It's not as though we haven't had our share of weather challenges this year. According to a meteorologist friend, the nice little cold snap we recently experienced is getting ready to pale in comparison to the cool temps heading our way. What was 60 below zero could very well turn into 80 below.
Now, of course we're hearing rumblings that Mt. Redoubt near Anchorage is getting ready to blow her top. The folks at the Alaska Volcano Observatory have observed significant seismic activity at Redoubt, signaling an eruption could be imminent. An AVO observation flight this afternoon reported no sign of ash emission, but observed significant steaming from a new melt depression at the mouth of the summit crater near the vent area of the 1989-90 eruption.
Unlike Hawaii's volcanoes, you won't see a red river of lava flowing from Alaska's volcanoes. What you will see is ash shooting up to 50,000 feet into the jet stream. The particulate matter is a very abrasive rock fragment that can injure skin and damage eyes and breathing passages. It can also cause serious damage to vehicles, buildings and aircraft flying into the cloud. Should there be an eruption, do not go outside unless it's absolutely necessary and remember to use a face mask to keep from breathing in the ash. The very young, the very old and those with respiratory problems are advised to stay indoors at all costs.
Always be prepared. It's worked for the boy scouts for almost 100 years. Both FEMA and the US Geological Survey websites have great information for preparing for and dealing with the aftermath of an eruption. Do you have plans to fly into or out of Alaska in the next few days? An eruption could ground flights around the state. Flight information can be found on the Anchorage International and Fairbanks International Airport websites. Current ash fallout trajectory maps (updated by NOAA every six hours) show the wind carrying the ash cloud away from Fairbanks... Let's hope that holds true.
Follow the Alaska Volcano Observatory and receive hourly updates on Twitter.
Tonight while reading Lane Bailey's blog "The best agent to use..." I was reminded of a conversation recently with a fellow broker about how many people are taken in with the 'buying the listing' scheme.
Last year we had a client who, in preparing to relocate out of Alaska, called us to put their home on the market. We sold the home to them and knew what improvements they had made, so giving them market value was a piece of cake.
As it turns out we were not on the same page with respect to value. When it was clear we were at an impasse they listed with a competing firm who told them what they wanted to hear rather than what they needed to hear. More than a year, seven or eight price reductions and two real estate firms later, the home remains unsold.
The truth is most homeowners don't have a clue what their home is really worth. Most know what their note is, what they owe and some even know their current property tax assessment. Unfortunately, those numbers rarely reflect current market value.
Preparing a comparative market analysis is not rocket science. As Realtors we look at predominately the same set of numbers appraisers look at to define value; recent sales of homes similar to yours. The best Realtor to sell your home may not be the one that gives you the highest price. Trust, but verify. Ok, but how?
It's pretty easy to see if a home is a comparable; it will be equal in size, age, condition, location, etc. The question becomes how it compares by price. Just like your arithmetic teacher used to say, so should you... show me the math. Look to see how the adjustments are calculated for the residential square footage, garage square footage, effective age, lot size, amenities (i.e. fireplace, Jacuzzi tub, hardwood floors), bathrooms, etc.
Ask to see not only the actual adjustments but also the source of the numbers used to make the adjustments. I take my cue on adjustment values from local appraisers and by closely reviewing appraisals. If an appraiser is using $40 to adjust the residential square footage and Agent Not-So-Genius is using $110, you're going to have a market analysis that's good for one thing... lining the birdcage.
If an agent can't or won't show you how they arrived at a price, take that as your cue that a) they might not know what they're doing or b) they're inflating the price to get you to sign a listing agreement. As Lane mentions, don't be too surprised to see this agent come armed with pre-authorized price reductions. They know in order to sell your home, it will need to be at market value.
While numbers can be made to say just about anything, asking the agent(s) sitting in front of you to 'do it long hand' should help you weed through the rhetoric and select an agent to represent you based on what they'll do rather than by the dollar amount they fill in on the listing contract.
One thing we're constantly asked by folks relocating to Alaska is about our weather. What are the winters like? Do you have 24 hour sunlight in the summer? How do you survive when it's -40 (or colder)?
