Quote:
Originally Posted by dhaff1979
Hello!
I am just under 2 years from retiring after 21 years of Active Army. I'm originally from Aroostook county and my wife is from Indiana. We have 2 boys (right now 5 and 3), my wife is a Nurse Practitioner and I am a Network Engineer. We are considering purchasing a place that needs some work in Searsmont, ME and fixing it up during the next 2 years so it's ready for us when we move.
We actually got married in Rockport/Camden and I've been to Belfast and briefly through Searsmont, we loved the area during our short visits.
Any input on the area as far as atmosphere and schools go? According to Zillow the boys would be going to Lincolnville through 8th and going to Camden for HS. Any truth to that?
I sincerely appreciate any input!
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Where will you be living while you fix the place up? (How far away?)
We fixed up a place near Agusta while living in CT, so we were about 5-6 hours away.
I have to say we did not experience any difficulty. (We did all of the work ourselves, so it did not involve hiring workers which would would probably have been more difficult from a distance, so you may want to take that into consideration)
We went up about every other week and spent on average 4 days 3 nights each time. We worked like absolute mules, but had a blast. (The place was livable the whole time we were fixing it up, so we were able to sleep/cook there)
This is the level of repairs it needed-
We removed carpeting, stripped, sanded and stained flooring, stripped and replaced wallpaper, painted walls, sanded and stained trim, repaired gutters and chimneys, replaced porch support columns (that was scary, but my husband is a miracle worker) and fixed roof leak. New toilet, new kitchen sink, some minor plumbing repairs. And of course yard work.
It took us about seven trips total. We did not have little kids at the time, so ymmv.
Sorry I can't help you with your other questions, not familiar with those specifics.
But on this one, I would encourage you to consider distance you'd have to travel, amount of work that needs to be done and how handy you are.
We found working for ourselves like that, to prepare a
home, was just very very satisfying.
Best wishes, it sounds like an exciting time for you and your family.
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