Anchorage Real Estate Utility Information

Turning on the utilities to your Anchorage Alaska home is a very important step.  With the extreme weather we face, it can mean the difference between a warm cozy home or freezing pipe and seeing your breath if the furnace isn't working.  One of the steps provided by your Anchorage Alaska RE/MAX Associates is to let the first time buyer know who and when to set up utilities.  Most utilities companies, most of the time do not shut anything off, but it is always better to be safe than sorry in the cold.  The home buying process is very task oriented and we are glad to help you find the resources and information needed to make for an easy transition.

ELECTRIC

Anchorage Map to Determine Electricity Provider
Chugach Electric Association                                 563-7366                  

5601 Minnesota Drive, Anchorage, Alaska

Municipal Light and Power                                     263-5340

1200 East 1st Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska
Matanuska Electric, Anchorage, Alaska                694-2161

WATER SEWER

Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility             564-2700

3000 Arctic Blvd., Anchorage, Alaska

NATURAL GAS

Enstar Natural Gas                                                 277-5551

30000 Spenard Road, Anchorage, Alaska

REFUSE

Municipality of Anchorage                                     343-6250

Solid Waste Services

1111 East 56th Ave, Anchorage, Alaska

Alaska Waste, Inc.                                                 563-3717

6301 Rosewood, Anchorage, Alaska

TELEPHONE

ACS    Anchorage, Alaska                                         561-1221

GCI    Anchorage, Alaska                                         265-5600

CABLE INTERNET

GCI    Anchorage, Alaska                                         786-9200

Dish Network   Anchorage, Alaska                           349-7536

DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES

1300 W Benson Boulevard, Anchorage, AK 99503
269-5551  
State.AK.US/DMV

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

www.usps.com/umove

10 Reasons the Holidays are a GOOD Time to Sell Your Home

Okay so you need to sell your home and maybe you've been on the market for awhile. The Anchorage real estate market during the Holidays is perfect timing for you...if your price is correct, condition is given. It really goes back to the simple supply and demand and smart buying habits. People should buy low and sell high but they usually wait until there is a big crowd gathered. Listing during the Holidays is counter intuitive and most people take there Anchorage homes off the market...bad idea. Bottom line you need to move and timing is very important.
1. Supply & Demand (Competition) The majority of folks will think this is a bad time to sell a home so they will take their Anchorage homes off the market or wait to put them on the market….this means you will have much less competition!
2. Anchorage Holiday house hunters are typically serious home buyers; they aren’t going to be looking during the holiday season unless they really want/need to buy.
3. Your Anchorage home will likely feel very homey during this season (as long as you don’t go Clark Griswald on the neighborhood).
4. Many of your Anchorage neighbors will be having family and friends over for parties and such…if they love the neighborhood and see your for sale sign…you might just get some interested buyers. One of my most active Holidays is Thanksgiving and I will never take off on this holiday. I am thankful.
5. Let’s not kid…your house will smell amazing with all the pumpkin pies, sugar cookies, and breads you will be making.
6. Lots of people get Christmas bonuses and some will likely plan to use theirs as a down payment…get those folks interested now, while they have the money!
7. You don’t have to worry about any yard maintenance or up keep because your yard is likely dead, your leaves are already raked and flowers won’t be blooming for a while. Snow covers a great deal and your perfect yard looks the same as the neighbors.
8. You can always ask Santa for a ready, willing and able Anchorage buyer.
9. People are generally happy during the holiday season; happy people make happy Anchorage home buyers.

10. Showing may actually be easier than you think if you are planning on spending any time away visiting others during the holidays…your home becomes a “go and show” when you are out of town and is always show ready.



Working Hard to Earn Your Referrals
Lonnie Logan, Associate Broker
REMAX Properties
http://www.bestanchoragehomes.com/
http://www.myfirstanchoragehome.com/
http://www.akrealestateinfo.com/
Team@BestAnchorageHomes.com

Who Attends the Anchorage Home Inspection

Of course one of the first steps in the buying process is the property tour.  When buying Anchorage Alaska real estate, the tour of possible homes sometimes is not long enough to absorb everything about the property.  If you have seen enough homes, when you do walk into the "right one", it is usually pretty easy to tell.  Prior to showing our Anchorage buyers homes they often ask, "how long will it take to find something?"  That is the $64 million question and one that just can't be answered.  Sometimes you find a home quickly and sometimes it take years, literally.  If you do happen to run into perfect Anchorage real estate on the first tour, whether it be a house, condominium or multi-family property, you often don't even know it is perfect.  In a quick market that is sure death, because by the time you figure it out...it's too late.  Slower markets are much easier in means of timing, you just have a lot more properties to compare.  The old supply and demand theory.

After finding the Anchorage real estate, you write an offer, negotiate and then come to some agreement with the Seller as to the price, terms and conditions.  One of those is the chance to inspect the Anchorage Alaska home, condominium or multi-family property.  This is the most opportune time to absorb EVERYTHING about the home you need to know.  The Seller's do no attend the inspection, well almost all Seller's do not attend the inspection...except there are some.  For Sale By Owners are often the most likely to be involved in the inspection.  It is a little odd to let someone in your home to look it over as meticulously as a buyer needs.  I mean they really have a chance to see things our extended family does not.  That's why it's a good idea for the buyers agent to stick around.  The Anchorage home inspectors are very professional, stick to the task at hand and even have rules about being invasive. I did have a Seller that had moved everything out of the home and when I walked in the kitchen the Buyer was drinking a beer.  When I asked him where it came from, he had found it in the refrigerator.  That was probably the biggest Buyer grievance I experienced.

In closing always find out if the Seller will be present.  The odds are so small but in the end can make for a much happier experience.

Great Resource for first time buyers

Alaska Housing Finance Corporation provides Anchorage Alaska home buyers with resources to become informed about how to make good financial and purchase decisions. After the purchase or if you have owned for years, Alaska Housing provides information and classes to assist Anchorage home owners in how to maintain their home or condominium.

They work hand in hand with Cook Inlet Housing, Neighborhood Works and the Municipality of Anchorage.

If you have questions or would like to start collecting information to own your first home please feel free to visit MyFirstAnchorageHome.