If you're headed to Alaska just to start a new chapter in life or relocating with Eielson Air Force Base or Fort Wainwright Army Post, this should give you an idea of what you're in for. Having called Alaska home for almost 30 years I can tell you there's no place quite like The Last Frontier.
The truth is we do have some cold winters, but the summers more than make up for them. Our summers are moderate, dry and generally not very windy. I don't know that we broke the record for coldest winter this year or not, but we came awful close. There were a couple of times it registered 65 below zero at our house in North Pole.
Fairbanks is often described as an arctic desert. Most of the precipitation in the Interior is from our annual snowfall. Summers are fairly dry although some years, like 2008, can bring record rains the the Interior. It's certainly not something we see often.
As a rule, winters in the Interior are dark. With the onset of the summer solstice, we begin losing daylight. Initially no more than a few seconds, but eventually we lose up to 6-8 minutes of daylight a day. In the depth of winter, the sun barely creeps above the horizon. On a cloudy day or a very cold day with heavy ice fog, you can expect to not even see the sun. Sounds bleak, I know, but December 21st marks the turning point where we start gaining sunlight. By May 15th the sun doesn't set until after 10PM, and even then there's plenty of light to enjoy any outdoor activity you can imagine.
New regulations adopted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game dramatically effect military hunters and fishermen...fisherwomen too... or is it fisherpeople? Either way, this is great news.
Prior to the new regulations being adopted, folks stationed at Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright Army Post, that had been in Alaska less than 12 months, were required to pay nonresident fees for a fishing and hunting license and related game tags.
A long overdue change to the ADFoG regulations will allow permanently stationed active-duty military personnel and their families to purchase nonresident hunting and fishing licenses at resident prices. An annual sport fishing license is now $25 and an annual combination sport fishing and hunting license is only $48. Can it get better than that? Sure. Active members of the Alaska National Guard or Reserve may qualify for a free hunting or fishing license.
Although it's a little early to break out your fly rod there's still plenty of time left to bag a few grouse or ptarmagain before the end of the season. Here are a few links to keep you on track and out of the sights of the ADFoG Troopers.
Military License/Tag Informaton (.PDF)
Purhcase Hunting and Fishing Licenses
Small Game Seasons (.PDF)
Big Game Hunting Regulations
Interior Alaska Game Management Units (.PDF)
Sport Fishing Publications (ADFoG)
If you're not a member already, consider joining the Alaska Outdoors Council. It's sole focus is the preservation of outdoor pursuits in Alaska - hunting, fishing, trapping, firearms ownership, and public access - and conservation of the habitats upon which they depend. It's the best $25 you could spend.
Stay safe & God bless.
One of the challenges of living in Alaska is dealing with a sometimes manic Mother Nature. The past couple of weeks we've watched as the temperature hovered between 40 and 65 below zero. Water and sewer lines froze, cars began to break down and people were on the verge of going a little stir crazy from being cooped up inside.
Yesterday Mother Nature changed everything. Warm winds blowing over the Alaska Range from the Gulf of Alaska brought record breaking temps to the Interior. In an instant we went from 62 below zero to nearly 50 above. Eielson Air Force Base, which is about 10 miles from our house, hit 51 degrees. We're all confused... guys are breaking out their fishing gear and women, those of a certain vintage anyway, began putting their unmentionables back in the freezer. Yes, Mother Nature is having a hot flash.
While it may feel like spring, old man winter still has a little fight left in him. These few days of warm weather will give way to a cold blast of 20 below air by Monday night. The good news is the Farmers Almanac predicts a warmer than normal August... you hear that Don? :)
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The premier real estate team in the Golden Heart City; we provide results oriented buyer and seller representation.
We are Jesse & Kathy Clifton, better known as simply The Spouses. As full-time professional REALTORS®, we are committed to providing our clients with the most knowledgeable, professional and experienced real estate service available.
The-Spouses.com is the creation of Jesse & Kathy Clifton, REALTORS®. Frustrated with the limitations on most websites available to our customers, we created the website in order to give not just our customers, but all of Interior Alaska, a great real estate experience.
