Moving Advice (Portland, Lewiston, Bangor: rent, credit, house prices)

[JOHNBIA]

My wife and I are tired or living in NJ and would like to relocate to Maine. I have 3 kids 16, 13 and 5. My oldest is looking at colleges in Maine. Our plan is for my wife to finish nursing school and then move up. I currently work in NYC for a bank (Market Data application support Manager) and would probably have a hard time finding work. I currently commute 75 miles each way to work and not waking up at 4AM would be nice. Anyway , we will probably have about 500K to buy a house and I'm wondering where would be a good place to look. I will probably rent for awhile to make sure I like it there. I would love to be close to or on the water if possible and building new is not out of the question. So knowing that my wife will need to find a nursing job where should I look. Quality schools for my children are also important.

[Elcarim]

Belfast, at the top of the mid-coast area, has a nice hospital with an excellent reputation. I believe they also have very good schools. The prices there are lower than other areas south along the coast. It's a quaint town with plenty of amenities, as long as you're not looking for city living. Check it out. Good luck with the search.

[WhoFanMe]

Welcome to the forum, John. I would research TD Banknorth (headquartered in Portland - for now) which has an operation center in West Falmouth and technology center at the old Bates Mill in Lewiston. There are several hospitals within that area to choose from and with your budget you can get close to water, or perhaps some lake/river frontage. There are numerous new construction projects yet to hit the MLS system which will take years to build out, once you sell your home in NJ you will be in great shape to buy a new or nearly new home in Maine.

[JOHNBIA]

I live in NJ horse country now, that's why I drive 75 miles each way to NYC. I don't want to be near the city. Our family enjoys the beach , hiking , canoeing etc..

[mollysmiles]

I suggest Bangor. The school system is great, house prices are reasonable, even more so "out of town" and your wife would be able to choose Husson or Univ Maine Orono to finish her nursing degree. Right now in Maine finding a job in nursing shouldn't be difficult at all--we don't have quite the shortage we did, but we still have quite a need. Also for you because of the business growth in the Bangor area you may be quite lucky finding a job.

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by JOHNBIA

I live in NJ horse country now, that's why I drive 75 miles each way to NYC. I don't want to be near the city. Our family enjoys the beach , hiking , canoeing etc..

That's what great about Portland. You can drive 20 minutes and step in horse poop or plop down on a sandy ocean beach. If you could get in at TD Banknorth and work at the West Falmouth site, you could ride a bicycle from farm country to work with quick access to the Maine Turnpike north and south.

I'm not dissing Bangor at all, but if you need to be within 2 hours of Boston by car or 2.5 with AmTrak, you'll want to look at the Portland area very carefully!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

I recommend the Lincoln area. They have a good small hospital, excellent schools, great schools and 13 lakes. Lincoln has 6 banks and a credit union, all three car franchises, many churches and is the conomic center of the region.

The next town over is Lee with 10 lakes, Lee Academy (which wins the state math meets on a regular basis) and has a ski area. Lee has five stables. Our snowmobile trails are horseback riding trails in the summer and we have hundreds of miles of trail. Lee has the highest per capita income of any town in the region. That's because of Lee Academy. Students from all over the world come to Lee Academy and local kids go there tuition free because the school pays no property taxes.

There are several additional lakes between Lincoln and Bangor. You can get a really nice home on the water here that is well within your budget.

[forest beekeeper]

EMMC in Bangor is a teaching hospital, perhaps your wife may desire one of many specialties.

[moughie]

JohnBia, you are so lucky that Maine has so much to offer and so many regions to choose from!!
All the above mentioned are wonderful cities with many great qualities. Perhaps spend some time researching on the web to figure out what is best for you and your family.
Good luck to you

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by JOHNBIA

... Anyway , we will probably have about 500K to buy a house and I'm wondering where would be a good place to look. ...

I retired, took a chunk out from our investment portfolio to buy land up here, build a house and get started with a farm. I have spent less than a quarter of what you are planning to spend.

I now have 42 acres of forest, that is alongside the Penobscot river, we have 1/4 mile of river frontage, and our new home is set back 100 yards from the road.

Using half of the money that you are planning on using you could easily buy a much larger and nicer piece of property, have a home built for you and still have a lot left over.



Have fun.