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Now that Spring is here in Alaska, it is time to get out into the community and enjoy the June fairs and festivals in the Anchorage area. Here are a few that you might be interested in:
Fiddlehead Folk Festival – Saturday, June 19, and Sunday, June 20, 2010, noon to midnight. Come to the Alyeska Resort (1100 Arlberg Ave, Girdwood) for bluegrass, country and folk musical performances by such artists as The Greencards and Great American Taxi. There will also be arts and crafts vendors, a beer garden for the adults and special activities for the kids. Advance tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for students, military personnel and seniors and free for kids ages 12 and under. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate for $35 for adults and $30 for students, military personnel and seniors. For more info, please visit the Alyeska Resort website. If your dad likes bluegrass, country or folk music, take him to the Fiddlehead Folk Festival for Father’s Day!
Mountain View Street Fair and Fest – Saturday, June 26, 2010, 12-4pm. Enjoy a preview of the library’s new branch with live music, food, kid’s activities and even more at the Mountain View Branch of the ZJ Loussac Public Library (120 S Bragaw, Anchorage). There will even be Mad Science performances from 1-3pm. The Museum of Natural History (201 N Bragaw, Anchorage) and Clark Middle School (5530 E Northern Lights Blvd, Anchorage) will be holding their own festivities as well.
29th Annual Alaska Scottish Highland Games – Saturday, June 26, 2010, 8am-10pm. Fun for the entire family! This always fun event will take place at Eagle River Lions Park (Mile 1.5 Eagle River Rd, Eagle River). Cheer on the athletes while they compete and watch Celtic dancers compete as well. Drummers and pipers will perform. Scantily Plaid, a Celtic band from Canada, will be performing from 7-10pm. Advance tickets cost $12.50 for adults and $4 for kids and can be purchased at The Bookshelf, Celtic Treasures or Suzi’s Woolies. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate for $15 for adults and $5 for kids. For more info, please visit the Alaskan Scottish Club’s website.
13th Annual Garden Fair & Art Show – Saturday, June 26, and Sunday, June 27, 2010. The Alaska Botanical Garden (4601 Campbell Airstrip Rd, Anchorage) will host their annual event from 11am-6pm on Saturday and 11am-5pm on Sunday. In addition to the workshops, speakers and demonstrations, there will be arts, crafts and plants for sale, live music, a children’s village for the kids and lots of food for everyone. Entry is only $5 per person. For more info, please visit the Alaska Botanical Garden website.
So enjoy and celebrate the great outdoors by attending any one of these great June fairs and festivals in Anchorage. They all sound like fun to me!
With the economy taking such a hard hit in the last few years, several people find themselves in the unhappy position of needing to modify their loan terms in order to avoid a possible foreclosure. Unfortunately, with the recent loan modification programs that have been put in place, there have also been an onslaught of loan modification scams.
Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Neighbor Works America and other agencies have banded together to create their own Loan Modification and Scam Prevention Network to help warn people of loan modification scam artists and help point people in the right direction to get in contact with a legitimate loan modification company.
PreventLoanScams.org was designed as an online resource to act as a national clearinghouse for loan modification scam information in support of national, state and local law enforcement efforts. Scam loan modification companies usually demand money up front to help homeowners in distress with their mortgage loans and the homeowners never actually receive any help. Without any help and even less money, the homeowners have no choice but to watch as their homes get foreclosed on.
The PreventLoanScams.org website offers electronic filing of complaints, press releases of the lastest information about loan modification fruad, information on how to report a scam, real stories from people who have been the victims of fraudulent loan modification activity and a state by state breakdown of resources to help you file complaints against specific loan modification companies in your area. They also provide names of organizations and individuals who have been identified by law enforcement agencies as alleged scammers to help curb loan modification fraud.
In addition to the website, homeowners can contact the Homeowners’ HOPE Hotline at 888-995-HOPE to lodge a complaint and receive free information about legitimate loan modification services.
It’s difficult enough to be worried about keeping your Anchorage home. You don’t want to be a victim of loan modification scams as well. This online resource is a great place to do your homework before you apply for your loan modification.
If you are looking to refinance or purchase an Anchorage home, you may want to find out what your credit score is about 3-6 months before you plan on applying for a loan. Why should you check your credit score before you buy? Lenders use your credit score to determine 1) whether or not to approve you and 2) what your interest rate is going to be once you are approved for a loan. When your loan is going through the approval process, lenders will look at all three credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. They then use the middle score from all three agencies as your final credit score to determine your creditworthiness and your interest rate.
You are allowed one free credit report per agency per year. You can request all three at one time or you can spread them out every few months. There are several places online where you can request a free credit report. But speaking directly to a lender may be the best way to get this done.
