The good news is that single family permits have increased from last year. Through April 2022 single family permits rose to 73 compared to 62 in 2021. That’s not much of an increase but it’s a good start with the expectation that lower framing prices will encourage Continue Reading
Archives for 2022
Good Luck if You are a Condo Buyer
Last month there were only seven condos for sale in Anchorage. On May 17, there were no Anchorage condos for sale less than $274,900 and only a total of five condos for sale above that price point. Yesterday, there were zero condos for sale in Palmer/Wasilla. And Continue Reading
Can Anchorage Build Its Way Out of the Housing Shortage?
Not if the April 2022’s most recent building safety activity report is any indication. Single family building permits are up from 62 to 73 but duplex permits are down from 24 units in 2021 to 8 this year. That’s a breakeven number for the two most desirable housing Continue Reading
The Square Footage of Your Home Just Changed
In April Fannie Mae, a primary investor in residential mortgages for single family homes and townhouses, changed the rules on how appraisers should measure, calculate and report on the gross living area of your home (GLA) and non GLA areas. A non GLA Continue Reading
Anchorage Housing Market: Where We Are Today…
The only surprise in the Anchorage housing market is that the recent bump-up in the 30 year fixed rate mortgage didn’t put a stop on the local buyer frenzy. In fact, it had the opposite effect as buyers raised into the market before another projected increase later Continue Reading
What’s an ARM?
Most buyers are familiar with the 30 year fixed rate mortgage but with higher interest rates the ARM mortgage is becoming the talk of the industry which typically has an initial lower interest rate. An ARM mortgage, according to Madona Rhine-Stack, NMLS #204026, Senior Continue Reading
Advice for Sellers
Despite the widely publicized increase in mortgage interest rates, it is still a seller’s market with only 84 Anchorage single family homes for sale and 31 in Eagle River. However, despite this historic low inventory, sellers still need to take time to prepare Continue Reading
A Tight Housing Market Flies into Gale Force Winds
If you think the Anchorage residential real estate market couldn’t get any tighter, think again. Historically, a balanced inventory to sale ratio is somewhere between a two to three month supply. Single family inventory just went negative in February with 173 Continue Reading
Thoughts on Real Estate Today & Tomorrow…
The first two months of 2022 have seen buyers continue to grapple with extremely low inventory of for sale homes. According to Alaska MLS, there is now less than a half month’ supply of available inventory. The only significant change in the market is the extreme decline in Continue Reading
Hello Mat-Su!
I’m sure this headline comes as a surprise to many of you who have known me for over forty years as an ‘Anchorage’ realtor and residential land developer. However, I can no longer ignore our great neighbor to the north. Forbes Magazine recently rated the Gateway Continue Reading
Connie Yoshimura, Owner/Broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alaska Realty.