Considering property (Anchorage, Bethel, Beaver: camp, maintenance, living in)

[Vancefish]

Hello all,

It's been a while sence I posted. Just wanted to say congrats to English nurse an buying property and sorry to hear about your sons condition. I hope it all works out for you.

I have still kept my eye out on land in the Deadman lake area. However I have not yet bought any. Oddly as the economy has slipped, the costs on land and houses down here has dropped significantly. At the same time people who already own deadman lake property (and are trying to sell it). Have all decided to charge WAY more then the land cost just a year ago.

I personally work in the self generated power regulator industry. Meaning I build controllers for dealing with the power generated. This has lead to an enormous increase in work load and income over the last year. I am guessing that I will be ready to buy in under a year and pay cash. As stated when I started this thread. My plan is to pay off then sell my current home, then use that money to finance my move. However as englishnurse stated "it is a process".

I also wanted to mention that I still receive an e-mail commenting on this thread about every month. I have to wonder if the popularity of this thread is playing a role in the increased prices and demand in the area. lol

Anyway, The plan remains as does the dream. I just hope I can pull it off before I need a walker.

[arctichomesteader]

At the same time people who already own deadman lake property (and are trying to sell it). Have all decided to charge WAY more then the land cost just a year ago.

That's just a bit of a scam that's been going on for a while on ebay. They buy (maybe) a cheap lot from the DNR then sell it for 3+ times what they paid for it on a contract, collecting the downpayment and payments. Then when the buyer sees they've been lied to (for instance seller making it sound like easy access, or suggesting they got close to waterfront when they're in the back of the subdivision, etc.), or cheated, and stops paying, they (the seller) get it back, start over...so the moral is of course to not buy the land on ebay, for the most part (I guess there are exceptions and honest sellers selling their land but most aren't). The lots from the DNR are reasonably priced for the most part (considering the remoteness/access issues, etc.), but there's no way I'd pay 3+ times what they're asking, as these ebay sellers try to get...I saw one once listed for over $20,000 when they paid I think $3,000 or so.

[Vancefish]

I have seen that too. The person I was going to buy from had asked $3000 for one of the two lots that she was selling. When I asked through e-mails if I could pay over three months the price was suddenly $10,500. She still lists the same lot every few months with either no takers or people who pull out after a very short time.

The guy with one on E-bay right now wants $11,900 for a 3.?? acre lot and it is THE farthest lot both from the lake and up the hill. So not only is the person asking near 3X the actual average valued lot, but it is 2/5ths smaller then most lots around the lake. He should add a line about the lack of any swamp land as it is the highest lot on the north side AND maybe something on the wonderful view too(LoL).

[mitgreb]

We had an association meeting last week and decided not to sell any land below 10,000 over appraisal.

There will be no more on street parking it is too hard for the snow plows to get by.

And the fire marshal has outlawed wood stoves

Drinking lake water is no longer allowed either.

[CatherineFrances]

Thanks for the update.

I sent a PM to someone on here, I can't remember if it was you or not, trying to find out what happened and to tell them about 'my experience' with some real estate agents in various parts of Alaska.

EDITED: Yes, it was you and I wanted to know what happened about your land deal. I just checked my PM Box and I sent it to you. Thanks for letting us know again.

Best wishes.

Catherine

[mitgreb]

Originally Posted by CatherineFrances

Thanks for the update.

I sent a PM to someone on here, I can't remember if it was you or not, trying to find out what happened and to tell them about 'my experience' with some real estate agents in various parts of Alaska.

EDITED: Yes, it was you and I wanted to know what happened about your land deal. I just checked my PM Box and I sent it to you. Thanks for letting us know again.

Best wishes.

Catherine

I hope you realize I was trying to be funny

[pgvicar]

Anybody hear how he's doing? I wish him Godspeed in all his endeavors

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by Vancefish

Hello all,

It's been a while sence I posted. Just wanted to say congrats to English nurse an buying property and sorry to hear about your sons condition. I hope it all works out for you.