Why should you speak to a lender so early in your Anchorage home buying process? This will give you enough time to find and fix any errors that may come up on any of your credit reports. The better your credit looks at the time you apply for a loan, the better chances you have of getting a home loan at a decent interest rate. Even a 1% difference in interest rates can save or cost you thousands of dollars over the life of a loan.
So, to make sure you get the best home loan at the best rates, even when you’re refinancing your current Anchorage home, make sure to check your credit score before you buy. If you are unsure how to do this, please contact me.
Appliance rebates are now available for disabled Alaskan residents looking to trade in their old energy-guzzling appliances for newer, more energy-efficient models. Under this new program, any Alaskan resident currently receiving some type of disability from either state or federal agencies are eligible to receive a state-issued voucher that will go towards the purchase of a new Energy Star® appliance. The appliances that qualify include: refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers and dishwashers. This program began on March 16, 2010 and is scheduled to run until September 2011 or until the $658,000 in funding runs out. All applicants are only eligible to receive vouchers for one type of each product.
Rebate Amounts for Energy Star® Appliances:
- Refrigerators and freezers: $300 for urban Alaskans with disabilities, $500 for rural Alaskans with disabilities (to help with shipping costs).
- Clothes washers and dishwashers: $150 for urban Alaskans with disabilities, $300 for rural Alaskans with disabilities (to help with shipping costs).
To see if you are eligible to participate in this program, please call the AK Rebate Center (877-257-3228) to get an application. Send the complete application with proof of disability to the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and an appliance voucher will be mailed back to the applicant. Each voucher is good for up to 120 days. New Energy Star® appliances must be purchased with the participant’s money and then mail the proof of purchase (copy of receipt) and completed voucher to the AHFC offices. A rebate will be issued to the participant within 90 days. For more information and to view what constitutes a “proof of disability”, please visit the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation’s website.
This new AHFC program helps get appliance rebates for disabled Alaskan residents and helps replace the old, outdated, energy-guzzling appliances with more energy-efficient models. What a great way to help your pocketbook and Mother Earth!
The First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit deadline is fast approaching. In order to take advantage of up to $8000 in tax credits, you must have an Anchorage home in a binding contract by the end of business on April 30, 2010. That’s just about a week and a half away. That doesn’t leave much time to find your Anchorage dream home and get it under contract. If you’re a current homeowner looking to buy a new Anchorage home, you only have a week and a half to take advantage of the $6500 tax credit available. A first time homebuyer is someone who has not owned a home in the last three years. If you owned one previous to that, you are still considered a first time homebuyer.
Who qualifies for the tax credits:
1. Married couples who file jointly and make no more than $225,000 or single/married filing head of household families who make no more than $125,000.
2. Homebuyers looking to purchase a home for their primary residence. This means no vacation homes, income property, vacant land or commercial buildings.
3. Homebuyers purchasing a home for no more than $800,000.
If you make more than $125,000 for single/married filing head of household or $225,000 for married couples, you may be eligible for part of the tax credit. Contact your Anchorage real estate professional to find out what this might be. As long as you live in your newly purchased Anchorage home for three years, you can keep the entire tax credit you receive. If you decide to sell the home purchased under these guidelines or stop using it as your primary residence within three years, you will have to pay back the tax credit.
Let me know if you’re a first time homebuyer looking to take advantage of the tax credit before the deadline comes. I’d love to assist you in finding your Anchorage home and help you get a little money back in the process. But hurry because time is running out quickly.
What is the secret to great Korean barbeque? It’s really not a secret at all. If you want to cook some fantastic, authentic Korean barbeque, you want to add an Asian pear. The Asian pear also goes by the name of Korean pear or, most commonly in the United States, the apple pear. Learn more about the Asian pear and how to make great Korean ribs in the video below:
Korean Ribs recipe ingredients:
3 lbs lean beef ribs with bone or 2 1/2 lbs boneless beef with excess fat trimmed.
1 Korean pear, peeled and grated
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine (soju or sake)
3 tbsp sugar (or equivalent of an alternative sweetener
2-3 green onions, finely chopped (or 2 tbsp drived chives)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp sesame seed oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 inch of freshly grated ginger (optional)
If you love Korean food and want to know what the secret to making great Korean barbeque is, Tamar1973 is a great teacher. I hope you enjoy!
