So, Why Did We REALLY Leave Alaska?

I’ve been waiting for awhile to write this. I wanted to be as honest as possible, and I wanted to make sure I covered all the reasons.

Now that we are full-timing in our RV, people often ask us why we left Alaska once they find out where we came from.
I don’t like to bad-mouth anyone’s state, but I do want to make sure that those who read this blog have as much information as possible before considering moving so far away.

You can find the story of why and how we got to Alaska by visiting this page of our blog:
http://alaskainmydreams.com/?page_id=10

Here’s why we left.

There are a lot of really wonderful things about living in Alaska. There are a lot of things that I just couldn’t live with.

For the first 5 or 6 years, I really liked the cold weather. Having had major back surgery and disk fusion because of an injury sustained while I served in the military, I’ve got a lot of metal in my back. After about 5 years, that metal began to really be a horrible feeling in my back when the temperatures dropped below zero. I felt as though I was walking around with cold steel along my spine, which I was.

The first 5 years, I was really ok with the fact that it was so dark there from October to January. After about 5 years, it began to really take its toll on me as well. As long as I exercised every single day, it wasn’t quite as bad. But for the most part, it made me cranky and tired all the time. As soon as we got to Montana and out of the rainy, overcast skies of an Alaskan summer I was a completely different person inside. The sun just really made me feel alive again. I had to use a S.A.D. light almost the whole time we lived there.

Yes, we did have 19 hours of daylight in Alaska where we lived near Anchorage. However, the sun was never very close to us so whenever there was even one little cloud in the sky, it got cold very fast. It was not unusual for it to drop to 50 degrees really fast whenever it got cloudy in the summertime.

After dragging through a dark winter, every year or two there would be a summer where you had almost no sun at all. I experienced three of these summers in the 9 years we lived there. It would only get to 70 degrees maybe once or twice the whole summer, and the overcast skies made me feel really depressed.

Unless you are a skier or snowboarder or like to hike in the snow, you cannot really exercise outside there. Most of the roads have snow banks so high, you cannot walk on the sidewalks. Snow begins around the end of September, and it doesn’t melt until May.

If you like shoveling snow, Alaska is the place to do it. We had about 10 feet of snow in our yard the last year we lived there. If you have a driveway you need to shovel, it isn’t very long before the snowplow trucks come by and throw all the snow from the street back into your driveway as soon as you’re finished shoveling. One winter, it was so bad we had to call a snowplow truck to get us out because the berm in our driveway was about 4 feet high.

It snows about 40 times a year, and each time it does you have about 100 or more ditch-divers on the Glenn Highway on the way to work in Anchorage. This makes for a very excruciating commute that can take up to 3 hours, as there are no alternate routes in Alaska. The roads in Alaska are very primitive for the most part. They really got shafted when it comes to bridges and roadways compared to the rest of the United States.

I was too afraid to hike the trails around Anchorage very much because I was pretty afraid of bears and bull moose. I like to walk on the track at the local school, but once October came the snow was too deep to do so. This forced me indoors on a treadmill. Every year, we would hear about the bears getting more and more aggressive near town. This was unusual because grizzlies are usually very elusive, but not in the Anchorage bowl.

The gas and electric prices in the Anchorage area were really high in the winter, and since the winter was 8 months long you pretty much had high utility bills almost year round.

The cost of Internet, where we were living in the mountains was ridiculously expensive – about 100 bucks a month for a speed that was really pretty slow and erratic.

Because there is no sales or income tax in Alaska, the property taxes there are crazy high and climbing constantly. Every year, people are screaming about the latest assessment and mil rate. As a disabled veteran, I had some of my property taxes waived, but not all of them.

There are a lot of crooks in the political arena there in Alaska. Politics is kind of laughed at because so many of them have been indicted. There are a few jewels, but many have taken bribes or just done stupid things.

