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Fairbanks, AK Real Estate News

By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
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Comments 6
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
...or not.  Truth be told these guys are a little on the slow side.  If you're careful and let them adjust to your presence, it's not uncommon for them to come right up to you.  Ptarmigan are very common in Denali and  throughout Interior Alaska. The Willow Ptarmigan also holds the distinction of being the state bird of Alaska. This little darling is dressed in her winter whites and it won't be long before she will be virtually undetectable on the solid white canvas that is Alaska in winter.  There will be no wintering in Palm Beach as these guys (and gals - can't leave them out, can we?) will remain in Alaska throughout the winter. Although the official state bird of Alaska, they are often hunted (and are quite delicious).   While I have shot my fair share over the years, these days I ...
Comments 32
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
This day is a day of remembrance.  A day to remember the men and women who have valiantly served this great nation since our Founding Fathers broke the bonds of a tyrannical King and declared that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States. On this day we remember those who have fallen.  We remember those who have and continue to stand guard.    We remember and we honor those young men and women who unselfishly pledged their lives to defend this grand experiment in democracy.  Our nation and indeed the world would be unrecognizable if not for them.  Throughout history our American hero's have been liberators and defenders of freedom where tyranny and oppression reign. They are our wives and husbands.  Our sons and daughters. Our fathers and mothers. ...
Comments 9
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
It's not a common sight in Fairbanks.  While there are quite a few small-scale horse ranches in the Interior, watching a dozen or so go galloping by is rare enough to stop you in your tracks. A couple of days ago I was taking some progress photo's of a new construction project for a client.  I was just about to put my camera back in it's case when out of the corner of my eye I spotted these beauties running across the field behind the house.  It was late afternoon and as happens in Interior Alaska as we creep into the depths of winter, daylight was dropping fast.  I managed to get a dozen or so shots as they raced out of range.  At first I wasn't all that happy with them, but now I kind of like the ghostly feel. I haven't been on horseback in more years than I care to remember (these da...
Comments 23
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Fairbanks Real Estate - Denali Estates - Fairbanks Condominiums Built in 1982 by Jerry Sadler, Denali Estates is one of the most sought after condo addresses in Fairbanks.   Many owners have resided in their condominium since it was built and take a great deal of pride in the building.  Denali Estates encompasses forty units over three floors.  75% of the units have assigned indoor parking and separate indoor storage areas.  The remainder of the units have off-street assigned parking. While not a new development Denali Estates has been very well cared for with most units showing very well.  We lived in Denali for two years during the design/plan/build stages of our new home.  We both loved the building and our great neighbors.  The only drawback for me is that I did miss having a worksh...
Comments 12
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Fairbanks, Alaska - The city that almost wasn't The late fall sun offered little warmth to the riverboat passengers standing on the scuffed wooden decks. For most, there was little to do on the ardous journey up the Yukon and Tanana Rivers except watch the river slowly roll by.  That the landscape was changing from the verdant greens of summer to the brilliant golds of fall was a fact lost on precious few on board.  With an abundance of caution, Captain Charles Adams navigated the ship up the muddy Tanana River toward a destination some were sure they would never reach.For one passenger in particular, expectations and indeed frustrations were high.  A sizable fortune had been gambled on a dream almost as big as the territory of Alaska. Fueled by gold fever, and despite several failed at...
Comments 14
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Winter Preparedness for your Fairbanks Alaska home - A fall homeowners checklist Although it's been a glorious fall, that lovely white stuff will soon start falling.  If you're like me, you've been out enjoying the great weather and not paying all that much attention to your winter preparedness to-do list.  I finished the last of my list today and thought I would share what I do to get us ready for the long winter. Have a licensed technician clean and service your boiler or furnace.  This should be done once a year and now is a great time as the tech will need to take the system offline for a couple of hours. Doing it at -40 can leave you with a cold house. An added benefit is you'll ensure your boiler is operating at peak efficiency. Hire a chimney sweep (or buy a brush) and clean your...
