Home Sellers

Whether we like it or not, the winter weather has already descended upon Alaska. Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, and North Pole area homeowners would be wise to take precautions now to ensure they are not caught off guard by a faulty heating system, water leaks in the basement or high energy bills due to drafty windows and doors.

Madden Real Estate is happy to share the following five tips for preparing your home for winter and help you enjoy the season, without any home-related hassles.

Clean the gutters
Once all the leaves have fallen, it's time to clean out your gutters, unless of course, they are already overflowing. Gutters are the cause of many basement water problems due to water draining improperly.

On the same note, make sure your downspouts are pointing away from your house, away from sills and driveways. You always want to route...

October is nearly here! That means fall is officially underway which brings about its own share of tasks for Alaskan homeowners— raking leaves, cleaning out the fireplace, updating decor and now, preparing for Halloween. You might not have anticipated getting ready for trick or treaters, but there are a few ways you can make sure the path to your door is as safe as possible.

Clear the way

Just as you would do to prepare for potential Alaska homebuyers, you need to ensure the pathways are unobstructed. While it's still daylight, inspect your lawn, driveway and other pathways for anything that could prove an obstacle. That means tree roots, fallen branches, or even cracks in the pavement. Make updates and repairs where you can or at the very least, block off these areas.

It's also important to make sure your Halloween decor...

Summer is one of the best times to tackle that long homeowner to-do list! Whether it’s replacing your front door, installing new light fixtures and landscaping, or even as big as renovating an entire bathroom, there are certain projects that can give your home a much needed boost in terms of looks and value!

But don’t be too quick with the hammer— instead take a look at our list of Alaskan home projects that will pay you back when the time comes to sell.

According to real estate news outlet Keeping Current Matters, the following four projects will yield you the highest return on your investment:

Bathroom Remodel
You may have heard that kitchens and bathrooms help sell homes and it’s true! A minor...

Now that we're inching toward the summer season and the real estate market has certainly been heating up, you may have heard that now is a great time to sell your Alaskan home.

There are indeed more buyers in search of properties in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, and North Pole, home prices are rising, and landing top dollar is not so uncommon anymore— but just remember, timing is everything!

The assumption that spring is the proper time is not always accurate. Below are four things to consider if you're ready to sell your Alaskan home.

Spring isn't always best
Many believe that spring is the best time to sell your home, however according to Realtor.com...

With buyer demand soaring and inventory still trending lower, the ball is in the seller's court in the local Alaskan real estate market.

But that doesn't mean you can simply place a "For Sale" sign in your yard and the offers will begin to pour in. There are several mistakes that can actually hold you back from selling your home in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, or North Pole and as your local experts, we've included them below!

If you plan to sell your Alaska home this summer, be sure to avoid the following:

1. Overpricing
In order to attract buyers and prompt them to write an offer, your home needs to be priced well from the beginning. Overpricing can cause buyers to pass over your property entirely, given their search parameters, or wonder...

With the weather beginning to warm up and the official start of spring finally here, many homeowners in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, and North Pole are looking for ways to improve their property.

But if you're one of those making a home to-do list this spring, it's important to consider the projects that will be worth your while in terms of boosting curb appeal and adding value.

Consider the following home projects that will pay off when it comes time to sell your home in Alaska:

Clean it up
Before you can start on improvement projects like adding new landscaping or painting the shutters, start by giving your home's exterior a good cleaning. Power wash away all of the grime, dirt and mildew that could have built up over the long winter. Wash the windows, inside and out, and...

As an Alaskan homeowner, you've probably heard dozens of real estate myths bouncing around from family and friends— running the gamut from when to sell your home to how much buyers are willing to pay.

However, it's important to note that these should be taken with a grain of salt—unless they come from a trusted real estate expert—and in some cases, ignored entirely.

If you plan to sell your home in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole, or beyond this year, you will want to ignore the following home selling advice:

You will sell at the open house
Open houses can be beneficial for Alaskan homeowners in that they attract many eyes to your property at once— but that doesn't mean it will always end in a sale. While many buyers may come through your home, don't expect all of them to make...

When the Alaska real estate market is hot, buyer demand is high, and sellers have the advantage, of course looking for the highest offer is a common strategy. However, there are a few other factors—besides money—that can contribute to a strong offer.

If you’re selling your Alaskan home this year, be sure to dive deeper when reviewing those offers and see if the following factors are included. Every seller would do well to consider all aspects, beyond the dollar amount, before settling on a buyer!

Financing Methods

As a home seller in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, or North Pole, you likely have a dollar amount in mind that you would like buyers to meet or exceed. But just remember that...

Many homeowners in Alaska are now realizing the positive direction in which the market is heading— and as a result, plan to sell their homes in 2022. Low mortgage rates are said to continue, as well as steady home value appreciation, and an increasing number of motivated homebuyers.

If you’re ready to sell in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole, or the surrounding communities this coming year, here are three home seller’s resolutions that can help bring you success in 2022.

Appeal to buyers online
As your real estate experts in Alaska, Madden Real Estate has a strategy for seeking out homebuyers in the first place they look— online. Listing photos are especially important to grabbing a buyer’s attention. Staying away from the online aspect of a listing...

Thanksgiving is in just a few weeks and Alaskan homeowners may already be planning to bring all of their decor out of storage, preparing to deck the halls for the holidays. However, if you're a home seller, there are a few key rules to keep in mind as you decorate.

