Another Moving Thread

[mrs.smyth]

We can't live on the base (I think, do they let vets live on base if they've only been in four years?) I'll look further out. I finally started looking at houses in Wasilla, so hopefully that works as well.

[JD2AK&ME]

We moved here from upstate New York a year ago. We worked with a terrific real estate agent that helped us find a great deal on a condo. It's not easy shopping long distance. Here is what I posted last year.

" Tammy Gills - Real Estate Agent Extraordinaire!
First, I would like to thank Critical1 for recommending Tammy to us. Thank you, Thank you.
To anyone looking to buy (or sell) a piece of property in the Anchorage area I would say pick up that phone and call Tammy Gills at Dynamic Properties in Anchorage. I have bought and sold 5 homes and I have never had an agent be more responsive and on top of things then Tammy. From the first time I called her (I left a message on her voice mail and she got back to me within an hour!) through all the rigors of trying to search for and buy a condo in Anchorage from Upstate NY, to the final completion of purchasing our new condo, Tammy was there helping us every step of the way. She was responsible for us locating and purchasing a condo at a great price that we are very excited about. Even at the last minute when we were getting ready to do the long distance closing, she found a way for us to save $200 by advising that we do the transaction at our local credit union instead of a title agency.
Since it's hard to find people who do their job well and really seem to care about their customer's needs I really wanted to acknowledge someone who does. Thanks, Tammy!"

She might be of great assistance if you are looking to buy.
Good luck, Diane

[mrs.smyth]

Okay, I'll keep that in mind. I don't think we are trying to narrow down the houses we'll be looking at when we arrive in Alaska and look at them first. My husband bought our house now without letting me look at it; it's an okay house in an okay area (basically, I have to drive 40 as I pull out my driveway and strangers have walked through my yard because of the lack of fence to get to the neighborhood behind ours.

[bongo]

There is a lot of real estate in Anchorage that is iffy. By that I mean there are a lot of shoddy, ugly, snub-faced, California-entry houses for sale. It's hard to just come into Anchorage & immediately find a house that meets one's personal needs. Now this is just my own personal view from my experience.

It is much better to rent for a while during the house search. It took us 4 years of renting before we found the perfect house for us to buy LOL.

The trouble with renting is the dog. However, Weidner will take pets & short-term leases. That's what we did while we looked at houses, studied neighborhoods, read the newspaper to understand areas, look at police reports. Weidner even has short-term lease agreements. I know they have a bad rep on here but they certainly serve a purpose for pet owners & our place with them was immaculate, I got to give them that.

Gosh, when we first came to town LOL we thought "mt view" in the ad meant there was a view of the mountains!

Are you also looking for an area for a good school for your child? If that is also an element in the mix it complicates the search. Wonder Park is not the best in town, that's for sure.