Real Estate Information Archive

A personal favorite of the Bushnell's

Twas the Night before Christmas Poem

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

For much of the country it is still fall, and in some parts the eternal summer blazes on.  Here in Alaska fall has been gone for at least a month. Winter was not roaring in, but it did last night and appears that it may return again tomorrow with an additional 4 inches of snow.

Now winter is here it is time to stop selling real estate, close the office and hibernate until spring.  See ya next spring!

Wait! Now I'm sounding like the national talking heads when their talking about the economy.  No one should buy anything the economy is in the toilet.  Please hold my hand because I think life as we know it is over.

Come on give me a break.  The economy took a hit and it has come back steady. It's not roaring but its chugging right along.  So is the housing market; just because we have some snow and winter is settling in is no reason to hibernate until spring.  Interest rates are at an all time low.  You can get a great home in this market.  There are some great deals and there are some great home that you will have to pay the asking price.

Now is a great time to buy a home, just be careful as you walk up the steps.  And if you're thing about selling, inventory levels are low, put your home out there and get it sold. 

By the way, make sure you shovel the sidewalk and please turn on all the lights.

Alaska summers are short but very long.  We have a tremendous amount of sunlight, which helps us navigate this great state.  There are so many different places that you can visit.  You just have to get out there and do it.

You can visit Valdez, my wife took some of our extended family there for a little Halibut fishing.  They did well and cam back with 10 fish.  on the drive from Anchorage to Valdez you will see many spectacular sights.  You can also get to Valdez by taking the Alaska Ferry from Whittier.  This is an easy trip and a great way to see Prince William Sound.  You can then drive back or hop on the ferry for the return trip.

Homer is another excellent choice, and although I will not make it there this year there I definitely recommend it.  In Homer you can visit the spit; this is where you will find the boat harbor and launch for fabulous Halibut charters.  You can get a water taxi to Halibut Cove or Seldovia.  Both destinations offer excellent choices for dining and some fabulous art galleries.  The Kachemak Bay is a beautiful destination.

I really like visiting the Cooper Landing area on the Kenai Peninsula.  Cooper Landing offers excellent trout and Salmon fishing as well as wildlife viewing.  On numerous trips I have fished along side black and brown bears.  Eagle watch as we catch our fish, then slowly drift down the river.  This last weekend we visited the mouth of the Kenai River for a little Alaskan fun; Dip netting.  This is an Alaska tradition and a great way to stock you freezer full of fish.

On the day we visited 100,000 Red Slamon came into the river, yes, I said one hundred thousand.  People line the shore with large nets scooping out fish; in one area boats of all sizes go up and down the river with Dip nets hanging over the side.  A dip net is a 4 or 5 circle with gill netting in it.  Most people have a 5-6 foot handle on the hoop.  You wait to a fish swims into the net and then haul it in.  On the day we visited the river there may have been 500 boats on the river scooping up fish.  There is a weir just past this area, and the next day the weir count showed 68,000 fish made it through the dip nets.

Our family pulled in 55 fish, and the friends with us pulled in 65 for their family.  We got our limits and headed home.

There is so much to do up here it's really hard to get it all in.  You can go clamming.  You could hike one of the hundreds of trials that are in the South Central Alaska.  You can water ski, white water raft or kayak; don't forget ocean kayaking.  There's flight seeing, and then the normal pursuits like softball, and baseball.

Oh yeah, I forgot the most important thing.  You have to work and get some sleep.  I have to go, my wife says I need to mow the lawn, don't forget your chores.

Yesterday I did not really think it was that cold.  The temperature was moderate and a lite coat was perfect.  However as I was driving across the Hay flats I noticed many of the ponds just before the Knik river were frozen.

This is a sign that we will see colder weather soon.  Most lakes have not froze yet, although just the other night I thought I saw some ice creeping out from the shore.  So it is time to get winter ready.  If you are new to Alaska, remember to take the hose off the faucet.  This will keep you Hose bib from freezing over the winter.  Put up all tools and if you have fragile out door plants get them covered up with leaves or burlap bags.

Clean up all the toys and tools that may still be out there, they could disappear over night under a blanket of white not to be seen for months.  Also get you winter tires on.  The roads will be slick in the morning.  So slow down and be safe.

Everyone have a great day and don't forget to close your basement vents (very important).

What's happening in our market this week?

The weather in South Central Alaska has continued to be mild and with very little rain.  A nice fall, with lots of color in the hills.  As you all know I was not here last week, but I did review the number for the area and I think that many people were out enjoying the extended Labor Day weekend.  Here is a breakdown of what happened.

Eleven (11) new homes came onto the market, six (6) homes went under contract (pending), and eleven (11) homes transferred title (closed).

This weeks feels about the same, although I do not think there will be as many new listings.  The rental market also continues to be very tight, with a very limited supply of homes to choose from.  Current inventory in Eagle River of homes for sale is just 164.  At the end of August there was 184 homes available, and last year at the end of August there was 221 homes available.  This places limitations on perspective buyers.  When you extract the un-built new homes it leaves just 133 homes across all price ranges.

If you are thinking about selling a home, now would be a great time.  Make sure that your home is in excellent condition and it will most likely sell quickly when price accurately.

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Here is the Eagle River Real Estate market update for this week.  Last week we saw continued strong activity in our local real estate market.  17 homes pended (accepted contracts), while there we only 14 new homes listed for sale.  Current inventory levels continue to drop, and I hear from other Realtors that buyers are having a harder time finding what they're really looking for.

Interest rates have remained steady, with minor ups and downs.  Current rates range from 5% to 5.375% for 30 year mortgages.  There are several new rules in the lending world that make it a little more time consuming to purchase a home.  The good news is that there is plenty of money available if you wish to buy. 

If you are considering buying I would do it now before the interest rates go up.  With the economic stimulus monies floating around most economists believe it is only a matter of time before we some inflation and interest rates have to go up.

Better to get what you want now, while you can afford it.