Beth Fread's Q&A

Good Question, Craig.  I find that driveways and fireplaces have a lot in common.  If you want one, it has value, if not, it's a nice bonus but it's not the reason for buying the home.  Pavement means less dust and mud in the garage and, therefore, the home.But, in snow-country, it's expensive to repair when plows dig it up, and it's more expensive to maintain because you have to seal it every 2-3 years.  Also, if it is not laid in correctly, it can become a sheet of ice in winter, leading directly to your garage - this is more of a problem with concrete than asphalt.Besides, Sharon makes some more good points about gravel drives ....So, the Buyer will have to tell you if your paved driveway is of value!

Careen is right, those were important questions that needed answering.  But, a "cabin" in Willow runs from $60,000 (no bath) to $475,000 (on lake) with 1-10 acres.  So, is it log? Does it have paved access? Since it has a well it may have electric or it may have a generator.  What is the construction like?Willow is a place where folks build recreational "cabins" that have little to do with building standards or long-term residency.  If you really want to do this without the assistance (pricing, marketing, contract negotiation) of a professional, I suggest that you try www.alaskarealestate.com and look up your competition in Willow ... that should give you a basic idea of what Realtors have determined cabins similar to yours are worth in Willow.Best of luck!

First and foremost - I am not a lawyer/ attorney - just a real estate sales practitioner in Alaska.  That being said - no one ever "has" to buy or sell anything.  When a "traditional" purchase and sale agreement (contract) is used, there are conditions for compliance with the contract as well as defined points for not concluding the transaction, and penalties for not complying with the contract.  One of those penalties can include forfeiture of Earnest Money.  Contracts can be oral in Alaska, but all contracts for real estate transactions must be in writing.  Your negotiations and agreements were in writing - although no signatures OR Earnest Money were exchanged.Since the first stipulation was for an exchange of Earnest Money, and that event did not occur, it would be my interpretation (in your place) that you were still in negotiations when a better offer was made.BUT, I have not read the e-mails, don't really know what you said.  If the other party decides to sue, you will definitely need an attorney.  This is why Real Estate professionals are used for most real estate transactions.

If you have an account in Zillow (which you need to add/ edit listings) then you need to sign in and select Listings from the My Zillow tab.  You can then Edit or Cancel the listings.This presupposes that this is YOUR listing :-)

Hi Jerry!I just re-subscribed to the Alerts, so if it isn't too late - in the "My Listings" you have 2 choices, edit or cancel.  The ones that "stay" up there, I just leave because I can't find anyone at Zillow to answer my question as to whether or not this "double dipping" will cancel both of them.They're loading from Homes and Land as well as Point 2 Agent ...We can only do what we can do!bethf :-)

Well, I looked it up in the MLS and it sold in 2008.  SOOO, it probably hasn't been removed from Zillow, or it is not listed by a MLS subscriber.

If there is a Real Estate sign on it, then call the Realtor.  There is no charge for that. If not, and there is a for sale sign posted, try knocking on the door.  If there is NOT a for sale sign, then the person is doing intellectual research and does not really want to sell, so you probably don't want to bother them.  In any case, it is much easier to call a Realtor to have a professional call the owner than to try to "force" yourself on the owner.  That's our job!  ;-)

I agree 98% with Mike Emery.  My 2% is, if you are really only staying for 2-3 years (I came to Alaska for 3 months and am still here 27 years later), you might want to consider a zero-lot-line or condo.  It would allow you to balance the risk of the economy tanking with a marketable rental and/ or provide you with a potential equity-builder to "bounce" you into a larger home when your want's/ needs change.

Sorry, alaskanagel ... no MLS listing for this property, but it does appear that the owners are still "of record" and paid-up on their taxes ... if you'd like me to do more research, I shall ... feel free to contact me ... bethf :-)