I've had my eye on picking out a place up there for a couple years, probably to do the snowbird thing. I love the area, at least during summer. I like South Anchorage the best from what I've seen (Rabbit Creek specifically). I've been there 5 times over the past 4 years, 3 during summer and twice in fall. I'd love thoughts about living in Alaska full time, especially:

1. How hard is it really to live there during the winter, or is the snowbird thing really where it's at?
2. Is the Rabbit Creek area as nice as it looks on paper? Eagle River also looks nice but a bit further afield.
3. Any other areas to consider if I'm doing a snowbird or AirBNB type thing?
4. Anyone tried doing an AirBNB in the Anchorage area (another reason Rabbit Creek is maybe > Eagle River).
5. Would leaving a home vacant for a few months of winter just be a non-starter (risks of damage due to poor winterizing, freezing, etc.)?