Where to Live in Alaska?

Thinking of moving to Alaska? There are hundreds of great places to choose to live and most have a variety of seasons to enjoy. It's not always cold and snow in the Alaska frontier although many places do tend to deal with the amount of or lack of daylight. Having a day with only 4 hours of daylight can be a bit tricky to get used to, but typically these are more northern areas of Alaska such as Fairbanks and the North Pole.

The 24-hour darkness in the winter months occurs only in part above the Arctic Circle. Anchorage will get some sunlight for at least a few hours each day but the longest nights occur around Dec. 21st which is called the Winter Soltice. During the summer months, the opposite occurs and there are more hours of daylight than darkness making for some beautiful evenings.

Anchorage is a wonderful place to call home and has several suburbs and regions around the area. Home to several thousand residents, Anchorage provides all the necessary amenities one could want when living in Alaska.

Here are just some of the places in the Anchorage and Mat Su Valley area with homes to browse:

Anchorage

Big Lake

Downtown

East Anchorage

Girdwood

Houston

Mat Su Valley

Meadow Lake

Midtown

Palmer

Peters Creek

South Anchorage

Sutton

Talkeetna

Wasilla

West Anchorage

Chugiak

Willow

Hillside

The choices are endless, the price ranges variable and the beauty unmatched.  When deciding on where to live in Alaska, Anchorage is a wonderful location and destination. Beautiful scenery, cascading waterfalls, soaring mountains and beautiful winters; there's not much out there like Alaska.

Columbia Gorge Land is Valuable for Building Custom Homes

Ever thought of having your own private waterfront piece of property with a custom built home, perhaps a log home? This isn't far from doable. Lots on the Columbia River and Columbia Gorge real estate are well within the means of many folks wanting that piece of their plot all to themselves.

Prices are still low for buying vacant lots and land even riverfront land. Finding the right lot for your needs means first making conscience lists of what it is you need in your home. Are you looking for a second home or vacation spot? Do you want to build your dream home or retiree spot? What about your lifestyle and your needs on a daily basis? How far out of the way do you need to be from the nearest town, store, large metropolis? These are all things you will need to figure out before searching for your piece of property.

There are many small towns around the area including White Salmon Washington, Hood River Oregon and The Dalles. Not to mention that Portland is just a couple hours away depending on where you locate. If you need the big city, Portland is a great location on the south side of the river and Vancouver Washington is located just on the north side. Knowing if you want to be in Washington or Oregon is a great place to start. If taxes, or state issues are of concern, this might be the best place to start. Once you know which side of the river you want to be on, consider distances from bridges, or how long it will take if you need certain amenities such as medical care, groceries etc. What will your land be used for? Are you going to have a garden? Or want little to no landscaping? All these play a factor in the topography of the land you choose.

Once you have the area picked out and know what you want to get out of  your land, you will want to make sure you have the right builder. Ask for referrals, get someone local that knows the area and the land they are building on. Find someone with a style you enjoy and helps you design the home to your needs, not the way they like it.  If you are constructing something permanent, consider a log home or something that matches with the area. Consider weather at different times of the year. Snow and steep driveways may be an issue. Do you want instant access to the river or does it matter.

These are all things that you need to take into consideration when finding and purchasing a home or land in the Columbia Gorge. There is a certain beauty here that is unlike anywhere else in Washington. Visit some our great associates in Northwest Realty to get an idea of homes and lots currently for sale in the area.

Why Use Valid Keywords in Article Content?

Keywords linked to your URL are king. If you don't have them you won't get a vote for your site, simple as that. If you want to be known for a certain keyword, meaning you want to show up when someone searches for that keyword, then you must brand your URL with that keyword.

It can be a few keywords but I would stick to 3 main keywords for your branding. Whether it be Winthrop real estate Winthrop homes or Winthrop WA homes, each one will offer something different in the search engines. 

People search a variety of different ways and knowing how people search is just as important as the keywords you choose. You can search for a specific general term  like Alamogordo real estate or something more detailed such as Being competitive in Alamogordo real estate then you will have those that are truly searching for this topic become aware of your site.

These longer phrases are known as long tail searches. There may only be 10 people searching for them but they may be serious buyers that really are looking for what you are selling. Narrowing in on those searches is really what detailed SEO is all about.

Find your best words, phrases or sentences to maximize on and link the heck out of them everywhere! On your website, you blog and anywhere else online your voice is going to be heard!

Ways to Stop Foreclosure on your Walla Walla Home

Ways to stop foreclosure on your Walla Walla home.

If you are thinking about foreclosure on your home there may be options out there for you. The first thing you will need to do is determine where you are in your late payments and what position you are in currently.

If you have only missed one payment, you are not anywhere near foreclosure just yet. You will need to contact your lender and discuss your options. The last thing you want to miss is your mortgage payment. Stop making payments on everything else except food and shelter and make sure that mortgage payment gets made.

