About Fairbanks North Star County, AK

A few days ago I wrote a post about the Christmas In Ice event happening in North Pole. The Ice Park is just beautiful... it's still open and will even be open limited hours on Christmas Day. If you haven't had the opportunity to stop by the park, I encourage you to do so. Take the kids and turn them loose on the ice slides while you marvel at the beautiful ice carvings. Admission is $5.00 per day for adults and $3.00 for children under 12. A season pass is also available. The original photo series can be seen in our Christmas in Ice 2008 photo set. Follow the link to view the original Christmas in Ice video.

Bet that got your attention, huh? :) So, what's my confession? I'm a Christmas music junkie. I have a HUGE selection of Christmas tunes that I listen to throughout the year. I know, I know... that's not much of a confession.

But, if you have a special place in your heart for Christmas tunes, I've got just the thing to make your little heart happy. Rebecca Morse will be performing tonight at If Only, Fairbanks finest literary supply boutique, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on an antique Estey pump organ. There's no charge for admission and it's sure to be a wonderful performance. From their website.... "We’ll also serve refreshments representative of our Specialty Foods Selection."

If Only is one of Kathy's favorite stores with a fantastic selection of writing implements, stationary, cards, stamps, journals, jewelry, fabric, clothing and more. Think a slightly scaled down version of Levenger. Kill two birds with one stone... come listen to Rebecca and get some last minute Christmas shopping done! If Only is located on North Cushman Street between 2nd & 3rd Avenue. See you there!

I don't know about you, but I can't believe that Christmas is only 10 days away. Where did the year go? If you're like me there are still a few gifts you need to purchase and wrap before the big day arrives.

While the big box stores offer plenty of warehouse-like atmosphere, high intensity lighting and check yourself out registers I thought it might be nice to highlight a few locally owned businesses for your shopping pleasure. We've shopped at many of these businesses for years and have always found their service to be exemplary.

Something Special
29 College Road #13
Fairbanks, AK 99701
907-456-1298
Fine Gift & Collectibles, Polish Pottery, Judie Gumm Jewelry, Fine China, Dept 56 Snowbabies, Crystal & Flatware.

If Only
215 Cushman St
Fairbanks, AK 99701
(907) 457-6659
So much more than a simple stationary store, If Only is Fairbanks' version of Levenger.

Santa Claus House
101 Saint Nicholas Dr
North Pole, AK 99707
(907) 488-2200
www.santaclaushouse.com
The home of Santa and Mrs. Claus has a wonderful toy department, collectibles, fine art, jewelery and more. Don't forget to get the kids picture taken with Santa and see the reindeer.

New Horizons Gallery
519 1st Ave
Fairbanks, AK 99701
(907) 456-2063
www.newhorizonsgallery.com
Wonderful gallery featuring local artists original paintings, sculptures, ivory, clothing, pottery, baskets and bowls and more.

Arctic Traveles Gift Shop
201 Cushman St
Fairbanks, AK 99701
(907) 456-7080
A Fairbanks icon featuring Yupik Baskets, Inupiat Carvings, Athabaskan Beadwork, scrimshaw knives, etched wine glasses, carved antlers and other Alaskan gifts.

Alaska Raw Fur Company
4106 Boat St
Fairbanks, AK 99701
907) 479-2462
Does the Mrs. have a new sable on her Christmas wish list? How about mink earmuffs? You'll find it ALL here.

Fudge Pot
515 1st Ave
Fairbanks, AK 99701
(907) 456-3834
http://www.thefudgepot.com/
What can I say about my favorite store in Fairbanks? Mouth watering fudge awaits in an array of flavors.

Gullivers Books
3525 College Rd
Fairbanks, AK 99709
907-474-9574
Gullivers has been serving the Fairbanks community since 1994. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and if they don't have what you're looking for, they can order it in a jiffy.

Alaska Rag Company
603 Lacey Street
Fairbanks, Ak 99701
907-451-4401
http://alaskaragco.com/
Fascinating local company that creates beautiful handwoven rugs, table runners and placemats.

The Artworks
3677 College Rd, #3
Fairbanks, AK 00701
(907) 479-2563
Debbie is an experienced and expert framer, but don't miss the original fine art and other Alaskan made native crafts.

The Great Alaskan Bowl Company
4630 Old Airport Way
Fairbanks, AK 99709
(907) 474-9663
http://www.woodbowl.com/
Using a process that's been since the 1800's, these wonderful wood bowls are created and finished right here in Fairbanks and make perfect vessels for gift giving. Don't forget their carved and hand-painted specialty bowls.

