Once a week Gino Blefari, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, sends out an email recapping his activities and thoughts on the real estate market. He has an inspiring boots to chairman narrative that you can check out on Youtube. So here’s my Alaska version as a Continue Reading
$3.5 Billion Keeps the Alaska Residential Market Stable
All sorts of Covid-19 related federal dollars, plus dividend money and $500 million paid out in unemployment for the first six months of 2020 has kept the Alaska residential market stable for the first half of 2020. For week 28, the 442 single family Anchorage Continue Reading
Falling in Love with Alaska
I have to admit that when it’s been time for me to take a break from my real estate activities, I’ve always gotten on a plane—New York, LA, Hawaii, D.C., the Nile, China, Tibet, St. Petersburg -you get the drift. But now due to the corona virus, I’ve had to curtain my Continue Reading
A Home is as Individual as its’ Owner
Thank you, Alaska, for the tremendous support and response to our affiliation with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Extending our marketing reach with Adwerx, Videolicious and a global website provides more opportunities for our sellers that, frankly, we were Continue Reading
Trekking Through the Mat-Su
I spent last weekend in the Valley visiting new home communities in the Mat-Su Spring Preview of Homes. The last time I was in the Valley, I came within a few inches of hitting a moose crossing the Knik Goose Bay Road in the dead of night so I was glad to see the KGB Continue Reading
How an Unexpected Fed Cut Will Stimulate Our Housing Market
If you believe that homeownership is the single best way to build individual wealth, now is the time for you to buy a home. Due to the concern over the economic impact of the coronavirus, this week the Fed cut their rate by half a percent, making long term mortgage Continue Reading
What to do about the ‘Missing Middle’
Anchorage is not alone when it comes to a housing deficit for the ‘missing middle’. In 1999, 37% of newly built single family homes had a square footage of less than 1,800, according to a National Association of Homebuilders study. Now, that total has shrunk to 23%. We’ve Continue Reading
Remodeling is Not Home Maintenance
Ten years ago I did a major remodel. There was new carpeting in the bedrooms, luxury vinyl tile in the kitchen and hallway, an interior paint job that took three coats, double ovens so I can bake two batches of cookies at the same time, a fancy hood above a new stove Continue Reading
Keep Your Cool When Buying or Selling a Home
Selling a home is not as easy as it used to be. In today’s market, it all boils down to market knowledge and negotiating skills. First, and foremost is the negotiation with yourself to determine your home’s fair market value. You may have lived in the home for twenty Continue Reading
Downsizing Isn’t Just for Aging Boomers
But millennials as well! According to a recent builder survey, seventy-four percent of millennials will buy a home in the next five years. Struggling with student debt and just beginning their career path, younger millennials are discovering that smaller homes are more Continue Reading
Connie Yoshimura, Owner/Broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alaska Realty.