To start off this post, I have to put a disclaimer. I’m not a real estate agent or an expert in home buying. This post is purely based off our experience of buying a home in the lower 48 versus buying a home in interior Alaska. There are so many differences we encountered during our home buying process in Alaska when compared to buying a home in the lower 48. If you are in this process, or have been, or are about to be, you should know that standards of living here are definitely different than other places. It was a bit surprising, and maybe a little disheartening, when seeing what things were acceptable and even passable under home inspection. SO, with another PCS season upon us - or for non-military folks, moving season - we thought it’d be a good idea to outline the basic things that we learned to pay attention to while house hunting in interior Alaska. Time FrameWe were lucky enough to have the timeline work in our favor when buying here, but it is worth mentioning that buying a home in Alaska can be a drawn out process only because of the lack of manning and peak home buying season being so short. While in most other locations, Spring to early Fall seems to be home buying season, this isn’t necessarily the case for Alaska. We don’t really hit Spring season until mid-May. While homes can be listed earlier than this, the season doesn’t truly start picking up until Summer, which is good because snow can actually hide a lot of problems with the property. But, due to all these factors, a closing process that takes 30-45 days elsewhere can take 60-90 days in interior Alaska. There are just only so many people running all the operations and the log gets backed up. So, number one, be aware that the process here can take much longer than you might be used to and prepare accordingly. Home InspectionsWe’ve already touched on this one but it was pretty incredible to see what passed on a home inspection that we normally would’ve brought up as a huge issue. Even in our own home that we purchased, we received the full inspection and it all looked good but once we moved in, we came across some potentially dangerous scenarios that *should* have been picked up by an inspector. Luckily, Jon is pretty handy and was able to fix these issues pretty early on so it wasn’t a big issue financially or otherwise but it could have been. These issues ranged from plumbing issues and electrical issues to even foundational issues. But the crazy thing is that our house was less than 15 years old when we purchased it. It would seem like some of the issues we found would’ve been easy to spot for an inspector. I’m not saying any of this to say that the inspectors don’t do their jobs because I don’t believe that is the case. I truly have just come to understand that building codes and living situations here are much more lax than other places we’ve lived and…that’s just the Alaska way. ZoningAnother thing that we came across while house hunting in Alaska is that most of the property in and around town is zoned as “General Zoning” rather than residential. That means that you can easily come across a neighbor with a junkyard collection or otherwise undesirable neighborhood situations. This is also just the Alaskan way. We actually put on offer in on our house, site unseen but our real estate agent was extremely helpful in our FaceTime calls. She would call us before pulling up to the house so we could get a good idea of the area and neighborhood. We also had a friend that was here on a short deployment and was able to check out a few neighborhoods for us, which was so nice of him. If you have any contacts at all in the area, I would definitely recommend getting someone to scope things out so you don’t get any surprises. Energy CostsBecause of the high costs of living here, especially for energy costs, it’s very common to find documentation of past heating oil/electricity costs. One thing that we had to get used to with living in interior Alaska was heating our home using heating oil. We decided it was worth the cost for us to have our heating oil delivered and there are many companies that do this. The other option is to haul it yourself. We have a 500 gallon tank buried in our yard that is filled with heating oil that runs the boiler in our crawl space. We use it mainly to heat our water since we also installed a pellet stove to offset the cost of using heating oil in the winter. Our heating oil company keeps a record of how much oil they fill up each time they come. You can have them come as often as you want. Because they have a long time record of how much oil we use, we just have them come whenever our name pops up on their list of someone ready to get topped off. They don’t necessarily come every month or every other month but because they keep a history of how much oil we go through, we can provide that information when we go to sell our house so the next residents will have a good idea on what to prepare for. This is the same case with electricity costs. It is very common to see this documentation on Zillow listings but if it’s not there, you can definitely ask your realtor if the information is available. Being a military family, we wanted our housing allowance to cover all our housing costs so this information was incredibly helpful. Other things to knowBeing so close to downtown, our roads are very well maintained by the city - meaning plowed in the winter - but further out, this may not be the case. We have many friends whose driveways are basically mini-roads and their property is tucked back into the trees. We fully understand the draw to this type of property but when it comes to winter time, the upkeep can be very daunting. Also, unrelated to roads, but you may have heard about the infamous Alaskan mosquitos. They LOVE those properties tucked into the trees ;) We opted to live in closer proximity to other homes, which may not be the typical Alaskan experience that people want to have, and sometimes we wish we had been more brave to branch out of the typical neighborhood experience, but it does have it’s perks when we have less mosquitos in the summer and plowed roads in the winter.
