In Alaska, there are 15 boroughs and municipalities which have been given the right to tax properties by Alaska’s Constitution. And every year the Municipality of Anchorage publishes an Appraisal Valuation Report to inform its residents how properties are taxed in the MOA. Continue Reading
What to Know About Where You Shop
After fulfilling the dream of home ownership, many Americans look to start their own business, whether it is a bistro, remodeling construction company, bakery, shoe salon, private medical practice to name just a few. Mega corporations are highly visible in Anchorage Continue Reading
A Week in the Life of a Real Estate Broker
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
Connie Yoshimura is the Owner and Broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alaska Realty. With over 40 years of residential real estate experience, she continues to be a leader in Alaska’s housing market. Most recently, she sold the highest-priced home ever recorded in the Alaska MLS.