Good, affordable place in Maine if you're an artist (Rumford: for sale, FSBO)

[Mom on Coffee]

Norway is a very cute village and they have a couple small galleries as well as being about an hour from Portland.

[399083453]

Wow, Eastport homes starting at $39,000 nice deals. And Lincoln starting at $35,000 ready to move in.

[tapestry]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

I've never personally had any flooding at all, not even a little water in the basement (knock on wood... ) But there are many old homes in Maine that either due to the type of foundation or the location (either on the lot or just within the area) will sometimes experience a wet basement after a heavy rain. I have a friend who has a pump in his basement that he keeps "just in case"....he just pumps out any water, and if it gets damp he opens the doors to outside to air it out.

When I was little we had a roof leak one year because a few shingles had lifted in the wind, but really, it was nothing that was difficult to fix.

Molly,

If you don't mind my asking, how much is a typical heating bill in the dead of winter for a month? Is it outrageously expensive? Also, what type of heating is best and most economical?

Also, anyone else please let me know your thoughts as well on this....

Thanks,

.....Sue

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

It's not stupid to ask about flooding....

we have had some big spring storms and have had some troubles along streams and rivers...but I wouldn't call it a normal thing to experience severe flooding. We do see a normal, expected rise in the spring of the water levels. Along the coast, during a storm we sometimes see higher than normal tides, and sometimes this can cause a significant amount of damage....it doesn't happen every year. We also keep an eye on the wind along the coast during a storm, because that can also make a difference in the amount of damage we get. However, that being said, these types of storms are not a regular happening here...hurricanes are very rare, tropical storms maybe a bit more common, but still not a yearly happening

When I was looking, I wasn't concerned so much about flooding from ocean or rivers, but I did look at a number of places where the spring melt caused basements to take on some water.

I put off making decisions on some of the properties I was looking at in the dead of winter for just that reason- because of the lay of the land I wanted to know just how much run-off to expect. It was a good thing too, there was one house we looked at on the outskirts of Presque Isle (White Rd.) that *looked* almost ideal...at first. But I planned a second look for mud season and my suspicions were confirmed, the basement (poured concrete) was severely flooded. It might have been correctable but it wasn't something I wanted to deal with.

One in Frenchville (the one near Ft. Kent) had a regular stream running through it where the water flowed out of the hillside and through the basement, such as it was.

[mollysmiles]

Originally Posted by Zymer

When I was looking, I wasn't concerned so much about flooding from ocean or rivers, but I did look at a number of places where the spring melt caused basements to take on some water.

I put off making decisions on some of the properties I was looking at in the dead of winter for just that reason- because of the lay of the land I wanted to know just how much run-off to expect. It was a good thing too, there was one house we looked at on the outskirts of Presque Isle (White Rd.) that *looked* almost ideal...at first. But I planned a second look for mud season and my suspicions were confirmed, the basement (poured concrete) was severely flooded. It might have been correctable but it wasn't something I wanted to deal with.

One in Frenchville (the one near Ft. Kent) had a regular stream running through it where the water flowed out of the hillside and through the basement, such as it was.

I'm glad you mentioned that Zymer....I talked about that somewhere else, about checking for the leaky basement, and a home inspection, but it's good that you thought to mention it here too!

[tapestry]

Thanks, everyone, for all the helpful suggestions....I've got much food for thought and many places in Maine to investigate next summer when we're able to get up there and look around....can't wait!!!

Thank you again!

...Sue

[ontheroad]

In addition to all the great suggestions you've received, you might also like to check the area around and in Belfast, Searsport. I am both a retiree and an artist, and this area is beautiful, can be affordable, very hospitable and on the ocean and where I spent one wonderul month in May.

Good luck!

[tapestry]

Originally Posted by ontheroad

In addition to all the great suggestions you've received, you might also like to check the area around and in Belfast, Searsport. I am both a retiree and an artist, and this area is beautiful, can be affordable, very hospitable and on the ocean and where I spent one wonderul month in May.

Good luck!

hmmmm.....I had always thought Belfast was an expensive area....I will hafta check it out on Realtor.com.

Thank you for the idea!

...Sue

[dramamama6685]

Hey ladies...looks like tapestry may join our ya-ya!!!

[Elcarim]

Welcome Tapestry! Ya-Ya!!!!!!!