Fairbanks Ak Real Estate News & Info

In my time on this little blue marble I've worked for a Fortune 100 company and now own and operate a small business.  While the former had a substantially larger budget, there are a few universal principles all business owners understand.

Keep your eye on the bottom line.

A few days ago President Obama directed his cabinet to find $100 million in spending cuts... from a $3.6 trillion budget. The result?  Seventy seven cost savings measures (.PDF) were identified totaling $102 million. That's a good start but really, $102 million in savings is all they could find?

Savings is good thing right?  I mean, the President is cutting expenses.

As a fiscal conservative I've operated under the belief that the private sector, with few exceptions, is more efficient and cost conscious than any government entity will ever be. Confirmation came again this morning in an article on CNBC.

While the President was lauding his cabinet members for diligently rooting out waste, Royal Dutch Shell announced that amid a 70% decrease in profit, the energy giant managed to achieve "$700 million in cost savings in the first half of the year..."

Shell reacts to a negative economic outlook by tightening its belt... while the US continues runaway Federal spending.  The sad part of course is despite an $11 trillion debt, there's still no real help on the horizon for American homeowners and small business owners.

Alaska's Congressional Delegation - Keeping the lines of communication open

As a citizen of the United States, it is our responsibility to be informed and engaged in the governing of our Republic.  Despite evidence to the contrary, the men and women who represent us in Washington, DC take their cues from us. 

There are a myriad of issues that need our daily attention:

• The economy. 

• Health Care.

• Veterans Affairs.

• Tax Policy.

• Subsistence issues. 

• State Sovereignty. 

• Energy Independence.

• Immigration.

Make your voices heard in Washington.  Some of the folks on the Hill can't seem to read the legislation they vote on... they surely can't read minds. 

Unfortunately, due to security restrictions snail mail takes an inordinate amount of time to reach the recipient.  Consider calling, faxing or using the web-based email contact forms for time sensitive messages, especially those pertaining to pending legislation.

 President Barack Obama
 The White House
 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
 Washington, DC 20050

 Comment Line: 202-456-1111
 WH Switchboard: 202-456-1414
 WH Fax Line: 202-456-2461

 White House Web Contact Form

 Senator Lisa Murkowski

 Washington DC Office
 709 Hart Senate Office Building
 Washington, DC 20510

 Main: 202-224-6665
 Fax: 202-224-5301

 Fairbanks Office
 101 12th Avenue, Suite 216
 Fairbanks, Alaska 99701

 Main: 907-456-0233
 Fax: 907-451-7146

 Senator Murkowski Web Contact Form

 Senator Mark Begich

 Washington DC Office
 144 Russell Senate Office Building
 Washington, DC 20510

 Main: 202-224-3004
 Fax: 202-224-2354

 Fairbanks Office
 101 12th Avenue, Suite 206
 Fairbanks, Alaska 99701

 Main: 907-456-0261
 Fax: 907-451-7290

 Senator Begich Web Contact Form

Congressman Don Young

 Washington DC Office
 2111 Rayburn House Office Building
 Washington, DC 20515

 Main: 202-225-5765
 Fax: 202-225-0425

 Fairbanks Office
 101 12th Avenue, Suite 10
 Fairbanks, Alaska 99701

 Main: 907-456-0210
 Fax: 907-456-0279

Congressman Don Young Web Contact Form

Curious how our delegation votes?  Check their voting record on OpenCongress.org and be sure to follow up to let them know you are informed and engaged. Don't forget to check OpenSecrets.org to find personal financial disclosures and fund raising profiles, including how much was raised and where that money came from.

Fairbanks Alaska Homes For Sale in Doyon Estates - 99701

Doyon Estates is one of Fairbanks newest residential developments.  Homes in Doyon Estates are sought after due to the neighborhoods proximity to the new east Fairbanks shopping district, downtown Fairbanks and the University of Alaska. It's also a short five-minute drive to Fort Wainwright.

