Go Crazy in the BIG LAND (Kenai, Metlakatla: sale, construction, to live)

[NomadicBear]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

What you aren't getting is that a lot of the land for sale in AK is basically land that you can't build on without a lot of added monetary influx. In order to have the kind of home that MM was referencing, a half a million isn't out of the question...

Some people do it right, like arctichomesteader here, who bought state land but actually went to see it before he purchased it and made sure that he could build on it. And it used to be that there were some pretty good deals available through the state but the best land has pretty much been taken.

I've seen a lot of this land for sale and so has Starlite. Much of it is literally swampland.

I don't doubt there is some land for sale which is unsuitable for building, and anyone who buys a piece of land without physically walking it in the worst season is a fool, IMO. For this very reason, I cannot speak to the quality of parcels listed on the mls in Alaska, which there is no shortage of.

I consider myself to be quite in tune with the raw land market in my home state of WA, but I couldn't tell you the physical characteristics of a single parcel currently for sale without getting out and walking it. Are you, and Starlite, intimately familiar with all parcels currently for sale in the state of Alaska?

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by NomadicBear

I don't doubt there is some land for sale which is unsuitable for building, and anyone who buys a piece of land without physically walking it in the worst season is a fool, IMO. For this very reason, I cannot speak to the quality of parcels listed on the mls in Alaska, which there is no shortage of.

I consider myself to be quite in tune with the raw land market in my home state of WA, but I couldn't tell you the physical characteristics of a single parcel currently for sale without getting out and walking it. Are you, and Starlite, intimately familiar with all parcels currently for sale in the state of Alaska?

He probably is more so than I am, since he's a pilot and regularly flies over various parts of the state. I'm sure he'll tell you what he knows next time he comes online. Marty can probably also offer a good perspective.

We don't have the over the counter sales in SE Alaska, simply because the land there is too valuable. Farther north...there's lots and lots of remote marshland for sale out there.

I don't think we have to be familiar with each and every parcel of land offered on the otc site to know that developing that land into a viable home is going to cost quite a lot of money. Chartering a plane to fly around to find a parcel that has some buildable areas on it isn't going to be cheap either. Some of the land itself is pretty cheap though, and there's a reason for that.

It's just not cheap living no matter how you look at it, which was our point here.

[Metlakatla]

By the way, I would actually encourage anyone to look into some of the otc offerings provided they understood that these areas don't work well when used for a primary residence; some people build little cabins et al, and it helps to have a private plane because often that's the only access.

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by NomadicBear

That's subjective. One man's prime is another's sub-prime.

Well it is clear you have no concept of what land in Alaska is like. Very little of it has no issues, permafrost is a constant in much of the land sales all over the majority of Alaska. Even in Anchorage there is a lot of houses that have been sinking as the permafrost melts.

When I bought my property to build a remote cabin on, I took a lot of years and looked a lot of places that weren't what I would call "Stable". The land that I bought is a very dry and hard packed sandy loam.

I have a view overlooking the lake with Mount McKinley as a backdrop. Very hard to find and very remote, not a place you will be able to get to without an airplane for year round access.

There is very few places in the State I haven't been to over the years, and cheap good land isn't around very often.

[NomadicBear]

Originally Posted by starlite9

Well it is clear you have no concept of what land in Alaska is like. Very little of it has no issues, permafrost is a constant in much of the land sales all over the majority of Alaska. Even in Anchorage there is a lot of houses that have been sinking as the permafrost melts.

When I bought my property to build a remote cabin on, I took a lot of years and looked a lot of places that weren't what I would call "Stable". The land that I bought is a very dry and hard packed sandy loam.

I have a view overlooking the lake with Mount McKinley as a backdrop. Very hard to find and very remote, not a place you will be able to get to without an airplane for year round access.

There is very few places in the State I haven't been to over the years, and cheap good land isn't around very often.

No, I pretty much get it. You and your poster buddies were savvy and fortunate enough to find the only buildable properties available in the gigantic state of Alaska, and the rest of the land is garbage, so there's no good reason for the rest of us to ever even dream of finding, much less affording, a good parcel of land. In fact, we should just heed your soul killing advice, and never bother going to Alaska. Gotcha.

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by NomadicBear

No, I pretty much get it. You and your poster buddies were savvy and fortunate enough to find the only buildable properties available in the gigantic state of Alaska, and the rest of the land is garbage, so there's no good reason for the rest of us to ever even dream of finding, much less affording, a good parcel of land. In fact, we should just heed your soul killing advice, and never bother going to Alaska. Gotcha.

Whatever, you come on up and buy your piece of the pie...

The "Soul killing advice" is fact, not trying to pop your bubble, it is what we have been trying to tell you.

Here is the State of Alaska's land sale program. This is the cheapest you will be able to buy the land. Read the State's disclaimer on the land, mostly swamp, wetlands or Permafrost, very little is accessible without a boat or airplane.

Remote Recreation Cabins Staking Program

[Jerseykat]

I've been on this forum for a while now and have to say that the advice given is worth listening to. It's meant to bring your dreams to a reality, not destroy them.
If you sincerely want to move to AK then these are the people you want to listen to.

Starlight and Met both have experience living in the bush/off the beaten path.
Marty is a realtor (no he's not trying to sell you anything) but being a lifelong Alaskan
and in the biz he knows his stuff.
You want any road in AK or the way up thru Canada...go to Warpt. LOL for a man coming from a town off the road system he knows them all.
Nephler, AKvarmit and so many others have made the move north.
These people understand your dreams, they just want to make sure your dream doesn't turn into your nightmare.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by NomadicBear

No, I pretty much get it. You and your poster buddies were savvy and fortunate enough to find the only buildable properties available in the gigantic state of Alaska, and the rest of the land is garbage, so there's no good reason for the rest of us to ever even dream of finding, much less affording, a good parcel of land. In fact, we should just heed your soul killing advice, and never bother going to Alaska. Gotcha.

I don't think you get it at all.

I saw a good piece of land with a partially built house on it for a pretty good price in SE last summer; I'm just using it as an example but that's the sort of property that would make sense for someone like yourself who could fix it up and build onto it. I'm not a realtor or anything but I believe the place is outside the tax line and it's got road access. I was thinking about buying it myself and I sort of still am but I have no skills regarding construction and what is there is very basic.


You've said you need to work; well, you won't find a remote listing through the state within any type of commutable distance.

I don't think anyone's trying to kill your dreams here but rather let you know that there are alternatives to buying state swamp land that you have to take a plane to get to.

[melbern]

Nomadic, you're being too sensitive. Nobody is trying to kill your soul. They're just trying to tell you that most of the land is publicly held, and private land that is in prime condition to build on is expensive. That's all. I'm sure this is quantitatively verifiable.

[blueflames50]

Originally Posted by Jerseykat

I've been on this forum for a while now and have to say that the advice given is worth listening to. It's meant to bring your dreams to a reality, not destroy them.
If you sincerely want to move to AK then these are the people you want to listen to.

Starlight and Met both have experience living in the bush/off the beaten path.
Marty is a realtor (no he's not trying to sell you anything) but being a lifelong Alaskan
and in the biz he knows his stuff.
You want any road in AK or the way up thru Canada...go to Warpt. LOL for a man coming from a town off the road system he knows them all.
Nephler, AKvarmit and so many others have made the move north.
These people understand your dreams, they just want to make sure your dream doesn't turn into your nightmare.

Rep'd ya on this one!! soooo well said...thank you...gosh someone who understands!! yeaayyyy!