Dead fish stink.

It's rather noticeable when scores of very large ones wash ashore or get stuck on rocks after fulfilling their final reproductive duty for nature. And it takes a while before scavengers, currents and the elements do their part to tidy up.

A newcomer to Juneau and other Southeast Alaska communities might never think to ask about such a thing if they're shopping for a riverfront home in June, only to discover and regret the oversight in August. The stench may only last a few weeks, but it's probably not the time to celebrate your move to The Last Frontier by hosting a family reunion or fancy wedding. The list of standard questions any potential buyer should ask about things such as future neighborhood development, a home's repair history and access to local services is as applicable in Alaska as anywhere else. But here's a few questions a novice might consider asking. It by no means captures all of the unique situations that can come up when purchasing a home in Alaska, but should provide an indication of some of the major issues local homeowners may face.

Bears

Finding out how active bears are in the neighborhood is crucial in a few ways. In addition to parents worried about their young children getting into an encounter with one, there's also the rather common problem of the animals raiding the garbage of people who don't take proper precautions. This results in more than just a nuisance someone has to clean up - officials will have to trap and shoot the bear if it acquires a taste for the rubbish.

Homes near hillsides and forest land are the obvious spots for bear activity, but they have been known to wander further into the city at times. They seldom pose a real risk unless provoked, but anyone relocating who is likely to see them often needs to get well-acquainted with the city's garbage regulations and how to handle encounters.

Other wildlife

If a dog chases a cat it's probably no big deal. If it chases the porcupine that's been living in the backyard for years the results are likely to be somewhat more adverse.

A general question about wildlife activity is worth asking in addition to finding out about bears. Some creatures such as wolves may pose a risk of some sort, others like those dead rotting salmon may simply be a nuisance.

There's more than precautionary measures involved here, of course. A waterfront homebuyer might get blessed with a spot frequented by whales or dozens of eagles, but any realtor worth their salt will probably tell a potential customer about such blessings without being asked.

Winter road maintenance

The farther a home is from established population centers, the more this can become an issue. Having the perfect wilderness retreat 10 miles north of town can be great until it takes a few days for the plows to clear the street.

Most streets are cleared quickly and well, but it's worth finding out where a site ranks in priority for those doing the work. If a realtor doesn't know, ask a neighbor. If getting to the nearest one is a two-mile drive, count on a longer wait.

Noise and other impacts from tourism-related activities

Just because a home is far from the hundreds of thousands of cruise ship tourists downtown doesn't mean the neighborhood won't be affected by them.

Helicopters flying to the Mendenhall Glacier, buses touring noteworthy sites, groups of hikers on guided tours and other popular offerings all have the potential to affect dwellers who think they're well away from visitors. The impacts have been a hotly debated issue for many years and tour companies have taken numerous steps, such as rerouting helicopter flights to minimize homes affected by the noise, but there's no avoiding the fact that many people are going to be a nuisance to some of the locals.

Exposure to the sun during winter

The long, dark winters in Alaska are hard enough for plenty of people without buying a house that turns out to be in the shadows all day.

The sun traverses very low across the sky during Juneau's five- and six-hour days. Houses on the "wrong" side of steep hillsides may see few, if any, hours of actual sunlight for a couple of months. They may or may not experience redemption during the summer by getting some extra exposure during the 18-hour summer days.

The lack of light can be more than depressing. It can also mean colder temperatures and slicker roads when things freeze up.

Avalanche zones

For anyone who saw Juneau featured in a special about avalanches on the PBS television show "Nova" a few years ago, officials and residents here really aren't as stupid as you might think.

The show showed a gloom-and-doom series of pictures of an avalanche seeming encompassing all of downtown (it was actually just a really big cloud of harmless drifting snow) before making a select group of interviewed homeowners sound like ninnies for choosing to live in the path of danger. Generally speaking, it's safe to assume hillside homeowners don't have to go in fear of their lives every time conditions start to get dicey.

Still, a few precautionary inquiries may be in order. Avalanches don't always follow their usual paths (easy to spot by all the missing trees), and homes and property have been damaged by slides in the past. A more common, if less dangerous, occurence is the slides between downtown Juneau and Thane that can result in road closures for anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Water damage

This is probably on the list of most new prospective buyers, but it's extra important to check in a rainforest community like Juneau.

Foundation/soil

Another common topic that deserves a bit of extra mention, since steep hillsides can be prone to slides and Juneau's soil can be a bit unusual. If you have any doubts, consider that the Juneau high school football field was featured on national television a few years back because the glacier-caved soil continuously spits out rocks, requiring participants to frequently walk the field and remove them.