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And FYI, in Bar Harbor Town, not the village, which has the cheapest taxes on the island because of the businesses and the cruise ships, there are currently properties for between $179K to 200K for sale. If you want to go to the other side of the island to Wild Tremont side(where the buffalo still roam and the skies are not cloudy all day, of course) then you can get a house for $125K to 150K. I mention this because there is a mis-apprehension that MDI only has property that is in the $500K to 5,000K range. These are current prices that I just checked on my favorite Realtor's website(which has the state multi list on it). And of course there are land prices pretty cheap where you can bring in your own dwelling and put it up yourself like one from Shelter-Kit.com which I saw one which went up on the road to Ellsworth which replaced one that burnt down when the owners were away, and I recognized it because I built one just like it in Mid Atlantic all by myself about 14 years ago for a cabin out in the woods in western Maryland. Doing that, you could probalby have a nice little 1000 sq foot house for about $100K.
Sly
Sorry, I should have made it clear that I was referring to Maine guys comment
"I have never personally heard of any younger person/couple moving to Eastport area."
And FYI, in Bar Harbor Town, not the village, which has the cheapest taxes on the island because of the businesses and the cruise ships, there are currently properties for between $179K to 200K for sale. If you want to go to the other side of the island to Wild Tremont side(where the buffalo still roam and the skies are not cloudy all day, of course) then you can get a house for $125K to 150K. I mention this because there is a mis-apprehension that MDI only has property that is in the $500K to 5,000K range. These are current prices that I just checked on my favorite Realtor's website(which has the state multi list on it). And of course there are land prices pretty cheap where you can bring in your own dwelling and put it up yourself like one from Shelter-Kit.com which I saw one which went up on the road to Ellsworth which replaced one that burnt down when the owners were away, and I recognized it because I built one just like it in Mid Atlantic all by myself about 14 years ago for a cabin out in the woods in western Maryland. Doing that, you could probalby have a nice little 1000 sq foot house for about $100K.
Sly
That one for 179K is alot cheaper than almost anything else. And it's been on the market quite a while. It looks like a decent house with a decent sized lot. It's fairly new too. I wonder what the story is with that??
I can't believe what house lots are selling for in Bar Harbor!! I guess somebody must be willing to pay that much or they wouldn't be asking what they are.
Hospital in town voted one of the best in Maine(super emergency medicine dept). Tourists can be a pain now, but they keep our taxes down, so I don't mind, and they are only really here in July and August of any real import.
Moved here when I was 62, wife 59, three years ago. More friendly than anywhere in the mid atalntic that I lived for 62 years before than. Heath food store in BH, and in Ellsworth. Recreation? heck, its a national park. And more things to do in the winter than in the summer. Lots of things to join. Acadia Senor College for intellectual stimulation as well as seminar by the Jackson Lab and Maine Bio Lab. Several great libraries with lots of things to, and access to every library book in the state in a couple of days.
And met some great people on this forum who I go out with,a dnwent to diner tonight with two of them in Ellsworth(fastest growing town in Maine, BTW). Police in BH and on the island are the most caring, supportive and friendly cops I've ever run into(not that I've had much contact with law enforcement, mind you).
Wife is more involved than I with the Garden club, the YWCA, a native American support group, and several school oriented organizations. We are both involved in the local yacht club which is a really down to earth group of people, and Acadia Senior College. You can volunteer for all kinds of things since the are 97 non-profit organizations on the island.
Maine and Hancock county is the best place I ever visited and best place I ever lived.
PM me if you want more.
Hi and thanks for the post! We've DM'd each other in the past in the period when you were selling in PA and moving to BH and settling in. Was I jealous!
We see the end of our working days a year or two down the road and the new grandkids will be older then, so our thoughts are returning to Maine but we'd want to before we get too old, lol. BH is perhaps too pricey for us, maybe Ellsworth. I don't do well in traffic so not sure about that route. But you seem to love BH!
While we finish up the renovations on this old house down in MA, I'd still love to hear the stories of those who moved from elsewhere. It keeps DH going on the house (as he sweats and curses) if I keep dangling Maine in front of his thoughts.
That one for 179K is alot cheaper than almost anything else. And it's been on the market quite a while. It looks like a decent house with a decent sized lot. It's fairly new too. I wonder what the story is with that??
I can't believe what house lots are selling for in Bar Harbor!! I guess somebody must be willing to pay that much or they wouldn't be asking what they are.
It has issues no doubt. I mean, if you want move in ready HGTV, you won't get it for $179K, for sure. And, unfortunately there aren't even many people around who are willing to put in their own Allure flooring from Home Despot(which if it was any easier, you could put it in with magic!).
BH is perhaps too pricey for us, maybe Ellsworth. I don't do well in traffic so not sure about that route. But you seem to love BH!
While we finish up the renovations on this old house down in MA, I'd still love to hear the stories of those who moved from elsewhere. It keeps DH going on the house (as he sweats and curses) if I keep dangling Maine in front of his thoughts.
Yeah..... just over Thompson Island will get you cheaper---as much as $100,000 cheaper in some cases. But we wanted to do stuff on the island, so for us, living in Ellsworth, or even Lamoine, which is a great place BTW, was never really an option. We knew that we'd rarely be hiking the Park or sailing or kayaking if we had to drive 25 -35 minutes to get there.
But the really really big thing is that the winter group living in MDI is pretty close-knit. After just three years, we know lots of people that we see all the time and lots more that we don't know their names and they don't know ours but we wave and say hello because we are here all winter.
Where I lived before I didn't know members of the town council, the town manager, the president of the local college, the planning board, directors of the libraries, editor of the newspaper, owners of many of the businesses, etc. But for the ones that stay open all year around, we all know each other. Its a kind of group experience I never had before. I can't go anywhere without seeing someone I know and stopping to talk. And its not because I'm special in any way at all, cause I'm not. I'm just a retired guy who moved here. Its just that we are all here together through the winter.
