When a person thinks of Alaska, they often think of a vast, cold wilderness with miles of glaciers and hundreds of bears. It's a place where people take cruises along the coastline and enjoy the midnight sunshine. It's a state where jade can be found and where there's plenty of fresh, cold beer. However, most people do not realize that this state also has produced some of the most

Alaska's wilderness, clean air, and tranquility call to plenty of people, but there are a few things that people should know before they actually move to the state. Learn more about what it really means to live in an Alaskan community and how people make it work for them every day.

The Expense

Between the weather and the state's reputation, it's easy to think living in Alaska

The Last Frontier is not a place for the faint of heart. It takes a tough soul to survive the long, dark winter days, and the endless summer sunshine that still ushers in cool breezes. Luckily for those who live in Alaska and those who visit this beautiful wilderness, there's plenty of local coffee shops around to help them fortify against the forces of Mother Nature.

The best

With its remote location and massive landscape, the cost of living in Alaska is 28 percent higher than the national average. Almost everything is a little bit more expensive with the exception of housing, which surpasses the norm—and tuition, which does not. Anyone contemplating a move to this state should understand how their cost of living will change and where their money will

No seller wants to have a lien on their home, even though most sellers don't realize they already do have one. Unless the seller owns the home outright, a home mortgage is considered a type of lien. But there are some liens that will interfere with the sale of the home more so than others, and it helps to understand how liens work (ideally before ever putting the home on the market).

Whether you consider working from home a boon or a boondoggle may depend entirely on how you organize your personal work space. Keeping other members of the household at bay while you concentrate doesn't have to be difficult, but it might require some ingenuity, and a bit of creative rearranging.

Getting Down to Business

Are there rules to follow when planning a Wasilla home

As life progresses, homeowners may realize their current Big Lake AK home isn't meeting their current needs, especially as they age. One of the solutions homeowners can turn to as they get older is to move into an age-restricted community where the housing is made with their needs in mind and they can be around other residents who are their age. Here are some things all home buyers

Most people have some type of lien on their home simply because they have an active mortgage. Any party with an ownership stake in the home technically has a lien on it. However, those with involuntary liens may not be able to sell their home to a qualified buyer, which can make it difficult if they need to part ways with a property. A lien on a home does not necessarily mean that the