Housing problems in Juneau

When me and the wife came into Juneau we were armed with a pre-approved home loan for $160K. Not enough for the three story dream home, but certainly good for a starter house. Wrong! Of the THREE houses in our price range, two were Mobile homes built pre-1976 (and thereby disqualified by our loan terms) and a two story house in an avalanche zone with the closest parking 45 steps away.

Driving around this new town of mine I'm amazed at the lack of residential housing. To my eye there are no new condos, lots of old Mobile homes, and no apartment buildings newer than the 1970s. All the new construction houses are easily $350K and are not for first time home buyers.

We love this town, but hey, I'm paying through the nose for rent and there are no homes that we can currently afford. How many other professional are in our shoes, how many leave because of it?

Here's an editoral in today's Juneau Empire that speaks to the situation.

I see more posts on this, and on Alaska's general lack of control over its lands.