My ALASKAN Real Estate...Should I Sell? (Anchorage, Wasilla: houses, rental)

[CantWait2Bthere]

Hello ya all up there. Greetings from California.

Okay...I am going to be blunt and ask this and I don't mean to offend anyone..but why in the heck is the crime rate so high in Wasilla?

My father passed away a few years back and I was left two building lots near the lake in Wasilla. These were the last of several he invested in years ago before Alaska was even a state. So I have held on to them because he made sure to save them for me as he sold off the rest through the years. I have had several private parties call over the last few years asking if I would sell them ,but I have always said no because my goal is to keep them in the family and eventually build a cabin or something up there. A large part of my father's history is centered on Alaska and Lake Lucille. (I was told by some relatives a few years back that there was even a group of people trying to get him elected for mayor, but that's another story. I can't tell it anyway, I don't have all the details.)

So anyway, I really want to hold on to these lots but I just can't imagine why the crime rate is so high there! And there seems to be a lot of registered sex offenders in the area.

Can anyone shed some light on this and do any of you live near Lake Lucille? How is it like living there?

Thanks you guys..have a good day.

[rotorhead]

Sure, sell 'em. Specifically, sell 'em to me. How about ten bucks apiece?

A bit more seriously, Lake Lucielle in Wasilla is a very nice place to build a home. There are a lot of fancy places along the lake, its right in town and both big enough for floatplanes and warm enough in the summer to actually take a dip. Take a closeup look via Google Earth and check out how many places along that lake have planes tied up to their docks, quite a bit of money there. If absolute quiet and solitude are your goals, its not the place. If extremely convienent access and relatively wealthy neighbors are what you're looking for, your in luck. Like anyplace, the value of your property is going to vary depending on how much buildable land it encompasses, you might have a pretty swampy parcel thats pretty much unusable or it might be a prime homebuilding spot on a good shoreline. There is often quite a bit of information available on the boroughs website, might try that.

The crime stats for Wasilla are skewed by the epidemic of meth thats overtaken rural areas all over the US. What's considered Wasilla covers a lot of area, much of it pretty rural. Nobody is gonna tell you that Wasilla is the premier real estate location in the Valley, but you can certainly do a lot worse, especially right on the lake. Best bet is to take a visit up there yourself and track down the dirt you've been paying taxes on all these years. Its less than an hours drive from Anchorage along the main highway, and any rental car can make it there since Lake Lucielles right off the main road through town. Talk with your neighbors and get a feel for the place. If you decide that its not for you, it should be no problems selling the land and buying something more suited to your tastes. Keep in mind that the real estate commission for vacant land is typically higher than for built houses, usually ten percent.

Still though, if you're game for the ten bucks I can get it in the mail tomorrow.

[FishTAxi]

Hold on to it if you can. Make a park out of it honoring your father.

Do not sell.

[bustedknee]

Originally Posted by CantWait2Bthere

...but why in the heck is the crime rate so high ... there seems to be a lot of registered sex offenders in the area. Can anyone shed some light on this ...

Excessive cold!

Too much darkness!

Too much booze and drugs!

Depression!

Boredom!

[CantWait2Bthere]

Wow,,,thanks guys. Of all the questions I have ever asked on these forums this one has had the most helpful answers! So far anyway..lol

I lived in Wasilla when I was less than four yeas old. I have memories of spending time with my father's extended family near the Lake. I remember the planes yes! I was up there last in 1983 and lots of folks had three wheeler ATV's that they drove on the dirt roads. That was fun.

We actually had one of the lake front properties where my father had built a nice red cabin.Last I heard it was still in the family, given to some other children of my fathers (long story, dont ask).

But you are right FishTaxi...I think I should hold on to them to honor my dad. I am proud to say he was one of the first fellows to invest in Alaska property before lots of people started to live there. At one time I guess he owned a lot more of it around the lake and through the years he would sell it off. I guess that is how he afforded to work part time when he was raising my sister and I as a single father.

But no joke...I seem to get a phone call from someone at least three times a year from up there wanting to know if I will sell the lots and to please take their contact info to let them know when I do. I remember one guy about six years ago trying to scare me into selling them to him. He was saying stuff like "..oh if you ever want to build anything it's gonna cost you this much $$$ and you're gonna have to do this and that and deal with frick and frack and you won't be able to deal with it. I will save you the hassle and just buy them off you." Was that you Rotorhead? Just kidding....I hope.

But I am sorry to hear, but not surprised, about the meth problem. This seems to be a common subject among several states threads, in fact I asked about it specifically on the Oregon state forum. It's a big problem there too.There were even a couple folks getting mad at me for inquiring about it. It's a dreadful, horrible addiction that is destroying many lives.

Oh, and Bustedknee...how did you bust your knee? I hope it wasn't for the things you mentioned.."too much darkness, too much booze..." Just Kidding.

[rotorhead]

As far as bugging you to sell, no, that was not me....but it might be now.

[Rainy]

Okay...I am going to be blunt and ask this and I don't mean to offend anyone..but why in the heck is the crime rate so high in Wasilla?

Lower 48 transplants. Going into Fred Meyer there is like something out of Deliverance, and everyone there seems to have a mullet.

[dmderosa2k]

What is wrong with mulletts? LOL. I guess you never have lived in the South.

[Rainy]

Not ever...lol..can't stand that look...I heard it's still alive there.

[dmderosa2k]

The sad thing is, Joe Dirt is actually a reality for folks down here in some places and I wish I was joking.

By the way, I heard there are places where land is cheap...anybody know where?