It is hard to believe but January sales in Anchorage increased by 37% when compared to January 2019. That increase was despite all concerns over the state’s economy, including job losses in the oil patch and Anchorage’s reported population loss. But, here Continue Reading
It’s Time to Increase Lot Coverage Ratios
Seventy-seven per cent of all home buyers, regardless of age or geographical location, prefer to live in a detached single family home. That percentage has consistently increased since 2003 when the National Association of Home Builders first began Continue Reading
Older Alaskans Need More Ranch Homes
Alaska’s senior population is growing. According to Alaska Economic Trends, Alaska has an estimated 87,304 seniors, up from 54,938 eight years before and more are on the way. Anchorage/Mat-Su added more than 17,000 seniors, representing over half the state’s Continue Reading
How ‘Silly’ is This?
The photo below is an example of the current required driveway width in residential single family subdivisions. According to Title 21: Land Use Planning, page 7-133, the “total width of driveway entrances to a residential lot from a street shall not exceed 40 percent Continue Reading
A Real Estate ‘True Confession’
I have been listing and selling real estate in Anchorage for almost forty years. It’s a job I love and will continue to do in the future. You would think after all those years of experience I would not make a simple mistake but I did. It has haunted me for the past several Continue Reading
Continued Stability in Anchorage Housing Market
While the housing market in the lower 48 is booming with new home communities and an active resale market with 6% to 18% appreciation, the Anchorage housing market remains stable, despite the state’s economic woes. Thanks, in part, to a continued lack of new home Continue Reading
Why Interest Rates May Not Matter
A few weeks ago, I wrote about rising mortgage interest rates. At that time the 30 year fixed conventional rate had risen to 4.3% and I predicted that interest rates would go to 5% by the end of the year. Well, this week that same 30 year fixed rate went down to 4% which has Continue Reading
What I Learned in 2016
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
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
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
Connie Yoshimura, Owner/Broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alaska Realty, has over 30 years of residential real estate experience. She was the number one individual realtor, according to Multiple Listing Service, in 2015,2016, 2017.