The most differentiating aspect of The-Spouses.com is that we make it easy to find the properties and information that you want. Our goal is to provide the most real estate information to the Fairbanks community - even to those people who may never choose to use our services.
We don't believe that you should have to fill out long registration forms just to find out what is on the market. Nor do we believe that just because you want to know how much that house down the street is listed for, you should be harassed by some agent you've never met and don't want to talk to.
The-Spouses.com is built around a belief in good customer service and non-pushy sales. To that extent, we have created a company whose sole objective is to help serve clients who decide that they are ready to buy or sell their home.
Integrity, Honesty, and Great Customer service are the hallmarks of our practice.
In short, The-Spouses.com is about having a great real estate experience, whether you are buying and selling, or just browsing to see what's out there.
We specialize in residential real estate; new construction and existing single and multi family homes as well as undeveloped land in Fairbanks and the surrounding communities of North Pole, Salcha, Fox, Two Rivers, Ester, Ft. Wainwright Army Post and Eielson Air Force Base. As full-time professional REALTORS®, we are committed to providing our clients with the most knowledgeable, professional and experienced real estate service available. Any agent can open a door; we believe it's our responsibility to protect and promote your best interests throughout the transaction. Anything less is simply unacceptable.
Search the Fairbanks MLS - View Our Showcase Homes - Read Our Monthly Market Reports
Jesse & Kathy Clifton
Spouses Selling Houses
Jesse Clifton & Associates, REALTORS
250 N. Cushman Street, 4G
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
Direct: (907) 699-6024 Fax: (866) 421-4339
www.the-spouses.com - jesse@the-spouses.com
Follow us on Twitter: @thespouses
Fairbanks; The Golden Heart city of Alaska.
The city of Fairbanks is located in Interior Alaska near the confluence of the Chena and Tanana Rivers in the Tanana Valley. We are 360 miles north of Anchorage, 125 south of the Arctic Circle, 3,500 miles from Los Angeles and 4,200 miles from Washington, DC. Nicknamed "The Golden Heart City", Fairbanks is the largest city in the interior region and the second largest in Alaska.
Founded in 1901 by Captain E.T. Barnette as a trading post on the Chena River, the community grew and was eventually named after Senator Charles Fairbanks. The discovery of Gold in the hills just north of Fairbanks caused a mass influx of residents, bringing the population to almost 11,000 in 1910. Ladd Field, now Fort Wainwright, was built in 1938 followed by the Alcan Highway in 1940's and Eielson Air Force Base, formerly Satellite Field, in 1943, bringing the military population to almost isto be just shy of 19,921.
An Act of the Alaska Legislature created the Fairbanks North Star Borough in 1964; the year of the fateful Good Friday Earthquake that shook anchorage and three years before Fairbanks suffered a devastating flood at the hands of the Chena River. According to records the population of Fairbanks in 1880 was approximately 2,600 and has since swelled to almost 90,000 in the North Star Borough with projections for nearly 105,000 by the year 2018.
The Fairbanks economy is based on tourism, the state's oil revenue and federal government expenditures for the military, administration of federal agencies and research grants. As Alaska's second largest city, Fairbanks is an important trading, transportation and military center. Residents of nearby North Pole, Fort Wainwright Army Post, Eielson Air Force Base and surrounding areas come to Fairbanks for shopping, entertainment and employment.
The Interior and Fairbanks in particular are known to have some of the most extreme weather conditions in the country due to significant changes in solar heat throughout the year. The winters are long, usually lasting from late September to mid-April. From November to March, daylight ranges from ten to less than four hours daily and temperatures can drop to 50 degrees below zero. The summers are very warm, often reaching 80 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes reaching the 90's. The sun is above the horizon eighteen to twenty-one hours per day. August and September tend to be the rainier months and snow tends to fall the last week of September leading back into the winter season.
