Help Buying a House? (Caribou: real estate, lease, work)

[Bydand]

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.

You are not listening to what I am saying. I never said it was a romantic view I held of the County, never even said it was a fond view I held. I know people are independent everywhere, probably more so than you do. I've been to all but 4 States (and I don't mean a drive through trip either), most of Canada, and know darn well the independence to be found. You ask why I feel involving an agent increases the cost of a house, where do I say I think that? I clearly state in BOLD letters "No I do not feel this way personally" Sorry if you feel you have to defend your fellow Realtors, but back off a bit. I am not saying that it is the only way to do it or even the best way. Just stating that most of the transactions I know of are handled without an agent. I have used Realtors before and am in the process of using one now.

I don't give a rip about a national survey that was sent out to people to fill out and send back. You can skew those numbers real quick and easy. Was it a blanket survey to EVERYBODY who bought or sold property during the target time frame? I doubt it, so how were the respondents chosen? Did everybody who received them send them back? What was the margin of error? Who was conducting and financing the study? All questions that directly relate to the findings. Also a Nation wide survey does NOT directly relate to individual areas in any aspect of life. What a national survey/study reveals is the average of all these unique areas combined. If this is not the case, do you look at national crime figures and believe they are a direct match to the area you live in? Do National income figures directly match your area? Do National home purchase prices match your areas average?

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by 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???

hiya luv, here is a list of maine newspapers i found on a search
Maine Newspapers (ME)


Advertiser Democrat (Norway)
All Marine Matters
American Journal (Westbrook, Gorham & Buxton)
Androscoggin News (Lisbon Falls)
Bangor Daily News (Bangor)
Bangor News (Bangor)
The Bar Harbor Times
The Bates Student
Biddeford Courier (Biddeford)
Biddeford News (Biddeford)
Boothbay Register (Boothbay Harbor)
The Business Journal (Portland)
The Camden Herald (Appleton, Camden, Hope, Lincolnville & Rockport)
The Cape Courier (Cape Elizabeth)
Capital Weekly (Augusta)
Castinep Patriot (Castine & Penobscot)
The Courier Gazette (Rockland)
Cumberland County News (Portland)
The Daily Me (Central Maine)
The Daily Me
Edgecomb ENews (Edgecomb)
Ellsworth American
The Free Press (Rockland)
The Gray News (Gray)
Hancock News (Hancock)
The Independent (York, Ogunquit)
Island Ad-Vantages (Deer Isle, Isle au Haut & Stonington)
Journal Tribune (Biddeford)
Kennebec Journal (Augusta)
Lakes Region Suburban Weekly (Standish, Windham, Raymond, Sebago, Naples, Casco)
Lewiston News (Lewiston)
The Lincoln County News (Lincoln County)
Lincoln County Weekly (Damariscotta)
Magic City Morning Star (Millinocket)
Maine Coast Now
The Monument News (Gray & New Gloucester)
Morning Sentinel Online (Northern Kennebec Valley)
The Mount Desert Islander (Mount Desert Island)
News Maine (Portland)
North County Press (Fort Kent)
Old Town News
Original Irregular
Oxford County News (South Paris)
Penobscot News (Penobscot)
Portland News (Portland)
Portland Phoenix (Portland)
Portland Press Herald & Maine Sunday Telegram (Portland)
The Quoddy Tides (Quoddy Loop area)
Rangeley Living (Rangeley)
Rangeley News (Western Mountains / Rangeley)
Rangeley News Journal (Rangeley)
The Reporter (Alfred, Limerick, Lyman, Newfield, Shapleigh, Waterboro)
The Republican Journal (Belfast)
Rumford Falls Times (Rumford)
Saco News (Saco)
Sacopee Valley Citizen (Baldwin, Bridgton, Brownfield, Cornish, Denmark, Fryeburg, Hiram, Kezar Falls, Limington, Parsonfield, Porter)
Sagadahoc County (Bath)
Scarborough Leader
Scarborough News (Scarborough)
Seacoast Online (Southern Maine)
Somerset County News (Skowhegan)
South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Sentry
South Portland News (South Portland)
St John Valley News (Northern Aroostook County / St John Valley)
Sun Chronicle (Old Orchard Beach, Biddeford, Dayton)
Sun-Journal (Lewiston)
The Times Record (Brunswick)
Village Soup Times
Waldo News (Belfast)
Waterville News (Waterville)
Weekley Observer (Sanford, Springvale, Acton, Lebanon)
The Weekly Packet ( Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Sedgwick & Surry)
The Weekly Sentinel (Southern York County)
Westbrook News (Westbrook)
Winn News (Winn)
Wiscasset Newspaper (Wiscasset)
York County Coast Star
York County Coast Star
York County News (Alfred)
The York Weekly (York)