If you have missed more than one payment, still contact your lender and explain your situation. They don't want you to loose your home either. If you think of it that way it will make the embarrassment of calling them much less anxious. They are not in the Walla Walla real estate business and don't want to have to foreclose on your home.

Many times these lenders have programs in place to help borrowers with their mortgage payments. There are loan modification programs where the lender can re-evaluate your loan and come up with a more comfortable payment or even just a pause on payments for a short amount of time.

You can always talk to a Walla Walla real estate agent for options on a short sale. This is simply a sale where the owners are still the sellers but have gotten permission from the lender to sell at a lesser price than what is owed. This must be approved by the lender but is a better way out of a sticky situation.

If you have missed 3-6 months of payments and the banks have started the foreclosure process there still may be a way to avoid foreclosure but you must stay in constant communication with your lender, your agent and any 2nd lien holders.

Most people really loose out when they give up and stop communicating. This is where so many people are today and have started all the way back at the bottom with their credit and their lives.
Don't let this happen to you. There are many options for those that think they may be facing foreclosure.

Call LWB Realtors today for help on your Walla Walla real estate. If you are outside our area, we can help refer you to the right Realtor or lender in your area.

LWB Realtors:  509-525-8700
LWB@LWBRealtors.com

Deputy of the Fairbanks US Army of Alaska Plans to End Career Here

In Fairbanks Alaska,  Col. Mark Lowe now plans on retireing and remaining here after arriving in Fairbanks in 1983 in 45 degrees BELOW zero.

He remembers arriving in Fairbanks, Alaska and his car didn't have a block heater but  a woman working at the hotel volunteered to keep his Ford Mustang running through the night so he could get a good night's sleep.

What folks will do for a loyal GI.

This hospitality drew him back in October as the deputy commander of U.S. Army Alaska after being stationed in Virginia for several years.

Lowe told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner he plans to end his military career there. He's spent much of his time in special operations, and his career has taken him to nearly 90 countries.

Fairbanks welcomes those in training and those who wish to retire here. For all Fairbanks real estate contact Cameron Harter. His willingness to help those in need of any kind of housing is worth it's weight in gold.

Downtown Kirkland Condos and Properties

Ever been downtown Kirkland? The place is literally changing all the time. With new shops, restaurants and attractions, there is never a shortage of fun things to do and see in downtown Kirkland Washington.

About 10 years ago I used to work at a little chocolate shop right in the heart of downtown Kirkland. Bernard C Chocolates. The shop was there for probably over 10 years and sold some of the most delicious chocolates in the area.

Just down the street there was a cute little Greek restaurants with excellent bakliva and garlic sauce. Couldn't really help customers after that sauce though without some serious mouthwash! I don't know if the restaurant is still there but along this road the shops have come and gone and no matter what pops up in their place there is usually quite a buzz around it.

There is always room for a sweet stroll along the waterfront and more Kirkland condos and homes are popping up here as well. Whether feeding the ducks or taking a dip in Lake Washington in the summer, the activities are literally endless.

Just up the street is one of the hubs of great activities. With a movie theater, restaurants, wine shops and boutiques right across the street from amazing Kirkland homes one may never have to leave the city.

To tour some of these great homes and Kirkland condos, please see the folks at Hallmark Realty. They personally offer private tours and information on Kirkland homes and real estate.

Smart Steps to Buying Alamogordo Homes

Thinking of buying a home in Alamogordo real estate area? There are a few tips to keep in mind before setting out on the exciting journey to home ownership.

If this is your first time buying you will want to make sure you have the ability to buy. This can be learned from the local or national lender. You can find out online or in person but you will need to discuss all your finances and income to determine how much home you can afford. There is nothing worse than finding the home of your dreams only to discover you can't afford it. Take that problem out of the equation by getting approved up front and them have your lender issue you a pre-approval letter. This will show sellers you have done your homework and are a serious buyer.

Alamogordo home for sale

Once you have the pre-approval letter in hand then you will need to look for home within that price range. You may find something less than your maximum and then you might find something a little more that you can offer less on. Either way make sure to extend your search to about $10,000 over your limit and $10,000 under you bottom line. Agents have a way of pricing a $250,000 home at $249,999 and if you capped your minimum at the $250K you wouldn't even see that home.

There are many great homes currently on the market in the Alamogordo real estate area. If you think that Christmas is not a great time to buy, you may be wrong. Home sellers are even more motivated during this time and may have more time to show the home than normal. Plus you will typically get to see the homes lit up and decorated with homey decor.

Once you have found the right house you and your Alamogordo buyers agent will submit an offer. The offer can either be rejected, accepted or countered. If there is a counter offer you can decide which direction you want to go. This doesn't have to be the final step in negotiating as you can make as many offers as you want until a negotiation is made.

For more tips and to start looking at Alamogordo homes, visit The Alamo/Nelson Team in Alamogordo New Mexico. They offer tips, articles, local news posts and all the listings in the Alamogordo area.