RE/MAX Dynamic Properties, Anchorage, Alaska
How did you get involved in real estate?
It was in 2006, during my freshman year of college. I was working on a degree in business management and marketing, and I thought it would be good to have an office job on my resume, so I answered an ad looking for a student to be an office admin. It just happened to be at RE/MAX, so I started there as an assistant to an agent, then became a licensed transaction coordinator. I continued down that path and became a buyer’s agent, and now I’m a partner on a team.
When did you learn about the Residential Real Estate Council?
The woman I worked for early in my career was a CRS, and she always impressed upon me that if I was going to get a designation in real estate, the CRS Designation is the gold standard. Even before I was licensed, I was involved with education and planning while I was an assistant, so I knew the importance of being a CRS and that the education level was on a higher tier than other designations. It has always been something I believed in, and there was no question that once I was licensed, I would start working toward achieving it. In Alaska, the CRS Designation is our most highly regarded designation.
What is your state RRC involvement like?
Our state RRC covers the entirety of Alaska, and I am the current 2023 State President. Most of our designees are based in or around the Anchorage area, but once you get outside of our road system, we have network directors throughout the state so we can try to keep the designation spreading to all communities.
Videoconferencing has made a big difference for RRC in places like Alaska and Hawaii because the cost of flying in to take a class in person is hard to justify. We have been asking for a way to do classes virtually for a long time, so it’s been really great to have the option. Now, we’ll have a class in Anchorage, and we can see 10 or 15 other people Zooming in from around our state and sometimes from other states, too. That opportunity was never available before.
What is the market like in Anchorage?
Right now we’re experiencing the same slowdown as the rest of the country with the rising interest rates, but we are hopeful it’s temporary as we all adjust to the “new normal” after such a wild seller’s market over the last few years. We have very low inventory, so prices are continuing to stay high and likely will remain steady as we move forward.
Alaska has such a unique market with many different price points and locations, some only accessible by boat or plane. In the summertime, it’s not uncommon to be working outside or in a remote location and have to carry bear spray as a precaution.
Last year was the “year of land sales” for us. We had a lot of people wanting to take advantage of the low rates and build new homes. We represented a developer and sold quite a few parcels of land, so most of my workdays last year felt like I was on the side of a mountain walking these huge parcels of raw land. That’s the cool thing about real estate in Alaska: You can be walking along the side of a mountain in the morning and then be in a million-dollar penthouse downtown in the afternoon. We have such a diverse clientele here. It’s really fun, and every day is an adventure.
Emma Shibe, CRS, achieved the CRS Designation in 2017. She can be reached at emmashibe@gmail.com or 907-250-0908.
Photo: Jeff Schultz
