Fitzy O'Hare's Wasilla Homehunter Blog

Great Home with plenty of space

2012-04-09T14:46:00.001-07:00

Fitzy O\'Hare | Re/Max Dynamic of The Valley | (907) 352-9333

6646 W Kinsington Ave, Wasilla, AK

Two Story Traditional with plenty of space

3BR/2+1BA Single Family House

offered at $225,000

Year Built	2011
Sq Footage	1,690
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2 full, 1 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	43,995 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Vaulted ceiling in family room.Kitchen opens up to family room, open concept. Stone Fireplace. Laminate flooring.Granite counter tops. Den/office on first floor. Powder room. Master suite w/coffer ceiling, walk in closet. Master bath w/ 6 Foot tiled jetted tub, separate tiled shower.Double vanities w/granite. Covered front entry. Rear deck. Many of Royalty Homes fine touches and finish work.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Fireplace
- High/Vaulted ceiling	- Walk-in closet	- Hardwood floor
- Tile floor	- Family room	- Office/Den
- Dining room	- Dishwasher	- Stove/Oven
- Microwave	- Granite countertop	- Attic
- Basement	- Washer	- Dryer
- Balcony, Deck, or Patio	- Yard	- Jacuzzi/Whirlpool

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Fitzy O\'Hare

Re/Max Dynamic of The Valley

(907) 352-9333

For sale by agent/broker

Posted: Apr 9, 2012, 12:37pm PDT

Real Estate Investment Tips

2012-03-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever considered doing real estate investment? Well the folks over at Property Investment Tips have put out a great "How-To" on the subject that anyone interested should take a look at. Here is a portion of the article.

Clarify Your Goals
It’s a good idea to do some reading and research about property investing, if you haven’t already.
After getting some expert advice, either from advisors or books, you should have a good idea about what strategy you want to follow to achieve your wealth creation goals.
Common strategies in property investing include:

Long Term Investing for Positive Cashflow

Long Term Investing for Capital Growth

Short Term Holding, Renovating and then “Flipping”

Short Term Holding, Speculating on the Property Cycle

The type of property that you want to buy is also an important decision. Apartments, townhouses and units will have different returns compared to houses or even commercial property. The area that you invest in will play a critical role in how your investment performs as well.

Great 4 bedroom home with mountain view

2012-02-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Fitzy O'Hare | Re/Max Dynamic of The Valley | (907) 352-9333

1001 W Balboa Drive, Wasilla, AK

4BR/2+1BA Single Family House

offered at $249,900

Year Built	2006
Sq Footage	2,140
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2 full, 1 partial
Floors	2
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	54,450 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Large family room. 1.25 Acres. with Mt. View. Dining area between kitchen & family room. Living room with large windows. Covered porch with railings. Kitchen with island. Stainless appliances. Pantry. Water softener. Double vanity in guest bath. 2 linen closets- 1 small, 1 large. Laundry room upstairs. New windows on lower level.Tiled entry & hallway. Master has private bath. No PETS OR SMOKING during residence.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central heat	- High/Vaulted ceiling	- Family room
- Stove/Oven	- Microwave	- Washer
- Dryer	- Balcony, Deck, or Patio

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Smoke Detectors

- Water Softener

- CO Detectors

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 5	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 1	Photo 6

Contact info:

Fitzy O'Hare

Re/Max Dynamic of The Valley

(907) 352-9333

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Feb 10, 2012, 7:58am PST

The O'Hare Team has two clients taking The Plunge!

2012-02-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

The O'Hare Team has two past clients participating in this years Polar Plunge. Please consider making a donation that benefits Mat Su special Olympics and The Valley performing Arts. We are cheering on Andrea Bishop and Stephanie Maynard! It takes place Feb. 18, 2012 at Rumrunner's at the Mat Su Resort. Jumping in that frigid water starts at 12:00 P.M.. We hope to see you there!

For the Sports Fan: The Iron Dog Race

2012-01-30T16:00:00.000-08:00

Come see the start of the longest, toughest snowmobile race in the world! This year will begin a new chapter of the Iron Dog race as we add more distance, more events and a new starting location! 2012 Pro Class Start Details ◦When: Sunday, February 19, 2012 ◦Where: Big Lake, Alaska at South Port Marina (South Shore entrance) This race starts in Big Lake, Alaska and the teams travel to Fairbanks, Ak. If you would like more information go to www.irondograce.org to find out all there is to know on one of Alaska's toughest races.

