1170 E Seneca, Wasilla SOLD March 24th, 2011
Absolutely beautiful condo in like-new condition! There is a beautiful view of the Chugach range and Wasilla lake. It is within walking distance to stores, banks, post office, lake, etc. 1479 total sqft. Features include:
$167,900
This condo has 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths with a 2-car depth garage.
Gas Fireplace
Dishwasher
Washer/Dryer Hookup
Ceiling Fan(s)
Carpet
Laminate Flooring
Balcony
Paved Access
“You Have to Clear All Your Trees” March 24th, 2011
Those were the words told to two of my clients right after moving into their new homes. You can imagine how disappointed they were, they loved the beautiful birch forest surrounding their brand new homes. The people giving the order in both of these cases was the home insurance company USAA. I have since learned that other insurance companies are also very sensitive to defensible space around homes.
After this happened the second time I decided to look into it. It seems that recent wild fires in California and other states have revealed the need to increase defensible space around homes. Many homes burned because they were in the middle of pine forests with trees growing right up to the house.
I contacted Mrs. Michieal Abe’ with the borough’s wildfire mitigation program. She sent me an email explaining that people really don’t need to clear all the trees, but they do need to pay close attention to fire ignition sources close to their home. She is available to evaluate your home if your insurance company is making unreasonable demands.
The rest of this blog is from her email:
Broadly there are two areas of focus on my wildfire risk rating visits. The first is the yard’s defensible space or Home Ignition Zone (HIZ). Currently, the HIZ is broken into three smaller zones, the first from the home out to 30 feet minimum. This should be the cleanest, and have no spruce or other pine/juniper type plantings. Well watered, mowed lawn, etc. Think lean, clean and green.
The second zone is the next 100 feet. Thinning trees to have 10-15 feet between them at maturity is optimal, with no lower branches, bushes or “ladder fuels” underneath. The last zone is everything after than 130 foot mark. Throughout all of the HIZ it is important to manage the vegetation into islands, and break it up so there is no continuous fuel from large tree stands all the way to the house. Depending on lot size, neighbors may be a part of a home’s ignition zone, and vice versa. (In Palmer the neighbors are within 15 feet from house to house.
All that applies to flat ground! If a home is on a hill, one must remember that fire pre-heats and pre-dries what is above it. The zones increase with slope, so a house on a very steep hill may have a Zone 1 which is 100 feet! Slopes are good places for rock gardens and succulent gardens but not for spruce forests.
The second main focus is the house itself. Exterior construction is very important when you think about where all those blowing embers might land in a wind driven wildfire. (The Valley’s forests depend on fire, so firefighting folks are always talking about the next big one as when, not if.)
Ideally, a “Firewise” house would have a metal roof with metal soffit enclosures, concrete or metal siding, metal or concrete foundation, cement sidewalks, or gravel and paver stone walkways. Decks would be planked tightly with a non-combustion sustaining material (think Trex, but there are others out there) and completely enclosed. Any place the wind blows leaves or grass clippings, the fire may blow embers. If a tinder pile is already in place and an ember lands there, off to the races it goes!
Additionally, wood piles, sheds, shops, barns, dog kennels, straw storage, propane tanks, Rvs, ATVs, and other parking, all these things would be set, stored or parked at least 30 feet from the house so that if they catch fire (for whatever reason) they are not taking the homeowner’s bed and house with it.
There is a lot more to talk about, but that’s why I make house calls. My home visits generally take about an hour. It depends on how clean the house and yard are, what there is to talk about, the experience and talkativeness of the owner, etc. I’ve done them in quite a bit less, and sometimes more.
This will probably be the last year that we have funding for spruce tree removal for homeowners, due to diminishing funding. Since 2005 we have been helping homeowners remove flammable/hazardous spruce trees from within 30 feet of their homes. This is a first come, first serve program. A free wildfire risk rating (Firewise Homevisit) is the first step to determining if a home has eligible trees (no birch or cottonwood.)
Here are some good websites and links. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.
The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) national program website
A You-tube video with Jack Cohen, one of the most respected researchers in the field
The borough website Firewise page with my contact info at the top.
Mrs. Michieal Abe’
Wildfire Mitigation Program
Matanuska-Susitna Borough
680 N. Seward Meridian Parkway
Wasilla, AK 99654
(907) 373-8823 desk
(907) 376-0799 fax
ww1.matsugov.us/des click on Firewise
3% Interest Or Less Through Cook Inlet Lending March 19th, 2011
Cook Inlet Lending
I attended a seminar yesterday afternoon outlining the loan requirements for a special loan through Cook Inlet Lending Center,(CILC). Cook Inlet Lending is part of Cook Inlet Housing and has been working mostly in Anchorage until now.