A local TV station in Alaska did a study and found there were NO doctors accepting new Medicare patients in the Anchorage area. The only choice you had was a long wait at the emergency room or one community clinic. This was causing a health care crisis of unbelievable proportions there. Retirees were leaving in droves.

The cost of doctors and veterinarian services were outrageous, too. A simple teeth cleaning for one of my dogs cost us $500.00!!!

There were only a few really good plumbers, electricians, and other types of contractors that were really good there and so they were so swamped you could never get them to work on your house. It was very frustrating to have a job too small for them to consider important enough, but for it to be a job that you were not really qualified to do yourself.

While some of these reasons could be overlooked, as we were approaching retirement it was not reasonable to live in a place where costs just kept getting higher and higher to live there.

The cost of mailing packages to and from Alaska was so high, you often just didn’t ever order anything through the mail. Most of the time, the postage was more than the actual product you were buying. If you wanted to send Christmas gifts, you often just bought gift cards because sending the gifts was ridiculously expensive.

Especially during the winter months, it was very difficult to get any kind of fresh produce or fruit. Bananas were often bruised and horrible. Plums, raspberries, grapes, tomatoes, and blueberries were often moldy or mushy before you even had a chance to eat them.

You really had to put studded snow tires on your vehicle in October and remove them in April, if you wanted to have that extra insurance against accidents. The ice there was treacherous, and I saw several people fall down while trying to walk on it. I myself fell and fractured a vertebrae between my shoulders that has never healed to this day. I ended up wearing those spiked ice walkers on my shoes everywhere I went because I was so afraid I would fall.

It was not unusual where we lived to not be able to get any kind of satellite television because of the mountains and because you have to have an 18 inch dish in order to pick up any kind of signal. This is due to the satellites being so close to the equator, and Alaska is so far from the equator. Digital television cost us about 130.00 a month for what we can get in the Lower 48 for half that price for satellite TV.

I remember the feeling of being really really warm once we got to Montana, because I was standing outside in direct sunlight on a day that was 85 degrees. It was wonderful to feel warm again.

I always had this feeling of being cut off from the rest of my family while I lived in Alaska. Yes, that was the idea at first – to get away from it all. But I soon found that no one wanted to make the plane ride to get to Alaska to visit, so I missed out on a lot of birthdays and Christmas days. (my husband cannot fly because of his PTSD).

Our RV sat for 8 months out of the year, and during that time it truly took a beating from the weather. A lot of things had to be fixed once we got on the road and thawed it out. While our RV sat in the winter there, we had to put antifreeze in the water lines to keep them from cracking, and we had to remove the batteries to put them in a heated garage with a battery tender attached to them. It was a hassle to get your RV winterized and dewinterized so you could use it for such a short time.

Many of these things I mention may not be that big a deal by themselves, but when you add them up year after year, they wore on me. I was really ready to go.

So, that is all the reasons I left that I can think of right now. Our main reason was to full-time in our RV and see all 48 of the continental states.

If you would like to follow our journeys, you can visit us at our full-timing blog here:

http://www.12furryfeetfulltime.com

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RV Full-Timing Log: An Alaskan Goodbye from A Bear

The night before the movers came to get our “stuff,” a bear visited our yard to say a proper alaskan goodbye..

See our continuing journey as full-timers in our RV all over the United States:
http://alaskainmydreams.com/?page_id=2180

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Full-Timing Log: What Will Be Your Full-Timing Purpose?

I never thought that the contract on our house would cause me to think so much about so many things. In this case, I began to think hard about what my purpose will be when full-timing.

When we first started planning this whole thing, we thought only of ourselves and our families. (and friends) After we finally got the contract, something in me changed. I began to see that I couldn’t just go out there and just have fun for myself and my husband. There has to be more. I wanted to leave a mark on this world – and definitely not a negative one. Right after I started thinking about it, the news came that Osama Bin Laden was dead. Because I know a lot of emotions are in that subject, I won’t talk about it here.  I only bring it up  because it has given me a growing idea of what I would like to do.

