Archive for January, 2007
Looking For Lazy Mountain Land, It’s Work! January 30th, 2007
I am working with someone looking for land on Lazy Mountain.?I have a beautiful log home listed there, but no land. ?Land is always hard to come by in that area.? Most of the folks who live there know a good thing and hold it tight.? I was searching last night on the Valley MLS system in the PA06 area and found only two active listings in the area.? These two parcels were?listed by Cindy Ziegler, found here and here.
You will notice that she has a nice view photo and that there is some good detail on the listing about how to find the parcels.? I knew exactly where these parcels were from her description.
Since those were the only two active listings and my party was looking for?a larger parcel I searched for expired and cancelled listings on the hopes that these owners may still want to sell.? There were a few listings there but the most recently expired listing caught my eye.? This was a 20 acre parcel listed for $890,000.? That is a pretty phenomenal price and I wondered which parcel it might be so I clicked on the detail.? The detail says that this 20 acre parcel is in Palmer, on map PA06 in fact, which puts it on Lazy Mountain.? It goes on to say that the high school area is Colony High and the elementary school is Fire Lake.? There?were no detailed remarks at all about the parcel except that it said there were no utilities and no road access.? The tax number was listed, however, so I looked it up.? Turns out, this is a prime commercial property only a stone?s throw from the Cottonwood Creek Mall in Wasilla and it actually sold and closed in April of 2006.? Apparently the licensee already had a buyer before the parcel was put into the MLS system so?he didn?t care about the details.??He further didn?t close out the listing and let it run until it expired in Jan of 2007.
So, back to square one. ?I got on the phone to some people I knew on Lazy Mountain.? They in turn gave me other numbers and I finally?did turn up a 2 acre parcel that the out-of-state owners may sell, but it?s not much different than the?land Cindy Ziegler has listed.? I?m still on the hunt.? So far I think I have spent at least 10 hours looking for land for this couple I have only met on the internet. I really have no idea if I can find a suitable parcel, and if I do, whether the couple will even move here.?
Like I have told many prospective clients in the past when they ask me what I charge.? I don?t charge anything, I work for free.? I only get paid if I help the client meet their real estate goal.?
If you know of anything on Lazy Mountain, help me out!? Drop me a note, or give me a call, (907) 232?7900.?
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Monday Morning Market Memo, 1/30/07 January 29th, 2007
Monday Mornings Market Memo for the week of 1/22/07–1/30/07.
This is looking at all the Mat-Su Borough as a whole, not just Palmer, and Wasilla Real Estate. Using the MLS system here are the statistics for the last week.
| Average Price | DOM | ||
| New | 45 | $224,750 | |
| Total Active | 732 | $249,843 | 118 |
| Pending | 21 | $190,008 | 91 |
| Closed | 15 | $210,485 | 71 |
There are currently 732 houses on the market, up from 702 from last week. You would expect the inventory to grow as we move into spring. We would also expect the pending sales to grow as well. There are 45 new listings compared to 62 last week.
We pended 21 homes and closed 15.
Of all the residential homes on the market, 47 are cabins which generally means a small structure with no plumbing. There are 56 condos and 10 mobile homes. So there are 619 residential single family homes. The average prices are all based on the single family homes, after eliminating all the rest.
There were six more “to be builts” added to the market this week.
A large change compared to last year at this time is the amount of time it takes to close a deal. Appraisers and inspectors are not as busy as they have been in the past so we have fewer delays. In fact, it would not be real unusual to close a transaction in 2–3 weeks right now compared to 6 weeks last year.
The graph at the top is a thumbnail click on it to enlarge. It has a one month delay to allow all the data to come in before displaying. It is from the Alaska MLS System and has this disclaimer regarding the statistics.
“This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to, the subscribers of Alaska Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (AK MLS, Inc.). AK MLS, Inc. does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by AK MLS, Inc. is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. “
What’s A View Worth? January 27th, 2007
I took this photo just this morning from my house. Pioneer Peak stands out from Palmer to Wasilla and is a premier landmark for the Valley. This view is worth something to me, and it would be worth something to a buyer of my home. But exactly how much is it worth?
When you price your home there are so many different and sometimes opposing values to add and subtract from the price it can be confusing. So which ones are important enough to take into account? Curb appeal is important, light is important, cleanliness and maintenance are important. All those will help a home sell faster than it’s competition. But you can actually add some value for a view.
Driveways, Wind, Wasilla, and Especially Palmer January 26th, 2007
Moving to the Matanuska Valley brings with it beautiful mountain vistas, large lots covered in birch and spruce, quiet neighborhoods and pristine wilderness settings. Often, we neglect to mention the dreaded MATANUSKA WIND! The photo is of Engstom Road just yesterday taken from my junker Toyota truck as I was on my way to a 1PM appointment. Click on it to see the wind blowing over the snowberm.
This wind starts at the headwaters of the Matanuska Valley right at the Matanuska Glacier and gradually picks up speed as the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains funnel it right into Palmer and Wasilla. After hitting the main part of the valley it spreads and diminishes.
This isn’t a constant wind, it usually lasts a few days and and then calms down again. I’m sure this isn’t scientific, but I have become accustomed to expecting the wind within a day or two of a fresh snowfall. However, we have had so many snowfalls this winter that I haven’t been able to keep track of this rule.
Wells in the Mat-Su Valley, Part Three January 25th, 2007
In two previous articles we looked at possible contamination in your well water and at finding water.
This article will deal with how to use and maintain your well. Most wells in the Palmer and Wasilla areas are deeper than fifty feet. I have people tell me every year that a well shallower than fifty feet or forty feet is an illegal well, but I can’t find any regulation that confirms that assertion. Our well in our last home in Cottonwood Shores off of Bogard Road was only 39 feet. I tested the water in that well a couple times and found it to be excellent.
If your well is anything but a very shallow well, you will need a submersible pump. A submersible pump is in the bottom of your well and pumps the water up a pipe to your home. The pipe should come out of the well casing at ten feet below the surface and continue to be 10 feet below the surface until it reaches your home. When well lines freeze up it is usually because they were not buried deep enough.
Marty Van Diest, Tele 907.232.7900 / marty[at]valleymarket[dot]com
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