[Bydand]

The Aroostook Republican - Caribou
The Star Herald - Presque Isle

[dramamama6685]

Originally Posted by 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???

LOL. Hey, what's wrong with 13? It's a lucky number in our family. So much so that we got married on a Friday the 13th (on purpose, for the record!)

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by mainewannabe

whofanme. Ethical realtors such as yourself are a TREASURE.

They certainly are...and the (few) UNethical ones blight the rest. I contracted a very nice gentleman to act as my buyer's agent in the Caribou area.

We found a house that we were *really* interested in and were getting ready to make an offer. We looked at the property twice, then wanted to go back one more time to put in the offer, but a few days before we were supposed to go up my agent called and said he was no longer going to represent us.

When I finally got the story sorted out, it turned out that the owner of the agency representing the seller had browbeat my agent into dropping us in order to keep the entire commission in her agency.

Ding! No Sale.

It's a shame too because it really was a very nice property with a lot of potential, already more than half-way to being almost exactly what we were looking for.

[399083453]

Gosh, you can make an offer with any realtor. Dont let them beat you up like that.

[dramamama6685]

Maybe get a buyer's agent and then submit your bid?

[399083453]

One I bought, the listing agency said my bid was too low and the seller wouldn't accept it. I told her "by law she must submit my bid to the seller" She was pissed, but submitted it to the seller, the seller accepted and all ends well.

You dont need a buyers agent or anything, just tell them to submit your bid and don't take no for an answer.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by 399083453

One I bought, the listing agency said my bid was too low and the seller wouldn't accept it. I told her "by law she must submit my bid to the seller" She was pissed, but submitted it to the seller, the seller accepted and all ends well.

You dont need a buyers agent or anything, just tell them to submit your bid and don't take no for an answer.

I have experienced that attitude from realtors as well. Anything to raise the price and thus commission.

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by Bydand

You are not listening to what I am saying. I never said it was a romantic view I held of the County, never even said it was a fond view I held. I know people are independent everywhere, probably more so than you do. I've been to all but 4 States (and I don't mean a drive through trip either), most of Canada, and know darn well the independence to be found. You ask why I feel involving an agent increases the cost of a house, where do I say I think that? I clearly state in BOLD letters "No I do not feel this way personally" Sorry if you feel you have to defend your fellow Realtors, but back off a bit. I am not saying that it is the only way to do it or even the best way. Just stating that most of the transactions I know of are handled without an agent. I have used Realtors before and am in the process of using one now.

I don't give a rip about a national survey that was sent out to people to fill out and send back. You can skew those numbers real quick and easy. Was it a blanket survey to EVERYBODY who bought or sold property during the target time frame? I doubt it, so how were the respondents chosen? Did everybody who received them send them back? What was the margin of error? Who was conducting and financing the study? All questions that directly relate to the findings. Also a Nation wide survey does NOT directly relate to individual areas in any aspect of life. What a national survey/study reveals is the average of all these unique areas combined. If this is not the case, do you look at national crime figures and believe they are a direct match to the area you live in? Do National income figures directly match your area? Do National home purchase prices match your areas average?

I am sorry if I offended you, I was addressing my comments to others on the forum as well. I quoted the only survey that I'm aware of, I'm just the messenger. And yes, when there are factual errors on posted on the board such as "many more homes are sold without real estate agents than with real estate agents" or "you won't find bargain homes on the MLS" I am going to ask for documentation. You and the others are certainly entitled to your opinions and I welcome them. I only have a problem when they are stated as fact. This is a discussion board and I'm grateful for everybody's opinion, it keeps things interesting, doesn't it?