Watching HGTV’s new show, ‘House Hunters: Grand Alaska’
I’m writing this week’s newsletter from Kasilof Beach, while watching my family dipnet. Since I was pregnant last year and probably would have floated out to sea, I didn't go. This year, it's because of my leg. It felt like an accident waiting to happen if I fished, so I opted for sitting on the cooler and providing emotional support.
I mentioned HGTV’s new show in last week’s newsletter, so we are legally required to watch it. House Hunters: Grand Alaska is just Alaska homes for sale. Some of these places are just silly. The first place we viewers see is in Homer, but it's not even in Homer — the Zillow listing says Ninilchik (it's close to Deep Creek).
Zillow, Inc.
I have an extension on my browser that lets me screenshot, but Philo isn't letting me
This place is essentially a compound, with a main house of 4,500 square feet, then another three guest cabins — $9.8 million for 11 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms. Comes with two Everglade 350 EX boats. Three bears (two stuffed, and one's a rug). Total of 15 fireplaces, because why the hell not. Broker Lorrie says it's the "most expensive house that Alaska has to offer right now."
The house was within a 30-minute drive from where I was on the beach, and I was seriously considering the insane logistics of going to see the place since showings were available that afternoon.
The next spot in Anchorage is probably my favorite house, in case you were wondering. The square footage is 19,300, which is over 19 times the size of our house.
Do you need a shooting range in your basement? How about an indoor lap pool? If a regulation size indoor basketball court with a golf range is on your wish list, look no further. Also note: a panic room (???), an observatory (I need to know who built this house and what drugs they were on), a sauna, a movie theater, and a wine cellar that can fit 1,000 bottles.
It's very hard to find all of these amenities under one roof. It's 19,000 feet of just playground, Regina, the broker said.
Zillow, Inc.
Okay but if I had a lap pool in my home, I would legitimately never leave
There were three other houses featured in the episode, located in Wasilla, Homer and Anchorage. The Wasilla house wasn't on the market yet so they don't go inside, but the broker does say that “Wasilla is the best place to live in Alaska!” Devon, please don't play with me right now.
The Homer house sits on a property with nearly 75 acres, equipped with a fully attached loft apartment and a 1,600-foot detached garage. It didn't sell on the show (or, not yet at least), but it's currently listed as pending on Zillow.
Zillow, Inc.
The final spot is home to former owner and publisher of Alaska Dispatch News, Alice Rogoff (the same Alice who hosted President Barack Obama when he visited Alaska in 2015). It's right on Campbell Lake, with 220 feet of shoreline, and some very beautiful touches – like the spiral staircase retrieved from an 1830s church in Spain, or the French oak paneling in the library from an 1850s French chateau. One of the couples featured on the show ended up choosing this place over the Hillhaven home, and bought it for $3.4 million.
Zillow, Inc.
From the first episode of House Hunters: Grand Alaska — price for the Campbell Lake house was $3.495 million, and the accepted offer was $3.4 million.
Six degrees of separation is so real
Jes shared this on Discord and what do you know — one of the Love Island cast members' siblings lives in Sitka. During her recent visit to Fiji to see her brother, Carl during family day, Ellie was seen wearing seal skin beaded earrings and some viewers noticed. She's apparently studying marine biology, and she takes some pretty incredible underwater photos. Her IG is worth checking out.