UPDATE'S, Where are you in life, and your move to Maine (Calais: property tax, bill)

[BacktoNE]

It looks like we will have our house on the market some time in July, and we will probably use one of the Coldwell agencies because they offer "sell your house in 120 days, or we buy it". At this point we just want to be out from under the house so if the opportunity presents itself, we will be free to move without having to deal with getting rid of the house first. I doubt that anything will come up in the meantime, at least with DH's current company.

We are in wait-and-see mode...

[Casper1212]

Good luck on selling your house. I hope you get as lucky as we did. The first guy to look at it made an offer. He had everything approved, etc., and we have been waiting to hear on the appraisal. The appraiser has done the house before and she told me she was fairly sure it would go through. Well, we got a call today from the abstract office that is handling things, asking if we were ready to close. They said the finance company for the buyer had called, asking about it. It looks like our house has sold! That means no worries about paying rent AND a mortgage. And with a recent program through our relocation company, we might just be able to scrape together the money to guy the house we've rented here in Calais. We like it more and more, and we think it's just right for us.
I know most people aren't having this kind of luck selling, and we are taking a loss. But it's better than having two mortgages on a house that's in a bad market, as our Texas house is. Good luck to those of you who are trying to sell.

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by elston

BigNHfamily.......you are such a solid thinker.....I am sure that you are making the best decision .... but I also have confidence .....that if Maine is where you are meant to be.....it will happen. God Bless you and your family. Good Luck.

Thanks elston! can't wait to be a mainah like you. Peace of Christ be with you friend.

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by msina

I hope it all works out well for you and congratulations on the new home.

You're such a deah!
It was too good a deal to let pass. Our mortgage will be less then our current rent and we'll have a lot more elbow room. It's a super location and the house is very solid wit only cosmetics needed. Our area hasn't been hit as hard as many with the real estate market and we ought to be able to make a nice little nest egg in three years.
With 20 acres we'll be able to move the flock back home for the winters. No more lugging water!

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Changing the path doesn't mean the destination changes. Good luck on the new path and congratulations on the new home. That's exciting!

That's right, we've waited this long so what's a few more years. We're going to use the time to really do some great selective breeding with the sheep and build a great flock to move to Maine.
I'm also looking forward to a much expanded garden with a couple of low hoop houses this year. I'm hoping to learn a lot about green house growing and construction. Also hope to use the extra time here to take a Master Gardener course.
Thanks for the kind words. Folks like you are why I'm looking forward to getting upta Maine.

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by KiddinAroundFarm

I agree wholeheartedly w/MW. Congrats on your new home, and look toward the future!!! Things will play out as they should... may your family be truly happy in your new home and may your farm prosper.

Many thanks. We're pretty good at rolling with the flow and being together is what counts most. My DW has taught me that home is not a physical place but a state of mind (though I'm still looking forward to my Maine homestead) Best wishes from our farm to yours!

[palval1]

Originally Posted by bignhfamily

As some of you may know, my family and I have been looking for our spot in Maine for our little farm operation for several years.

Our search started in Down East Maine where my family has been in since before the Revolution. Many years we searched in Machias and all the surrounding areas. Our search next took us to Northern Maine and we looked all around the country for a couple of years and better than a dozen visits. Next it was mid coast and the surrounding inland areas. Most recently we have concentrated on North and West of Bangor.

Things were looking pretty positive that we would settle in the area around Guilford, Parkman, etc. It met all our requirements, decent old farm land at great prices, small towns that we felt welcomed in, opportunities within commuting distance for work for my wife in nursing and myself in contracting and a UCC church in nearby Dover Foxcroft.

Just when things were looking good, this whole economy blew up and really scared us. I've been blessed here in the Upper Valley of NH with a steady supply of work and have managed to busy through winter and lined up a fair amount of work for this season as well.

We decided that with so many people unemployed, especially carpenters/contractors like me that now would be a bad time to risk it all. Our little farm operation is far from self supporting and my wife and I have to work outside the farm to support us and our 4 kids. Because of this we have decided to take advantage of the low house prices and tax incentives and buy a modest house and acreage here in NH.

This is a little upsetting as we sold our house several years ago and have had six of us cramped into 750 sq feet for a few years in preparation for moving to Maine. This is not a final stop for us but we figure it delays our move to Maine for about 3 more years. Not what we had planned but how the cards played out.

So for now, I'll have to live in Maine through all the great post here and continuing our scouting when we can.

Best wishes to all you Mainahs and wanna be mainahs (like me)!!!

Hi, NHF! Congrats on your new home, another steppingstone toward Maine! No need to rush, right? Doors open when they're good n' ready to open for the most part. You're wise to be doing so much research prior to moving to ME and to make the most of what you have in NH right now.

I'll DM you with the rest as I have a few questions about small farm pursuits.

Thx for your well wishes to all of us.

[Casper1212]

It's official. Or should be by Friday. They're sending the papers for us to close on our Texas house, and then, we will be official Maineahs. I sincerely feel that it was destiny, or whatever sort of fate you believe in, sent us here. For those of you who are still working on it, and dreaming of it, it will come when it will be best for you and yours.

[Casper1212]

Come on, guys. Don't drop this thread. There are a lot more of us out there working on getting to Maine. With my old house sold, I feel like our move is complete, if you don't count the boxes I'm still trying to unpack. But I want to know how the other people are doing who were supposed to be coming along behind us. Like rajen and diablogun. Where are you, guys? How are things going?

[brooklynight]

Been in Maine since 1998, when I was sent off to college. I am a college graduate who was planning on moving to Atlanta, then the economy collapsed. I have a management degree but, with the way things are looking, I needed concrete skills; so I went into information systems after loosing my job. Almost 3 and half years of school left for my second degree!!