You can find great success in selling your home during the holiday season and the right staging can help buyers feel more at home. Remember the following tips for staging during the holiday season and you could just give your home in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole, and beyond the competitive edge it needs to sell!

Curb Appeal Begins at the Front Door
The front door is one...

When you think about the holiday hustle and bustle—shopping, events, decorating—it may seem like the last thing you should add to your plate is selling your home.

After all, aren't spring and summer the best times to list your home in Alaska? In the past, that may have been the case, but this year is shaping up to be different and the holidays could end up being the best time of year to sell your home in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole, and beyond.

Why? A recent Foot Traffic report from the National Association of Realtors shows that there are more buyers out right now than there have been at any time in the last twelve months. This also means that there are more buyers currently looking for homes than there were during the busy spring ...

Fall is a great time to sell your home in Alaska— in fact, the market has been heating up for months! Motivated buyers are everpresent in today's real estate market, home prices are rising, and more importantly, properties are moving quicker than they have in the past. Listing your home now is an excellent idea as buyers may not have found "the one" on their search this summer and yours could be it!

So what comes next? Soon after listing your home in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole, or the surrounding areas, you may find buyers scheduling showings to take a tour or have an open house planned and it's important to be prepared.

Follow these tips for securing your home for a showing or open house in Alaska:

Take your remotes
You may not think about it as you head out...

Fall is nearly here! But before the leaves begin to drop from the trees and we finally turn down the AC, there are a few tasks to tackle around your Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, and North Pole area homes. From cleaning the gutters to turning off the water to the garden hose, Madden Real Estate has compiled a list of fall home maintenance tasks to add to your to-do list.

Clean out the gutters
To make room for the leaves and debris that will fall into your Alaskan yard this fall, it's important to clean out your gutters now. While you're on the roof, you can also check for any damaged shingles that may have occurred over the summer and take the necessary steps to repair them.

Turn off outdoor water
You probably have your garden hose hooked up and have used it all summer, but you'll want to turn off...

With the weather warming up, it seems obvious that buyers would be looking more closely at outdoor spaces when shopping for homes in Alaska. In fact, we even shared Outdoor Features Buyers Want This Year in a past blog post! That much is true— however, they may be even more specific when it comes to what they don’t want.

Buyers in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole, and the surrounding areas have a wish list and as the market heats up, their outdoor wants will become more important.

Below are a few outdoor trends to avoid when selling your Alaskan home this season:

Geometric or straight layouts
It used to be a popular trend in outdoor design to have crisp, clean, straight...

We've shared recently about Why You Should be Optimistic About 2021 Real Estate and to continue on down that path of real estate positivity, we're now breaking down why the current market offers the best opportunity to sell in YEARS!

If you're a homeowner in Alaska, don't be too quick to write off this spring, given the global health situation, as a poor time to list your home. In fact, the local market conditions present a lucrative scenario for sellers!

Below are five reasons why now is the best time in years to sell your home in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole or the surrounding areas:

Home Buyer Demand is High

The pandemic may have slowed many things, but buyer demand is not one of them. Buyers are determined to upgrades their homes, realizing...

We're just days away from the new year and we're all glad to put 2020 behind us! There will be much to look forward to in the coming months, and we are excited to report one of them is the real estate market!

As your local real estate experts in Alaska, we are including below three of the most important reasons we can be optimistic about real estate in 2021.

The economy will only improve

According to Tim Duy from the University of Oregon, “There is nothing fundamentally ‘broken’ in the economy that needs to heal…there was no obvious financial bubble driving excessive activity in any one economic sector when the pandemic hit…With Covid-19 cases surging again, it is understandably hard to look optimistically to the other side of this winter…Don’t let the near-term challenges distract from the economic stage being set for next four years...

Did you know selling your Alaskan home in the fall and winter can be just as lucrative as selling during the spring and summer? It's true! However, that is if your property is well prepared for the market!

There are many ways to improve your home in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, and North Pole before listing it for sale, including removing the following five items that have been known to turn buyers away!

Bugs
Even if you have a few ladybugs taking up residence in your home's windowsills, it's best to remove them before buyers arrive. This is one of the easiest turn-offs for Alaskan buyers as it can give the impression that your home is not clean or well cared for.

Decor Collections
No matter if it's stamps or holiday figurines, you'll want to keep your...

The official start of summer is here in Alaska! And while we're all certainly looking forward to warmer temperatures, the summer heat can bring about a rise in utility bills for Alaskan homeowners.

There are dozens of ways to keep mounting utility costs at bay this year and as your real estate experts in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole, and beyond, we are happy to share a few with you below!

Clean your air filters
It's important to clean your air filters to keep your heating and cooling bills down this summer. When filters are dirty, these systems have to work much harder and use much more energy to function properly. With clean filters, your home can run as it is meant to and help bring down your utility bills.

Install a new thermostat
If you haven't already, consider installing a new thermostat in ...

Spring is nearly here and what better time to "green" your Alaskan home than now? It's actually easier than you think to turn your home into an eco paradise and you probably have all you need already on hand!

Make it a weekend project or go room by room this week to spring clean and spring green the property. What's more, when you're ready to sell, homebuyers in Fairbanks, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, North Pole, and beyond will notice that your home is already up to "green" standards or on it's way!

Detox the Bedroom
An easy way to "green" your bedroom is to detox all of the linens and especially the curtains. You may wash your sheets and bed linens often, but how about your pillows? Cleaning your pillows will help keep toxins and dust mites at bay. You can also keep mold away in the bedroom by opening your curtains and shades and letting the sun take care of any extra...