Housing! (Anchorage, Craig: apartment, rental, hotel)

[dbulick]

My fiance and I are looking at making the move from Texas up to Anchorage come next summer. We are both teachers and in the hiring process. I have a pre-screening interview next week.

We have a trip set for December to check things out and see if she can actually handle the cold weather.

I guess my question is, what is the rental housing market look like in the area? We would just need something small and reasonable, would we be better off just looking for an apartment?

[bongo]

I take it you have a phone pre-screening interview. Often a question is asked regarding teaching philosophy, just as a heads-up.

I too am a teacher who came up from New Mexico in '99. We found it good to rent an apartment first to get a sense of the town. We are so glad we did, since we were able to take our time, check out areas & finally found the perfect house in the perfect location for our needs.

It was also helpful to take the 2 required courses for Alaska teaching certificates, Alaska History and Alaska Native Cultures, online through UAA. That way I was able to do all the paperwork for my Alaska teaching certificate ahead of time and come up here for individual school interviews with my AK certificate in hand. Then when I started working I didn't have to be bothering with the certification process while learning a new school, curriculum, program, etc.

In what areas are you & your husband's teaching endorsements? Are either of you fluent Spanish speakers?

[dbulick]

I am secondary math 6-12 or k-12 PE, and my fiance is k-4 generalist. She is ESL certified. Yes the interview is a phone interview. I am hoping to drive around town a bit when we get up there to check out the different area's.

[roadfamily6now]

I suspect the cost of living here will be much higher then in TX but I also think the wages for teachers is higher.

Good Luck! DO you know which schools you are applying for? There are some excellent charter schools here!

[dbulick]

So far we have only applied to ASD.

[Barkingowl]

Take a look at Craigslist.

[TL551]

I just moved up here from Colorado. I used various methods to look for housing. I did look on the Anchorage Daily News website and Craigslist. I was hesitant at first about using Craigslist because I had heard of some scams, but did talk to some very honest people here in Anchorage. After driving on the Denver freeways, getting around in Achorage is not bad at all. I lived in Ft. Worth many years ago, plus visited there a few times because of some trainings I had to attend. I believe the heat and humidity was not a good combination there. I would definitely prefer Anchorage over Texas! Just to let you know, that used Expedia.com to find a hotel that was really reasonable for 5 nights till my house was ready for me to take possession.