Fairbanks is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks; the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. Originally founded as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines in 1917 it became the University of Alaska in 1935. UAF remains the only campus in the University of Alaska system that awards doctoral degrees and holds the distinction of being one of only thirteen Land, Sea and Space Grant Universities in the country.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks encompasses eight campuses, plus the Center for Distance Education, offering 163 degrees and 25 certificates in 115 disciplines. 9,681 students are currently enrolled at the various campuses in the UAF system with 88% pursuing an undergraduate degree. 833 certificate, associate or baccalaureate degrees and 204 master's and doctoral degrees were conferred in the spring of 2007.
Located on the main campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, The Rasmuson Library is the largest library in the State of Alaska with 1.1 million volumes and electronic access to more than 20 million titles worldwide. The UAF campus is also home to the Museum of the North which boasts a rare and unique collection of more than 1 million objects.
University athletics are a vital part of the community. Dubbed the Nanooks; UAF athletics are composed of Division I hockey team, a Division II basketball team, mens and women's cross country skiing, rifle, women's swimming and volleyball.
Alaska is an outdoors paradise. We are blessed to have incredible hunting and fishing opportunities within an hours drive of Fairbanks. No matter what outdoor activity you're into, you can find it in Fairbanks. Summer or winter, there are plenty of sports to keep you breathing fresh Alaskan air.
Having called Alaska home for almost 30 years, we can't imagine living anywhere else. Considering a move to Fairbanks? Call at 907-699-6024 or contact us online; we would love to hear from you.
We love our clients; most have become close friends who continually refer other friends and family members to us because they know we have their best interest at heart. Our greatest achievement is in knowing we've made a difference; professionally as well as personally.
Kathy & Jesse! What a pair of "Spouses Selling Houses"!! Truly two wonderful helpful people that anyone wanting to buy or sell a house would want to know! When we were in the market to buy and sell, they never pressured, they were on top of every stop that needed to be taken. They provided answers to every inexperienced question we asked. They took car of unseen details and went to bat when there were snags. Truly a couple we feel are friends. Our home is our haven, thanks to these two hard working "Spouses". Recommend them... You had better believe it! ~ Mr. & Mrs. Mobley, Fairbanks
Jesse and Kathy are absolutely the best! They both gave me very good advice and I was happy to have folks who would give me honest advice. It was the first time I had looked into buying a house and lots of friends told me to avoid going through a REALTOR, that I would find better deals if I didn't have to deal with the REALTOR's "take." My friends were so wrong, Jesse and Kathy know the housing market, understand the intricacies of housing loans, and have a complete grasp on all the legalities of buying and selling. They definitely went to bat for me and protected me from my own naivety. I was and am very grateful that Jesse and Kathy were there helping me through every step of a confusing and some times frustrating process. ~ Ms. G. Russell, Fairbanks
Jesse assisted me with the process of finding and financing my home in Fairbanks in record time. I came into town on a mission with time constraints and high expectations that it could happen, and thanks to Jesse, it did! When the time came to make a decision, he gave me sound and honest advice... Jesse has the instincts, patience, and knowledge to match home to owner. And after the deal is struck, he is still there to guide you through the process of ownership. You know he is a phone call away and never too busy to take your call. Both he and his wife, Kathy, have a genuine interest in their clients. I don't believe we are seen as just customers, but as new members of the community to be supported and welcomed as neighbors and friends. They both continue to make me feel that way. ~ Ms. Salisbury, Fairbanks
We had our home listed with another agent for more than 8 months before listing it with Jesse & Kathy. The friend that referred them to us said they were the best agents in town. We agree! They gave us the honest advice we needed to hear about our asking price and the repairs we needed to make. Our home sold in a month and we are now in our new highly recomment them to everyone we know. ~ Mr. & Mrs. L. Trumball, Fairbanks
We love Jesse & Kathy. They are not just our Realtors. They are our friends. We were a wreck trying to coordinate selling our current home and closing on the new one. Despite probably driving them crazy with phone calls and questions, they were always available. We can't imagine buying or selling a home without their help. ~ Mr. & Mrs. T. Roberts
Dear Jesse & Kathy, Thank you so much for all your help. Not having ever bought a house before I had no idea what I was getting into. You guys are the best! ~ S. Miller, North Pole
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