Real Estate Information Archive

Today is the last day that all will be normal...or is it?  Tomorrow according to the Mayan calendar is the end of the world.  So now is a great time to reflect on the good that has transpired in 2012.

Real Estate has done well this year here in South Central Alaska.  The Anchorage market had one of its best years in recent history.  I Eagle River we're on tract to sell approximately 12% more homes this year than last.  The Valley market started the year well, but has gas prices rose homes sales declined.  No with the price gas back down in $3.50's or below, we are seeing more traffic to Valley homes.  Land sales in 2012 were very good in all markets, and we have seen 20% of the Powder Ridge Phases sell already.

The weather has not been a positive point in 2012.  Last winter was very snowy, so if you like to ski and snow machine it was excellent.  The summer was cold, and this fall snow had been non-existent until recently.  It's been cold, definitely colder than normal.  Yesterday morning it was -26 at my home in Wasilla.  Today its warmer but we have 30 mph+ winds, wind chill in the -30's.

On a personal note, I stepped away from management and it has been perfect for me.  I've been able to concentrate on more real estate.  I've had time to be with my family.  My daughter came back from a year in Bolivia, where she was an exchange student.  She had a great time, but its good to have her back.  I had time to work with our local Eagle River Area Rotary club to build the Let's all Play playground here.  This was the first full accessible playground in the state, so that kids of all abilities could play together.

This fall I've had more time to  spend coaching hockey which I love.  I'm coaching two teams, Mini Mites (4-6) and Suirts (9-10).  We have agreat time and I am getting in better shape.  Three days a week at the gym is helping as well. 

2012 was a good year.  I made decisions and moved forward with my long term plans.  I was able to work with the chamber of Commerce, Eagle River Area Rotary, Sunrise Rotary, Mat-Su Amatuer Hockey Association, my family, the gym, and was able to go hunting this fall.  Yes, I did get a moose and my freezer is full.  Life has been good this year.

How was your 2012?  I hope the world doesn't end tomorrow, because I've go more on my bucket list to do.

Friday November 30th, join the Bushnell Real Estate Team at Eagle Rivers Town Square Park for the annual tree lighting ceremony.  We will be handing out "Warm cookies" straight out of the oven.  Come by and say hello, Santa will be there with his reindeer.

Elementary choirs and royalty will start singing around 5:45pm. There will be a warming tent that the Chamber will put up and two burn barrels that the city will have to help keep warm. If you are freezing... don't forget that at the "Hot cookies" that Eric Bushnell/Eva Loken are giving out as well as the  RE/MAX table, they will be giving away "hot hands glove warmers."  And finally, please dress warm... Standing and visiting at 18 degrees can be a chilly experience!   

Santa will arrive with reindeer escorted by a torch lit processional and enter Town Square from the back of the park. It will be chaos at that point. He will come up and light the tree with the Bear Paw Pageant royalty. Santa will be available after for kids who need to give him suggestions along with the reindeer who will be available for petting.

The last choir sings at 7:30 and should be done by 7:45.

Perception is a fickle beast.  One quote I remember from my early days in sales was:

"Perception is reality regardless of the truth"  ~Zig Ziglar

Last night I participated in a town hall round table discussion hosted by the Chugiak/Eagle River Chamber of Commerce.  As a current member of the CER Chamber and one of it's Board of directors I was the leader at one of the tables.  Our goal was to get the pulse of the community before our planning retreat this weekend.  We discussed the four topics over the course of the two hours.

We discussed why people moved to Eagle River as well as why they stayed.  We looked at the challenges of running a business in today's economy.  We discussed challenging budgets, taxes and growth.  How our community show look and feel, as well as what types of businesses we would like to see.  We also discussed threats to our way of life in Eagle River. The room was filled with business owners, residents, and many local and state politicians.

One discussion stood out in my mind and at one point became heated.  This was concerning home prices and the ability for our residents to sell their homes and move if they need to.  Our market suffered like many markets across the country, but real estate is local, and luckily we did not see the devastating foreclosures that many communities saw.  We saw some depreciation, in 2006/2007.  In my case I saw a 10% drop from the summer of 2006 to summer of 2007.

We saw this mainly in our older homes, which I written about in years past.  At the time I forecasted (speculated) that we would begin to see growth in approximately 5 years.  Fast forward to this year and our local markets saw increases of approximately 4% over a 6 month period.

The discussion that became heated was that values were falling her in Eagle River, and it was obvious because this information was on the Internet.  Which reminds me of another great quote:

"It's on the Internet, it must be true!" ~Ben Franklin

  There are forecasting websites that try to use sophisticated algorithms to determine the value of your home.  In some communities these work quite well, in Alaska they do not.  Alaska is a non-disclosure state where we do not disclose what you bought your house for.  There is no good information for the website to determine the value of the home.  This leads people to make incorrect assumptions about the value of their homes.  They need to hire a local expert who has access to this sales data.

This website showed declining values, which is the furthest thing from the truth.  What we have seen in our area is less volume, and this make a huge difference in the values you can obtain for your home.  If you home is worth $500,000 but there are only 3 buyers in the market, but they only qualify for $450,000 and they want to buy your house, that does not make your house worth $450,000.  The unfortunate part in this situation is that if there is no one who is buying in the $500,000 range the seller will have to reduce the price till the meet a level where there is a qualified buyer.  This is a complicated situation with lots of variables that affect values of the long term. 