Its Maine and Hancock County, and MDI that is special, not me.
Yeah..... just over Thompson Island will get you cheaper---as much as $100,000 cheaper in some cases. But we wanted to do stuff on the island, so for us, living in Ellsworth, or even Lamoine, which is a great place BTW, was never really an option. We knew that we'd rarely be hiking the Park or sailing or kayaking if we had to drive 25 -35 minutes to get there.
But the really really big thing is that the winter group living in MDI is pretty close-knit. After just three years, we know lots of people that we see all the time and lots more that we don't know their names and they don't know ours but we wave and say hello because we are here all winter.
Where I lived before I didn't know members of the town council, the town manager, the president of the local college, the planning board, directors of the libraries, editor of the newspaper, owners of many of the businesses, etc. But for the ones that stay open all year around, we all know each other. Its a kind of group experience I never had before. I can't go anywhere without seeing someone I know and stopping to talk. And its not because I'm special in any way at all, cause I'm not. I'm just a retired guy who moved here. Its just that we are all here together through the winter.
Its Maine and Hancock County, and MDI that is special, not me.
I'm curious how you picked Maine and apparently Bar Harbor to retire? Was it your vacation spot? We've been going for years and this year plan on "window shopping" for houses. Looking to see what we can get in our price range etc. We subscribe to Down East magazine and it really makes Maine out as a great option for retirees who love the outdoors without the heat.
I'm curious how you picked Maine and apparently Bar Harbor to retire? Was it your vacation spot? We've been going for years and this year plan on "window shopping" for houses. Looking to see what we can get in our price range etc. We subscribe to Down East magazine and it really makes Maine out as a great option for retirees who love the outdoors without the heat.
In 1977, my wife saw a bumper sticker on a friend's car that said "Meet me at Geddy's in Bar Harbor". She asked and the next year on a trip to Nova Scotia we stopped. MDI turned into a magical place for us. Its not for everyone, but for us it is. So we vacationed here in a tent and then in a camper and then at a house. We had planned to retire in a cabin we built in the mountains of Western Maryland, and were staying at a house in Otter Creek we always stayed at. By this time we knew the owner who took her family into a campground for two months of the summer(she a nurse practiioner at the medical practice we use now). She had come back to mow the lawn in 2007, and said, "Why are you retiring out in the woods in that place far away from the ocean, when you both love this place so much?" We both looked at each other and said in unison, "Yeah, why are we?" It had simply never occurred to us that we could actually move to a place where we vacationed for so many years. So we talked about it all the way home that year, and then decided to sell the property we worked so hard on to retire, and sold our other house two years later. In the fall of 2007, we came up in two whirlwind trip times to look at houses with a local realtor, now a friend, and in November/Dec, 2007 bought one. For awhile we were covering the mortgage and taxes on three properties, and sometimes it was scary about what could happen if we lost our renters here in Maine. But eventually everything worked out and we moved into the house that we'd bought four years earlier.
I'd agree that Bar Harbor seems to have a different atmosphere than most other places in the mid-atlantic. It all comes down to what your level of involvement is. If you can stay completely out of a town's backstory and politics, that seems to be the best course. Some towns can detest new people for a long, long time. Bar Harbor is beautifully laid out. It is easy to walk, even if one has difficulty walking. The visitors tend to be a happier lot than one encounters elsewhere, so there is a buoyancy to the town. Winters are insular, but, as noted, Bar Harbor has offerings for the year-round resident, and Ellsworth is nearby. I'd give it a try. Otherwise, I wouldn't go further south, nor further north than Brunswick.
We are on 33 acres in a rural area north of Millinocket. Just moved here last month, but I spent last summer with 2 male relatives building a small ranch and bunkhouse. The property is off-grid. I am almost 67 and wife is 65. We have 6 grandchildren, now all school age. We both wanted to be with them during their younger years, and are now pleased that they are vacationing with us.
We came from Rhode Island. Too hot down there for me, but northern Maine has been a steam bath lately. In every other aspect, I am not disappointed. RI is nothing but one big traffic jam; we are lucky to hear a car pass by up here. Don't yet know much about the hospitals, as we try to stay away from them. We came up here to get away from crowds, traffic, smog, noise, violence, and high prices. It was a good move.
I am posting this so that people who are looking for God's Country (rather than a new social circle, with big-screen TVs, hospitals for every paper cut, and high-priced housing) know that it is still out here, and they can make the 'Great American Escape' if they wish to!
That's a great post, Nor'Eastah. I've known a few people who have done very similar things as you, in your new area. The heat of last week was most unusual; we don't usually hit even 90 up here. Which suits me fine. I was just thinking today how the cheap real estate, along with the beautiful scenery, makes the Millinocket area a great place for retirees who are of modest means and who like nature. I bet it will become more and more popular in that regard. (The Amish have certainly discovered it; I see that they are now settling in the Sherman area, but then again I don't know that they ever really "retire" lol).
My sister who lives in Cumberland went down to coastal Connecticut this week, to get their rental property ready for the next renters. High, high, high stress environment, despite everybody around there being pretty wealthy. My sister was stressed out within a day of being there. And then the drive home yesterday took six and a half hours, instead of the usual four and a half. All the traffic, etc. She's coming up to Portage Lake tomorrow with her family and really looking forward to a peaceful trip on the "open road".
I never understood people from NY, Mass, New Jersey, Connecticut, etc. who use their vacations to try to "get away from it all" by coming to the same places where everybody else is "getting away from it all" too. Seems like you're just changing longitude and latitude coordinates.
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I guess somebody must be willing to pay that much or they wouldn't be asking what they are.
