Even though most home buyers would like a wider lot, Anchorage lots are getting narrower due to the high cost of road and water/sewer extensions. The cost of water service with an 8 inch pipe is $350 per lineal foot. The cost of a sewer service is $350/lineal Continue Reading
At Last, Some Positive Changes Coming for Title 21
Assuming the Anchorage Assembly passes an omnibus ordinance amending Anchorage Municipal Code to Title 21, local home builders will have a better path forward for residential development. The changes put forth by the Office of Community Development and Dept. of Law at Continue Reading
Why We Need Unit Lot Subdivisions
The Anchorage residential market continues on its robust journey of higher prices and multiple offers. The May 2021 average sales price was $458,580, the highest monthly sales price ever recorded since January 2013. Yet, of last week’s 112 pending sales in Anchorage and Continue Reading
A Round Up of Local Housing News
The first five months of 2021 has seen the continued fast pace of residential sales. Despite lack of inventory, unit sales increased by 25% when compared to the same time last year and total volume has increased by over 35%. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the average Continue Reading
Memo to a New Administration
With change comes opportunity and there certainly is a lot of opportunity to make housing more affordable in Anchorage. The cost of housing always begins with the cost of land which is calculated not just by square foot or acreage but by its current allowable use as defined Continue Reading
Why I Love New Homes
Because they have no ghosts; no fingerprints of a past life; no lost memories. It’s a new beginning mingled with the smell of sawn cedar, LED lights and smooth, freshly painted walls with no texture. It’s a first coat of paint—pure and simple—in so many different Continue Reading
How to Buy a House That Doesn’t Exist
With less than a one month supply of single family homes for sale in the Municipality of Anchorage, frustrated buyers wanting to take advantage of historic low interest rates are exploring new construction. However, with few speculative homes being built, buyers are having Continue Reading
Home Building – An Economic Booster
The construction industry in Anchorage lost 600 jobs in 2020. It was down from 7,800 in 2019 to 7,200. Most of that loss was in the commercial sector. In its January 2021 Jobs Forecast, Alaska Economic Trends reported that two of the three new hotels Continue Reading
Alaska’s Ever Changing Real Estate Market
More people are leaving Alaska than moving in. According to the Department of Labor, Alaska has lost more movers than it’s gained every year since 2013. As of July 2020, the population had fallen to 728,903 from 740,637 in 2016. Like many economic factors, the Continue Reading
What You Need to Know When Considering a New Build
Late August is the rainy season and it’s also a reminder that if you want to have a new home built this year, you have about 45 days to get into the ground before builders will have to heat and tent their foundations which will add between $5,000 and $10,000 to the cost of a Continue Reading
Connie Yoshimura, Owner/Broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alaska Realty.