Questions & Logistics, moving to Anchorage (Craig: sales, rental market, condo)

[AniO]

Hi All!

My husband has been interviewing for positions and may have something serious on the table. If it comes through, it looks like we'd be moving to Anchorage (or nearby) near the end of summer, probably after labor day. I have some questions as we work out the logistics of moving (with a toddler and cat, and a mortgage on this side).

1.) We got a moving estimate ($$), which makes me think I can probably re-furnish our house for the cost of the move. May make more sense to leave our furniture here or sell it. How's the craigstlist market near the end of the summer for things like dressers and loveseats? What are the cheaper places to buy furniture?

2.) What are the items or services that have seasonal price fluctuations? Cost of living is supposedly the same or cheaper to live in Anchorage than where I am in NJ. Visiting in March, the prices in Fred Meyer & Natural Pantry looked downright cheap compared to what I had paid for the same brands a few days before. I saw a post w/ flickr pictures of grocery stores & to be honest, everything looked fairly reasonable with the exception of "heavy" canned goods & similar items. Did we get lucky in March? Does that change a lot in the winter?

3.) How is the rental market near the end of summer? We're not too fussy, but need something with at least 2 bedrooms and preferably a small yard, that will allow our cat. We'd prefer a house but multifamily is ok if it has private yard space. We'll probably only have a month to find something once we know. Am I going to end up living in a hotel while we search or should things pop up pretty easily? Our budget probably puts at $1500 max, but preferably less...

4.) Does anyone have a guess at an average electrical/gas bill for a 2 bedroom home/condo? I know there are a ton of variables. I'm looking at Chugach Electric trying to compare but there are just so many changes - water mixing, colder temps, seasonal fluctuations (I assume), that I'm not sure what we should be budgeting. We're pretty frugal with our utilities.

5.) I've seen a lot of comments on neighborhoods that are "nice" and what to avoid... Work would be in downtown anchorage, around 5th ave. We'd like to keep commutes and winter driving relatively short, especially since we don't want to have to buy a big expensive 4x4 when we get there. Any places we should concentrate?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ani in NJ

[blueflames50]

Originally Posted by mrkool

What a knob...

it is just that you are asking what hundreds of others have posted and Warpt and others have graciously answered in many many posts....I know it blows to have to search the city data site for the threads but all the info is already been posted for you to find.

[lellenn]

Craigslist is robust here for furniture - my personal opinion is that people have an inflated idea of what their stuff is worth though. Anchorage-ites do love a garage/yard sale though!

Other than produce, I haven't noticed price fluctuations at the grocery store.

You SHOULD be able to find what you want, rental wise for under $1500 a month, especially if you are only looking at 2 bedrooms. However does that include your utilities or not?

Plan on around $100 a month of electric charges. That's what we've usually spent - sometimes quite a bit more though. If you're frugal I bet that's what it would average out to for you.

Downtown is a great place to live - especially if you work there. South Addition (south of the Delaney Park Strip on 9th) has lots of houses that are full of character. However, it can be a bit more spendy. Keep checking Craigslist for an idea of prices.

[Mollym313]

Ok...from my own experience research, I have seen a lot of stuff on craigslist. You'd be amazed at the stuff people are selling and giving away. You can even look at the "Free" section and see great stuff that people need to get rid of quick. I did not realize how many people are moving in and out of the area so often and are downsizing or just getting rid of everything to move out of state.

Oh...they might even have knobs

[AniO]

Originally Posted by blueflames50

it is just that you are asking what hundreds of others have posted and Warpt and others have graciously answered in many many posts....I know it blows to have to search the city data site for the threads but all the info is already been posted for you to find.

"look at other posts" is the most common answer given on this forum. It's actually given so often that its very difficult to search the archives. I've searched as much as I can with a toddler helping, and have pretty much given up on this forum.

1.) Search terms: "Furniture anchorage" turns up that there is a target and jc penny's, but not specifically if either is known for sturdy, inexpensive items. Here we shop at Ikea for that.

2.) Seasonal price fluctuations in food? I would love to see the search terms that turn this up.

3.) So what, I'm nervous about finding a house. Get over it.

4.) Electric - the best threads on this are from like, 2006. awesome.

5.) Seriously? Please tell me the search criteria that will turn up which neighborhoods have more or less traffic to 5th ave.

No one is forcing you to post. I don't even know why you bother if you have no intention of helping. I think perhaps you overestimate what comes up when you search the archives

[Alaskapat528]

Picasa Web Albums - Chilkoot - Anchorage Gro...

This thread is here on the Anchorage forum.

It's hard to estimate utility prices since naturally it'll depend on the size of the house and how much usage. As for furniture there are several furniture stores in Anchorage as you noted, however, you'll find better deals on Craigslist if you want used furniture. J.C. Penny's warehouse usually has pretty good deals.

There are all kinds of threads about people moving up here that contain lots of useful info.

[AniO]

Originally Posted by Alaskapat528

I take it you are planning on moving into Anchorage?

My husband is flying in Sept 16th to find a rental, buy a car and start work. My son and I will be following at the end of October.

The grocery prices in photos was a very cute idea and helpful to us. We caught that when it was first posted. Thanks.

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by AniO

My husband is flying in Sept 16th to find a rental, buy a car and start work. My son and I will be following at the end of October.

The grocery prices in photos was a very cute idea and helpful to us. We caught that when it was first posted. Thanks.

Will you and your son be flying in? If I recall Jersey has sales tax ? I've been through there a couple of times when we headed into NY, but don't remember. There is no sales tax in Anchorage so your husband buying a car there is a good idea.

[AniO]

Oh yes, we'll be flying. Not driving from NYC to Anchorage with a toddler. lol

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by AniO

Oh yes, we'll be flying. Not driving from NYC to Anchorage with a toddler. lol

Glad you're flying, especially with the toddler. We've done the trip to lower 48 and back to AK. 3 times in the last past 9 months driving. We took our 2 dogs and they love to travel; they even love going to motels. Our last trip back to AK this past May was really tough since we brought my mother-in-law (80 yrs old) and her dog with us so we had to make more stops. BTW she lives in L.I. (Elmont). In 9 mos time we logged over 10,000 miles on our vehicle since when we were down there we made trips from Ohio to NY to Ct.