Archive for the 'Wasilla Real Estate News' Category
Know Coal…or NO COAL! May 5th, 2009
There was a Know Coal Meeting at the Palmer Depot today.
I had wanted to attend to find out more about their goals but I was at a Board of Equalization meeting. I stopped by and talked to Penny Nixon above and fellow Realtor Reggie Belden below who were with a group picketing outside.
I don’t know if it was overtly political, but there was obviously a different crowd inside as opposed to outside as was evident from more than a few bumper stickers.
I’m really not up on this subject and I’m certainly not opposed to alternative energy as evident by my previous post here. But also, I am open to all energy alternatives, even coal.
Someone once told me that the stone age didn’t end because we ran out of stones. The hydro-carbon age won’t end because we run out of oil, either. It will end because we find a better way to produce and use energy. We should all keep open minds about energy…use it, but also think of ways to produce cheaper, cleaner energy.
If alternative energy isn’t cheaper, it isn’t going to be used. Sometimes I wonder if the alternative energy zealots want to make it relatively less expensive by driving up the cost of conventional energy production. Coal is obviously an inexpensive way to produce and store energy, but it may have other expenses that are too costly. I’m still in open-mind mode on this question.
How To Appeal Your Property Taxes May 1st, 2009
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough assesses all the property in the borough every year.
The borough is supposed to determine the full and true value of the property and then tax it at that value. In real estate the definition of the full and true value of any property is determined by an arms-length transaction between a willing buyer and a willing seller. Since your property probably didn’t sell last year the borough has to estimate the value using appraisal methods.
If you feel that the borough has appraised your property incorrectly you have the ability to appeal it. Your appeal must be done before March 31 of each year. There are certain rare instances in which the borough will allow you to make an appeal slightly late, but generally if you don’t appeal before March 31 you will need to wait until next year.
To file an appeal, go down to the borough building at 350 E Dahlia in Palmer and pick up the paperwork in the assessment division. You will need to tell why you feel the borough is incorrect in their assessment. An important question to ask yourself is this, “Could I sell the property for the amount that the borough says it’s worth?”. If you can sell your property for that amount, then the borough is not too high on your assessment.
The borough appraisers walk a tight rope between their responsibility to assess your property at its full value, and keeping property owners from appealing their taxes enmasse. They generally try to be a little conservative in their valuations because they don’t want to fight every property owner about the tax value.
However, occasionally the borough is wrong on their valuation. If you feel they are wrong, you may appeal.
You will first appeal to the assessment division itself. If you have a real good case the appraiser will usually make an immediate adjustment to lower your value. Sometimes you will want the appraiser to come out to your property to look it over in detail. Occasionally you might tell the borough something they didn’t know about your property and they will raise your value.
If you aren’t satisfied with your results, you can appeal to the Board of Equalization. I currently serve on this board. It is made up of citizens in the borough that have some expertise in property values. These people can be appraisers, real estate professionals, real estate lawyers, developers and so forth. The people on the board are supposed to listen to your case and listen to the borough’s case and then make a decision.
Often the board will find in the private citizen’s favor and lower the value. But often, even if the private citizen has a good case, they lose the appeal because they did not bring evidence to back them up.
You absolutely have to bring evidence.
Without evidence the board only has the evidence brought by the borough and that is all they can consider. It doesn’t matter how much they believe you are right, there needs to be something to go on.
The best evidence is a recent appraisal. If you don’t have a recent appraisal then you should get recent sold comparable properties. These need to be good comparables. If your home is a new 2,000 square foot two story home in Palmer the selling price of a 20 year old 1,500 square foot one story home in Big Lake won’t help you. The more similar the comparable properties the better.
Another thing you can do is find similar homes to yours that are assessed by the borough a vastly different values. There may be a good reason for the difference, but if there isn’t then you can say you aren’t being treated equally.
If the borough is assessing your property incorrectly you can appeal based on an improper assessment. Perhaps they think your house is finished on the inside when it is nothing but bare studs and a plywood floor. Or, sometimes a part of a house will be unlivable for some reason but the borough is assessing it as livable.
There have been cases where a homeowner has had some environmental damage that would cost more to clean up than the property is worth. That property might be worth nothing. If it really is worth nothing, the board may agree with that valuation and reduce the property valuation and therefore the taxes to zero.
The most important thing is to realize that you have the ability to appeal your tax valuation. If you lose your appeal before the board of equalization you still have the ability to bring the case to court.
Bottom line, file your appeal before March 31 and bring evidence to support your case.
Alaska Alternative Energy April 19th, 2009
Alaska is slowly becoming a leader in Alternative Energy solutions. There are several factors that tend to bend Alaska in that direction.
