Marty Van Diest, Your Alaskan Realtor

I'm sponsoring a treasure hunt in Hart Lake Estates, a beautiful development in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

It's a real treasure hunt...the treasure is $100 cash.

The clues are updated on my website here:

http://www.valleymarket.com/2009/09/06/hart-lake-estates-treasure-hunt

I am also putting them on Twitter, Facebook, and craigslist as well as Active Rain.

Clue #3 is " The $$$ is in a little plastic bag tied to an Alder tree"

Go to www.valleymarket.com for the complete list of clues and rules. #1 rule...stay off of private property.

I couldn't help posting this view of Echo Lake taken on my way home tonight.  The cranberry leaves are turning red, the birches are yellow and the air is crisp with a full moon over Pioneer Peak. It's a beautiful fall day...but enough, let's talk numbers. Below are the statistics for the last week of August, 2009. Activity is relatively high. People want to get into homes before winter, they also want to lock in the low interest rates, and they want to close before November 30 to get their tax rebate.

29 new listings at a median price of $224,000.
21 pendings at a median price of $186,400
31 closing at a median price of $205,000
925 total listings at a median price of $239,000

The inventory is dropping while people snatch up the good houses with low interest rates.  I had a couple buy a house this week because they are leaving for a three year overseas assignment.  They are sure that interest rates will not be favorable when they return so they want to lock them in now.

Another client was quoted 5.25% today for a 30 year fixed conventional loan.  That is a very good rate.  If interest rates go up to 6.25% they will only be able to buy a $180,000 house instead of a $200,000 home.  If you don't think interest rates are going up, read this.  It's only a matter of time.

I attended the Great Palmer Chamber of Commerce yesterday to hear Kathy Wells of the Friends of Mat-Su present the draft Green Infrastructure plan for the Mat-Su Valley.

Friends of Mat-Su has been contracted by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to develop a green infrastructure plan for the core area of the valley. They are working hand-in-hand with the planning department of the borough to bring this plan to the assembly.

“Green Infrastructure” is a term used to incorporate environmental planning into the overall future infrastructure of the borough. They use “green infrastructure” as a term opposed to “grey infrastructure” which consists of roads, utilities, bridges, etc. The borough feels that “green infrastructure” is just as important in planning as is “grey infrastructure”.

Obviously, the core area is surrounded by Green Infrastructure and this is recognized in the plan. These areas are called green “super hubs”. They include the Palmer Hay Flats, Chugach Mountains, Matanuska Moose Range, Talkeetna Mountains, the Matanuska and Knik Rivers and numerous lakes and creeks. The Green Infrastructure Plans calls for creating green “mini-hubs” inside those “super hubs” and connecting them all together with green corridors so that animals and people can migrate between the hubs while staying in a green area.

One of the green “mini-hubs” is already recognized by many as a green zone. It is owned largely by the State of Alaska, the University of Alaska, and the Mat-Su Borough. This is the area surrounding the central landfill and Crevasse-Morraine Trail on the north, extending west to the Experimental Farm, and south to the Kepler/Bradley Lakes Recreation area. The other “mini-hubs” are mostly in areas of private land.

No restrictions on these areas are currently being discussed. The borough and Friends of Mat-Su are both saying that this is an educational effort at this time. But of course, if it is placed into the planning department at the borough, these educational guidelines will eventually have teeth.

Now is your chance to have input. These plans will come up for public review in the near future, if you are concerned about what you can do with your land if you live in a green zone you should pay attention.

One of the reasons Alaska is moving out in front in the alternative/renewable energy field is the many different options that are available. We have rivers galore, tidal and wave action in the oceans, geothermal possibilities all over the place, wind and more wind, and believe it or not we get a lot of sun. Actually, we get a lot of sun in the summer…not so much in the winter.

The fact that hydro-fuels are so expensive in many communities makes people wonder if there are less expensive ways to make power than burning $ 8 per gallon diesel. The high cost of energy is the number one reason Alaskans keep tinkering with alternatives. Although the environment is always a consideration, the cost of the power is at the forefront of peoples minds. If the cost of alternative energy is expensive, then it is impractical, and Alaskans are practical people.

For the rest of this post go to valleymarket.com

I got an Iphone today. It made me aware of how much technology has changed the way we do business.

I remember my first experience on the Internet when I was the tech worker at the University of Alaska library in Fairbanks back in 1981. I kept the copy machines running, microfilmed old books, operated the only fax machine on campus, and sent an occasional message on a computer over the Internet for some VIP on campus.

Then we got cell phones, digital cameras, and more.

Now I can update my blog from my Iphone.

If you would like me to use technology to send you the deals of the week that just went out yesterday, drop me an email.

Btw..this Iphone is nice but I think I’ll type my next update from a regular keyboard.