Eastport ?Quoddy? village or Ellsworth (Union, Mariaville: real estate, brokers, house)

[mrs1885]

Eastport first:

RE said the land we're looking at is in the ?Quoddy? village area? Does this sound right to anyone? We have a bit of a language barrier as I'm originally from Florida and she's originally from Maine. She said it's at the corner of Johnson and Evan streets. She mentioned that it's on a cove and they do have high tide there, but assured me we'd still be able to build on the land. It's a wooded lot but has 100 feet of water frontage.

It totals .69 acre and is listed at $41,000.

Next, Ellsworth:

Property is in Mariaville, which he says is a stone's throw from Ellsworth. It's in a subdivision of some kind. I'm very gun shy when it comes to SD's after all the time in Florida, but if we're only going to be there 3 or 4 months of the year, maybe a SD isn't such a bad thing for us. He didn't have the name of the SD, said he didn't see it listed on the page. But, it's on South Union River Rd, lot #12. It has 269 feet of river frontage. Assoc fees are roughly $150 - $250 a year. Taxes $328 a year. There is shoreline zoning and utility easements, which I'd guess are common. We had that in Florida too.

It's 1.74 acres and is listed for $39,900. The listing was just dropped by $2k so we may be able to do better than that anyway.


So, anyone know of the two areas? Prices sound reasonable for the areas or no? Any comments, suggestions, etc??

[dramamama6685]

I've been to Eastport ony once, but it's incredible (we hope to retire there). My husband still has family in the area and we're heading up in September. So though I'm a bit partial...I vote for Eastport.

[mrs1885]

Eastport sounds so much better, but I really like the piece of property (from what I've seen from the REA) in Ellsworth / Mariaville. Grrr!!!! I can't wait to get up there and see it in person.

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by mrs1885

Eastport first:

RE said the land we're looking at is in the ?Quoddy? village area? Does this sound right to anyone? We have a bit of a language barrier as I'm originally from Florida and she's originally from Maine. She said it's at the corner of Johnson and Evan streets. She mentioned that it's on a cove and they do have high tide there, but assured me we'd still be able to build on the land. It's a wooded lot but has 100 feet of water frontage.

It totals .69 acre and is listed at $41,000.

Next, Ellsworth:

Property is in Mariaville, which he says is a stone's throw from Ellsworth. It's in a subdivision of some kind. I'm very gun shy when it comes to SD's after all the time in Florida, but if we're only going to be there 3 or 4 months of the year, maybe a SD isn't such a bad thing for us. He didn't have the name of the SD, said he didn't see it listed on the page. But, it's on South Union River Rd, lot #12. It has 269 feet of river frontage. Assoc fees are roughly $150 - $250 a year. Taxes $328 a year. There is shoreline zoning and utility easements, which I'd guess are common. We had that in Florida too.

It's 1.74 acres and is listed for $39,900. The listing was just dropped by $2k so we may be able to do better than that anyway.


So, anyone know of the two areas? Prices sound reasonable for the areas or no? Any comments, suggestions, etc??

Be VERY careful about buying in a subdivision. Many subdivisions in Maine are subdivisions in name only. The developer got a permit to cut a parcel of land into so many house lots, put in a road, and proceeded to sell lots. BUT there was no plan on how the roads were to be maintained or plowed, nor was there any real subdivision agreement about who was to be responsible for the taxes on the roadways. Make sure that there is a formal subdivision agreement that everyone who owns property in the subdivision will sign, and make sure that the owner/developer is still "on the hook" until all the lots are sold.

Many subdivisions are never accepted by the town for maintenance of the roadways because a lot of towns simply cannot afford them.

[mrs1885]

Acadianlion thank you. I've never lived - or wanted to live - in a subdivision before. I'll make sure I get ahold of that REA again and ask. He e-mailed me a ton of stuff on the property. Maybe I can find it in there.

[dramamama6685]

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

Be VERY careful about buying in a subdivision. Many subdivisions in Maine are subdivisions in name only. The developer got a permit to cut a parcel of land into so many house lots, put in a road, and proceeded to sell lots. BUT there was no plan on how the roads were to be maintained or plowed, nor was there any real subdivision agreement about who was to be responsible for the taxes on the roadways. Make sure that there is a formal subdivision agreement that everyone who owns property in the subdivision will sign, and make sure that the owner/developer is still "on the hook" until all the lots are sold.

Many subdivisions are never accepted by the town for maintenance of the roadways because a lot of towns simply cannot afford them.

That's nice...some people are apparently just scumbags...grr!

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by dramamama6685

That's nice...some people are apparently just scumbags...grr!

Well, I think it is wise not to be too judgemental. A lot of subdivisions in Maine were created some time ago by people who owned land that they hoped was appropriate for subdivision. There were no local regulations regarding subdivisions in many towns at that time, and the subdivisions were created and the lots awaited sale. Some subdivisions may be fifteen or twenty years old, and only now are selling.

It is not entirely accurate to describe subdivisions that have none of the "modern" features of a 2007 subdivision as having been built by "scumbags"....but perhaps the creations of a different time by people who knew no better and were not forced to think into the future.

Right now in Maine, land can be subdivided once in five years without a formal subdivision permit. If the subdivision involves enough land area...basically more than fourteen acres...AND creates enough impermeable land or structures (which are not always the same thing), then a major site plan review and subdivision permit must be applied for and received from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. This is quite a long, involved and expensive project. The MDEP permit must be granted before the local town can approve a subdivision; before any of the lots can be sold; and before the subdivision can actually be advertised. This has not always been the case. The creation of the subdivision also includes a lot of other things, including at least a Level 1 archeological survey.

So the front end costs of a large subdivision are substantial now, but this has not always been the case. As always with buying land, the buyer needs to do a lot of research into the local and state ordinances that have impact on the property. Not all real estate brokers know anything about land, and they are to be regarded as merely ONE resource, and not the voice of authority.

[JMX]

Quoddy Village is a little bit north of downtown Eastport. It's like they are on two separate islands, but really they are connected by an isthmus. I know this because when I was looking at property in the area, I wanted to be able to walk to downtown Eastport, and that ruled out Quoddy Village.

Here is a link to some maps on the Chamber of Commerce website:
Eastport Chamber of Commerce

[mrs1885]

Thank everyone. The lot I like in Ellsworth / Mariaville has restrictions that I don't understand. I went to my e-mail to pull the document that the REA sent me but I can't find the darn thing anywhere. I did print it and take it home though, so I'll bring it to work tomorrow. Maybe a smart REA on here can tell me what the heck it means!