The Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) in Maine is the zoning and planning board for some 10 million acres of land in the unorganized townships (UT's). There are many reasons why, if you are looking for Maine property, you should consider buying in a UT. These townships and plantations have no municipal government, so taxes tend to be quite low. Also, while a building permit is required for any 'permanent' structure, the builder will normally not be visited by inspectors, and therefore building...

Let me state up front that I do not know any Maine realtors personally or professionally, and nothing stated herein should be construed as criticism of anyone in particular. Also, I have bought property elsewhere with the help of realtors, and had very positive results.

My first impression of realtors is that they represent the status quo. Nothing wrong with that. For a buyer with a great credit history, with a high income that would support the purchase of expensive property, who...

Looking over some of the latest real estate ads, I find there is an 11 acre parcel selling for $29,900 and a 1/2 acre parcel selling for $49,000. They seem to be comparable in terms of amenities. But then, I also can find a 52 acre parcel selling for $89,500. Very similar (in description) to the other two. So here we have the first parcel selling for $2718 per acre, the second for $98,000 per acre, and the largest one selling for $1721 per acre. It would seem that the more acres there are,...

With all the publicity being given to mortgages today, many people assume that real property was always conveyed with the assistance of a mortgage, and give it no further thought. It is often assumed that only the wealthy could buy property outright, and that if a bank will not lend (say, for unimproved land), then the seller may be asked to finance part of the purchase price, or if this is to be a second vacation property, then a second mortgage or home equity loan on one's primary residence can...

My wife and I would like to sincerely extend to Maine forum members who are looking to move to Maine, or to improve their living arrangements in Maine, an offer of a blog format to discuss the various options available for cooperative effort. We feel that as long as isolated individuals try to find what they are looking for on their own, or with the aid perhaps of a realtor, they may have to settle for something less than what they consider ideal.

The economy is getting a little tough...