power outages in aroostook county (house, to buy, income)

[cordoba11]

I am looking in getting a house in northern aroostook county, is there anyone here from that area? I am trying to find out if the power goes out regularly. If anyone has an idea of a website or state records dept that wood have this info that would be great too. The area i am looking at is frenchville. I just wanted to know if i should get ready to buy a generator or not. Thanks for any info

[Maineah]

I'm of the mind that you should have a generator no matter where you live in Maine. Outside of Maine, I don't know. They would probably steal it while it was running in your yard.

[island mermaid]

IMHO, a generator and a woodstove are a 'must have' in most Maine locations. In Harpswell, our power went out anytime someone sneezed!

[Bydand]

Have lived in Aroostook County for 20 years have HAD to run my generator 3 times. If I lived alone without kids I wouldn't have had to run it those times, but did so they would have some lights/heat and not get scared. It used to be real bad up here in that you would lose power for 5 or 10 minutes almost everyday it snowed or rained, but the last few years it hasn't been bad at all. This winter so far it was out once for 30 minutes once because somebody hit a pole, and once for about 10 seconds. You don't NEED a generator 99% of the time, but as was already said, it is a good idea to have one if you ever do need it

[cordoba11]

Thanks, i am just trying to cover all bases before i buy. I really appreciate first hand knowledge more than anything. Another thing i have questions about is tax reduction, do you have to qualify? Is it based on your income? Size of property? One realtor told me you have to live on the property a year before you can get it.Any input would be great.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by cordoba11

Thanks, i am just trying to cover all bases before i buy. I really appreciate first hand knowledge more than anything. Another thing i have questions about is tax reduction, do you have to qualify? Is it based on your income? Size of property? One realtor told me you have to live on the property a year before you can get it.Any input would be great.

Tax reduction depends on which one you are going for. I believe they *all* must be filed in (or before?) April...but the Homestead exemption requires that you have maintained the property as your primary residence for at least 12 months before you file.

I do not recall reading of a 12 month requirement prior to filing for the Tree Growth or Farmland & Open Space exemptions.

the maine.gov website has a tax area that will answer all of your questions in more detail.

[cordoba11]

zymer, thanks for the input, i am slowly getting enough info here and there to make my purchase a smart one thanks

[Taxed in Maine]

I actually worked for the power company that serves Aroostook county for several years. Power is very reliable, and the guys work very hard to keep it that way.
But..... take the advice already offered, a small generator and a wood stove are invaluable

[Maineah]

Power can fail anywhere not just Aroostook County. We lose power here in Southern Maine on occasion. The last time it was out for about four hours. Certainly not a big problem. The ice storm of '98 made a lot of people rethink backup power and backup heating sources. You can get by without a generator but they're plentiful now and far less expensive than they used to be. We have a wet basement and most storms that are big enough to knock out power also drop a lot of rain. If I didn't have a generator or at least a battery /inverter setup to run my sump pump I would lose my furnace, well pump, and probably my freezer. There are also times I have had to run the generator to keep the freezer going. Imagine working all year to fill the freezer for the winter and a fall storm knocks out power for several days. There goes the whole summer's work.