Just before the contract on our house news came, I had told my husband I wanted to do something for the troops. I didn’t know exactly what, but that we would talk about it a lot. Maybe start a charitable foundation for their families. Help the wounded warriors, both physically and mentally. Or volunteer in Walter Reed or Bethesda or at VA hospitals. It became an ongoing conversation.

So, when the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death came and while the world was rejoicing,  the idea began to form.

Our purpose in full-timing will be to visit every military base, every VA hospital, and every wounded warriors foundation in the United States. While there, we will volunteer and do whatever we can.

Being retired military, I believe I can offer them hope, understanding, and love.

While thinking about it all, I came across this facebook page called “A Cup of Joe for a Joe.” It is a start towards helping our troops. If you would like to donate, here’s some information for you:

 

You can also “Like” Them here on Facebook and see pictures and letters from real soldiers who have received cups of joe:

http://www.facebook.com/cupofjoeforajoe

 

Here are some of the incredible emails I got back from the troops I bought a cup of Joe for. They simply brought tears to my eyes:

 

15 Soldiers want to thank you for sending them a Cup of Joe!

 

Cup of Joe #1 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Phoenix in Afghanistan. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Hello ! I am currently serving at Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan. Thank you so much for your generosity and support for all of us service members. Hometown: Cape Coral, FL

 

Cup of Joe #2 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Kalsu in Iraq. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATRIOTISM AND SUPPORT. IT MEANS A LOT. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND THE REST OF THE WORLD AS WE CELEBRATE THESE MOMENTOUS DAYS IN WHICH WE’VE WAITED TEN YEARS FOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

 

Cup of Joe #3 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you: Lynne, thanks for the cup of coffee. I appreciate your dedication and service just as you do mine. Afghanistan has been an interesting tour and the little things like coffee matter. I thank you and hope that you are blessed for you gift. SSG Aaron Ashworth, Army

 

Cup of Joe #4 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Kalsu in Iraq. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Thanks for they support, I appericate the the cup of coffee.

 

Cup of Joe #5 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Kandahar Boardwalk in Afghanistan. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Thank you so much for this wonderful gift. One of the few things to look forward to after long hours here during the day, is a delicious cup of coffee on the boardwalk at night.I thank you so much for the coffee and more importantly for your service fellow soldier.

 

Cup of Joe #6 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Camp Sabalu-Harrison in Afghanistan. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Thank you so much for not only the coffee but for the support and for keeping us in your thoughts. It means a lot to know there are folks back home who are thinking about us.

 

Cup of Joe #7 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Tallil in Iraq. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Thank you so much!

 

Cup of Joe #8 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at LSA Main in Kuwait. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

What an outstanding surprise to get this gift certificate this morning. Coffee is another food group over here and sometimes it’s the only thing that taste like home. Thank you for your thoughts. V/R, Jim (USAF), 4 May 2011

 

Cup of Joe #9 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Tallil South in Iraq. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Thank you so much for the Cup of Joe. It makes each go bye 10x faster…

 

Cup of Joe #10 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Tallil South in Iraq. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Thanks so much for your kind words and your generosity. Thanks for serving your country as well!

 

Cup of Joe #11 We want you to know that we’ve delivered your personal message and gift of a CUP OF JOE to a Soldier serving at Bagram South in Afghanistan. Your support of our service men and women through your gift of a CUP OF JOE FOR A JOE provided a much appreciated morale boost and helped make a Soldier’s day a little brighter.

 

Cup of Joe #12 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Naval Base KNB in Kuwait. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

I appreciate your words and your gift. A simple cup of coffee can make a terrible day a tolerable one Thank you.

 

Cup of Joe #13 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Balad H-6 in Iraq. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Cheers from Iraq! Thank you! From a Army LT that can’t do her mission without TSGT’s! We support the same mission. Hooah!