Easter Sunday is April 4, 2010. And Anchorage is bustling with fun things to do. But, they’re not limiting the Easter fun to only Easter Sunday. The following is a list of Easter Events happening in Anchorage:
March 27, 2010
Easter Eggstravaganza, Russian Jack Springs Park, 1:00-4:00pm - Bring the kids down to Lidia Selkregg Chalet (1600 Lidia Selkregg Lane, Anchorage) for games, arts and crafts, bouncing bunnies and, of course, an Easter egg hunt. The Easter Egg Hunt for 3-5 year olds will be from 1:00-1:30pm, 6-8 year olds will be from 2:00-2:30pm and 9-12 year olds will be from 3:00-3:30pm.
April 2, 2010
Bunny Pajama Storytime, Fairview Recreation Center, 6:30-7:00pm – Put on your PJs, grab your favorite blanket and bring the kids down to the Fairview Rec Center (1121 E Tenth Ave, Anchorage) to listen to bunny stories and try your hand at an Easter craft.
April 3, 2010
Easter Egg Hunt, Hillside Baptist Church, 1pm – Hillside Baptist Church (5200 O’Malley Rd, Anchorage) will be holding its annual Easter Egg Hunt for kids ages 11 and younger. Everyone is welcome to attend.
April 4, 2010 (Easter Sunday)
Easter Brunch at the Anchorage Museum, 10am-2pm – The Anchorage Museum (625 C St, Anchorage) will be holding a Marx Bros brunch buffet to celebrate Easter. Items on the menu include Eggs Benedict, prime rib, ham, fresh made waffles and assorted pastries. The cost is $40 for adults, $20 for kids and free for children 5 years old or younger.
Easter Sunrise Service and Breakfast, Anchor Park United Methodist Church, 7:30-8:30am – Everyone is welcome to come to Anchor Park United Methodist Church (2300 Oak Drive, Anchorage) for an informal sunrise service with a potluck breakfast to follow. For more info, please call 907-277-0152.
Community Easter Egg Hunt, Eagle River Lions Park, 12:00-2:00pm – Beginning at 12pm, the community is invited for refreshments, photos with the Easter Bunny himself and a free Easter egg hunt at Eagle River Lions Park (Mile 1.5 Eagle River Rd, across from Wal-Mart, Anchorage). The Easter Egg Hunt begins at 1pm. There will be four different age groups searching for thousands of hidden Easter eggs throughout the park: 1-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-8 years and 9-11 years.
I hope you have a fantastic Easter and get to enjoy some of the great Easter events scheduled in Anchorage.
The deadline for Anchorage voter registration is approaching. If you need to change your registration or have recently moved and need to register to vote in Anchorage, the deadline to do so is Sunday, March 7, 2010. You can get the registration forms online at the Alaska Division of Elections web site. Once the forms are completed, you can either deliver or mail them to the State of Alaska Elections office (2525 Gambell St, Suite 100, Anchorage, AK 99503-2838). Don’t miss out on the deadline for Anchorage voter registration this Sunday, March 7.
The age old question of “Should it stay or should it go?” comes up time and time again in most real estate transactions. If you are selling an Anchorage home, is it customary to leave the washer and dryer with the home or does it go with you? If you are buying an Anchorage property, are you expecting to bring your own refrigerator with you when you move in or do you think the refrigerator should be left by the previous owner as part of the purchase price of the property? However, just because a refrigerator may traditionally be left with the home and considered part of the purchased property, that doesn’t mean that this always happens. That is why you need to be very specific about your expectations when filling our your purhase offer. For buyers, this means specifying exactly what you expect to be included in the purchase price: washer, dryer, refrigerator, light fixtures, microwave, portable hot tub, even the stove. If you are selling your home, go over the purchase agreement to make sure something isn’t being included that you expect to take with you. By clearly stating what is to be included in your Anchorage real estate purchase, both buyers and sellers will be happy with the transaction and not run into unexpected “surprises” at closing. Make sure to talk to your real estate agent about what should stay and what should go with your Anchorage real estate transaction.
Nothing goes together like the Super Bowl and chicken wings, right? When you are getting ready to watch Super Bowl XLIV this Sunday at 6pm EST, you might want to sit down to this great, spicy chicken wing recipe:
Recipe
2 dozen chicken wings
Celery
Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Sauce
4 tbsp gochujang (Korean pepper paste)
2 tbsp hot chili powder or hot paprika
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sweetener or 1 tsbp sugar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp black pepper
Mix sauce ingredients. Place in resealable bag. Add chicken wings and shake to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight in the fridge.
Place wings on cookie sheet. Put in 350 F oven for 20 minutes. Turn over after 10 minutes.
Wash and cut up celery stalks into finger length pieces. Place dressing in a dish for dipping. Plate the wings, celery stalks and dressing. If you would like, you can sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the top of the wings. And you’re good to go!
Whether you’re rooting for the Saints or the Colts, you’ll have fun with this recipe for Super Bowl and chicken wings.
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