Single Family homes in Doyon Estates - 99701

Fantastic single family home built by Darrell Russell of Denali Builders.

Beautiful cedar-sided home by Roger Burks of Aurora Builders.

View a slideshow of homes in Doyon Estates.

Currently there are five homes for sale in Doyon Estates -

•  $550,000 | 3 Bedrooms | 3.0 Bathrooms | 2,634 Sq. Ft
  

•  $467,250 | 3 Bedrooms | 3.0 Bathrooms | 2,620 Sq. Ft.
  

•  $415,000 | 4 Bedrooms | 2.5 Bathrooms | 2,410 Sq. Ft.
  

•  $355,000 | 3 Bedrooms | 2.5 Bathrooms | 2,067 Sq. Ft.
  

•  $307,000 | 3 Bedrooms | 2.5 Bathrooms | 1,520 Sq. Ft.

Click To View Annotated Fairbanks Map

Doyon Estates is composed of recent construction custom-built and spec-built homes, some with Chena River frontage and is one of the few developments governed by an active Homeowners Association.  Ready for find your dream home?  Search for Fairbanks homes for sale in Doyon Estates.

Yep, it's that time of year again.  Time for the 2009 Fairbanks Alaska Golden Days celebration. 

Fairbanks was founded by men and women lured north by the promise of a new dawn... a new day that with luck would be filled with the sight of gold at the bottom of their goldpan or sluicebox.  Felix Pedro fanned the flames of those desires when he discovered a massive gold-bearing creek north of Fairbanks.  Fairbanks founding-father E.T. Barnette sought to capitalize on the news by establishing a trading post on the banks of the Chena River to serve the army of miners who flocked to the Interior. 

The annual Golden Days celebration seeks to remember and celebrate Fairbanks gold rush history.  One of the most popular events is the Golden Days Jail.  For a mere $5 arrest warrants can be issued for friends, coworkers or even your boss... The Marshals will lock them up and throw away the key!

Events run from the July 22nd through the 25th and culminates with a boisterous street fair and the largest parade in the state.  Over 100 entries will be on display including marching bands, clowns, jugglers, antique cars, unicycle riders and floats.  The parade winds its way from the Carlson Center through downtown Fairbanks, where it ends at Noble Street and Airport Way.

Don't forget to get your Rubber Duckie tickets for the big race on the 25th.  6,000 yellow rubber duckies race from the Wendell Street bridge to the Cushman Street bridge for the chance to win cash and prizes totaling over $20,000, including a $10,000 cash price for first place!  Tickets are available anywhere you see the bright yellow signs in business windows or Goldie & Luckie the big, inflatable yellow ducks!

2009 Golden Days Festival Calendar of Events

Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday

We'll see you at the 2009 Fairbanks Alaska Golden Days Celebration!

This past weekend my beautiful bride and I found ourslves with an empty house for the first time since the middle of May. WooHoo!  Hotel Clifton was temporarily empty. Don't get me wrong, we love to play host and hostess, but peace and quiet can be fun too!

Rather than stay at home and tackle the the honey-do list I really should be working on, we decided to load up the RV and run away from home.  Not wanting to run into the throngs of blue-haired terrorists tourists choking on the wildfire smoke at Denali we opted instead for a trip to Delta Junction.  It's an easy 95 mile trip south of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway and is a great destination for those interested in Alaskan history.

We camped at the Delta State Recreation Site, which is a small 25-site campground near downtown Delta Junction and less than a mile from the historic Sullivan Roadhouse.  It's a nice quiet park but not all that big rig friendly.  You can easily fit up to a 45' coach in some of the sites, but extending dual-side slides can be tricky. We arrived too late to get a double site but managed to wiggle our way into a single site and made ourselves right at home.

I snapped this picture near the confluence of the Tanana and Delta Rivers.  The sun was just starting to set and we sat on the bank and just watched the river roll on by...