What I love most about selling real estate is that every property, every buyer, every seller is different so it is never boring! Putting all those variables together to complete a transaction gives you a uber high of satisfaction. Every year also has a different set of Continue Reading
Archives for 2016
Cost Versus the Value of Remodeling
According to the cost vs. value report published by Hanley Wood, LLC. in 2014, mid-range remodeling projects vary greatly when comparing actual job cost to resale value. One project where owners can expect a 100% return, particularly in Alaska’s cold climate, is the addition Continue Reading
The 2017 Question: Remodel or Buy New?
It’s on the mind of most Anchorage homeowners who own a home built in the 1980’s and beyond. Anchorage’s housing aging stock is a boom for the big chain stores like Home Depot and Lowes who offer easy cosmetic remodeling for surface items like flooring, countertops and even Continue Reading
Interest Rate Jump Wakes Up Anchorage Buyers
This month’s mortgage interest rate jump up to 4.125 % has sent buyers scampering to find a new home. The week before Thanksgiving forty-five homes pended in Anchorage compared to twenty-seven in 2015. That trend continued into Thanksgiving week when six additional sales Continue Reading
Why Are HOA Dues So Expensive?
Today, it’s rare to find a new single family community that is not part of the Common Ownership Interest Act. Even a monument sign and landscaping at the entrance requires an association and thus a board of directors and a budget. The list of expenses that are included in Continue Reading
The Power of Your Homeowners’ Association
Homeowners’ associations are a necessity in today’s world of residential development. Whether it’s a condominium or single family development, any new community that has a common area, including signage easements, greenbelts, perimeter fencing, is subject to the uniform Continue Reading
Is the Longer a Home on the Market the Less it’s Worth?
That may be the case in our local housing market. There are less than a thousand single family homes on the market with an average sales price of $370,000. They’ve been on the market an average of eighty-nine days. However, the average sales on the market for sold Continue Reading
New Housing Units Continue to Decline
The Municipality of Anchorage recently released its building permit summary through September 2016. As expected, it showed a continual slide in the construction of new housing units whether multi-family, duplex or single family. At the same time, according to the report, Continue Reading
Who are Anchorage’s Most Prolific Builders and Where do they Build?
Despite the continued historic low number of building permits, a handful of builders are keeping the residential construction industry alive. Leading the pack are Spinell Homes and Hultquist Homes who collectively account for 33% of all duplex and single family permits. John Continue Reading
New Home Permits at an Historic Low
Last week the MOA published the Building Home Permit Activity Report for the first three quarters of this year. The report which tracks residential and commercial construction and alterations shows an historic low of 160 single family permits. With the frost and first snow Continue Reading
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Connie Yoshimura is the Owner and Broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alaska Realty. With over 40 years of residential real estate experience, she continues to be a leader in Alaska’s housing market. Most recently, she sold the highest-priced home ever recorded in the Alaska MLS.