which is pretty close to what the Municipality of Anchorage records had. Unfortunately for the potential sellers, they didn't catch that at the time. I know that they don't want to lose any money when they sell. So I guess that they will just have to hold on a bit longer. It's just a sad situation because when they bought the house they thought they were paying less per square footage than they actually did pay. Lesson: make sure you check the appraiser's report... square footage can be a big factor when buying/selling a home....

The Alaskan portion of the Purple Heart Trail will be dedicated in a ceremony this Saturday (June 6, 2009) at 11 a.m. A ceremony will be held dedicating the portion of the Alaska Highway between Fairbanks and Delta Junction honoring those who have served their country and were awarded the Purple Heart Medal for their sacrifice. The ceremony will be held at the Delta Junction Visitor's Center.

Senator Johnny Ellis of Anchorage sponsored a bill to dedicate a portion of the Alaska Highway to the Alaska Legistature. The bill received a unanimous "yes"vote. As is fitting, Senator Ellis will be the keynote speaker at the dedication.

The date chosen for the dedication is quite significant, as it marks the 65th anniversary of D-Day. D-Day, the invasion of France on the Normandy Beach, was the beginning of the end of Word WarII conflict in Europe. June 6, 1944 saw many a brave serviceman earn a Purple Heart Medal with the sacrificing of their lives and blood.

The Vietnam Motorcycle Club will conduct a Fallen Warrior ceremony at the dedication to honor all those who have defended this country and paid the price with their lives.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart began working in 1992 to establish a nationwide trail as a tribute to the men and women who have served and given their all for our freedom. Since that time, 45 states have dedicated portions of their highways due to their efforts. I am very proud that our great State of Alaska is among them.

It is only proper and right that we dedicate a portion of our roadway to honor those who have paved the road to freedom and to keeping this country free with their bloodshed.

Freedom is never "free"!
Pauline Hofseth, your Anchorage real estate expert

D-Day Video

Life in Alaska is a blast when the weather cooperates, and this summer it is. Although this last week had a little rain, it was needed and by the middle of Sunday it had subsided. this was good news for myself and my family.

We took out the boat this weekend and visited the Deshka River. Fishing reports were pretty dismal, but we though we'd give it a try. The weather was rainy all morning so we didn't get started until about 10:30. We launched and headed down river. It looked pretty slow so we stayed near the mouth.

We did have a coiuple strikes, probably trout messing with our rigs. Weather was good so we just relaxed and let the lures do the work. At one point I decided to change lures and put a big Kenai Quicksilver on. My partners laughed and asked if I was going to try clubbing a fish.

I tossed the lure out a couple times, not really paying attention when I felt a tug, so I tugged back and this fish tried to pull me overboard. This fish was really nice, about 40 inches long. Not sure of the weight, 35-45 lbs.

What is happening out there? This is what I was asking myself yesterday. Interest rates did a little dance yesterday. They didn't just jump,they jumped twice. The good news is they stayed stable today.

Now is the building season for new construction. My second question was how is this going to effect the new homes we're going to build? Steady interest rates make everyone happy. Timing the market is not a good recipe for success.

I spoke with another business owner in town about the small jump, and he said that maybe he should have bought another home and used it for a rental. I realize there is a lot of uncertainty in the economy, but the housing market in Eagle River Alaska has remain steady.

If you are trying to time the market, don't. There are good deals out there and the interest rates are pretty low. Waiting for that better deal will only cause you to miss out on the good deal that is available now.

I think that if we worry to much about what we may lose, we will never get a chance to live. You have to make decisions, you have to make choices, you cannot live on the sidelines. How many people do you know that missed out on that great opportunity?

I am not saying take risk, just don't be paralyzed by the unknown. Life is all about the unknown, make good decisions and move on..I mean move in.