

2020 Economic Forecast
On Tuesday, Sept. 29 AHBA Hosted an Economic Forecast with NAHB Chief Economist, Robert Dietz. He projects that housing is going to lead us out of the recession caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. With interest rates at record setting lows and likely to continue to stay low into the second quarter of next year. He also addressed the national worker shortage in the construction industry, speculation on when life may go back to normal and insight into lumber pricing. Watch

Homebuilding Expected to Lead Economic Bounce Back
As COVID-19 brought most of Alaska to a near standstill, the state’s housing industry was not only in full-swing, mortgage lenders became busier than ever. Historically low interest rates are driving the housing market’s booming success. Alaskans are building, selling, upgrading, downsizing and refinancing at record rates. Alaska homebuilders continued to operate throughout the shutdown. The Anchorage Home Builders Association worked with the National Association of Home Buil

Inside the Real Cost of Anchorage’s Housing Regulations
The Matanuska Valley is booming with new builds. The Mat-Su added 640 new single-family housing units in 2018, according to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. That’s more than triple the number of new single-family homes in Anchorage, which only added 193 in 2018. It’s also important to remember the Municipality of Anchorage has more than two times the number of residents than the Mat-Su Borough. The Valley has become an increasingly attractive place fo


Insurance Tough Enough for Alaskans
What do XTRATUF, Copper River Salmon and Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria have in common? They’re all Alaskan-approved. Alaskans are a notoriously tough bunch to please, so if something carries their stamp of approval, take note. The Alaska Builders Insurance Program is insurance for Alaskans by Alaskans. Many of your neighbors are already singing its praises. “As a remodeler, good insurance is essential to my business,” said Alan Wilson, Alaska Renovators. “By switching to ABIP