Question for those who moved to Maine (Bangor, Saco: for sale, condo)

[Bewitched]

Originally Posted by postmyusernamehere

All I can say is my experience living in Dexter must be completely different than yours. But because Maine is such a diverse state I can only address your points in regard to the Dexter area:

1. January and Febuary are brutal, but Spring, Summer and Fall here are an absolute Paradise.

2. Social interaction is mostly a personal issue. For myself , less is more, as I find myself today trying to weasel out of a Christmas party next week.

3 Quite the contrary. Once upon a time most of rural America had its own unique local cultures. Most of that is gone now. Today, Dexter is one the few remaining locals in rural America that still has a rich culture it can call its own.

4.Dexter has no less public transportation than any other community in rural America. I believe we have more. (two cabs)

5. My youngest child is four and I have never had trouble securing daycare.

6.I have three teenage girls. One has the lead role in the current community playhouse production. She also cheerleads for the school basketball team. And she is a member of the math club. Another is the school mascot at sports events. She founded the school chess club and is a member of the yearbook committee. On weekends she cleans stalls in exchange for riding lessons. The third is on the wrestling team, student council, key club, ensemble, youth group and church choir. They start their day at 5am and don't get home til well after dark. If these kids had any more "outlets" I believe they would collapse from sheer exhaustion.

7. Dexter Family Practice is right across the street. They do a wonderful job.

8.Dexter is just as well equipped to handle it's homeless population as any rural community in the country, better than most in the southern states, imo.

And to add to the ongoing tax discussion, it only costs me $15 a year to register my Dodge Dart, (that's good). When I painted my house my property taxes went up $400, (that's bad).

I'm not going to debate over the semantics of the phrase "faint of heart".
I think it's more than clear just from this forum alone, that Maine is definitely not for everyone...for a myriad of reasons, many identified in these threads.

You disagreed with me, and certainly have every right to do so.
Have a lovely evening.

[treeluvr]

Originally Posted by Bydand

Repped her for you. Plus it was a great post.

I can't give her more rep either, though I'd like to. We like Msina!

[postmyusernamehere]

Originally Posted by Bewitched

I'm not going to debate over the semantics of the phrase "faint of heart".
I think it's more than clear just from this forum alone, that Maine is definitely not for everyone...for a myriad of reasons, many identified in these threads.

You disagreed with me, and certainly have every right to do so.
Have a lovely evening.

I do think the issues you listed are the important ones where you're at. They're just not the same issues we're facing up here. And, of course, Maine is not for everyone.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by postmyusernamehere

All I can say is my experience living in Dexter must be completely different than yours. But because Maine is such a diverse state I can only address your points in regard to the Dexter area:

1. January and Febuary are brutal, but Spring, Summer and Fall here are an absolute Paradise.

2. Social interaction is mostly a personal issue. For myself , less is more, as I find myself today trying to weasel out of a Christmas party next week.

3 Quite the contrary. Once upon a time most of rural America had its own unique local cultures. Most of that is gone now. Today, Dexter is one the few remaining locals in rural America that still has a rich culture it can call its own.

4.Dexter has no less public transportation than any other community in rural America. I believe we have more. (two cabs)

5. My youngest child is four and I have never had trouble securing daycare.

6.I have three teenage girls. One has the lead role in the current community playhouse production. She also cheerleads for the school basketball team. And she is a member of the math club. Another is the school mascot at sports events. She founded the school chess club and is a member of the yearbook committee. On weekends she cleans stalls in exchange for riding lessons. The third is on the wrestling team, student council, key club, ensemble, youth group and church choir. They start their day at 5am and don't get home til well after dark. If these kids had any more "outlets" I believe they would collapse from sheer exhaustion.

7. Dexter Family Practice is right across the street. They do a wonderful job.

8.Dexter is just as well equipped to handle it's homeless population as any rural community in the country, better than most in the southern states, imo.

And to add to the ongoing tax discussion, it only costs me $15 a year to register my Dodge Dart, (that's good). When I painted my house my property taxes went up $400, (that's bad).

good post, and dexter has one of my favorite grocery stores in the state
p&l country store!!

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by Petertherock

I am sorry but this made me LOL!!! You must not live in Maine USA because there is no place in Maine USA that has low taxes. Maine is one of the highest taxed states in the country! It was #1 at one point and may still be!!

