Have you seen these dogs? They’ve been missing from home for three days.   The owners are desperate to see them returned.  If you have seen him or have any information please contact Dave Hite @ 452-6252. There is a reward and no questions will be asked.  They just want to see them home again.

Mark your calendars…. May 16, 2009

In honor of Arbor Day – celebrated on May 18th, 2009 in Alaska, Golden Valley Electric Association will again give away trees to local residents. Golden Valley has 3,000 lilac saplings to give away in Fairbanks, Delta Junction and Nenana.  In previous years Golden Valley has given away Choke Cherry, Amur Maple, Crabapple, Rose Tree of China, Silverberry and Siberian and Red Osier Dogwood trees.

Be sure to show up early as the allotted trees usually go quickly!  Have questions?  Contact GVEA at info@gvea.com or call 907-452-1151.

Each generation takes the earth as trustees.
- J. Sterlng Morton

It’s time to send a message to our government… Stop Spending Our Money.

I have long been a small government fiscal conservative.  The Federal Government was not designed to be nor did the Founding Fathers dream it would ever evolve into a bloated, inefficient, constituent ignoring, revenue inhaling entitlement distribution center.

It’s time for a modern Declaration of Independence from those who serve only to further their own power.  We need to return this nation to her people.

Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. -Declaration of Independence

I have no desire to see my children and grandchildren saddled with the debt from this seemingly endless stream of federal handouts.  $12.7 trillion?! Where does it end?  If we leave it up to the politicians in Washington it won’t.

Attention Patriots!  It’s time for a Tea Party. The last one sent a clear message that our current ‘representatives’ would do well to heed.

WHEN: April 15, 2009

WHERE: 12:00PM – 1:00PM – Corner of Airport Way and Noble (Google Maps Link)
1:00PM – 2:00PM – Federal Building @ 101 12th Avenue (Google Maps Link)

For more information contact Larry Anderson at alaskanteaparty@yahoo.com or visit the Tax Day Tea Party site or the Tea Party page on Facebook.

We’ll see you there!

You know You Are An Alaskan When:

1. Your idea of a traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a motor home on the highway.
2. “Vacation” means going to Anchorage for the weekend.
3. You measure distance in hours.
4. You know several people who have hit moose more than once.
5. You often switch from “heat” to “A/C” in the same day.
6. You use a down comforter in the summer.
7. You drive at 65 mph through 13 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
8. You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.
9. You install security lights on your house and garage, and leave both unlocked.
10. You think of the major food groups as: meat, fish, and berries.

11. You carry jumper cables in your car, and your girlfriend/wife knows how to use them.
12. There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at the grocery store at any given time.

13. You know what Bunny Boots are.
14. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
15. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel pajamas. (the jury is still out on that one)
16. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction.
17. You didn’t know what the word “county” meant, and we were never taught about “area codes”… 907 is all you had to know
18. You know to go to Best Buy a month after a CD release because that’s when it will FINALLY arrive in Alaska
19. You can go to McDonalds and order off the $1.50 menu which they feel is equivalent to the $0.99 menu
20. You were appalled by the “Carrs-Safeway” merge a few years ago
21. You go to school, work, or both in the dark and come home in the dark
22. 30 degrees is shorts weather
23. -10 is a bit nippy

24. Buses leaving school are delayed because a bear is in the parking lot

25. You tell people you live in an igloo for kicks
26. Having a moose in your front yard is a legitimate excuse for being late to school
27. You refer to the continental US as the “lower 48?

28. You get an attitude when you have to pay tax in the lower 48
29. There is 4 feet of snow the night before school and you STILL have to go.
30. You sleep through an earthquake like nothing ever happened; the only way you know is because the clock fell off the wall
31. Salmon isn’t a delicacy, it’s a staple
32. Halibut is beer battered and deep fried.  Get over it.
33. You know who “Sleeping Lady” is
34. During the winter you rarely use your freezer

35. You think $4 for a loaf of bread is cheap
36. A “cookout” is not all the time outside because it’s entirely too cold for all of that
37. You don’t sleep in the summer because it’s too short to miss a minute of it
38. Half your friends own a sled (snow machine) and you think people that call them snow mobiles are idiots
39. You have been chased or know someone who has been chased by a moose at least once.
40. You’ve seen the northern lights, and you know why they are such a “big deal”
41. You know its all about the snow, DUH.
42. Your bedroom windows are covered in aluminum foil or black blankets.
43. You know the two speed limits in Alaska: the ‘get outta my way limit’ and ‘taking cover limit’
44. You only watch the news when they announce the amount of the year’s dividend
45. Your school classes were never canceled because of ice