2 Acre lot in Wasilla Airpark

2012-01-10T15:34:00.001-08:00

Fitzy O\'Hare | Re/Max Dynamic of The Valley | (907) 352-9333

3986 S Eider Cir, Wasilla, AK

Great parcel of land in an airpark!

87,120 sqft Vacant Land

offered at $69,900

Lot Size

87,120 sqft

DESCRIPTION

Pilots bring your plane. Build your hangar home on these 2- one acre lots. Access to a 2200' private, grass airstrip. Taxi your plane from your lot to runway. Nice homes and hangars in the area. Owner is selling both lots together so buyer will have plenty of room for a home & hangar.''Aviate, Navigate, Communicate''

see additional photos below

LOCATION FEATURES

- Airstrip

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Lot for Sale	Runway
Runway

Contact info:

Fitzy O\'Hare

Re/Max Dynamic of The Valley

(907) 352-9333

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Jan 10, 2012, 1:22pm PST

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

We all hope you had a very happy and stress free holiday break. We want to continue to wish you good tidings and fun times during this new year. We have a lot of great things in store for 2012.

There are a lot of fun things to do this New Years Eve. If you are spending it in Wasilla, head on over to Wasilla Lake at 8 P.M. for fireworks, free hot chocolate and apple cider. Come early for good parking. A great family friendly event.

If you are in Anchorage this year, there are plenty of parties and concerts available for all ages and those of us over 21. The Egan Center is hosting a three band concert featuring: Static Cycle, Hawthorne Heights and Alien Ant Farm.

The Dena'ina Center is hosting three different parties for the adults.

Whatever your festivities include this year, please have fun and stay safe. See you in 2012!

2011-12-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

The O'Hare Team would like to wish all of our friends, clients and family a very merry Christmas. We wish all of you have a fun, safe and joyous winter holiday this year.

See you in 2012!

Colony Christmas Weekend in Palmer

2011-11-28T13:42:00.001-08:00

Mark your calendars for a Colony Christmas Celebration
An old-fashioned country Christmas celebration with Christmas Parade (which I never miss with the kids) but remember hand warmers if you brave the cold, craft fairs , horse-drawn and reindeer sleigh rides, pictures with Santa, and a blast of fireworks to top off the night. In Downtown Palmer, December 9-December 11. Visit Palmerchamber.org for more information. Hope to see you there!

The O'Hare Team TV Commercial

2011-10-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the TV commercial The O'Hare team has running on GCI networks.

Troubled homeowners get a lifeline

2011-10-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Troubled homeowners get a lifeline

Someone you know may need this right now! Hope you share the info

PINK AT THE RINK

2011-10-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

In support of breast cancer awareness month our local hockey team TheAlaska Avalanche is offering $2.00 tickets at the door if you wear something pink to the games. Next 2 games are tonight October 25th and Wednesday October 26th at 7:00 P.M.. Where can you have a night out for $2.00 per person. Come out and support the team and breast cancer. Games are held at the MTA Events Center. Kids under 5 are free.

The Woman in Black - A ghostly play

2011-10-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

Looking for something fun to do as the familiy this October in Wasilla? The Valley Performing Arts has you covered.

They are presenting "The Woman in Black" a play from October 14th to the 30th.

Synopsis:

Arthur Kipps, a middle-aged solicitor, hires a theatre and the services of a professional actor to help him reenact, and thereby hopefully exorcise, a ghostly event which befell him many years previously with horrifyingly tragic results. From the cluttered stage, Kripps begins to read his story: painfully, self-consciously and hesitantly at first, but, coached by an actor and aided by theatrical artifice, he grows in confidence and ability as he assumes a variety of roles and the play moves from narration to enactment. The actor portrays the young Kipps, sent north by his London firm to settle the estate of an elderly recluse, the late Mrs. Drablow, in whose isolated marshland house Kipps encounters the Woman in Black. This spectre, seeking vengeance for the death of her young child, attaches herself to Kipps and unleashes a macabre sequence of events which culminate in a truly chilling twist in the play’s final moments.

For more information on this or other great events held at the Valley Performign Arts Center checkout their website

--The O'Hare Team

Our Very Own Mat Su Valley Graduate Landon Swank

2011-09-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

The Mat Su Valley's own Landon Swank performed at the local business Rumrunner's also known as the Mat Su Resort after coming off the America's Got Talent television show. Landon is a graduate of our very own Colony High School. He will be one of the finalist's from last season to perform on the tour. Congrats to Landon and we look forward to seeing him back in Wasilla, Alaska in the future. The O'Hare Team is always proud of our local talent.

