In this case it is easy being green. According to the National Safety Council approximately 41 million computers became outdated in 2004 and 63 million in 2005. That number was expected to reach upwards of 500 million in 2007. Research shows that 75% of outdated, unused computers are stored and awaiting disposal. Electronic equipment contains a myriad of hazardous materials. A typical desktop computer contains between 2-4 pounds of lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, lithium, brominate flame retardants and phosphorus. Do something green and recycle your old unwanted electronics. On Saturday April 26th and Tuesday April 29th, bring your old unwanted electronic waste (anything with a circuit board) to the Carlson Center for shipment to a recycling facility. Although both days are open to hou... 04/23/2008

Welcome to the Fairbanks Tanana valley Farmers Market. Established in the early 70's as a way to develop and promote agriculture, horticulture in Alaska and to provide quality produce products to the public, the Tanana Valley Farmers Market showcases a variety of Alaska Grown products and plants as well as Made in Alaska products. TVFM is the oldest established farmers market in Alaska and the only one located in its own permanent building. 2008 Season Opening Day is May 10, 2008 Market Hours Wednesday's 11AM - 4PM Saturday's 9AM - 4PM With a growing season that extends from April to September, and with a little help from that famous 24 hour sunshine in the summer months, we have an outstanding bumper crop of everything from rhubarb, asparagus, beans, beef, beets, blueberries, broccoli... 04/20/2008

The word is out... Arctic Man is a go! The course is open today through Thursday for practice with the race start planned for Friday, April 11th at 1:00PM. Saturday and Sunday are reserved as back-up days if the start has to be delayed because of weather conditions. Wait... What IS Arctic Man? Well, it's the culmination of winter sports in Alaska - a weekend long party where adrenaline junkies, snowmachiners and skiiers/snowboarders come to together to, well, play in the snow. Held in the HooDoo Mountains, aka, "the middle of nowhere" Arctic Man turns the area around Summit Lake, near Paxson, Alaska into the 5th largest community in the state with nearly 17,000 temporary 'residents'. An annual even held at Summit Lake, Alaska, Mile 196 Richardson Highway, near Paxson, AK. If you are int... 04/08/2008

I had plans for today... big plans. We were going to get the motorhome out of storage and bring it home. Not because we had plans to go anywhere this weekend, but so we could unfurl the awning and have a margarita or two in the driveway. Hey, don't knock it. Driveway camping can be fun. The snow has been making a hasty retreat for the past couple of weeks - so much so that we even washed the truck in the driveway Friday night... with snow on the ground no less. (#23 on the list of 'how to know you're a true Alaskan') Click to enlarge Click to enlarge Saturday, however, we woke up to find what was a clear driveway covered in white stuff. Lots of it. What the heck? Mother Nature - sweetheart, I dearly love you, but please oh please knock it off. :) I'm ready for spring! Jesse & Kathy Clif... 04/06/2008

I read a post this afternoon that got me to thinking - Yes, I know, that could be dangerous. Broker Bryant wrote a great post in which he put out a few questions trying to wrap his mind around the value proposition of home staging. If you haven't read it, click on over and check it out. As usual, it's a great discussion. We build homes as well as sell existing homes and I do see some value in staging our new construction and vacant homes. I don't stage every project but have staged a few in the past for various reasons. When I think staging, it's to turn a blank canvas, so to speak, into a picture of a "home" the buyer can envision living in. That involves furniture and accent pieces as appropriate, at least to me. In reading Bryant's post I read several comments from stagers that just... 04/06/2008

Whenever we travel "outside" (which is anywhere other than Alaska) we're constantly asked "Why Alaska?" Most people can't imagine jumping in their car at -50 and going anywhere other than the closest airport to catch a flight to Scottsdale, Tucson, Austin, Daytona or perhaps even Poinciana (I hear there are some good deals to be had). The truth is while we could live anywhere in the world we choose to make our home in Fairbanks, Alaska because we love the people and the incredible playground that is literally just off our back porch. Want to climb Mt. McKinley? She's a short 4 hour drive away. Feeling up to pulling a 400lb halibut up from the depths of Prince William Sound or defying gravity (& death) to heli-ski off the side of a mountain? We've got that and much, much more. Despite t... 04/03/2008

