Alaska Real Estate Blog

You don’t need to be an avid Alaska gardener to appreciate our local botanical gardens, but if you are you’ll find lots of ideas on what to grow at home. Non-green thumbers will find much to enjoy in the 110-acre Alaska Botanical Garden.

Learn which perennials do best in Southcentral Alaska

The Lower Perennial Garden is where you’ll want to go if you’re interested in learning more about which perennials are hardy to our area. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the number of plants that will do well in your landscape. These include poppies, delphiniums, roses and more.

Alaska natives

Take to the Wildflower Trail to view native Alaskan wildflowers. Native plants are always the ideal choice, regardless of where in the country one lives. They

Demystifying the real estate purchase and sale process is something we here at Unity Home Group® take seriously, so here’s part two of our definitions for some of the most commonly used real estate terms. You’ll find part one here.

FHA mortgage – The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), guarantees home loans, making it easier for those with less-than-perfect credit to obtain a mortgage.

Jumbo mortgage – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announces what is known as the “conforming loan” limits every year. Loans that exceed this amount are jumbo loans.

Loan-to-Value –  Known as LTV, for short, loan-to-value refers to the ratio of the loan to the value of the home.

Playrooms may be the star attraction for your kids, but they’re usually not terribly enticing for their parents. Even when they’re not messy, they can feel overwhelming cute. And it can be difficult for grownups to enjoy watching their children at play when everything feels too small.

Here are a few ways you can get around those challenges and decorate your playroom so everyone can enjoy being there.

Everyone needs a place to sit – If the playroom only has tiny wooden chairs, you’re not going to want to spend time reading while your child makes you a plate of plastic food. Make sure there’s enough room for everyone in the family to take a seat and make it a comfortable one.

Bring storage down, way down – You can hide seasonal décor on the

Every industry has its own language and real estate is no exception. The trouble is that real estate agents and lenders are dealing with consumers, and often they forget that what they’re saying may seem like a foreign language to outsiders. Today we thought we’d interpret some of the more common terms you’ll encounter when buying or selling a home in Alaska. This is part one of a multi-part series, so check back next week for more.

Addendum – An addendum is a form used to make changes to the purchase agreement after it’s been accepted by both the buyer and the seller. For instance, if you find problems that the home inspection turned up and want the seller to remedy them, we would submit an addendum to the contract stating that the seller will pay

Want to get out of the city for a few hours? Looking for a cozy place to watch a game? Head over to the Palmer City Alehouse day or night to enjoy good food, good friends, and, of course, a good game.

It’s almost a guarantee that your spirits will perk as you pull up a chair and figure out which television offers the best view. Inside, the red walls evoke warmth, whatever the temperature outside and the wide selection of draft and craft Alaskan beers will make you glow.

The Palmer City Alehouse is like the neighborhood sports bar you’ve always wanted. The menu isn’t spectacular; it’s what you’d expect, with burgers, sandwiches, and plenty of delicious pizzas to choose. If you want to spoil yourself, the Top Cut Sirloin Entrees will surely

No matter how well you maintain your home, outside factors may influence the amount of money you get for your home when you sell. Let’s take a look at three of these.

1. Market conditions

Housing market conditions vary and they can change quickly. If the Feds decide to raise interest rates, lenders may jump the gun and raise mortgage rates as well. When that happens, many first-time homebuyers get locked out of the market. When the buyer pool shrinks, yet the inventory of available homes remains the same, a buyers’ market occurs. Supply and demand at work; home prices typically take a tumble.

2. Neighborhood changes

Homeowners typically don’t keep abreast of local zoning changes but homebuyers and their agents do. A new power plant or city

Every homeowner gets to a point when their bathrooms feel drab. Rarely are these rooms as bland as you think they are; it’s just that you spend time in them every day. Worse, when they are up-to-date and have everything you need, it’s difficult to justify spending a fortune on transforming your bathrooms.

You don’t need to outlay a lot of cash to spruce your bathrooms. You can do it relatively cheaply – and quickly. In fact, most rooms don’t need a lot of work to feel brand new again.

Start with a good clean (and don’t forget the light bulbs) and then consider any of these options for a super fast fix.

Organize the cabinets – The more you can pull off the counters, the cleaner and newer that everything will feel. Clear out all the drawers

Sometimes selling a home as-is is unavoidable. We’ve had clients trying to beat the bank in foreclosure who just needed to sell quickly and were committed to deeply discounting the price because they would still make more than they would if the bank took the home. We’ve worked with folks selling a deceased parent’s home who likewise didn’t have the time or money to fix the home enough so that it would bring in current market value. So, we understand that there are many circumstances that might warrant an as-is sale.

Much will depend on what type of loan the eventual buyer is using, unless you exclude those buyers when marketing the home. Let’s take a look at some of the basic repairs you’ll need to make and also those specific to certain loan

There’s no place like home – especially when it has all the space and details of Briarcliff Townhomes in Anchorage. This condominium community boasts friendly neighbors and homes with plenty of light and space.

Though there are streets in Anchorage called Briarcliff, the townhouses in this association are found on Briar Loop Drive as well as Bridgestone and Blackburn courts. You can find the entrance to this neighborhood off of Merlin Loop, which can be found off Old Seward Highway.

Each of the more than 50 units in this community has roughly 1350 square feet spread over two floors, not including the space taken by attached double garages. Homes have two different floor plans, though both feature three bedrooms.

 The “Retreat” floor plan

Winter came and went a long time ago, and you’ve opened all the windows to air out your home for a spot of spring cleaning Chances are you’ve taken for granted your windows ― these essential home structures, especially in Alaska. While you probably won’t need to worry about them for awhile, it never hurts to give each one a quick once over to make sure you don’t suffer this winter.

You Can’t Open or Close Your Windows – It’s awful when you need to fight with anything in your home. When it’s your windows, with all that glass and the security problems a broken window can present, it’s even worse. Sure, a firmly closed window isn’t going to let drafts through, but it’s also not going to improve the quality of your life or the value of your home.