 

Cup of Joe #14 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Camp Buehring (Udairi) in Kuwait. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

TSGT Schlumpf Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness and thank you for your service. As I’m sure you know, it;s the little things in life when you’re deployed. I certainly appreciate it and thanks again both for the coffee and for your past service and sacrifice. Here’s to you.. James L. Campbell, Jr. Command Sergeant Major 3-126 AVN

 

Cup of Joe #15 Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at ATOC (Ops Town) – Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Lynne, Thank you for your service. I am honored that you value your service enough to continue to take care of us who are still active. Thank you for the Cup of Joe. I look forward to my next one, and will raise a toast to you and to all our loved ones back home. Rob

 

Be sure to tell your friends about Cup of Joe for a Joe… You thought it was a good idea, they will too! Contact us anytime at cupofjoe@greenbeanscoffee.com And thanks again! Jason Araghi CEO & Co-Founder Green Beans Coffee Company Honor First, Coffee Second

 

More:

 

Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

 

Thank you so much Tech Sergeant! You don’t know how much your gift means to me. I look forward to my short breaks when I can enjoy my “cup of Joe”. God bless you and all the folks back home who honor military personnel.

Your message and gift of a CUP OF JOE was delivered to a Soldier serving at South Victory in Iraq. They wanted to say thanks and make sure you knew your gift was received. Please see below for their note to you:

Lynne, As a quiet professional- I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Jess

 

And while you’re planning your full-timing adventure, what will your gift to the world be? Some full-timers have started animal rescues or contributions to numerous charities.

Leave your comment here about what your full-timing purpose will be. I would love to hear it.

And if you would like to keep following our full-time adventure, you can subscribe at the top right of any page of this blog by email or RSS.

 

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RV Full-timing Log : Getting Rid of Stuff, Some Add-ons

Today was the first day after we got the contract on our house, and I noticed something strange. A year ago, we were willing to pay a lot of money to ship a whole lot of crap. Well, today I am not.

After spending a year trying to sell our house, the crap looks more like crap. We originally hoped to make some money at closing, after sinking tens of thousands into this house just to repair everything that was broken when we bought it.

Now, after negotiations, we know we will walk away with little to nothing while the realtors walk away with the rest. Such is life. The older I get, the more I learn that crap is just crap and you’re lucky to make anything when you sell a house. These days, you’re lucky if you don’t have to pay anything at all to “get rid” of a house.

But today it was as if someone pulled the veil off my eyes. I began to look around the loft and garage, thinking of all the people who would benefit from all this stuff. The new homeowners, the neighbor who gave up precious weekends away from his wife and kids in order to help me finish the siding left undone by the previous owner. Possibly a military family that is hurting. Maybe a women’s shelter. A Christian organization that helps the poor. A friend who was there when you needed someone to talk to. And, suddenly – this house is no longer my house any more.

So, by letting go of what blood, sweat, and tears I had put into this house and realizing I would finally be free of that story I keep telling, (the one where I kept whining about how much work I had done on our house) I was able to see through the clearing. To a life where stuff doesn’t matter. I was going to be released from a life of mortgage payments, insurance, gas bills, electric bills, yard work, shoveling snow off decks and driveways… Wow. That is huge when you think about it. Who needs stuff when I’ll get to see the golden gate bridge, the White House, the beaches of South Carolina? The forests and hill country of south Texas. Scorching deserts of Nevada and Arizona. I have seen a lot of these things already, but this will be REALLY seeing them.

Ok, so I might have to pay for a hookup to electric, water, or septic somewhere. I think I can more easily handle 20 bucks a day or whatever it is at whatever place we land.

The going rate right now to ship household goods from Alaska to Seattle is about $1.00 a pound. So if you look at things that way, you tend to throw it all to the wind. We did this when we left Oklahoma to come to Alaska, but someone else was paying the bill.

We found out that keeping our stored items with the movers will be cheaper, safer, and insured. The moving company will store it in a temperature-controlled warehouse for a couple of hundred bucks a month. Then, when you are ready to go back to the world, they will deliver it to your new house. Easier than moving your own stuff into some unknown storage locker and hoping it will be safe. Just something for you to consider.

