Atkinson Dr 1506

$157,000

1506 Atkinson Drive
Sold/closed April 2006

If you are the sort who loves projects and making your home special, here's a very affordable way to get started.

Nunaka Valley is the neighborhood. These little homes date to the 1950's and the neighborhood shows obvious pride of ownership. Most of the homes have been updated and remodeled. Quite a few have been added on with extra living space either to the rear, or an additional story.

The basic home is a 720 square foot ranch, some with garages. In many cases, including this home, the garage was turned into additional living footage. This home, then, is over 1300 square feet.

In addition to the basic home there is a very large shed with electric power in the back yard. It was originally a greenhouse, but the current long-term owner (a client I represented at the time of purchase) needed more work space. They also built a lean-to in back for more out-of-the-weather storage.

Another project in recent years was providing themselves a large RV parking area beside the home. It includes a connection to the city sewer so it's possible to dump the RV tanks directly from this parking area.

Given that the owners are handy, they appear to have addressed the kinds of big ticket items that older homes usually require. They re-roofed the home about three years ago. They also removed all the double-siding that was cedar shakes on top of plywood. Once down to the studs they replaced the insulation, sided with plywood, wrapped it with Tyvek and re-sided.

It will be a buyer's responsibility to do their own inspection of the property, of course. The information package available for download from this site includes the Alaska disclosure form by the owner.

These folks don't mind my saying they are the sort to keep "stuff". So it's very crowded. The yard is full of everything under the sun. This home is looking for someone who can appreciate its potential. To be candid, it's not the home for the person who finds home projects intimidating. It's not the home for someone who wants a home that is cosmetically current. It's not the right property for the person who wants an owner to "fix everything".

Paint is cheap: if you don't like the blue exterior, well then, there's another project for you!

When you see the home you will have to work past all the clutter -- which will be removed, of course -- and be understanding of four elderly family members, one in a wheelchair, who by medical necessity will probably have to be around during your visit.

A quick market study reveals that a substantial number of these 720 square foot smaller older homes in Nunaka have sold in the past six months. The typical price -- and for many that were updated to a greater degree than this one -- is about $165,000. The $157,000 price of this home, even though there is dramatically more living square footage, reflects the cosmetics of the interior and is designed to attract a buyer quickly so the family can move out of state.