Comments 32
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Inuksuk - Alaskan Navigational Aids Back before hand-held GPS devices were readily available, we used to mark our trail by occasionally breaking a tree branch or tying a piece of surveyors tape to a limb. Hansel and Gretel left a trail of breadcrumbs to help them find their way home, and we all know how well that worked. A barren landscape combined with a sun that refuses to rise or set (as the seasons go) makes navigating in the far north a bit of a challenge. While this may look like an ordinary stack of rocks, these inuksuit (plural) have been used for thousands of years in the deep north where there are precious few natural landmarks. Inuksuit have been used as landmarks to identify game trails, fertile hunting grounds, food caches, safe or dangerous river crossings, or serve as cau...
Comments 35
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Fairbanks Alaska Dentist Diana Helmbrecht, DDS In need of a dentist in Fairbanks, Alaska? Dr. Diana Helmbrecht, DDS is the only name you need to know.  Several weeks ago I reluctantly made an appointment after having endured a persistent toothache.  I say reluctantly because I knew I needed a root canal and was not looking forward to it. Does anyone really? The positive experience starts the moment you walk though the office door.  The office is bright and cheery and Dr. Helmbrecht's staff is nothing if not genuinely friendly.  Dr. Helmbrecht has been practicing in Fairbanks for almost 25 years and has has the experience of a seasoned professional while staying current on the cutting edge developments in dental medicine. How good is she?  Not wanting to watch I had my eyes closed and di...
Comments 13
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Fairbanks Alaska Homes For Sale in Doyon Estates - 99701 Doyon Estates is one of Fairbanks newest residential developments.  Homes in Doyon Estates are sought after due to the neighborhoods proximity to the new east Fairbanks shopping district, downtown Fairbanks and the University of Alaska. It's also a short five-minute drive to Fort Wainwright. Single Family homes in Doyon Estates - 99701 Fantastic single family home built by Darrell Russell of Denali Builders. Beautiful cedar-sided home by Roger Burks of Aurora Builders. View a slideshow of homes in Doyon Estates. Currently there are five homes for sale in Doyon Estates -  $550,000 | 3 Bedrooms | 3.0 Bathrooms | 2,634 Sq. Ft  $467,250 | 3 Bedrooms | 3.0 Bathrooms | 2,620 Sq. Ft.  $415,000 | 4 Bedrooms | 2.5 Bathrooms | 2,410 Sq. Ft....
Comments 5
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Yep, it's that time of year again.  Time for the 2009 Fairbanks Alaska Golden Days celebration.  Fairbanks was founded by men and women lured north by the promise of a new dawn... a new day that with luck would be filled with the sight of gold at the bottom of their goldpan or sluicebox.  Felix Pedro fanned the flames of those desires when he discovered a massive gold-bearing creek north of Fairbanks.  Fairbanks founding-father E.T. Barnette sought to capitalize on the news by establishing a trading post on the banks of the Chena River to serve the army of miners who flocked to the Interior.  The annual Golden Days celebration seeks to remember and celebrate Fairbanks gold rush history.  One of the most popular events is the Golden Days Jail.  For a mere $5 arrest warrants can be issued...
Comments 10
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Fairbanks Alaska Florists - Keeping your home and office beautiful and fragrant! Although we live north of the 64th parallel, Kathy and I are southerners through and through.  Moose chili, banana puddin', fresh halibut and grits can always be found in our home.  We northern-transplanted southerners sure do like to eat well.  One of the other traditions that followed us around the world and north to Alaska is always having fresh cut flowers in the house. I remember as a boy how my mother would fuss over 'the garden.'  Hours were spent in a big wide brimmed straw hat in the blistering Mississippi heat pruning, watering and, of course, talking to all of her floral babies. She was (I say was 'cuz I think she's shrinking) barely 5' tall and weighed all of about 91 pounds, and that was holdin...