Shannon Park Subdivision Located in east Fairbanks adjacent to Fort Wainwright and the new retail epicenter, Shannon Park is one of Fairbanks most sought after addresses. Click the map to the left to explore Fairbanks via Google Maps with associated landmarks tagged. Initial development began in 1984 with most homes having been built prior to the mid 90's. There has been little new construction due to the lack of available building lots although a few homeowners who purchased second lots have been persuaded in recent years to sell them, resulting in a very small number of new homes. Homeowners who call Shannon Park home say they love their neighborhood. We've sold several homes where the owners made a lifestyle change but insisted on remaining in the neighborhood. One persistently targ... 03/19/2008

appears as though the Fairbanks real estate market is still alive and kicking. We have been fortunate in that Fairbanks and Interior Alaska did not see the speculative boom that many places in the lower 48 did and as such, our sluggish market is just that, sluggish. We are not quite to life support stage... yet. Before I get into the specific market performance I want to encourage those Fairbanks buyers and sellers reading this to seek the counsel of a competent, market savvy real estate agent (I happen to know a great team, btw. :) to help you evaluate individual homes for sale or to properly position your home for sale. These numbers represent the movement of the entire Fairbanks real estate market - there are sections of the market that are performing quite well and conversely there... 03/10/2008

Alright, Rainers, I need a reality check. Tonight we had dinner with a good friend (we'll call her Jill) and as usual, the topic of conversation turned to real estate. Now, Jill is one of the top four agents in town. She is equal parts listing and selling agent and does both well. We worked across the hall from each other for years before Kathy and I left to open an office. Although I haven't been posting many the past few weeks, I'm a fanatical market tracker. I keep incredibly detailed stats on each segment of the market and have seen 99% of the homes that are on the market. While I realize there is a "feeling" factor in real estate, I can assign that feeling a number. I can't remember the last time I misjudged a selling price by more than 2%. I mention this for a reason, which isn't ... 03/08/2008

Welcome to Fairbanks, Alaska! We are happy to provide this Fairbanks Alaska Relocation Guide as a resource to help you discover the best of our fair city. We have been privileged to call Fairbanks and Interior Alaska home for almost 30 years and are proud to welcome you to The Golden Heart City. Fairbanks has come a long way since the day entrepreneur E.T. Barnette ran aground on the Chena River and established a trading post in the remote wilderness. In the more than 100 years since, Fairbanks has developed into a thriving community with some of the friendliest folks around. Despite being the economic and transportation hub for Interior and Northern Alaska, Fairbanks has, thankfully, maintained an idyllic small town feel where folks still wave at each other and lend a hand to neighbors... 03/02/2008

Your Real Estate Resource in Fairbanks and Interior Alaska The Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre has been a part of the Fairbanks community since 1992. What began as a single performance along the banks of the Chena River has become a international touring Shakespeare company. If you have the opportunity to see any of the amazing shows, we would highly recommend doing so. For a small theatre company, the acting and directing is typically outstanding. Local critic Robert Hannon had this to say about a recent production. "...As in other FST productions, the set designed by Kit Mayer, displays versatility as actors charge or saunter from scene to scene. That’s critical in the play where the action flits from Rome to Alexandria, Sicily to Syria. Especially grand are the costumes. In this produc... 03/02/2008

Your Source For All Things Real Estate in Fairbanks and Interior Alaska Relocating to Fairbanks or North Pole, Alaska? Have orders to Fort Wainwright Army Post or Eielson Air Force Base? Often relocating means establishing new banking and other financial relationships at your destination. We have created this directory to assist those relocating to Fairbanks and Interior Alaska in the selection of a new financial institution or other allied financial professionals. This is not a complete list of every bank, lender or insurance firm in our area, rather we have listed those we have dealt with in the past and have found to be reputable firms. If If you know of a firm that should be listed here, please email us and we will consider them for inclusion. Wells Fargo Mt. McKinley Bank Denali St... 02/29/2008

Your real estate resource for Fairbanks and Interior Alasaka   The University of Alaska Fairbanks campus is the flagship of the Univeristy of Alaska Statewide System. UAF holds the honor of being one of the few, but certainly the northernmost, of America's Land, Sea and Space Grant institutions, offering 25 certificates and 161 degrees in 115 disciplines ranging from bachelors to Ph.Ds. Originally founded with a federal land grant in 1915 (44 years before Alaska Statehood) on what was a federal Agricultural Experiment Station, the University of Alaska, then known as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, was born. After receiving funding from the Alaska Territorial Legislature and the completion of the first building in 1922, the college opened its doors to the first class... 02/27/2008

