I bought two adjoining lots 11 years ago near Montana Creek, north of Willow. They were on the Mat-Su land sale program. Good lots and very cheap but I looked at a lot of them. Many of the offerings were unusable; under water, steep ground with nothing flat enough to build on or too remote. The two I bought have year round access, power on the back side of the lots, good drainage and flat. I haven't done much with them other than clear a little and put in a driveway but I'll be putting a cabin on it in the next year or two.
The process was pretty simple. Just like yours it was a first come, first served deal.
