This article will tell you how best to find property on-line.  I’m going to let the cat out of the bag and reveal some secrets no one mentions. 

Many real estate websites have a property search link on their page. The link is provided by the Alaska Listing Exchange, ALE.   This link will allow you to do your own search for homes.  I had a similar link on my page in the past but was disappointed in it.  I have since found out why I was disappointed. 

The Alaska Listing Exchange system only allows certain search parameters.  For example, you would not be able to search for ranch style homes, or homes on gas heat as opposed to oil, or log homes.  You can do a search based on a broad area, price range, size, bedrooms and baths.  That’s about it.  ALE has good reasons for these restrictions but their reasons don’t help you in your search.

In addition, there are a few brokers who do not allow their properties to be on ALE. These do not comprise many listings, but you are missing them when you do you own search.  The AKMLS has a public site at alaskarealestate.com.  This site allows more search parameters than does the ALE link found on real estate licensee’s sites, but it is still very limiting.

As a real estate licensee I can set up a search for you that is much more useful.  For example here are some of the ways your search will be better :

• you can search by heating type…gas, oil, propane, wood etc.
• you can search by house type…log, ranch, two story etc
• you can search a school district…Colony, Palmer, Wasilla, Houston
• you can search for waterfront…lake, creek, ocean
• you can search sold sales that will allow you to see how much certain homes sold for
• you can search new listings since any date you select
• you can search by access…paved, gravel etc
• you can search for horse property, airstrip property etc

Your search can be as specific or as broad as you want it to be.  In addition, I can set it up so that as soon as a new listing comes on the market that meets your search parameters it will be sent to you. 

Sometimes a house is just outside the price range of your search.  If that house price is lowered so that it is now in your price range, you will immediately be notified.  For example…I just lowered the price of this house  today.  If your price range had topped out at $340,000 you would have been notified immediately. 

Your search will be much more useful, and you can change it whenever you like, or even set up several different searches for different types of property. 

All you need to do is drop me a note by clicking on my contact link in the top right hand side of this page.  Include your name, the email address you want the search to use, and a good phone number.  Then give me as many specifics as you can about the type of property you want.  I will set up the search for you free of charge. 

Don’t worry, I don’t give or sell your personal information to anyone…this is just to let me set up a search for you that will actually be useful.  Not only that, you won’t have to spend hours on the computer every time you are looking for houses, they will automatically be sent to your email box and you can just browse at your leisure.

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It was an absolutely gorgeous Sunday in Willow for the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.  My brother Mark and his wife Lorri staked out their favorite place on Vera Lake before the race began.  Their kids were already enjoying a camp fire.  They were at the very same location that we watched the race from last year.  See last year’s photos here.

My son Gerrit and I were the only representatives from my family for the second year in a row…couldn’t get the ladies to come but I’m sure they would have enjoyed it.  The weather was perfect, sunny and windless and about 25 degrees.  Can’t get any better than that!

Jay and two of his children along with my Dad, Gale Van Diest, showed up as well.  From left to right is Mark,Lorri,Jay,Gale, and Nikki.  Marty and Nikki Moffat joined us this year.  It was good to have them there, Marty and I have known each other since he was in Anvik and I was in Holikachuk back in the early 60’s.  Of course, it was our missionary parents who brought us there.

Here is a photo of Marty and Nikki with Rod Whaley from Tennessee right behind them.  This race had mushers from several differentcountries and many different states.  The top photo is Kim Franklin from the UK.  These people from outside Alaska are certainly on the adventure, and challenge, of their lifetime.  They are just beginning a 1,000 mile race through Alaska’s wilderness. 

Rachael Scdoris, a legally blind musher from Oregon, is following Joe Runyan to Nome.  Joe was our next door neighbor in Tanana and is a past Iditarod champion.  The discovery channel is filming their trip from a helicopter overhead. 

In addition to helicopters, there were airplanes galore, and hundreds, maybe thousands of snowmobiles following the race.  It was almost a constant drone from some motor.  Alan and Adele Morgan stopped by on thier machines to visit for awhile.  Alan commented on the irony of so much gasoline consumption to watch a sled dog race.  It does seem a little backwards, but like everyone else, we didn’t let it bother us.

 My Dad has some more photos on his blog here.

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Here are the Wasilla Real Estate statistics for the past week.  These numbers include Palmer, Wasilla, Talkeetna, Willow, Sutton and the rest of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

We had a slight increase in inventory but a pretty sharp increase in new pendings.  There are some definite signs that spring is on the way. 

Of the 35 pendings for the week, seven of them were new construction.  That is a sign of continued health in the market.  New construction can still compete with existing homes. 

Although prices do appear to be weaker than they have been in past years, builders are still able to compete in this market.  If prices were to drop dramatically there would be such a large gap between new construction prices and existing ones that builders would not be able to make a profit.  At this time, there is still a profit to be made in new construction.   But, the only builders that can compete are those with very sharp pencils.

There do seem to be a few more foreclosed homes on the market this year.  I have not been keeping close track of them.  I intend to add a feature to this site that will show all the foreclosed listings on the MLS system.  Check back tomorrow for that.

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This property has a pending sale

This brand new home is just finished.  You have to see it to believe it.  Featuring upgraded lighting, granite counters, high end cabinets, and lots more. 

You need to check out the kitchen, it’s a dream come true.

Also, as you can see in the above photo, this house has trim that is far superior to almost all the houses currently on the market.  It is located in Heritage Park Subdivision just outside of Wasilla about 3 miles down Knik Goose Bay Road.  Here is a map.

The price is only $285,000 and the builder will pay $5,000 of the buyers closing costs.  That is a great price for a 1,900 square foot ranch style home.

Click on any of the photos to expand.

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