I will answer the questions in a little bit when I have some time to respond...but work calls me right now.

pete, i cant agree with you here, i live within 15 miles of augusta, have a property worth around 200k and property taxes are less than 800 a year,,
one sees what they are looking for, if you want low taxes, maine has towns with very low taxes..

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

pete, i cant agree with you here, i live within 15 miles of augusta, have a property worth around 200k and property taxes are less than 800 a year,, one sees what they are looking for, if you want low taxes, maine has towns with very low taxes..

Well said

[a51ampFuse]

Why did I move to Maine? A number of reasons, but overall I guess just looking for a little more elbowroom, and a kinder/softer place to live.
Would I do it again, too soon to ask/answer that one.
I will say that what I have exsperienced here so far has been disappointing on some levels. (We're talking northern Maine here). The country is nothing short of breathtaking, almost have to remember to breathe. I'm about to say the following things for two reasons. One I have strong faith things will change. Two, because I just don't get it? Where i came from isn't really important. But to give you a clue,Moderator cut: racist contentI have never exsperienced some of the resentment and blatant rudety as I have seen up here, apparently for being an -outsider-. I spent over the course of 4 yrs. talking with a number of mutually oriented people of my work on a number of occasions that did everything but beg me to come out and work for them. Once here, only to hear, nope nuthin goin on, nuthin happening, even one (verbatim) "well we decided to hire back the
alcoholic that worked here before". I have been asked in on occasions for lack of better word, interviews that had absolutely no intend to send income my way but rather to just -check me out-. After arriving, one set of neighbors, while waving to them and sayig hello, literally and repeatedly, stopped in their tracks, put their hands in their pockets, and silently just stared at me. And please don't make the assuption that in the move I brought my palm trees or former way of life to inflict upon you. Far from it, I have lived and worked in a half a dozen different states, and when you move to Rome, you do as the Romans do. And I can tell you as an honest fact, many of your "Mainers" have moved elsewhere, including my former home, and we -do-not- treat them the way you do -outsiders- here. Now I have met a few nice and good folks here so far, but they have been few. Just food for thought, not all -outsiders- came with the intent to rape your daughters, fathers, or livestock. Some come with just the desire to live, be happy, maybe offer you somethings of quality you're lacking in workwise and just,,,,,just be.

[elston]

To 51 amp: I experienced that kind of thing years ago when i moved to NH from "the flat lands". One of the more spleeny neighbors regularly cursed me and my kids as "god d-mn hippies" (my 4 year old once came in and asked, "Whats a pucker?" When I asked him what??? he said "Mrs. Lebreque called me a little pucker and told me we should go back where we came from." We didn't leave for more than 20 years. We were always outsiders, but we did eventually earn some degree of acceptance--but that was mostly thru the kids involvement in Little League and 4H. We truly had little in common with the town folks and our social circle developed in the little city/town nearby where there was a little more diversity of ideas, education and perhaps tolerance. I wish you better luck and hope things improve.

[Parrotpaul]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

pete, i cant agree with you here, i live within 15 miles of augusta, have a property worth around 200k and property taxes are less than 800 a year,,
one sees what they are looking for, if you want low taxes, maine has towns with very low taxes..

When are they going to revalue your property?

When I moved from North Saco in 1998, I owned a 3BR 1 bath ranch on an acre and a third. No basement, no city water, no city sewage, nearest fire department was three miles away, and my last property tax bill exceeded $2,000.

I now own two condos in south Orange County (purchased both for $140K in 1998)..together worth about $600K, and my property taxes on both are $1600 a year. Thank God for Prop 13...and Maine voted down a similar legislation last year. My taxes by law can only go up 2% a year, so my taxes will rise next year about $32.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by Parrotpaul

When are they going to revalue your property?

When I moved from North Saco in 1998, I owned a 3BR 1 bath ranch on an acre and a third. No basement, no city water, no city sewage, nearest fire department was three miles away, and my last property tax bill exceeded $2,000.

I now own two condos in south Orange County (purchased both for $140K in 1998)..together worth about $600K, and my property taxes on both are $1600 a year. Thank God for Prop 13...and Maine voted down a similar legislation last year. My taxes by law can only go up 2% a year, so my taxes will rise next year about $32.

I do not know yet how often they routinely perform re-valuations here in Maine.

Is it at the discretion of the town?

My property in Maine was just valued this past year.

Our property in Ct gets routinely re-valued when the ownership changes, or whenever the town treasurer determines that the cost of hiring a firm to perform a re-valuation is worth it in raising city revenue.