46. You have to start your car at least an hour before you leave so most of the ice and snow will melt off by the time you leave
47. You wear flips flops all year without getting sick
48. You know the term “studs” isn’t referring to hot guys.
49. You have to ski in gym class
50. You know who “Binki” was, made fun of that stupid Australian tourist, and was so sad when he died.
51. You give up and tell people in the lower 48 that you DO live in an igloo and you DO have a pet polar bear named Mishka when they refuse to believe otherwise.
52. You call someone without a crack in their windshield a tourist
53. You attend a formal event in your best clothes, your finest jewels and your Sorrels.
54. When you go to the lower 48 you wonder where everybody’s block heater cable is
55. Combat fishing isn’t a joke, it’s a religion.
56. You’ve seen a 2-month old moose get hit by a full-size van at 65 MPH, then get up and run off
57. Your parents taking you trick-or-treating involves riding door-to-door in the car
58. You design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Fairbanks Alaska Real Estate Month in Review – August 2008

What a crazy month. We bid adieu to Lehman, then watched as Bank of America swallowed Merrill Lynch and now the Fed has nationalized AIG. Rumors of a similar fate surround the few other giants left standing. The real estate and finance landscape is changing daily and at a record pace. To say we’re living in interesting times would be an understatement. The good news is that the Fairbanks real estate market continues to move forward despite near catastrophic news from the financial powerhouses on Wall Street.

Average Sales Price

Locally, home sales picked up somewhat in August over July and with 106 homes sold. August earns the distinction of being the busiest month of 2008, thus far. We’re still trailing our sales numbers as compared to this time last year by 22%. Judging from the rumblings from other brokers and buyers I expect that number to widen to perhaps upwards of 25% behind ‘07 by years end.

Marketing time increased slightly to an average of 106 days in august and 128% over the 2007 average. At least in the short term, home prices are going to need to come down in order to stimulate the market. The spike in the discount-from-list-price number is due to a handful of sellers who, until recently, were unrealistic with respect to value. Three Fairbanks sellers finally decided to cut their asking price by more than $100,000 to effect a sale. One slashed his price by more than $200,000 (28.3%) before a buyer showed interest.

Homes in good condition that are priced within the market will continue to sell. Those sellers unwilling to market their homes accordingly will join the ranks of hundreds of others who are languishing on the market with no buyer in sight.

With spiraling fuel costs putting many Interior Alaska families in the unenviable position of having to choose between food or heat, the Governor and Legislature have decided to take action.

While it can’t be described as a perfect solution… I’m not even sure one exists… the Governor and Legislature have made a step in the right direction. With fuel costs among the highest in the nation and winter fast approaching, participating Alaskan’s can expect to see an additional $1,200 “resource rebate” included with their Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend this year. This one-time energy relief payout from the state treasury is the product of an energy relief package the Legislature passed two weeks ago.

While the amount of the 2008 PFD hasn’t been announced yet, it’s widely expected to be in the $2,100 range, per person. With the added resource rebate, each qualifying Alaskan will receive approximately $3,300. This will certainly be a help for those folks who are feeling the pinch from higher energy prices.

Rather than wait for the traditional early October disbursement, Governor Palin announced today the first round of checks would be deposited beginning September 12th. Those who signed up for direct deposit will begin receiving their checks in the first round followed by those receiving a check in the mail.

To be eligible for a PFD, you must have been an Alaska resident for the entire calendar year preceding the date you apply for a divide and intend to remain an Alaska resident indefinitely at the time you apply for a dividend. Unfortunately this will exclude some members of the armed forces stationed at Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright as many are new to Alaska. The men and women of the Army and Air Force who have met the eligibility requirements (and have applied) will receive a permanent fund dividend check. Read the eligibility requirements.

If you’re in the military, to be eligible to receive a 2008 PFD check, you’ll need to…

* have arrived in Alaska before January 1, 2007.

* Obtain an Alaska drivers license, register to vote, register a vehicle or sign a lease for off-post housing (or purchase a home). In other words, become part of the community.

