Living Alaska

Five moves in 12 years landed Emily and her husband Matt in England, but Emily has always dreamed of raising her kids in her native home of Alaska. So when Matt got a job promotion in Anchorage, the family of five was excited to move 4,000 miles to set down roots and experience all the adventures Alaska has to offer. During their house search, they soon realize their budget of $375,000 doesn't go as far as they thought in Anchorage, so they increase their budget to $500,000 and look at houses in towns around Anchorage. Emily wants a house near good schools for her young kids and Matt wants the rustic Alaskan look, but will they be able to find a place that checks all their wish list boxes?

After Luke and Kassandra met on a first date, they got married and decided to trade the hot Arizona desert for the cool environs of Anchorage, Alaska. Kassandra grew up in the Phillipines, where it's summer year-round, so she's looking forward to experiencing Alaska's four seasons. Luke's a real estate agent who started investing in places around Anchorage, so now with baby Lyle and rescue dog, Mikey, the Higgins are excited to find their Alaska forever home. With a budget of $600,000, the couple is divided on their wish list. She wants a contemporary house with all the modern amenities, but he wants an Alaskan log retreat with income potential. They're both budding artists, so they agree on having a space for an art studio, but will they be able to compromise on style?

After living in Cincinnati their entire lives, Brittany and Jake started yearning for a more adventurous life. So when Brittany landed a job in Ketchikan, Alaska, the couple jumped at the opportunity to live in a place they had never visited. Once they experienced the rainforest, mountains and ocean of southeastern Alaska, it was love at first sight. While Brittany prefers ocean living, Jake is a mountain man at heart, and Ketchikan offers the best of both worlds. With a $450,000 budget, they're hoping to find a place with amazing views, modern amenities and a boat dock. They'll tour everything from an island house and waterfront fixer-upper to a house on a hill right in downtown.

Newlyweds Brendon and Kassie have fallen in love with the magnificent mountains, scenery and wildlife of Alaska after his job transferred him to Anchorage. They're looking to find the perfect home they can start a family in that includes great views, a real wood-burning fireplace and extra space for family and friends while enjoying the endless year-round outdoor activities the area has to offer. Their choices include homes that will either put them over budget or require quite a bit of updating. Will one of them be where this new family starts the next chapter of their lives?

Mike and Alicia are always looking for the next big adventure for their family and find it when Mike's government job in Washington, DC, offers to move them to Juneau, AK. Excited about the lifestyle change that will include boating, whale watching, hiking and camping, the family tour waterfront houses near the Alaska Marine Highway and Douglas Island hoping to find a waterfront property with views of the Gastineau Channel or nearby Mendenhall Glacier. They want enough space for the family to spread out, but will they find a place on the water that checks off everything on their wish list?

Stewart Cogswell received a job offer in Alaska and is eager to move his wife De Anna and their four teenagers out of their hometown of Marinette, WI, and into an Alaskan dream home. Sharing a love for all things outdoors from fishing to riding ATVs, the Cogswells leave their Wisconsin ranch for the mountainous wilderness of Eagle River. They're hoping to find a home on a river or lake with two living spaces -- one for the teenagers and one for the parents -- and enough room for their chickens and other livestock but they're are also open to places closer to Anchorage. Will they be able to find a house with enough space in Eagle River or will they need to rethink their location?

From sand and surf to snowboarding and skiing, the Greenwood family of seven is making the move from the shores of Hawaii to the snowy mountains of Fairbanks. After a summer trip to Alaska, Mitzi and Rob Greenwood were smitten with the endless sunlight and activities such as river rafting, berry picking and dog mushing. Mitzi's dream Alaska house includes rooms for her five kids, a play area and a hidden kitchen, but Rob is hoping for a rustic cabin that screams Alaska. Will they pick a log cabin with a surprise in the basement, a riverfront property, a cabin in the woods or a modern house with a huge yard?

Luke and Amy Bushatz are excited to make a life-changing move to Palmer, AK, while Luke attends graduate school. They can't wait to show their children all the activities Alaska has to offer and are looking for a home with a traditional Alaskan rustic look in a remote location with plenty of room for guests and a large yard. One topic of concern, however, is backyard bears and the couple wonders how they'll deal with this aspect of everyday life in Alaska. Will they be able to find the perfect remote house or will the wildlife be too much for them to handle?

Garrison and Brooke Field took one look at southeast Alaska's jagged coastal mountain range, fell in love with it and decided to move from Colorado to Juneau to raise their two young children. They're looking forward to hiking and fishing along the coast and are searching for a house that's close to town and all its activities. Brooke hopes to find a home that's move-in ready and has a large kitchen, but Garrison would be happy with a fixer-upper with unique Alaskan architecture. Will Juneau provide them a compromise so they can both have their Alaskan dream home?

Everyday life was getting too hectic for Kentucky natives Casey and Michael Doty so, when they took a vacation to Alaska, they were stunned by the beauty and invigorated by all the outdoor adventures awaiting their family. Once Casey landed a job at a local hospital, the Dotys and their three kids moved to the slower-paced town of Fairbanks. The kids are excited for horseback riding lessons in the summer and sledding in the winter and Michael is excited to find a place that has an Alaskan look and mountain views. Their real estate agent shows them a variety of properties, from a log retreat and a castle-like cabin on 20-acres to a solar-powered house on a hill.

Adam, Autumn and their two sons are looking to move their family sea urchin diving business from northern California to the cold waters of southeast Alaska. They're hoping to find their new home and business location near the rugged coastline of Ketchikan because it provides deep ocean waters great for harvesting sea urchins and has a slower pace of life with many camping and hiking adventures. With their budget set, they'll be looking at everything from an island house with an extra cabin to a downtown house stacked on top of a mother-in-law suite. Will one of these places be the Alaskan dream home they're looking for?

Arizona-based pilots Julie and Trevor Keeney just landed their dream assignment working as pilots in Fairbanks. They can't wait to experience all four seasons and show their daughter, Piper, Alaskan summer adventures like fishing and winter adventures like sledding. This young couple bought and sold two homes in Arizona and now they're excited to tackle the housing market in Fairbanks. On their wish list is an Alaska-style house with amazing mountain views, a short commute to work, play space for their daughter, extra space for guests and a garage. Besides buying a house, they'd like to buy their own plane but they may need to compromise on their budget if they want both.

After living on the border of busy Washington, DC, Bryanna and Ben Hunt are searching for a simpler life in North Pole, a suburb of Fairbanks. Ben's a government engineer and Bryanna's a photographer and stay-at-home mom, and they're both excited about raising their three daughters in the great outdoors. Ben's Alaska dream home includes having acres of land to start a bison farm and raise chickens. However, Bryanna is more concerned about the negative 50-degree North Pole winters, so radiant-floor heat, an attached garage and a wood stove are all musts on her wish list. Will the couple have to look further from North Pole to find their Alaska dream home?