JBER Real Estate Archives - Alaska Real EstateAlaska Real Estate

Help for Alaska First Time Home Buyers!

January 16, 2015 by Chris Druesedow

As the end of 2014 approached, the National Association of Realtors® was able to come up with some general observations on the makeup of the current market—facts that anyone expecting to deal with Alaska home buyers in the coming year should find useful. With consumer attitudes showing improvement across the board, you might have expected that all segments of the home buying public would have shown increased activity. Not so. According to the NAR’s annual survey—the big one that they’ve … Continue reading →

A “Magic Number” for House Flipping?

January 12, 2015 by Chris Druesedow

ABC’s Nightline recently aired an interesting segment about house flipping, which included a magic number that’s probably never been seen before. Alaska house flippers would have been glued to their TVs if they’d stayed up late enough to catch Nightline, because if authentically magical, it’s a good number to know. The segment was part of a series called “Realty Check.” This one was about new strategies in the “ever-competitive world of flipping.” The show started with some background about how … Continue reading →

All time low in Mortgage rates for Alaska

January 9, 2015 by Chris Druesedow

Alaska’s mortgage interest rates have been so low for so long that there is the definite possibility that the real value they represent—for both Alaska home buyers and sellers—may now be being taken for granted. It’s only natural. If you believe that past history is the best predictor of future performance, last January’s common wisdom that mortgage interest rates in 2014 would head up to at least 5% or more wouldn’t have fazed you a bit. One quick glance at the … Continue reading →

School Districts Rate Highly in Anchorage Real Estate Home Buying Survey

September 8, 2014 by Chris Druesedow

Anchorage Real Estate residents don’t have to have children at home to know when we’ve gone through the familiar back-to-school rituals. Just turn on a radio or TV, step into a retail store, or drive past a school and the calls to educational muster are evident. At the same time, it’s hard not to be reminded how significant education is when it comes to Anchorage Real Estate home buying—how likely it is for schools to be on the forefront of … Continue reading →

Selling Your Home in Anchorage Real Estate’s Fall Sales Season

September 5, 2014 by Chris Druesedow

Springtime is correctly known near and far as the peak season for selling your home—in Anchorage Real Estate; elsewhere in the U.S.; probably on Mars, too. Everybody knows it. This has created a most unfortunate side effect: namely, the notion that if you missed the spring home sales binge, you’d best cancel all plans and hold your house off the market until next year (even if you’re actually ready to list). So…should you give up on selling your home in … Continue reading →

Home Improvement Factor: Part of a Anchorage Real Estate New Home’s Cost

August 29, 2014 by Chris Druesedow

You’ve done it: found what’s soon to become your family’s new Anchorage Real Estate home! It’s in a great neighborhood…reasonable commute…decent kitchen (size is right; definitely upgradeable). All this and it fits the budget! Congrats! Looks like your housing hunt is over… YET…before you sign on the dotted line, there should be one last check-off. Factor in all the costs that improving the house to your liking will entail. The cost of home improvements in Anchorage can be light—but since … Continue reading →

Time-Savers for Buying a House in Anchorage Real Estate

August 28, 2014 by Chris Druesedow

According to last month’s National Association of REALTORS® announcement, existing home sales are up across the U.S., at the same time that home inventories are on the rise. In Anchorage Real Estate, it may point to a brisk fall market, with more prospective buyers deciding the time is right for buying a house. It’s true that a few lucky prospects will find the perfect home after just an afternoon or two. But that’s not often the case: for most people, … Continue reading →

Time for a Little End-of-Summer Anchorage Real Estate Home Maintenance

August 27, 2014 by Chris Druesedow

It seems just yesterday that the beach towels were coming out of the closet—alas! With back-to-school specials ending and Labor Day Weekend upon us, it’s time to admit that summer is just about done for. Whether you’ve just purchased a new property, are sprucing up your Anchorage Real Estate home with thoughts of putting it on the market this fall, or are just getting ready for the change of seasons, now is time to take a critical look at your … Continue reading →

An Anchorage Real Estate Virtual Tour Can be an iPhone Production

August 21, 2014 by Chris Druesedow

A newly-updated NAR survey confirms that 51% of agents with smartphones use iPhones. This fact is hardly startling, since these phones have been such a boon to the real estate business. Today’s agent can use apps to quickly scan and electronically sign documents, instantly get property details for clients, access key boxes—it’s almost hard to remember how we got along before! But what about the 9% of homeowners who choose to go the FSBO (For Sale by Owner) route? As … Continue reading →

Anchorage Real Estate Residents’ Credit Scores Could Improve Under FICO 9

August 19, 2014 by Chris Druesedow

For any Anchorage Real Estate resident who has ever been stymied by seemingly arbitrary (or, put another way, nutty) lowering of his or her all-important credit score, next month’s beginning rollout of Fair Isaac’s new credit score model should be welcome news. It will be known as “FICO 9”—and promises to correct a few of the previous model’s inadequacies. Why now? It’s been six years since San Jose’s Fair Isaac Co. last tinkered with their credit score methodology. Hmmmm…it’s been … Continue reading →