* Maintain your Alaskan residency at all times during the qualifying year and intend to remain an Alaskan resident indefinitely.

* Claim Alaska as your state of legal residence with the military before January 1st of the year before the qualifying year.

Have specific questions? Contact your local Permanent Fund Dividend office:

Alright, we put up with the frigid winter temps, the slick icy roads and the diminished daylight for the majority of the year so we can have warm, dry arctic desert summers. I don’t know where our summer went this year but it certainly won’t be described as warm and dry. First came the incessent rain followed, of course by flooding and now the national weather service is telling us to prepare for the first frost of the season. Truly?

Sorry to disappoint you egghead weather folks, but we’ve already crossed that disgusting weather bridge. The photo below was taken two weeks ago at about 7:30AM. That white stuff you see across what was my green lawn… yep, you guessed it. Frost on the pumpkin.

One report tonight suggested we could see temps drop as low as the mid 20’s. Break out the electric blankets and get me a cup of hot buttered rum. Mother Nature is off her meds. Stay warm, ya’ll. Now where are my electric socks?

Yukon Quest organizers appoint John Schandelmeier as trail coordinator.

In response to critics who argued the Quest trail was poorly maintained, the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race appointed Quest veteran John Schandelmeier for a newly created trail coordinator position.

Schandelmeier has completed 16 Yukon Quest Races and won two; once in 1992 and again i 1996. John went on to found the Taiga 300 race and worked on improving the Gin Gin 200 ad Copper Basin 300 trails.

The Yukon Quest is an annual 1,000 mile sled dog race from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory to Fairbanks, Alaska. Much like the Iditarod, the Yukon Quest is a grueling test of endurance. Racers and their hearty four legged friends must survive the bitter cold of Alaska and the Yukon Territory as well as traverse some of the most magnificent scenery known to man.

Lance Mackey won the Quest (again) this year, which marks his fourth consecutive Quest win. Mackey also holds the honor of having the fastest running time of 10 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes.

This morning I open up the ‘net and start reading the news (my how times have changed I tell you) and the first article I come across is from Bloomberg; One third of new owners owe more than house is worth. “Almost one-third of U.S. homeowners who bought in the last five years now owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth…

Ok, so that’s not exactly new news, is it? Can anyone say ‘declining market area?’

Aside from the “negative equity and declining prices are making it difficult for homeowners to sell property for a profit” (duh) comment, what I found most interesting (aka comical) about this article is that Zillow is the source of information for home prices.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for folks coming up with new and inventive ways to make a buck, even if they are wrong more times than not and do more to confuse consumers about market value than just about anyone I know. But Zillow as the source of accurate real estate sales information? Seriously? They don’t even have a value assigned for our personal residence nor are they even remotely close in any of the other dozen home sales I checked both in Fairbanks or Anchorage as well as North Carolina or Mississippi.

Btw, while the Fairbanks market is struggling, here are a few charts you might find interesting.
The first shows the average sales price in Fairbanks and North Pole from 1999 through YTD 2008. Although we’ve leveled off a bit, prices have been increasing since early 2000. The second shows the average sales price for the period between 2005 and 2008; otherwise known as ‘the hot years’ in real estate. Notice that while we’ve seen some periods of decline our average price is still on the rise. Lastly, look at the period from July 2007 through July 2008; the year of massive foreclosures, short sales, near unprecedented bank failures and billions in write-offs where our average price is UP 7%.

Bottom line, folks… if you want to know what your home is worth call a Realtor. Zillow might be fun to play with but don’t make any decisions based on what they have to say. Their model might improve but as of today, it’s about as accurate as a rock.

Fairbanks Alaska Real Estate Week in Review
Jesse Clifton, Fairbanks Real Estate Broker

It’s been a bumpy road for Fairbanks real estate the past couple of years. We’ve weathered the downturn in the market fairly well thus far. When other areas were being hit very hard by free-falling home sales, Fairbanks continued to chug along. Fairbanks real estate didn’t appreciate as rapidly as California or Nevada or see the speculative building that swept some parts of the country. Conversely we haven’t seen the decline in prices and massive foreclosure numbers either. That much is a good thing.

I think we still have a long road ahead to recovery but there is good news in the market. Homes are still selling and the average price is still increasing. Read the full Fairbanks market report for the week ending July 26th.