To sum it all up, buying a home here was an entirely different experience than buying a house in the lower 48 and all of these tips only scratch the surface of how our life changed with our move to Alaska. We're always happy to share our experience and answer any questions, or if you have something you'd like to add, let us know! Make sure to pin this post for future reference and consider following us on Instagram to join our day-to-day adventures!
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There are so many reasons to visit Alaska with most of these reasons surrounding the outdoors. Alaska is the largest state with the smallest population density in the United States, so it makes sense that people come to Alaska to escape the crowds and experience the rustic wilderness. Hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing opportunities are a huge draw for tourists, as is Northern Lights viewing and stunning scenery. With the abundance of activities that cover the vast area within Alaska’s borders, it can be overwhelming to sit down and plan a visit. To further narrow it down, we want to highlight some fun possible itineraries for a girls’ trip to Alaska! Maybe you’re into fishing and hiking and we have a lot to offer in those regards. But maybe you’re looking for some specific to Alaska experiences that are easy to add to a group itinerary and if that’s the case, keep reading! Kenai PeninsulaAfter exploring Alaska for the last few years, we have come up with a list of perfect girls’ trip activities starting with the more touristy destination of the Kenai Peninsula. There are some fantastic wildlife cruises out of Seward that we have enjoyed and are great for group travel and a relaxing day exploring Alaska! Our experience on the Kenai Fjords wildlife tour will live in my memory forever. We did a shorter cruise that included lunch on a private island which was great for our family with small children but there are dinner cruises that would be so perfect with a group of girlfriends looking for adventure. Interested in more of a glacier dinner cruise? There is definitely that option. While in Seward, you can check out Exit glacier, tide pools at Lowell Point, the Alaska SeaLife Center, and so much more! We’ve stayed in Seward a few times but our favorite stay was at an airbnb close to downtown with views of the bay, where we could see a humpback whale that was hanging out there the whole weekend. This is a bit of a touristy destination so there are multiple places to eat around town. Zudy’s Cafe is a fun lunch place with delicious sandwiches and desserts. Doesn’t that just sound incredible to do with a group of friends?? Palmer, AlaskaMoving more north, about an hour outside of Anchorage, there a little lesser known town called Palmer, Alaska. This quiet, farming community is the perfect hub for a girls' trip to Alaska. First of all, you’ve got Hatcher Pass, which is breathtakingly beautiful. There are hiking trails and the historic abandoned gold mine to explore which is very interesting! Palmer is also a great place to stay if you’re looking to do a guided tour of Matanuska Glacier. This glacier is the most popular roadside attraction between Anchorage and Glenallen and for good reason! It’s a stunning drive with beautiful views of glaciers but the only way to get up close and personal is through a guided tour that is worth every penny. Other things to check out around Palmer are the reindeer farm (one of my favorite places ever!!) and a really cool musk ox farm as well. We’ve done flight seeing tours out of Palmer and it was undeniably a bucket list item that we crossed off our list. Out of all the places we’ve stayed at in this area, one of our favorites is the Hatcher Pass Cabins. One of our favorite places to eat is the Turkey Red and there are some great little local shopping boutiques to check out here, our favorite being Poppy Lane Mercantile. Denali National ParkPerhaps the most iconic landmark in Alaska is Denali National Park. With all the activities concentrated in this park, one could easily turn this destination into a girls’ trip. Inside the park, there are so many beautiful hiking trails to explore on your own or there are ranger-led hikes. If you decide you do want to go further into the park, there are shuttles run by the park that you can take for a day trip. Drivers will point out wildlife and narrate your tour. You can explore the sled dog kennel inside the park to learn more about this type of transportation popular in Alaska. Outside the park you can