Fairbanks, AK

Mr. Buyer... you're still on the fence about buying a home in Fairbanks, Alaska?

• The Fairbanks Real Estate Market is still humming right along...

• Uncle Sam will give first time homebuyers an $8,000 credit... and you can even use it as (part/all) of your down payment...

• Fairbanks/North Pole Home Buyers can receive up to a $7,500 rebate on a new construction home...

• Rates for a 30 year fixed loan are below 5% (4.625% as of 5/13/2009)

** Whatcha waiting for? **

Alright, folks. We have two missing babies in need of locating. They have been missing for a couple of days from the Farmers Loop/Shuros Drive area north of town. The bulldog answers to Butch and has a leg injury on his front (left I think) leg from a break when he was a puppy. He's probably traveling with a Norwegian Elkhound named Yukon. The owners are desperate to see them returned. There is a reward and no questions will be asked. If you have seen them or have any information please call Dave Hite at 452-6252 or if you prefer, send Dave (or me) an email or leave an anonymous comment. They just want to see their babies returned safely home. Your help is greatly appreciated!

5:35AM. The view from the bedroom window was bleak.  Is that snow?  It was a morning that, if not for promises made, I would have succumbed to the urge to drift back to sleep.  Not today. Today we were going arm in arm with our fellow citizens to make our collective voices heard. 

"It's not a Republican thing... It's not a Democrat thing.  It's an American thing."  Partisan attacks were nowhere to be seen on this day.  We gathered... young, old, black, white, business owners, retirees and the recently unemployed... out of a growing anger that our representatives seem to have forgotten this great nation belongs to us all. 

By noon more than 400 patriots gathered, armed only with homemade cardboard signs and flags to protest wasteful spending, government bailouts, and special interests winning out over folks on Main Street. 

A young mother holding a flag and pushing a stroller with her youngest tucked inside asks, "When money is tight, I have to watch my pennies.  Why won't they?"

Perched on a busy intersection near downtown Fairbanks, we watched as car after car drove past with horns blaring and drivers waving in support.  More than a few stopped to offer boxes of tea.  One not-so-clued-in fellow stopped ten feet or so behind me, spooled the passenger window down and yelled out to anyone within earshot, "What hell are you people celebrating?" 

American citizenship, my friend.  The right to not only question our government, but to demand accountability from it.

A short walk later found us at the steps of the Federal Building.  Flags were unfurled as Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA was heard for at least six city blocks amid chants of "Enough is enough" and "Stop spending my money."

Toward the end of the event a group of folks collected the tea bags and carried them to the office of US Senator Mark Begich. No violence, no arrests... just a group of citizens exercising our right to be heard.

More later, but the Fairbanks Tax Day Tea Party turnout was... GREAT!

As much as it will surprise many buyers, and a few sellers, parts of the Fairbanks market are starting to strongly favor sellers. A limited inventory of homes for sale is causing buyers to scramble for, and in many cases, compete with other buyers for homes. I've talked to no less than 7 or 8 agents in the past couple of weeks who say their clients lost 'the house' because of multiple offers. It's true. Multiple offers are alive and well in Fairbanks.

North Pole, for example, has seen a marked decrease in the number of homes for sale. New(er) 3 and 4 bedroom homes under $250,000 in good condition are very much in demand. As of this writing, there are 13 homes for sale priced between $200,000 - $250,000 (the median market for North Pole). Of those, 11 have been on the market less than 60 days. 63% of the ($200-250K) homes sold in North Pole since March 1st spent less than 22 days on the market. The marketing time for Fairbanks homes trends somewhat higher, but is declining.

Overall, the trends for March are good news.

Average Sales Price - UP

Average Days on the Market - DOWN

Homes Sold - HOLDING STEADY

List to Sales Price Ratio - UP

Average Sales Price

Homes Sold

Days on Market

Discount from List Price

Is this a good time to buy Fairbanks real estate? Absolutely. Prices have come down, seller concessions are available and as of this morning a 30 year fixed rate loan will cost you 4.625%. Call or contact us online today to start the search for your piece of the Last Frontier.