UPDATE'S, Where are you in life, and your move to Maine (Portland: house, rent)

[McMar]

Originally Posted by maine4.us

Mc: There are homes in the Eastport area that realistically priced. You have to dig them out though. Many say they are in move in condition, which technically is correct, if you don't mind looking at rafters. I recall one on North Lubec road that had a high price on it. When my DW and I looked at I laughed. There is no way that anyone would move into this home. I think the price was based on being located on "desirable North Lubec Road." There have been real price reductions in the Eastport area since summer. Most are off at least 10-15K, and some have even been reduced a 3rd, or 4th time. I think that conventional wisdom says that the people buying now are cash buyers, and they will pay a bit more, for a bit less home. I don't tend to agree with that wisdom as I think prices are going to go down before bottoming out. From what I saw, starting about now, people start looking for summer homes. Prices will hold steady through the summer, but what is left unsold in the fall, will be reduced in the fall. The fact that even cash buyers know it is a buyers market, should reduce prices overall in the current slump.

Good to know Maine4! Maybe prices will be reasonable when I can finally afford to buy. Some of the descriptive terms used in listings are about as misleading as they come. "Rustic" (no running water), "Charming" (bathrooms haven't been updated in 50 years), "Minor Cosmetic Repairs Needed" (reality: be prepared to spend $20,000 or more).

Oops, I've steered us a bit off-topic. Sorry everyone!

[maine4.us]

Hey, you aren't off thread, you are still looking to move to maine....that's where you are in your life... I hope you get there sooner than you even hope. Maine calls to you!!! It calls to many of us. It's been calling to me and my DW for years, we just didn't know it until this last summer.

[dramamama6685]

Wow trying to catch up on this thread prior to 7am on a Sunday.

Let's see, Star sorry to hear about the job, but extrememly excited for you that you get to come up sonner rather than later.

McMar, don't worry, we'll all be there drinking our drinks on the beach by the campfire before you know it.

Menme and maine for us.. congrats on getting to Eastport..less then 2 months for you, you lucky ducks. (FYI, when my plates come up for renewal, I'm so stealing your screen name. Due to the 7 character limit, it will read, ME 4 US).

Flycessna, I'm glad to hear that you are happier where you are. I have also learned to try and enjoy my time where I am. Good thing as these are the last years i will be in the same state as our daughter. Decided not to wish these years away.

Going to read on and make sure I haven't missed anyone.

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by McMar

Wow! Congrats on the deal! I agree with you and WhoFanME - ego gets in the way sometimes. The buyer and the seller both want to be the party that decides the final price. WhoFanMe is right - if you know the property is priced fairly, make a reasonable offer or you'll miss out. We snagged our current home when it had been on the market for 11 days. Listed at $99,900, we offered $96,000, and as I thought, the sellers accepted without a counter. Had we offered less, they probably would have countered for more than what we offered. It's a fixer upper, but I think the only reason the house hadn't sold before we found it was that there were hospital beds and equipment, personal items (including a car in the garage). It was depressing. Potential buyers knew that someone had probably died in the house. Had the house been empty and a bit cleaner, I think the seller (the deceased owners' son) could have sold the house for about $110,000.

Well done McMar! I'm not sure if you or your agent got to submit your offer personally to the decedent's son or their agent, but that also makes a big difference. It's not just dollars and cents to most people, they genuinely care about who is moving into "their" house or a house that has many memories. Often I have my buyers write a hand-written letter about why they want the house and what they plan to do when they move in, and submit it with the deposit, pre-approval and Purchase and Sale Agreement. Scratch that idea for REO or bank owned property - they could care less, it's all about the dollars on those deals!