Other things regarding the RV:

After traveling thousands of miles in RVs since 2005, we discovered that even the best cargo bay doors inhale all kinds of road dirt and water. This is why plastic bins with lids are your best bet. Home improvement and discount stores have all kinds. Measure the volume space in each of your cargo bay doors and purchase plastic bins for each. Labels are a good idea, too.

Another thing to get that our RV service center recommended was an inline water filter. We already have a water filter for water source in the Hog, but a ceramic water filter that you put between your rig’s city water connection and wherever you are filling or funneling water from is highly recommended. The last thing your water heater needs is gunk buildup inside the tank.

Just something else to consider.

Purchasing a voltage regulator (called a surge guard) is also an excellent investment. A lot of the voltage sources you’ll hook up to in parks is of unknown source and may not be well regulated. Protect your “house” from blown circuits. I have found most of the items mentioned at campingworld.com or amazon.com or your local RV service center.

Until next time…

Lynne

Goodbye, beautiful house…

Hello…Hog…

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Just a lot of grit and determination

It just went on for 11 months. 11 months with my stomach in knots. Wishing, hoping, begging an unseen force to let us go. It was excruciating, humiliating, humbling. We showed it over 50 times. Sometimes having to drag our puppies out in -20, bone-chilling winds. Only to receive feedback that was agonizing and puzzling each time.
Things like “the floor plan is too broken up…” huh?? It is a 3 story house. Something about it is going to be broken up!

All we could think about was driving our big rig over the Knik Arm bridge, past the Matanuska Glacier, across the flat and winding portions of the Glenn Highway as it winds through to Glenallen. Then on to Tok and beyond. Across the border, away from the land of the midnight sun.

This was the hardest thing we have ever tried to do. It required way more dedication than I originally thought. If I learned one thing in the military, it was to never ever give up on anything. So we pushed forward. Sometimes envisioning a trip along the Alaska Highway during 24 hours of daylight on summer solstice was easy. Most times the visualizing part wouldn’t cooperate. See, I have learned that if you want something very bad, you must keep seeing yourself receiving it. What it looks like, but mostly how it will feel. But deep down, I was afraid. Our house was gorgeous but very unique. It appealed to only a small group of buyers, and those buyers – like us – loved its Alaskana look. But we just had to find the right buyers. That took a very long time. Someone finally did fall in love with it the way we did once.

Then our robin came to the yard today. That always makes me smile. Summer is finally breathing down our necks.

And then, today, after almost a year of this waiting…it finally happened.

“We sold our house!!!! ” I said timidly on Facebook, afraid to jinx it or wake up to find it was just a dream.

And so we finally have, the day after I said I couldn’t show this house even one more time.

So in the next few weeks, I will be blogging about how we’re preparing for our full-timing RV lifestyle.

Something I am realizing tonight is just how completely Alaska has embedded herself into my whole makeup. Everything I have become has been shaped by her mysterious ways in the past decade. I never knew a place and its people would have such a permanent effect on me. No other place I have lived (and there were many) has had such a lasting effect on my whole outlook and personality. Alaska gave me tons of peace and quiet. The long, winter months provided hours of reading books I might have never read — books about native legends, traditions of the north, and many books about better ways to deal with the past and how to really let it go.

Thank you, Alaska. I will miss you many times over during my lifetime of traveling the rest of the United States.

If you would like to follow our travels through the whole lower 48, be sure to subscribe to our feed through an rss reader or by email.

Take care, and we’ll talk a lot more.

….Lynne

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5 Things You MUST do to your RV this Spring

 

 

 

 

Breakup is here, so it is time to get the RV ready. For us, we’re hoping this is getting it ready to take off on our full-time RV adventure very soon. We’ll keep you posted, of course.

This post is about 5 things you really must do to your RV this spring. You probably have many more things on your list, but these are often overlooked. They are not something you would normally think about, like adding a cup of bleach to your potable water and rinsing it out or dewinterizing your machine.