Some sellers have to sell, while others just want to sell.  These two sellers will make different decisions when confronted with the same situation.  Many in our community move here then leave after only 3 years.  They want to own, but ownership has risks, when you have to sell so quickly.  This is a major concern in our community in which 30+% of our resident are active duty military.  They do not have a choice as to when they need to move.  Some will have to pay when they go to sell their home, some will not.  I will discuss the smart choice here in a future blog.

Owning a home is a smart move, it is not the wealth building bargain it was just a few short years ago, but it is still a better investment for most than renting.  But rest assured, home prices are not falling in Eagle River.  If you have question about this or want to know what you should do, please call me at 907-360-7471.

Eagle River Area Rotary hosted a combined luncheon with the CER Chamber of Commerce Thursday afternoon and the guest speaker was Senator Lisa Murkowski.  This was a sold out event and Alaska's senior Senator delivered an excellent speech on the atmosphere in Washington DC.

Senator Murkowski began here speach with several references to The Rotary Four-Way Test.  The Four way test is what every Rotarian strives for.

First -Is it the Truth? Second -Is it Fair to All Concerned? Third -Will it build good will and better friendships? Fourth -Will it be beneficial to all Concerned?

The Senator referenced the days when Senator Stevens walked the halls of Congress and kept the Four-way Test on his desk, the only Senator to ever be allowed something extra on his desk in the Senate.  That is how relevant and respected the Four-Way Test is. 

Despite what the press reports; our ambassadors are working with others in Washington to achieve a balanced budget.  Our Senator is fighting to minimize restrictive and irrelevant regulations that inhibit business and job growth.

This morning even though yesterdays report showed limited growth, the talking heads on TV tried to make it sound like the data was false.  That companies were not making money and that the unemployment rate had not dropped.  I realize it was a minor adjustment, but we are not falling off a cliff.

Yesterdays lunch reminded me that there are good people in the world trying to make a difference; and that when you vote it does matter.  We have two very talented Senators in Washington making a difference for our State.  If Senator Lisa Murkowski keeps to the Four-Way Test and can convince other in Washington to do the same, then I think there is a very bright future.

You can contact Eric Bushnell @ 907-360-7471, and there is alsways fresh information about homes in Eagle River at www.eagleriverhomesforsale.com

Hello to all interested in the Beach Lake Regional Park Master Plan Update:

 On March 29^th the Eagle River/Chugiak Parks Board of Supervisors held a work session on the draft Beach Lake Regional Park Master Plan Update to thoroughly review the document and recommend any edits or changes.  The Planning Team has made the changes recommended by Board of Supervisors.   The project website has been updated with the full DRAFT Beach Lake Regional Park Master Plan Update.  It is available for download. 

Go to: http://www.muni.org/Departments/ERparks/Pages/BeachLakeMP.aspx. This plan will be considered for final approval at the Parks Board of Supervisors April 12^th regular meeting (public testimony is welcome).

 Mark your Calendar!

Monday, April 12, 2010 @ 7P.M. in the Eagle River Town Center Community Room (12001 Business Blvd.):

ER/C PARK BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MONTHLY MEETING

The Beach Lake Park Regional Master Plan Update will be on the Agenda for approval of the Board. The public is welcome to attend and testify.

We are excited to offer the 13^th annual Prudential sponsored Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute for students grades 8-12. The institute will be held March 8^th-12^th over Spring Break. This program is a 40 hour community leadership training program for teens who, want to learn leadership skills and improve themselves, their schools and make the community a better place to live.

 If you or someone you know, know a student who would be interested in applying, please contact Sabra at ext. 7295 for an application or click on the attached information packet & application. The deadline is February 26^th. Or for more information on PYLI visit www.spirit.prudential.com

Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce Lunch Forum

WEDNESDAY February 3,  2010

Downtown Eagle River Circulation Study

Are you frustrated by traffic congestion, access onto main collectors in the Eagle River business district?  The MOA has begun our downtown circulation study to identify problems and recommend solutions.  This is your chance to have input!!!  Doors open at 11:30am.

Menu:

Roast Chicken Burritto with carmelized onions, cilantro, refried beans, cheese, lettuce.  Topped with roast chicken tomatillo sauce & sour cream.

Salsa & chips

February Forums sponsored by 

Alaska Small Business Development Corporation

LOCATION: EAGLE RIVER ELKS LODGE Banquet Room

Doors open at 11:30 - luncheon begins promptly at noon.

17111 N Eagle River Loop Rd

(Banquet room doors are on the west end of the building)

Cost:  $14 members/$16 non-members.  Coffee tea only $3.00

You can reserve and pay online!

Go to http://www.cer.org/estore.html

The Holiday season has arrived and we have successfully made it past Thanksgiving and Black Friday.  The sales are in full swing and there are several craft fairs each of the next couple of weekends.  The event you need to know about is this Friday night, December 4Th.

The Winter Wonderland and Tree Lighting ceremony in Town Square Park.  This is a big event put on by the Chugiak/Eagle River Chamber of Commerce.  The Eagle River Rotary will be bring Santa and his sleigh to the event, and local merchants will have booths set up to distribute hot drinks and seasonal treats.  The Chugiak/Eagle River Senior Center will be selling bowls of hot soup as a fund raiser, and the Chamber and Eagle River Rotary will be collecting food for local families.

Many of our local school choirs will be present to entertain, as well as singers for the Performing Arts Academy.  This is a lot of fun for everyone.  There will be free sleigh rides, and Santa Claus will be present to say hi to the kids.  Our office will be there handing out warm cookies to our friends and neighbors.

The Merry Merchant Munch is Friday and Saturday.  Prudential Jack White/Vista Real Estate and Homestate Mortgage will be participating on Friday afternoon, please stop by to see the decorations and holiday snacks.