One of the reasons Alaska is moving out in front in the alternative/renewable energy field is the many different options that are available. We have rivers galore, tidal and wave action in the oceans, geothermal possibilities all over the place, wind and more wind, and believe it or not we get a lot of sun. Actually, we get a lot of sun in the summer…not so much in the winter.
The fact that hydro-fuels are so expensive in many communities makes people wonder if there are less expensive ways to make power than burning $ 8 per gallon diesel. The high cost of energy is the number one reason Alaskans keep tinkering with alternatives. Although the environment is always a consideration, the cost of the power is at the forefront of peoples minds. If the cost of alternative energy is expensive, then it is impractical, and Alaskans are practical people.
Another reason that Alaska is moving to the front of the pack in the search for alternative energy solutions are the Alaskan people themselves. Alaskans tend to be an independent bunch, and the thought of producing one’s own power without dependence on a utility company is very attractive. They are willing to take risks and try things that others may not.
A few years back I helped Ricky and Shannon Wilder buy a home in the Matanuska Valley. A photo of thier home is at the top of this post. 
This property is on a large parcel of land between the Talkeetna And Chugach Mountain Ranges. The Matanuska River and the Glenn Highway are in the same valley but several miles from their home. The home was primarily powered by a generator when they purchased it but the Wilders have been weaning themselves from the generator ever since they moved in.
Along with their son Jordan, they have learned so much about alternative power that Ricky and Jordan wrote and published an e-book on 
wind power. The Ultimate Consumers Guide to Wind Power walks you through the options for wind power. Written from the perspective of people who actually depend on wind power, this book is a practical solution for anyone looking into this option for themselves.
Ricky and Jordan also have a website, (power-talk.net) on which they discuss and review actual products from a users perspective. They are not trying to sell you a product with their reviews but hope to save you time and money when you start getting serious about alternative energy for your own home.
The Wilders are have been working with solar as well. They report that they get usable solar power from February through October and hope to increase their solar array this year to take advantage of these months. In fact Ricky told me that March and April are great months for solar power because the sunlight is increasing and reflecting off the snow at the same time.
They heat their house and garage with a central wood boiler that is located behind the house. The hot water is piped into the house and garage which both have radiant in-floor heating systems. The Wilders harvest their firewood in a sustainable fashion using birch and spruce grown on their own property.
With wind and solar producing electricity and with wood heat they are almost completely self-sustaining. Shannon tends a 
large garden in the sunny spot in front of their home to help with their self-sufficiency.
They still need to purchase fuel for their transportation and saws but who knows…with battery technology improving all the time, perhaps they will be able to break the hydrocarbon habit completely.
All photos provided by Ricky Wilder…click on any photo to enlarge.
Heaters, Furnaces, or Boilers April 17th, 2009
I heat my house with a 50 gallon water heater. I also heat all my hot water with the same water heater. My house is 2,900 square feet and I have 4 children. For a time there I had 3 teenage daughters who all had long hair. They took LOOOOOONG showers. You know what, my water heater kept up the whole time.
The heater is a Polaris Water Heater made by American Water Heaters. You can’t buy it in Alaska anymore. Too bad. It has a stainless steel tank and it is 95% efficient. Except for it’s bad habit of going through igniters it has been pretty much trouble free for the 11 years that I have owned it.
I notice that Radiantec a company that specializes in radiant heat systems also recommends this heater.
Almost every heating contractor that has come into my home over the years has tried to talk me into installing a boiler. I’m not going to do it. I have seen the up front costs of those boilers, I have seen the monthly bills and the complications. I can’t understand why there aren’t more systems like mine in Alaska.
I recently talked with a wholesaler in Washington about this. He let me know about another heater that appears to be a more recent take-off of my Polaris. It is 96% effecient and uses some of the same technology but with some more modern touches, like a digital readout to let you know what’s going on if there are problems. It is called a Vertex heater. I have been told that you can get them at Fergusons on Bogard Road.
This is something to think about when you are planning your heating system. This is especially true if you are thinking about radiant in-floor heating. A high efficiency water heater might just be faster, simpler, cheaper, and more efficient than a boiler or furnace.
Wasilla Tea Party April 16th, 2009
The Wasilla Tea Party was extremely well attended yesterday. There were close to 1,000 people at the event in the middle of the afternoon. That’s pretty good for a small town. Here are a few photos:
There were some Ron Paul Supporters:
It was at the Wasilla Lake Park at the corner of the Parks Highway and Crusey Street. The photo below expresses the general feeling of the crowd.
Don Young showed up to give a speech and there was also an open mike for people to have their say. Looks like this will likely be an annual event.
Marty Van Diest, Tele 907.232.7900 / marty[at]valleymarket[dot]com
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