1. Grease the entry steps. (self-explanatory) These steps take a lot of abuse, and especially in weather like ours – the metal gets very dry and brittle. I used gun oil, but WD-40 or even vaseline will do.

2. Grease the antenna. If you have a crank-type antenna, it is always a good idea to grease the moving parts of your antenna on the roof. They take a lot of abuse from the weather and get very dry and squeaky. Breaky breaky.

The next 3 steps should be done on a sunny day, with no chance of rain for at least 24 hours. When you purchase your roof cleaner and conditioner, be sure you tell an RV service center whether your roof is fiberglass or rubber. In our case, we’re demonstrating rubber roof treatment.

3. Clean the roof.  You can use a mop with a bucket of hot, clean water or you can use some soft rags. Wet your mop or rag and spray the cleaner on a small area. Work backwards from the front of your RV. I also remove my shoes so I don’t track dirt on the roof after cleaning. Let it dry, then go to step 4.

 

4. Seal the roof.  Look for places where the roof is separating from the metal of your RV.

 

If you don’t seal these gaps, eventually rain or snow will get down in there and rot your walls. You will have mildew and mold problems, and someone will have to tear open your walls to cure it.

 

Put a bead of sealant there and let completely dry before starting on the last step. It should be allowed to dry at least 24 hours before you continue to the next step.  The type of sealant we recommend here was recommended by our RV service center owner, who has been RVing and repairing RVs for over 40 years. They said the dicor sealant will settle and stay pliable to the touch. This allows it to be flexible and move with your rig as it travels.

 

5. Apply protectant to your roof. Once your sealant is completely dry, apply some roof protector with a wet sponge mop or a soft rag. (I like to use Shamwow cloths. They absorb really well and wring out very clean) Apply it from the front of the RV to the back, just like you did the cleaner. You will want to wait at least 24 hours before you get on the roof again.

 

Hope this advice from our service center helps you on your travels. If you are getting ready to take off on a full-time RV trip, these steps are very important. You’ll never know what kind of crazy weather will meet you on your journey.

 

And most of all….Have fun.

 

See you down-range.

 

Lynne

 

 

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What If You’re Having Trouble Selling Your House?

If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, you’ll know we’ve been trying to sell our home since May 2010 (and it is now almost May 2011). While we don’t have nearly the real estate market here in Alaska that some places do, there are still houses that will take longer to sell. These are the homes right now that are bumped to the bottom of the list of houses on the market because realtors don’t always show them unless the client asks specifically to see the house.

While real estate is a complicated market anyway, there are some alternatives you can try if you have a realtor who thinks outside of the box and is not just looking out for their own interests. If you’re anxious to get on the road to go full-time RVing, this can cause a lot of anxiety and unnecessary stress. If so, I may have a solution for you that we were told about that seems to be working for a lot of people in this area who have also had trouble selling their homes.

I won’t even talk about the many reasons a house isn’t selling, and a lot of times you just really don’t know. Thanks to the efforts of a forward-thinking realtor who works for a large company (in this case – Prudential), we were able to find an alternative that will get us on the road faster and protect our family. So, let’s say you are like us. You have a house to sell that isn’t selling as fast as you like. You don’t want to leave to go RV full-timing until it sells. This could be a financial decision or whatever your case is. In our case, we didn’t want to leave and head down the Alaska Highway and leave a house whose pipes could freeze and flood the place. Houses that are left empty are sometimes harder to sell because they get dirty, they get infested with bugs, or they could be vandalized or even become a camping site for homeless people or drug addicts.

Believe me, speaking from experience – if you leave your house empty to take a job in another town, a lot of bad things could happen to it. In our case, the things that happened to our house in Tulsa after we left were so bad it was nearly impossible to sell. We hired a property management company that was supposed to put renters in there that were high quality, with nice furniture to make it look lived in. We still had to pay the mortgage, but they paid the utilities. We ended up taking all the risk with no security deposits. All we had was the “word” of this shady property management company. Though we said no pets, they infested the house with fleas and painted our freshly painted beige walls an ugly forest green. The furniture they put in it was horrible, too. It was so bad that no realtor wanted to show it because of this.

