Help Buying a House? (Portland, Lewiston: sale, crime, income)

[mainewannabe]

I love these threads. THANKS, yall.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by ILUVMAINE

This doesn't sound like a bad idea at all! I'm very good at working on the small things - all inside work except plumbing. And for the outside I don't do anything on the roof! LOL How would I go out looking at something? I've seen places that appear to be abandoned, but wouldn't have the first clue how to contact the owners. I know they don't live in the house! LOL We are coming up Christmas week to look at some land near Machias. That is if we don't get snowed in at the Detriot airport! Clean the airport in Bangor and here we come! LOL

i spent 3 days last week, up in aroostook county, travelled thru caribou, presque-isle, washburn, easton, mars hill down rte one to houlton, also in the towns of sherman, oakfield , i saw many houses for sale, that would fit the description of a "fixer-upper" i always pick up the local real estate magazines in the hotels,,id say now is a great time to be looking, its a buyers market, the interest rates have fallen., and thier seems to be quite of bit of inventory on the market.

a few months ago i travelled from caribou to fort kent (rte 161 pr rte 164?)
and seeing many new houses along the way, closer to ft kent,,very nice houses!!
the county is huge, if i were thinking of moving up thier id be looking on realtor.com, uncle henrys, take a ride in the area, look for the signs, go into local stores see whats on the bulletin boards, search maine real estate auctions, forclosures and hud website, id search the real estate companies in the area,,and have the realtors do the searching for you(thats what they do, and when you are buying,,and you have a buyers broker search for you,,it doesnt cost you a dime,,

[ILUVMAINE]

Many many thanks to you all for your expert opinions! Great help! I'll keep you all posted on our efforts during Christmas week.

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by Bydand

In a word: YES. Like no place I've ever lived really. They are VERY independent and while there are plenty of Realtors here, people tend to do things on their own and not want to pay the 6.5% commission they get up here. When things get tight, everybody I know, looks at that and figures the sale price could be at least that amount lower without the "interference" of a Realtor. No I do not feel this way personally. I have learned a lot from the Realtors I know. If oyu have to ask if "The County" is really that much different, you must not have been through the area before. Come on up, there are some wonderful areas and some fine people. There are some rather unique things to see and do that are not all that common. How many times can you say you X-country skied on a world class trail that has been used for major national competition? We can all winter. Come up in the summer for some great lakes, rivers, festivals, all without the crush of tourists.

I've been to the County and enjoyed it, and while it's romantic to think it's like no other place on earth, people are independent everywhere. In a fast moving market, when supply is low and demand is high, For Sale By Owners have a better chance of getting their property sold; in today's market, it's not so easy. I'm curious as to why you and some others think that involving a real estate agent increases the price of property. I'm still waiting for the first homeowner I meet with that says, "the price you recommend is too high, I want to sell for lower." When I do show a FSBO property to a buyer, it's almost always well ABOVE market value. Nobody wants to pay a real estate commission, but the overwhelming majority of buyers and sellers see the value that a professional brings to the table to create and hold transactions together. Is it for everybody? No and if you can do yourself, more power to you.

[mainewannabe]

Originally Posted by WhoFanMe

I've been to the County and enjoyed it, and while it's romantic to think it's like no other place on earth, people are independent everywhere. In a fast moving market, when supply is low and demand is high, For Sale By Owners have a better chance of getting their property sold; in today's market, it's not so easy. I'm curious as to why you and some others think that involving a real estate agent increases the price of property. I'm still waiting for the first homeowner I meet with that says, "the price you recommend is too high, I want to sell for lower." When I do show a FSBO property to a buyer, it's almost always well ABOVE market value. Nobody wants to pay a real estate commission, but the overwhelming majority of buyers and sellers see the value that a professional brings to the table to create and hold transactions together. Is it for everybody? No and if you can do yourself, more power to you.

whofanme. Ethical realtors such as yourself are a TREASURE.

Maybe lots of those people not wanting to work with realtors have lived in florida. LOL !!! Seriously down here .. so many realtors have been found to be stealing from those they represent and not even had their licenses revoked ..
I'd PREFER a realtor. BUT it's hard to find one to trust here. I understand that is not the case in maine.

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

But none of the cheap housing in Maine is listed on the MLS.

Right now my Portland office has 43 properties (25 Land parcels, 4 Multi Units and 14 Single Family Homes) listed at under 100,000. These gems include a 6.49 acre building lot in Limerick listed at 45,000, 20.52 acres in Sabattus listed at 90,000, 10 acres on Shepard's River in Brownfield listed at 97,000, and a 2 unit in Farmington listed at 54,900. How about a 3 Bedroom Ranch in Rumford with 1400 square feet listed for 24,900? Maybe a 5 Bedroom with a 2 car garage in East Millinocket listed for 38,000, or how about a farmhouse with a 2 car garage on 2 acres in Chelsea listed for 98,900?

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by mainewannabe

whofanme. Ethical realtors such as yourself are a TREASURE.

Maybe lots of those people not wanting to work with realtors have lived in florida. LOL !!! Seriously down here .. so many realtors have been found to be stealing from those they represent and not even had their licenses revoked ..
I'd PREFER a realtor. BUT it's hard to find one to trust here. I understand that is not the case in maine.

Thank you very much, I really enjoy the give and take of this forum!

[bignhfamily]

Well I would invite anybody with unlisted properties or knowledge of such properties to DM me with info. We are looking with in a 50 mile radius of Bangor and are particularly interested in North West of Bangor. Larger tract of farmland with or with out house (fixer upper ok).
If it's on the MLS we've likely already seen it.
Many Thanks!

[ILUVMAINE]

Hi All,

It's me again! I have decided to look in newspapers for some of the areas where I would like to live - duh - Maine! LOL I either want to be Down East or around Bangor, Milinocket, Presque Isle. I like the idea of Fort Kent, but my french isn't as good as it used to be! LOL I can access Bangor Daily News on-line and I get a subscription to the Downeast Coastal Press - really neat paper btw - , but I don't know the names of papers in the other areas. Would someone be so kind as to post a listing of the newspapers for Milinocket and Aroostook?

Also, I have "13" reputations - how can I change it to any other number besides 13???

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by bignhfamily

Well I would invite anybody with unlisted properties or knowledge of such properties to DM me with info. We are looking with in a 50 mile radius of Bangor and are particularly interested in North West of Bangor. Larger tract of farmland with or with out house (fixer upper ok).
If it's on the MLS we've likely already seen it.
Many Thanks!

Consider yourself DM'ed.