I have still kept my eye out on land in the Deadman lake area. However I have not yet bought any. Oddly as the economy has slipped, the costs on land and houses down here has dropped significantly. At the same time people who already own deadman lake property (and are trying to sell it). Have all decided to charge WAY more then the land cost just a year ago.

I personally work in the self generated power regulator industry. Meaning I build controllers for dealing with the power generated. This has lead to an enormous increase in work load and income over the last year. I am guessing that I will be ready to buy in under a year and pay cash. As stated when I started this thread. My plan is to pay off then sell my current home, then use that money to finance my move. However as englishnurse stated "it is a process".

I also wanted to mention that I still receive an e-mail commenting on this thread about every month. I have to wonder if the popularity of this thread is playing a role in the increased prices and demand in the area. lol

Anyway, The plan remains as does the dream. I just hope I can pull it off before I need a walker.

Well for what it is worth, when you do get ready to buy land, you can go to DNR directly and see what they are selling over the counter, also the U of A sells land too as well as many of the local towns.

Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Mental Health Trust Land Office


Good luck!

[English_Nurse]

This thread has got some great information on it.I agree with Vancefish completely, you have to bide your time and do it right if you intend to make it work. Otherwise you'll end up with a broken down skidoo, hauling a half ton of timber in the middle of the night, freezing to death. Well, that may happen anyway....The most impulsive thing I've done so far was to buy the land, but I needed to do that to commit myself to eventually getting up there. So I don't regret it in any way. It was the best thing I've done in a long time.I came very very close to accepting a job at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, literally had my pen on the paperwork, but backed out at the last minute (Banner Health recruiter must hate me...) because, tempting as the sign on package was, it would have been impossible to commute to the property.My plan was to stay in Fairbanks for half the week at a motel/hostel and then return to the lake for the rest of the week, but that's too much travelling, especially with gas prices and oil not being an infinite resource...So I figure, I need to be close to the land, job-wise, I can either rig up a big ugly satelite dish and work from home via the internet auditing medical records (yawn) or: I've sent my resume to the Manley Hot Springs Village Council as I know they have a Health Clinic and may require a nurse. I just renewed my Alaskan Nursing License, it's good till November 2010. I've said I'll work part-time, full-time, any-time, and take less salary than anyone else just to be in close proximity to the lake.As for my son, he has had no major 'flare up's of his disease. We have started him on L-Glutamine and Omega 3 Fish Oil and he is undergoing bloodwork to see if he can take a new drug that reduces the necessity for him to take steroids so frequently. So that is good news.The biggest challenge is my wife, who has spent her entire life here in the valley in Southern Oregon. But she has said, "if you got a job close to the land, then I'd be okay with you going ahead and getting things set up".....I'm teaching her to drive, so she could be completely independent in my absence.Maybe 2010 will be the year of action, but I just have to wait it out for the right window of opportunity job-wise. It'll happen.I have faith and determination and have not waned or faltered on that front.

[Marty Van Diest]

Originally Posted by English_Nurse

I've sent my resume to the Manley Hot Springs Village Council as I know they have a Health Clinic and may require a nurse.

Good to see that you are still around English...

Commuting from the lake to Manley appears to be about 20 miles as the crow flies...double that for ground travel. And you can only do that in the winter by snowmachine. That isn't something that you can do every day but maybe you can get a "week on-week" off job.

It's not that much farther from Nenana...about 30 miles in a straight line, so maybe 60 miles by snowmachine depending on how the trails run. Nenana puts you on the highway system making it practical to work in Fairbanks, drive to Nenana and then by snowmachine out to the lake.

But either way, this isn't an afternoon jaunt. This is a real excursion in below zero temps that require you to know survival techniques because no one is there to help you WHEN, ( not IF), you break down.

You really should spend the money this summer to come up and look the situation over. Drive to Nenana and charter a plane to the lake.

Better yet, come up in March and snowmachine to the lake. Or maybe you can get starlite to take you there by ski plane