[McMar]

I know what you mean, WhoFan. I put a lot of myself into my houses and do get a bit emotionally attached because of it (even though I shouldn't). I have owned 6 houses, and I have really liked 5 of the buyers. I felt so good about them. The man how bought our last house was one of the most unlikable people I had ever met. He was maybe 30-ish, very pushy, extremely socially inept, drove a fancy BMW, wore fancy clothes, and drove a fancy new BMW. Yet he got cash back at closing. Despite the good job, the guy was completely cash poor. This particular house was in a neighborhood full of wonderful people. It was like the 50's - everyone talked and gave each other food and knew each other's dogs. I feel like I'm responsible that they now have a snobby jerk for a neighbor.

WhoFanMe, this house is an investment house for us. We typically buy a house, live in it for 9 months to a year, fix it up, and sell it. We don't make much money and the moves grow tiresome, as does living in a constant construction zone, but it is a way for us to make a little at a time to put away for us to (hopefully) eventually pay cash for a house that we'll stay in. We are not "flippers" (I loathe that term). We typically buy homes that haven't had many updates in 40-50 years and renovate them from top to bottom with attention to every detail. That means we make any repair needed instead of just covering problems with nice cosmetics.

The man who sold us this house was so nice. He was happy to see us buying the house to renovate because he knew we would make his childhood home a really nice place. The seller's agent was a good friend of his, and had seen the MLS pics of our last house (before we bought and then after renovation, when we had it listed), so I'm sure he reassured his friend that the family home would be taken care of. In this price range, odds were that another buyer would have purchased the house, make almost no repairs, and the house would continue to deteriorate and become a blight on the neighborhood eventually.

[maine4.us]

ME 4 US - wow I never thought of a vanity plate with that. I took the name from the website I registered. I wanted to get a Maineish sounding email address. I registered
This Web site coming soon "www.maine4.us" and took part of that site name for my screename. Now, I have to put something up on the site. I thought about getting you Mainers here to send me photos and do an informative site on Maine for people looking to relocate. Who knows I might make a buck or two down the road on the site.

[Elcarim]

Just had the funniest experience! I was curled up on the couch, resting (per DH instructions ) and watching a movie. I can see the reflection of my front window in my back patio doors, and I suddenly see this woman's face in the window. A glint of light caught my eye, and I guess I looked into the glass at just the right moment. Anyway, I jumped up and went to the front door and opened it to see her running back to her car.

I asked if I could help her. Very embarassed and already turning 3 shades of red, she said, "I'm SOOO sorry. I thought the house was vacant. I just wanted to peek inside. OMG! I'm so embarassed!"

I told her to grab a flier from the box and call our agent, and she's welcome to come inside and see it whenever she'd like. I just hope she's not too embarassed to come back! I guess ANY activity is good!!

[McMar]

Oh my gosh, I've had a similar experience, El. I had just gotten out of the shower - still in a towel, the phone rings (it's 7:15). It's central listing wanting to show my house right now. While I'm on the phone - a knock on the door. I throw on a robe, open the door, and it's an agent with this family. He thought our house was vacant, just "staged". Luckily, he and his family were just wanting to preview the house for his buyer. I quickly got dresssed and booked it out of there, and he happily came back 20 minutes later. He was so embarassed though. We have also caught people peeking in our windows. With our cars in the parked driveway. It's embarassing for both parties.

[Maine Writer]

We thought our house was empty when we first came to look. It was officially listed and we knew who was selling. The doors were unlocked so we walked in through the backyard door, through the house, turned into the kitchen and OMG! the lights were on, there were flowers on the counter, cupboard doors were open and full of food - but thankfully nobody lived here. When the renter moved she packed up her clothes and left. Phew.

[maine4.us]

Now see, that is why you want to be in Maine, don't cha no! Where else would you find a house in exactly the state as you described. Here in FL, you would find an alarm system, infrared beams guiding a rocket launcher and a voice recording stating "move away from the house." But in Maine, that is just the way it is. We looked at a house without notice and the people were just happy to show us the house. I really liked the house, but it was not meant to be. Jessica was a saint to show us the house, complete with kids and their mess without a moments notice.