Cost of living and places/builders (Bangor, Houlton: sales, renting, home owners insurance)

[ExAirForce]

My wife and I just retired from 20 years in the AirForce (enlisted). We have lived overseas for the last 12 years and alhtough we currently work and continue to live over here, we can see the end coming and wanting to move back to the good ole USA. We just finished a trip to Maine where I grew up and a trip to the panhandle of Florida where we have property in hopes that we could make up our mind on where to move back to. I grew up around the Bangor area and then Houlton for the last few years of my High School before joining the AirForce. I hated it then but now every time we go back (still have plenty of family there) we miss it and like the lifestyle and people. My main concern is jobs/pay and cost of living. We make a modest government retirement check so making tons of money is not paramount but 15 dollars an hour is way to little. My wife has her MBA in business and I a bunch of IT certifications and some college along with our 20 year military careers in the same career fields. I know Maine ranks like 49 for overall tax burden but my questions are this...

1. Is the tax burden/cost of living that bad?
2. Are there decent paying jobs in the Bangor area (were we are looking)
3. Know of any good home builders as we have our own home plans.

Thanks so much.

[flycessna]

I am not sure how Maine taxes pensions. but you will want to look at property taxes where you decide to build a home. I believe our property taxes are a big part of why we have a high tax burden. generally the closer to a metropolitan area you are the higher the property taxes. Also, cheaper housing cost's usually mean less demand so think about that before you build or buy. Even though they say high paying jobs are scarce, I have to believe that highly educated and high technical skills are more scarce. You will probably have to look into the health care field but you should be able to earn more than $15 hr. USA jobs.gov has many government/military civilian jobs listed. I am not from that area and cannot reccommend a builder/contractor but again I would suggest renting for a while to see if you like it. Good luck and congratulations on your retirment...you've earned it!

[ExAirForce]

Thanks for the quick response flycessna. I hadn't even thought of the tax on our military retirement/pensions so thanks for something else to think of. I have been checking out the different mil rates and those are necessarily too bad ..livable. The state income tax is hard to swallow as Fl doesn't have any but then again I have noticed that groceries in Maine are cheaper than in the panhandle of Florida and gas was a couple cents cheaper. I need to look at sales tax to see what the diffrence is as well and home owners insurance for a house of the same worth in either loacations. The winters are livable and the Bangor area is allot like here in Germany whereas the panhandle of Florida does not. Bugs were always a concern but frineds of mine have those new mosquito magnets hooked up to propane and they really do work. We never could go outside at my parents before and this year we could. Again I appreciate your input and hopefully folks give men more to ponder and answers. Of course if my post are not quite making sense it could be the massive jet lag from flying all day yesterday... LOL.

[mollysmiles]

Some friends of ours are retired Army and although originally from PA, they also decided to settle in Maine. He has found a great job working through Homeland Security---Customs--on the bridge here in Calais. I have another friend who just tested to do the same, and is awaiting her results. The job, of course, would only be available on the border, Houlton included, but right now they are short staffed. There is a new crossing being built here in Calais, in addition to the two we have now, so the need will continue for a while. I know one of the guys currently working Customs in Houlton is awaiting a transfer to Calais. You may have all ready thought of this, and it may not be something either of you are interested in, but I thought I'd toss it out there!

ForestBeekeeper and DavidoftheNorth are great people to talk to taxes about, their heads seem to hold in the numbers much better than mine. I will say though, that for what I receive in services (town), and the quality of my childrens' education, I won't complain. The quality of life in Maine is outstanding, and if I have to pay a little more to live here where my keys can stay in my ignition and I don't have to ever lock my doors---and I can smell pine and ocean any time---well, that $ just doesn't seem to matter all that much anymore. Take care and good luck with your research!

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by ExAirForce

...
1. Is the tax burden/cost of living that bad?
2. Are there decent paying jobs in the Bangor area (were we are looking)
3. Know of any good home builders as we have our own home plans.

Thanks so much.

1. Our experience has been that the tax burden is very low in Maine, and the cost-of-living seems okay.

Certainly it is much lower than Germany.



2. My Dw got a job in Bangor at the commissary. I keep very busy on the farm. With a military pension I do not know that a person really needs too much more income to live here.



3. Sorry but no I do not. I am building our house.