Hey Cora: So what is happening in Real Estate in the Matsu Valley? I really want to know!
Dear Really want to Know: There is a lot! Let’s first talk about some real estate stats – because I LOVE STATS! Right now, our Median Listing Price is $279,900! Let’s just take a look at this history and see what’s been going on here: December 2016 our Median price was $249,900, January jumped to $255K and then dropped a bit in Feb of 2017 to $253,400. (remember these are listing prices). Then in March we came bounding back at $265,000. Now why did that happen you ask? (I know you did – you can’t pretend!) Usually it happens because of the time of the year. This is when a huge number of homes come on the market and it increased the inventory and therefore the median listing price as well. By April of 2017, prices soared again to $275,000! That’s quite an increase from December’s dismal $249,900! Then for May, June and July of 2017, not much changed. The prices leveled out to $269,900 and then dropped slightly to $262,500 in August and then again in September to $259,900 staying close to that number until January of 2018. Now don’t be discouraged by this. This show us that growth is occurring, but at a slow steady rate. Average price per square foot is $155 (keep in mind that this does not include garage square footage, only living space) So, let’s now move into 2018 – so far, not dips just steady consistent growth.
January: $264,000
February: $269,500
March: $275,000
April: $279,900
You don’t need a graph chart to see that steady climb.
Now, to schools. The top-rated schools are based on test scores are as follows:
Elementary: Cottonwood Creek, John Shaw, Meadow Lakes and Willow all had 5 stars, the top rating.
Four Stars were Big Lake, Finger Lake, Goose Bay, Larson, Pioneer Peak, and Snowshoe.
Middle Schools: Houston Middle School and Teeland Middle both had 4 starts. Wasilla and Colony Middle each had three stars.
High Schools: Colony and Wasilla both have 4 stars with Houston having 3
Rental Properties
Three bedroom two bath homes are renting for about $1250 to $1400 per month depending on age and if there is a garage or not. We are seeing more one bedroom apartments for rent. Those are almost always under $1000 per month – usually between $750 and $900 per month – again depending on age and garage space. It’s very, very close to $100 per square foot. That means 1100 square feet = $1100 bucks per month.
Anchorage and the Valley
Prices of homes are less expensive in the Valley than in Anchorage. Right now, the average value of homes in Anchorage is $335,000 and the home is on a 16th of an acre rather then closer to a full acre in the Valley. Homes in the valley are also on well and septic, whereas Anchorage has a large water and sewage system. It’s only when you get up on the hillside in Anchorage that wells and septic systems become a factor. Natural gas is available in most places near Palmer and Wasilla, but oil heat is still used just outside those areas and as we know, oil heat is much more expensive than natural gas. This means that when house shopping, take that into consideration – oil heat – it’s guna cost ya! Sometimes, gas is just down the road, but it can easily be upwards of $5000 to bring it in. When using the MLS, check the box for natural gas.
Other General Info:
There is a lot happening. New businesses coming to town, roads are coming in and being improved. Prices are steady but coming up. All is looking up in the Valley.