Fall Parade of Homes

2011-09-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

We at the O'Hare Team want to remind everyone that this weekend Saturday, Sept. 24th 10AM-6PM and Sunday , Sept 25th, NOON-6PM is our MAT SU fall parade of homes! We you are thinking of buying a new construction home stop by to see the quality of builders in the area. We will have homes open on Riverdance Cir.. If you are needing directions give either Fitzy (232-6368) or Susan (232-0195) a call. We hope to see you there!

Fall has arrived in the Mat-Su Valley!

2011-09-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Alaska State Fair is now over and we can adjust our belt straps for all that great fair food we splurged on :) The leaves have turned colors on the trees and it is getting dark by about 8:30 p.m., which means get those yards and garden beds ready for winter. Halloween is fast approaching and the question is always: will we have snow on Halloween? Trick or Treating is always more fun if you don't have to tromp through the snow.

Alaska State Fair. Only 4 more days left!

2011-09-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

We all know that summer is coming to a close when the Alaska State Fair is in session. Palmer and Wasilla are a buzz with traffic from all over south central. This year appears to be one of the best ones yet with national acts such as Staind, Gabriel Iglesias and One Republic!

So come out and enjoy the last weekend for the fair, and keep an eye out for members of The O'Hare team as we wander the grounds!

http://www.alaskastatefair.org/site/

High School Football

2011-08-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

As some of you know the high school football schedule is in full swing here in the Mat Su Valley. It is a fun and chilly event to spend with our families and cheer on our favorite school. Keep your eyes open for those Homecoming games coming up as they are always a fun time.

TAX TIPS for Home Sellers

2011-08-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

IRS's top 10 tax tips for home sellers

Real Estate Tax Talk

By Stephen Fishman, Monday, August 15, 2011.

Inman News™

From time to time the IRS releases tips designed to help people with their taxes. Some of these are quite useful.
Last week the agency released "Ten Tax Tips for Individuals Selling Their Home," (IRS Summertime Tax Tip 2011-15).
As a real estate agent or broker, it is not your job to give home sellers tax advice. Indeed, it is advisable not to, since you could end up getting sued if you give wrong advice.
Instead, refer sellers to this list of IRS tips. It's a good starting place for them to begin to understand this often complex area of tax law. You could even print it out and hand it to anyone who asks you about these issues.
Here are the IRS's top 10 tax tips for home sellers:
1. In general, you are eligible to exclude the gain from income if you have owned and used your home as your main home for two years out of the five years prior to the date of its sale. 
2. If you have a gain from the sale of your main home, you may be able to exclude up to $250,000 of the gain from your income ($500,000 on a joint return in most cases). 
3. You are not eligible for the exclusion if you excluded the gain from the sale of another home during the two-year period prior to the sale of your home. 
4. If you can exclude all of the gain, you do not need to report the sale on your tax return. 
5. If you have a gain that cannot be excluded, it is taxable. You must report it on Form 1040, Schedule D, Capital Gains and Losses. 
6. You cannot deduct a loss from the sale of your main home. 
7. Worksheets are included in Publication 523, Selling Your Home, to help you figure the adjusted basis of the home you sold, the gain (or loss) on the sale, and the gain that you can exclude. 
8. If you have more than one home, you can exclude a gain only from the sale of your main home. You must pay tax on the gain from selling any other home. If you have two homes and live in both of them, your main home is ordinarily the one you live in most of the time. 
9. If you received the first-time homebuyer credit and within 36 months of the date of purchase, the property is no longer used as your principal residence, you are required to repay the credit. Repayment of the full credit is due with the income tax return for the year the home ceased to be your principal residence, using Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit and Repayment of the Credit. The full amount of the credit is reflected as additional tax on that year's tax return. 
10. When you move, be sure to update your address with the IRS and the U.S. Postal Service to ensure you receive refunds or correspondence from the IRS. Use Form 8822, Change of Address, to notify the IRS of your address change.
These tips can be found on the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/content/0,,id=104608,00.html.

WHY PEOPLE ACTUALLY BUY A HOME

2011-08-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

Why Do People Actually Buy a Home?