CILC has eight brand new homes in Palmer and eight more renovated homes in the Wasilla area.
Their loan programs are intended to provide affordable housing for lower income families. They do this through a variety of means including lower interest rates, deferred payments, and even some small grants.
For example, although the program requires a minimum down payment of 3%, they can help people without savings reach that point. They will require you to set up a savings account and make monthly payments to it. If after 6 months you have saved at least $1000 the program will match that with $3,200.
In addition, you can roll the closing costs into the loan so that you can feasibly get into a $187,000 home for $5,610 of which only $2,410 came out of your own pocket after the $3,200 matching grant. Other parts of the program allow the payments to be much lower because after combining all the parts of the program together your interest rate is 3% or lower. It looks to me like the payments would be about 25% lower than you normally would have.
You actually end of combining 3 and sometimes even 4 mortgages together to buy the house. The first mortgage comes from Alaska Housing Finance Corporation for about 50% of the purchase price. Then you get a second mortgage from CILC for 20% of the purchase price, a third mortgage for 30% of the purchase price and if you are a qualified Native American you can even get a 4th mortgage.
The 3rd mortgage is for 1% interest or less depending on your qualifications and maxes out at $50,000. This mortgage is amortized over 35 years and the payments are completely deferred. That is, you don’t make ANY payments on this portion of the loan until the 35 years are up or until you sell the home…whichever comes first. At that point you pay off that mortgage plus the accumulated interest.
It’s a pretty complicated program so you should talk to Cook Inlet Lending Center to see if you qualify. If you have acceptable credit and have a family income that is below the average for our area you have a good chance of being accepted. Cindy Mittlestadt at 907.793.3058 is the Senior Manager and can point you in the right direction.
To find out which homes are available in the valley for this program, contact me at 907.232.7900 or email me at [email protected]
There are some brand new homes in Palmer that qualify and some completely renovated homes in Wasilla.
Wasilla/Palmer Home Sales For Jan-Feb 2011 March 3rd, 2011
Now that we are into our third month of the year I thought I would take a look at how we are doing this year so far. This is a look at the first 2 months of the year.
We are significantly ahead of last year so far in total sales, and the median price is slightly higher. Take a look at the chart below:
| Year | Total Sold | Median Price | DOM | Price Change |
| 2008 | 121 | $205,000 | 76 | $15,000 |
| 2009 | 106 | $214,850 | 77 | $19,000 |
| 2010 | 95 | $206,000 | 70 | $14,000 |
| 2011 | 107 | $208,000 | 66 | $10,950 |
Notice that one of the significant differences this year is the price change. This is a measure of the sales price compared to the first offered price. Often, a seller puts his home on the market at a significantly higher price than he ultimately receives or even expects to receive. After he receives no offers he will lower his price until he attracts a buyer, depending on how much above the market price he started at, he might have to come down a lot.
This is not a good strategy and this chart is an illustration of that. The lowest price change of the last four years resulted in the second highest median price and the lowest DOM, or Days On Market. If your initial price is closer to the actual market price you will tend to sell your home faster and for more money.
Sometimes it’s just not possible to know the real market price ahead of time. This is the case with unique properties. If you have a home that is special…it also has a special price. And it just really isn’t possible to know what that price is because there aren’t any good sales comparables. We have to allow the market to show us the price. You do this by putting it on the market with the best information available and then watch buyers responses. If you get no showings you are way to high. If you get a few showings but no one serious, you are a little to high. You need to make price adustments quickly so as not to become shelf worn.
It’s important to watch the market, watch the competition, and know what it happening at all time…because the market changes. On my website I have a direct MLS search. You don’t have to register to use it…just go here.
626 E Sage, Wasilla, AK SOLD February 24th, 2011
This amazing home has three bedrooms and two baths. It boasts a full laundry/mud room, master suite on the opposite side of the house from other bedrooms, back patio, 5 Star Plus energy rating and 2 car garage. CLICK HERE for a full video walk-through! The master bedroom has two walk-in closets off the bath and the other bedrooms each have their own walk-in closet. Both bathrooms have double sinks and beautiful tile work throughout. The two focal points of the great room are a large fireplace with rocks reaching to the ceiling and the immaculate entry way with column-like trim and granite inlays. The gorgeous kitchen has beautiful dark cabinetry and accent lighting over the bar. An opening in the wall above the double sink enables sight into the great room. Click on the long photo to enlarge it.
$239,900
1750 Square Feet
Marty Van Diest, Tele 907.232.7900 / marty[at]valleymarket[dot]com
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