Riverfront Homes for Sale in Alaska

What to check before buying a riverfront home

Riverfront property can mean anything from a quiet stream bank to a navigable river with locks and commercial traffic. River levels rise and fall with rain and upstream releases, banks can erode, and floodplain mapping often covers more of a riverfront lot than buyers expect.

• How high has the river come at this property, and what does the floodplain map show for the house and the access road?
• Is the bank stable, and has any erosion control been built or permitted?
• Who owns the riverbed and the bank, and can the public use the river past the property?
• If boating matters, what are the depths, locks or low bridges between the property and where you want to go?

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