Comments 18
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
For centuries the people who called the circumpolar areas of the globe home have survived and thrived in some of the harshest conditions imaginable.  They lived off what God and Mother Nature provided.  Shelters were built to shield families from the elements from primitive materials. Imagine, if you can, building a home capable of enduring a harsh Alaskan winter without making a single trip to Home Depot.  Hunting parties tested their patience, endurance and skill against the animals that shared the landscape with them.  The byproducts of their hunting also provided the raw materials necessary for clothing to keep them warm and dry.  Their very survival meant always being mentally and physically prepared to face and handle the challenges of daily life. Not being prepared could easily b...
Comments 24
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
There's been no official diagnosis from the AMA you understand, but I seem to have been afflicted just the same. That I'm afflicted will come as no surprise to some of you, but we won't go there...  While I love technology as much as the next fellow, keeping up with an endless stream of social network websites left me feeling like a slave to a Dell.  I blogged, twittered, facebooked, blipped, flickred, linked-in and wordpressed until I couldn't see straight. After hearing from more than a few clients, a handful of AR friends, a few regular readers who were wondering if I had somehow forgotten how to type and two reporters (from Realtor and Money Magazine no less), I figured it was time to get off my ass put pen to paper... well, digital paper anyway, and catch up on the whole blogging g...
Comments 49
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Mr. Buyer... you're still on the fence about buying a home in Fairbanks, Alaska?     The Fairbanks Real Estate Market is still humming right along... Uncle Sam will give first time homebuyers an $8,000 credit... and you can even use it as (part/all) of your down payment... Fairbanks/North Pole Home Buyers can receive up to a $7,500 rebate on a new construction home... Rates for a 30 year fixed loan are below 5% (4.625% as of 5/13/2009) ** Whatcha waiting for? **
Comments 17
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Alright, folks. We have two missing babies in need of locating.  They have been missing for a couple of days from the Farmers Loop/Shuros Drive area north of town.  The bulldog answers to Butch and has a leg injury on his front (left I think) leg from a break when he was a puppy.  He's probably traveling with a Norwegian Elkhound named Yukon.  The owners are desperate to see them returned.  There is a reward and no questions will be asked.  If you have seen them or have any information please call Dave Hite at 452-6252 or if you prefer, send Dave (or me) an email or leave an anonymous comment.  They just want to see their babies returned safely home.  Your help is greatly appreciated!  
Comments 7
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
5:35AM. The view from the bedroom window was bleak.  Is that snow?  It was a morning that, if not for promises made, I would have succumbed to the urge to drift back to sleep.  Not today. Today we were going arm in arm with our fellow citizens to make our collective voices heard.  "It's not a Republican thing... It's not a Democrat thing.  It's an American thing."  Partisan attacks were nowhere to be seen on this day.  We gathered... young, old, black, white, business owners, retirees and the recently unemployed... out of a growing anger that our representatives seem to have forgotten this great nation belongs to us all.  By noon more than 400 patriots gathered, armed only with homemade cardboard signs and flags to protest wasteful spending, government bailouts, and special interests wi...
Comments 10
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
More later, but the Fairbanks Tax Day Tea Party turnout was... GREAT!
Comments 13
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
Fairbanks, Alaska Real Estate - Market Report As much as it will surprise many buyers, and a few sellers, parts of the Fairbanks market are starting to strongly favor sellers. A limited inventory of homes for sale is causing buyers to scramble for, and in many cases, compete with other buyers for homes. I've talked to no less than 7 or 8 agents in the past couple of weeks who say their clients lost 'the house' because of multiple offers. It's true. Multiple offers are alive and well in Fairbanks. North Pole, for example, has seen a marked decrease in the number of homes for sale. New(er) 3 and 4 bedroom homes under $250,000 in good condition are very much in demand. As of this writing, there are 13 homes for sale priced between $200,000 - $250,000 (the median market for North Pole). Of...
Comments 4
By Jesse Clifton
(Jesse Clifton & Associates)
It's time to send a message to our government... Stop Spending Our Money.  I have long been a small government fiscal conservative.  The Federal Government was not designed to be nor did the Founding Fathers dream it would ever evolve into a bloated, inefficient, constituent ignoring, revenue inhaling entitlement distribution center.  It's time for a modern Declaration of Independence from those who serve only to further their own power.  We need to return this nation to her people. Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and ...
Comments 11