Personal Life and Living Letters from Mary Cox

It has been said that change is the only constant. Most of the financial experts have been expecting interest rates to increase along with home prices. While homes, in most markets, have definitely seen increases over the past five years, the mortgage rates today are actually lower than they were a year ago.FreddieMac PMMS 072816 rev.jpg

If the interest rates were to increase by 1% over the next year while homes appreciated at 6% during the same time frame, a $250,000 home would go up by $15,000 and the payment would be $211.53 more each month for as long as the owner had the mortgage. The increased payments alone would amount to $17,769 for the next seven years.

When facing a decision to postpone a purchase for a year, a legitimate question to ask oneself would be: “how will it…

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Letter From the Heart

Ah… Memorial Day. Used to be a big thing. It still is as we remember our veteran (of which Dave is one), but the whole three-days off thing seems to lose its shine if one is self-employed. Every weekend COULD be a three-day off thing, but is almost never is. Days off when you’re not on a clock are when you take them and even then you always feel you should be “doing something.”

And so this past holiday Dave wanted me to get one “day off” and so we chose Sunday. That way we could work Saturday and then have Monday to “clean up” before starting the week on Tuesday. We decided to hike the Winner Creek Trail in Girdwood. It was wonderful hiking the trail this past February since the ReMax/Dynamic awards banquet was at the…

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Well we returned from visiting family in Salt Lake City to find a nice, thin veneer of the white stuff on the lawn and driveway. So the termination dust has made its way down to terminate what was a really great summer. The weather cooperated nicely for all outside activities. I hope you feel the same.

Just a note: We remembered to take our mowers in for a tune up around April, but sometimes that snow blower gets left for years without any similar attention. That is the case around here as Dave checked the oil in the little red beast before we left and it is coal black and the consistency of his coffee. It weighs about twice what the mower does, he will have to wait for our son Chris to help him get it into the Jeep but it IS going to the shop! Last…

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Yes it’s that time again. Time to appreciate our clients,

THE 15th ANNUAL MARY COX TEAM CLIENT APPRECIATION PARTY

Now you may be thinking, “Gee they only appreciate their clients one day every year. Now while that may be more than most, it’s only an illusion. We appreciate OUR clients every time we get the chance to talk with them. We appreciate that they chose us to represent them. We appreciate their insightful questions and their patience as we explain the answers. And it is always nice when you, the client, appreciate us!

This year the party, for the first time EVER, will not be at Mary’s house. Now Dave asked “does that mean we don’t have to do the windows, carpets, floors etc…?” Answer, no.

All it means is it will be easier for our…

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I pulled out my atlas the other day and looked up “Anchorage.” I was checking to see exactly where it was located. It IS the site of the Fur Rondy. It IS the area where the Iditarod, (at least ceremoniously) begins every year. I concluded that Anchorage is indeed IN Alaska! Now that I had solved that quandary, I wondered what did I really know of Alaska. It’s cold. Yet today in February the therometer says “35 degrees F!” Now that’s not cold; not for Alaska. So I looked around for the snow. Alaska surely has snow. And there it was, all of two months old; Snow…and green grass. Green grass in February. This couldn’t be Alaska.
But there it was right on the map. Snow. So I went down to see where the world famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race would start only to be…

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Ah…must be April already. Time to get out that lawn mower, rake up those left over leaves and sweep that dirt off the driveway. Get out that Easter Bunny that lays those eggs and prop him up in the front yard and hide those eggs real good. Time to…wait a minute it’s January!! It’s forty degrees and the Super Bowl hasn’t even been played yet. Even the ice that Lester slipped on and broke his hand has disappeared. If this keeps up my plants are going to be confused again this year. I can see my lawn!
OK this leads me into this month’s talk. Listen up everyone, buyers and sellers and potential or both: interest rates ARE going to rise. If you are sitting on the fence about putting your home on the market (you can have me come by for a free Comparative Market…

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Well we’re back, from Mexico that is. As always it’s good to go and good to come home…even if it’s a 70
degree shift in temperature. While we are gone we monitor the Anchorage Daily News for the weather
and to tell you the truth, watching the ice evaporate in my glass, -5 didn’t exactly nudge me to return
home anytime soon. Both Dave and I agree though, two-weeks from home is just about right. We miss
the dogs (and Bob: see dog article) and business seems to just explode the minute I decide to leave town. I
don’t mind, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that when Dave and I leave, we take half the office with us leaving
Lester the shoulder the brunt of the load with support from Jessie and Kelleigh. I must say he did a bang
up job. In the past have felt more…

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Two years ago I told Dave, “I hate to run. I’ve never liked it.” Well now I ARE one. A runner
that is. Not only that but I am working hard at becoming a better runner, such that I have
taken out stock in Skinny Raven Sports. Well not perhaps not that committed, but close.
Dave knows that for the last year, Christmas and birthday presents are easy: Skinny Raven
gift certificates, though this year they would be from REI.


I run races all around town all summer benefiting all sorts of causes. One of the best parts
is I have gotten Dave to run them as well. He does it begrudgingly at times, but he sees the
fun in it…I hope.


We also have got caught up in this thing called Bonny Sosa Tuesday Night Race Series.
It’s amazing, and every fall there are races held all…

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Alright it’s way past spring clean-up, but there are still things you may want to check up on going into winter.
Every year there are things we forget that need our attention around the house. Because they tend to be “out of
sight, out of mind”, they become a problem until we finally pay attention to them. Usually it’s either too late or
we are pressed to sell our home and they come up on inspections.
There are really three things that need our attention every year. The main one, and most important is the
furnace. It really should be cleaned and serviced every year. We have it done on all our units annually. It doesn’t
take long for the peace of mind you get. The maintenance person does cleaning, checks the filters and inspects
the heat exchanger which tends to…

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