Education is that which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) U.S. journalist and writer. While not a complete antidote, a formal education will prevent us from spend our years stumbling down the path of un-elightened foolishness. The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District is comprised of 34 elementary, middle, junior, senior, career tech and charter schools as well as several alternative learning programs. A staff of 1,908 teachers, counselors, principals and district administration serve a student population of 14,103. Although varying from school to school, the district teacher to studen ratio is 1 in 22. Instructional services and student activities account for 72.5% of the school district's budget, which ... 02/26/2008

A vital part of any community is its medical and health care care centers. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is the flagship of medical community in Fairbanks. A non-profit community hospital, Fairbanks Memorial is owned by the Greater Fairbanks Community Hospital Foundation with Banner Health Systems managing the day to day operations. While Banner Healthy Systems is paid an annual administrative fee, all other net operational revenues remain in Fairbanks and are reinvested in the hospital campus as well as used to provide community services for the citizens of Fairbanks and Interior Alaska. Services provided by Fairbanks Memorial include: * Banner Alzheimer's Institute * Cancer Care Services * Emergency Services * Heart Care Services * Obstetrics/Maternity Services * Pediatrics * Medical Im... 02/25/2008

One of our favorite ways to spend a free weekend is to pack a few clothes, fuel up on diesel and groceries and head off for a camping weekend. We're fortunate in that living in Interior Alaska Mother Nature has provided us with an abundance of natural beauty to enjoy. If you're new to the area or just new to RVing and are dreaming of warmer temps to break out the camping gear, consider this your mid-winter inspiration. Start gathering your outdoor gear... the snow will begin to melt soon and spring will soon be here. Alaska State Park System Birch Lake State Recreation Site - Nestled between a lilypad covered lake and forested wetlands, Birth Lake Park has 17 long parking spaces for RV's, 3 short parking spaces for smaller self contained RV's and 5 tent camping sites. Popular with fish... 02/24/2008

Fairbanks Real Estate - Doyon Estates Doyon Estates is one Fairbanks newest residential developments. Located on a 37 acre tract on the Chena River, Doyon Estates is an ideal location for those who wish to live in the city limits but looking for newer constructed homes. Located near the Peger Road/Johansen Expressway interchange, Doyon Estates is a few minutes from any point in Fairbanks. With an average sales price in 2007 of $342,000 and many homes with coveted Chena River frontage, Doyon Estates is not for the financially faint of heart. What you will find is friendly neighbors, a well run and owner managed homeowners association and the convenience of being within 5 minutes of downtown shops, the new east Fairbanks retail developments, Fort Wainwright and the University of Alaska F... 02/23/2008

The area commonly referred to as simply "Riverview," named for the street that runs the length of its northern border, is actually made up of several subdivisions - Taku, Westgate, Hilton Park and Sunset Subdivisions. Billed as the answer to urban Fairbanks sprawl in the 50's and 60's this area has remained immensely popular over the years due to its close proximity to shopping, city services, public schools, Fort Wainwright and being serviced by city utilities. The vast majority of homes (70%+/-) were built prior to 1970 with a handful being built in the 80's and a select few having been built in recent years. Despite some homes being a little long in the tooth, the majority have been relatively well maintained. Many of the homes on the river, with the exception of a few in Westgate N... 02/18/2008

Fairbanks Alaska Condominiums... All the benefits of home ownership without all the work. Sound good? If so, a Fairbanks condominium might be perfect. Fairbanks has a wide variety of condominium projects to choose from starting with a cozy 1 bedroom 1 bath flat for $88,000 to a stunning new condominium development on the Chena River for $350,000. Most Fairbanks condominium fees include heating oil/natural gas, water/sewer, lawn care, snow removal, refuse service, structural insurance and building maintenance. There are a handful of condominiums that include everything listed above except heating oil/natural gas. For those select developments the condominium fees are considerably less. Woodside North units, for example, each have their own heating system and pay $170+/- in monthly associ... 02/16/2008

In the past few months I've read several posts about manipulation of MLS data; heck I've even written a couple. Yesterday I read a post by Suzi Gravenstuk of Long Beach, Mississippi "I was going to be Sugar and Spice..." It made me think of the numerous conversations I've had with our local Board (and others) about the data manipulation I see occurring on an almost daily basis. A couple of years ago the Greater Fairbanks Board of REALTROS overturned a ruling by a previous BoD that said if you have a listing and it expires or is withdrawn you must wait 90 days before putting it back into the MLS IF you want to reset the DOM clock. The only exception was if the property was listed by another agent, then the DOM clock would reset regardless of how little time has passed. As expected some ... 02/13/2008