CALL THE O'HARE TEAM TO HELP YOUR DREAM OF HOME OWNERSHIP COME TRUE!

by The KCM Crew on July 19, 2011 · 17 comments

in For Buyers

1173Share

It seems that every time we talk about real estate today the conversation immediately goes to the financial aspects of buying a home. Where are prices headed? Where are interest rates headed? Should I wait to try and get a ‘better buy’? Should I wait until I can get a ‘steal’?
The odd thing about all these questions is that survey after survey keeps telling us that price is not the reason families actually buy a home. When money is considered at all, it is in light of not paying rent to a landlord. Let’s look at two recent surveys as examples:

National Housing Survey

The top five reasons given in the survey for buying a home, in order, are:

It means having a good place to raise children and provide them with a good education
You have a physical structure where you and your family feel safe
It allows you to have more space for your family
It gives you control of what you do with your living space (renovations and updates)
Paying rent is not a good investment

The Myers Research and Strategic Services Survey

The top five reasons given in the survey for buying a home, in order, are:

Home ownership provides a stable and safe environment for children and other family members
Home ownership means the money you spend on housing goes towards building equity, rather than to a landlord
Home ownership creates the opportunity to pay off a mortgage and own your home by the time you retire
Home ownership creates the opportunity to live in a neighborhood that you enjoy
Home ownership allows you the right to decorate, modify and renovate your home as you see fit

Bottom Line

Price dominates conversation when we talk about buying a home. However, when it comes down to it, we actually buy for the same reasons our parents and grandparents did – we want a better lifestyle for ourselves and our families.

FYI: Interest Rates

2011-06-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

Today at our office meeting it was brought to our attention that interest rates are still GREAT! Today mortgages interest rates for FHA,VA are at 4.25%.. That is fantastic! If you know of anyone who is thinking of buying or selling a home, call or drop us a line at: ohareteam@gmail.com. We would be happy to follow up and take great care of them.

Why it is Time to Buy

2011-06-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

Why It's Time To Buy

The Clouds Haven't Quite Parted, But the Long-Term Case for Home Ownership Is Looking Stronger

Back in June 2006, when the housing market peaked, the prospect of a five-year national housing bust seemed unimaginable to most people. And yet here we are, with the latest Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller index showing that prices hit new bear-market lows, falling back to 2002 levels nationally and to 1990s levels in some battered regions.
Despite all the gloom, however, there are growing indications that it is a good time to buy. Mortgage rates, which fell to 4.55% for the week ending June 2, according to Freddie Mac, are near 50-year lows. Homes have become more affordable than they have been in years: According to Moody's Analytics, the ratio of home prices to income is now 20.9% lower than the 15-year average through 2010, and 12.5% lower than the 1989-2004 average. A historic glut of homes, meanwhile, has created a buyer's market: There were about 15 million vacant homes in the U.S. last year, according to John Burns Real Estate ConsultingInc.—some 3.1 million more than normal.
Such conditions might not last long. Moody's Analytics predicts that the number of distressed sales will begin to fall in 2013, and that prices will begin to edge upward then. Home building is at a virtual standstill, so the supply overhang isn't likely to get much worse. Meanwhile, demographic indicators such as "household formation"—the number of new households each year—are on the rise, and promise to take a bite out of the glut in coming year.

The upshot: "While we might not see rapid growth in the next couple of years, there are a tremendous number of positive signs that could lead to a rebound," says Anthony Sanders, a real-estate finance professor at George Mason University.

Head on over to The Wall Street journal for the full article and more insight, but take a moment and check out the interactive graph they have provided.

The graph shows us how removed from the market Alaska really is. Some are speculating that prices need to settle down a tad bit more before buying is suggested, but as you can see Alaska is in the prime time for buying, with a stable market.

Tornados in Mass.

2011-06-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

Fitzy,Susan and Shane are so happy to hear family and friends are fine in Springfield Mass. We will be keeping everyone in our prayers for a speedy recovery in the area.

Where Are Mortgage Rates Heading?

2011-05-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

We at The O'Hare Team think it is highly important to keep an eye on current interest rates when thinking of purchasing a home. Any increase in rates can impact your buying power. Clink on the link to see what others are anticipating for the near future.
http://kcmblog.com/2011/05/18/where-are-mortgage-rates-headed/

Home Sellers: Statistics are in for using a Realtor to Sell Your Home

2011-05-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

A Chief Econmist speaks on FSBO verses Realtor. The truth is in the numbers
http://youtu.be/9pPcdWFPft4