Buying Alaska

For the Alaska home buyers featured in this series, the trade-off of basic amenities for stunning vistas and wild surroundings is one they're more than willing to accept. The properties may lack indoor plumbing or electricity, but what they offer beyond the living quarters is the main attraction -- from the ability to hunt and fish from a back deck, to extreme seclusion on a private island, to self-sustaining features such as smokehouses and greenhouses. While the rugged terrain is not the most friendly at times -- dangers lurk in the form of wild animals and unforgiving winters that can lead to isolation -- the adventurous spirits who buy in Alaska wouldn't have it any other way.