So here in Alaska, 11 months later, the realtor we have now gave us a plan that might work for most people. Here is how that plan works. If you are resistant at first, just make yourself keep reading. I was very resistant, but if I had listened to my realtor months ago, we would be in some beautiful campground right this moment following our dream.

You offer your home as a lease as well as a buy option. You let a large company like Prudential handle your lease. They do complete background checks and credit checks.Prudential sends you a check every month. They also do walk-thrus and collect and hold the first and last months rent, as well as a security deposit. You have the lessee sign a year’s lease, and you let Prudential or some other realty broker handle your home. It is very likely the person who leases it may want to buy it. Initially, though, you take the first deal that comes along. (buy or lease)

In our case, we had to list our home at a very low price in order to compete with the competition. That just didn’t seem right because of the money we had to put in it to fix everything that was broken, but now the house will increase 15% every year ( common in Alaska). Sell it in 2 or 3 years, and you walk away with a lot more money.

Next thing you know, you are on the road! No headaches. Stop worrying about your house. If you think this sounds good, be sure to decide on giving a realtor a $1,000 bonus for getting it leased. That motivates them. You will also want to make sure the terms of the lease address any concerns like allowing or not allowing pets, smoking in the house, and so on.

Just before you hand over the keys for a lease, take detailed digital photos of every room in the house. That way you have proof of its condition if you need it for returning a security deposit.

note: Just after writing this post and putting our house up for possible lease, we sold it! We took off on our RV full-timing adventure on June 16, 2011. Follow our blog to see where we go!
Thanks for being a loyal reader.
Lynne

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Alaska Wiki: Breakup

I just love the smell of methane in the morning! The smell of the dog poo you couldn’t pick up all winter because it froze as soon as it hit the ground. The yellowy, mushy snow that makes everything look so blah.

This, my friends, is the most exciting time of the year for Alaskans. Breakup is here. We’re taking our RVs into the shop to get them dewinterized. I’m seeing more and more RV’s coming back from the mountains, pulling snow machines on trailers.

And that smell. Yuck.

Here’s a video I made about 5 years ago about breakup. When the river ice crashes on the Yukon and Nenana rivers, when people bet on the Nenana Ice Classic. When we smile at 16 hours of sunlight. It is upon us. YAHOO.

And here’s one I did around the same time about Spring.

Happy Spring everyone….

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Alaska Wiki: Chinook

Today is a good day to discuss another Alaska Wiki definition. Breakup is very very close, and at this time we usually get a phenomenon that ends up tearing down signs, ripping off shingles, dropping trees on your deck, and providing you with all kinds of gifts from your neighbor’s yard. If you live in places like Wasilla/Palmer or the western coast of Alaska, you are intimate with the strong winds of the 49th state. However, when the Chinook winds arrive – they pretty much hit all areas. Even here in the mountains of Chugiak, where we rarely have much blowing around, it is the time to make sure everything is in the garage. The Chinook winds are very warm (even in the winter when they will sometimes show up) and they often melt much of the snow on the ground. Bird feeders lose all their seed, and beware of trash day! I am sitting here inside, listening to this strange, growing roar as the trees rock back and forth really hard. Have heard stories already of damage in other areas like Anchorage and along Turnagain. In the past, we have seen lots of cars flipped over in the center median of the Glenn Highway. They go around a bend in the road too fast, and boom!

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Western Alaska’s Own John Baker Wins the Iditarod

Here’s an interview with John last summer:
Reloading for the next Iditarod

And here’s a nice slideshow of his whole race this year: http://bit.ly/gNJp89

Here’s John and his team crossing the finish line in Nome, Alaska:

 

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