Chris Stephens

Chris Stephens: Constructing new buildings with no setback is mistake

Anchorage is a special place with a natural setting rivaling that of any other city in the world. The development of our city should embrace this wonderful asset. Instead we are making a terrible mistake by adopting a development idea from the Lower 48: constructing buildings right next to the ...

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Archive by category ''Chris Stephens

CHRIS STEPHENS

Chris Stephens: Alaska's future growth industry must be education

Development projects always seem to be on Alaska's horizon, yet we never know what is really going to happen. For example, right now there are: offshore oil development in the Arctic; Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region; a gas line from the North Slope.
CHRIS STEPHENS

Chris Stephens: Correctly figuring income key to determining property value

The most common mistake I see in determining value for investment properties is incorrectly calculating a property's net income. You would think that figuring net income would fairly simple, but for real estate it isn't.
CHRIS STEPHENS

Chris Stephens: Being nice can move you to the top of the heap

Sometimes you hear familiar "truths" you know are dead wrong. For example, I was recently reminded that the saying "Nice guys finish last" is actually backwards. Nice guys finish first.
CHRIS STEPHENS

New construction affirms city's economic growth

New buildings seem to be popping up all over town. They're physical proof of the strength of the Anchorage economy. New construction, particularly speculative construction, happens when an economy is growing, as ours is.
CHRIS STEPHENS

Commercial real estate turns corner in '11

2011 was a year of increased commercial real estate activity in Alaska, and 2012 appears likely to continue that improvement.
ENERGY

Energy authority moves a step forward on Susitna dam

The Alaska Energy Authority has taken the next step toward construction of a major hydroelectric power plant at Watana on the upper Susitna River by filing a license pre-application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
BUSINESS

It's time to move ahead with the new land code

If you haven't heard about the proposed changes to Title 21 of Anchorage's municipal code, you soon will. Title 21 is a section of the city code that regulates land use and development.
CHRIS STEPHENS

Bad national forecast; better news for landlords

This column covers two topics: a pessimistic outlook for commercial real estate nationally, and an update on the proposed change in accounting rules for leases, a subject I wrote about earlier this year.
CHRIS STEPHENS

Property investing can enhance retirement

Time is not as consistent as it appears. When you first get out of school, land your first job as an adult, and start a family, you see a long working life ahead that seems to stretch forever. You stay busy with family, children and work.
CHRIS STEPHENS

Grasping differences key to communication

I recently saw how culture affects our outlook and expectations and, as a result, our ability to communicate and negotiate agreements, a critical part of commercial real estate negotiations.