book other adventurous activities. During the summer season there are scenic flights, whitewater rafting, ATV tours, Jeep tours, a zip lining course…so many options to have a great adventure trip and get a taste of Alaska in Denali National park. There are many places to stay near Denali National Park, some of them even provide train station pick up if you decide to add a trip on the Alaska Railroad to your itinerary. Hands down, our favorite place to stay is the McKinley Creekside Cabins. Tucked in along a creek outside of the park, the surroundings are beautiful and there’s nothing like hanging out in their lounge chairs along the creek, listening to the water flow. The cafe on the property is just as much of a reason to stay here than the breathtaking views. Their baked goods are made fresh, in-house, including their “Alaska-sized” cinnamon rolls and their famous strawberry rhubarb coffee cake. We also love their breakfast skillets that you can build custom to your liking. Add some reindeer sausage for the full Alaska experience. In the area right outside the park there are so many good places to eat, including a pizza place called Prospectors where, in the summer, they have live feed of the bears catching fish at Katmai National Park. There’s also a little coffee house/brunch place called Black Bear Coffee House that has delicious banana bread and even grab-and-go lunch options that you can take with you for tours later in the day. Fairbanks, AlaskaOur last destination that we think would be a fun girls trip is an adventure in the second largest city in Alaska: Fairbanks. Fairbanks is the best destination for seeing the northern lights in the winter. If this is what you choose to center your tour around there is so much to do in the winter season. With sled dog tours, ice sculpture competitions, cross country skiing tours, ice fishing…you will find much to do to fill your time while you wait for those epic nighttime views. A day trip to Chena Hot Springs would also be the perfect addition to a girls trip to Fairbanks. I don’t recommend a stay there, but there is so much to do on property during the day, including a visit to the ice hotel, booking any of the previously mentioned tours through the resort, obviously a dip in the hot springs are in order, and there’s even a masseuse on property. If your girls' trip is taking place in the summer, there is a whole new world of adventure possibilities. We highly recommend the Riverboat Discovery Tour. It is a fantastic way to learn so much about Alaska at the slow pace of a riverboat cruise. We also love visiting Gold Daughters in the summer to get a quick lesson on gold panning. Such a fun way to grab a souvenir to remember your trip by: real, Alaskan gold! You can add Reindeer yoga to your trip to Fairbanks through Running Reindeer Ranch. Towards the beginning of the summer, the little reindeer babies are so tiny and adorable! This is such a fun and unique activity. Chena Collective offers some great peony farm tours in the summer and the Fairbanks Farmers Market is the oldest established farmers market in Alaska. Growers through the Tanana Valley - an area larger than the size of Indiana - gather throughout the summer season to offer the best of local produce and handicrafts. A highlight for locals and visitors alike! Fairbanks, aka the land of the midnight sun, is a great place to adventure with a group of friends!
There are many hotels and airbnb options in Fairbanks and a lot of tours offer hotel pick up. There are also some great places to eat, one of our favorites being Hungry Robot for some delicious wood fired pizza - try the dilly dilly if you like pickles! Fairbanks is the Thai Food Capital of the world with how many Thai food restaurants they have per capita. Thai House is our favorite if you are interested in this cuisine. And we also really like Friar Tucks for a little twist on sandwiches - plus their french fries are so good! Alaska is a place that fulfills the desire for adventure for anyone. If provides so many options for the most fun girls' trip that, with all these ideas, we barely scratched the surface. Which of these would you put on your bucket list? As always, we'd love to answer your questions! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin this post for future adventure planning and consider following us on Instagram to join our day-to-day adventures! Until next time, get out and explore where YOU live! |
AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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