The Knotty Shop
6565 Richardson Hwy
Salcha, AK 99714
(907) 488-3014
Just a few miles down the Richardson Highway is a quaint shop with unusual burl wood sculptures, handcrafted Alaskan gifts and a wildlife display you can't miss. The ice cream isn't half bad either.

Big Ray's
507 2nd Ave
Fairbanks, AK 99701
907-452-3458
www.bigrays.com
For the utilitarian gift giver in you... Big Rays has an amazing selection of cold weather gear for surviving the winters in style.

Beaver Sports
3480 College Rd
Fairbanks, AK 99709
(907) 479-2494
www.beaversports.com
Local family owned (since '72) sporting goods store providing quality gear for just about any recreation activity you can imagine.

Santinas' Flowers and Gifts
103 3rd Street
Fairbanks, AK 99701
(907) 452-3246
http://www.santinasflowers.com/
Fantastic florist and gift shop that can create just about anything you can imagine at reasonable prices.

Taylors Gold-N-Stones
3578 Airport Way, #B
Fairbanks, AK 99709
907-456-8369
Looking for a custom one of-a-kind piece of jewelery? This is your place.

Country Kitchen
3413 Airport Way
Fairbanks, AK 99701
907-479-3900
One of my favorite stores. Kitchen appliances and gadgets of every shape and size, cookware, cutlery and a selection of aromatic coffee beans that will knock your socks off.

Merry Christmas... and God Bless

Like my buddy Richard Weisser, I am very much a train buff. My paternal grandfather was an engineer for Norfolk Southern, so perhaps I come by it naturally. Kathy, however, tends to think it's just a guy thing.

One of the activities we schedule for our summer visitors is a ride on the Alaska Railroad. The railroad maintains regular twice-daily summer passenger service between Fairbanks, Denali National park, Talkeetna and Anchorage.

While the scenery and service is spectacular no matter where you sit, be sure to opt for the new 89' domed GoldStar Service rail cars for an unforgettable experience. Staffed by friendly and knowledgable tour guides, I think it's one of the best ways to see the beauty of Alaska.

Founded in 1903 as the Alaska Central Railway, the Alaska Railroad was operated by the Federal government until it was purchased by the State of Alaska in 1985. In addition to almost 565,000 passengers, the railroad also moved roughly 6 million tons of freight last year. Not bad for a railroad with only 570+/- miles of track.

While the four hour train ride from Fairbanks to Denali is a wonderful introduction to Alaska, making the passage to Anchorage and on to Seward will leave you speechless. Be warned however, the trip from Fairbanks to Seward is roughly 18 hours and as much as I love it, we often opt for the rail/air package and fly home from Anchorage because it is a long trip.

Winter service is also available for those folks looking to ride the rails this winter. AKRR runs a southbound train to Anchorage on Saturdays and a northbound train to Fairbanks on Sundays. This is a flag-stop train that makes stops to pick up folks where necessary along the route or to let folks off where requested.

The economic carnival ride continues... Between the roller coaster ride the stock market has been on, the volatility of the overall national economy, plummeting oil prices (good for prices at the pump but bad for an energy based state economy) and a slowing real estate market it's been quite the month.

There's been a lot of talk about the falling oil prices (which is a topic for another post) but many I'm talking to are concerned about the overall effect on our local economy. We are arguably an energy based economy, which means as the price of crude slides, so goes the funds into the state coffers. It's a double edged sword. No one likes paying $6 a gallon for diesel, but it does provide money for infrastructure. Oil at $150/barrel isn't good, but neither is $25/barrel oil. A happy medium would be nice, no?

Alright, onto the numbers...

Average Sales Price

Homes Sold

Days on Market

Discount from List Price

I think the numbers pretty much speak for themselves. What jumps out at me this month is the sharp decline in the average sales price and number of homes sold, not to mention the very dramatic jump in the discount from list price. The number of homes sold this month represent the slowest November since I began keeping records almost a decade ago. We have to look back to January '06 to find a month with fewer sales (40). The cause? Fear.

A good number of my colleagues are telling me they have buyers that are just afraid to jump into the market for fear of buying a depreciating asset. I won't start the 'Rah-Rah-Rah It's a great time to buy chant' because I think I left my pom-pom's under the bleachers... the truth is for some it's not a good time and yet for others there could be no better time to act. Not sure which camp you fall into? Try this simple formula. Do you have a steady job, good credit, funds for a down-payment and closing costs and plan to stay put for a few years before moving? If you answered yes, then call us, because this is THE buyers market of buyers markets.