Only you can tell me... (Portland, Brunswick: real estate, 2011, low crime)

[Have loved it from afar]

Hello all!

I've been a "reader" for months now - but it's time to come out & ask for your help, as you've been so generous to do for so many others! This forum has convinced me that I'm on the right trail for my new home. I made one trip to Maine last year & am ready to move - if you'll ever "thaw out" up there . We're predicting 90 on Friday down here in Texas - can you see why I'm ready to get out of here? While that may sound wonderful to you, trust me, it isn't!

I'm looking for a home between Cape Elizabeth & Camden along the coast. Closer to Portland, probably the better, as I love Whole Foods and would want to be able to make "easy" trips there about twice a month, as well as enjoying the other things Portland has to offer. But willing to drive from as far as the Camden area if there's a wonderful community nearby. Belfast is just too far. Not looking to be ON the water, just nearby it. Can go around $400K, including any remodeling I might want to do. Want an old house - love the Italianate or Greek Revival Style - but not a ramshackle! 1,500 - 2,500 square feet. I'm willing to remodel - enjoy it even - but there is a limit to what I'm willing to do to it. I'm not game for a well or septic tank, as I'm not comfortable with them (there's limits to what I want to learn about too ) I am a single woman so low crime & a friendly community spiriit are important to me. I'd like to be able to walk to any downtown area, which I would hope would have a wonderful small coffee/tea shop, drug store, good restaurant or two, at least a seasonal farmers' market, library, grocery, possibly a bookstore, good hospital & vet nearby, and emphasis on volunteerism.

I'm wanting a stable community - I was interested in Brunswick with Bowdoin College nearby, but the NAS closing by 2011 makes any home purchase dicey for maintaining its future value, which is very important to me. Bath with its Bath Iron Works also seems a bit questionable economically (will it continue to get Navy contracts...) from some of the posts I've read. I see this as a long-term home, not a fix & flip situation.

I loved Maine the minute the car crossed the state line. There's so much to choose from but even the best internet research can only tell you so much - please help me narrow my choices from your experiences of living there yourselves.

Thanks so much - I so look forward to joining you!

[elston]

Good Morning and Welcome to going public on the Maine Forum. We just bought in Gorham and are moving up in less than two weeks from California. We weren't necessarily looking for coastal Maine but were definately looking to be close to Portland. We spent months and months researching on the internet (Realtor.com) and several other sites. You are well within the price range to find something that will suit you. Be of Good Cheer.

Our experience was that it was indespensible to make a field trip to look at property and its location "in person". Some that looked good on line.....weren't what we expected when we got there. We ended up buying a new home, but were also attracted to some older victorian homes from a by gone era. Again location is important. A lot can change in 100 to 200 years. Portland is a beautiful old city and has many archetectual splendors.

Enjoy you search.

[Elcarim]

Well, hey! Where in Texas are you? Yep, I saw the weather forecast for Friday - yuck! We're on the northeast corner of Houston.

We already have our house on the market and are just waiting for it to sell - taking way too long - then we're off!

Maybe we can carpool!

[umograd83]

Sounds like Scarborough to me, it's not quite a walking town. It's on the coast, owns two beachs, close to shopping, easy drive into Portland. I'm prejudiced because that's where I lived before I moved to the Memphis area. DH and I are moving back and want to find a place in Scarborough. I can fathom living anywhere else. What line of work are you in?

Norma

[WhoFanMe]

Welcome to the forum, Have loved it.

Sounds like Yarmouth would be a good fit, but there's not a lot of inventory that matches yours wants and needs right now, in fact there's nothing available in the MLS system today that comes close. Others have mentioned Scarborough, which has many of those amenities, but the "downtown" is in a strip mall environment and not ideal for walking. Having public water and sewer is going to limit your choices, perhaps you'd consider public water and a septic system, which would open up your choices considerably. For a single person, you'd need to pump the septic system every 5 years and the money you'd save each month on a sewer bill would more than offset that fee. The key is to get a qualifed building inspector to test the tank and leach field to make sure it's got some life left (particularly in older homes).

I'd also recommend that you consider two different reliable real estate agents, one to cover Greater Portland and one for the mid-coast up to Camden. The area you're considering is too large for just one. Good luck and keep posting!

[Have loved it from afar]

Elcarim,

I'm in the Dallas area. I believe, from reading earlier posts, that your in Houston where I always joke that you need GILLS for the humidity. But you have FABULOUS health centers down there for cancer & heart (unfortunately, been there for both with relatives). I love the people of Texas but after 30+ years here, I'm ready to escape the climate (LOVE your "location" on the thread!) People in the north think we're crazy to want to come to their cold winters, but I think they need to come to Texas in July or August to "experience" our summers. As I say, you can always add layers of clothing, but there's only so much you can legally take off in the summertime!

[Have loved it from afar]

umograd83,

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll check it out! I'm a "retired" teacher so a job is not a worry (at least until I pay the first winter's oil bill!) Looking forward to "working" at a volunteer job in Maine! Have worked in the past at a non-profit & have served on a non-profit board while attending grad school. So "just" volunteering will be fabulous!
Thanks again for the post!

[Have loved it from afar]

WhoFanMe -

Thanks for the compromise suggestion about accepting a septic system. It's just so foreign to me BUT a dear friend has a lake house here in Texas & she says it's no big deal (but she's "braver" than I am & her husband can be called upon for help too...) Perhaps it's time to "man up" (even if I'm a woman!) I'm thinking about installing geothermal to help with the oil dependence - I can just see the backyard now - dug up to lay dueling pipes for **** & HVAC! Would have to submit photos of THAT to This Old House - hee hee!

Anyone have any words of wisdom about geothermal in Maine? I've read up on geothermal in GENERAL, but I'd like to hear about Maine in particular. I think that the price of oil, in my lifetime, will be ultra obscene (I know it's already obscene, but if it keeps going up...) and I'd like to stop my contribution to the Middle East's coffers...

[Maineah]

I don't think Geothermal is big in Maine yet. I have heard of a few companies offering it but more as a steady state water temperature pre-heater and a heat dump in the summer. They say you can save 2/3 of the cost compared with running just an oil fired forced hot water system if you hook the ground loop through a heat pump,but your electric costs will be pretty high. It might be a good choice. Anything that will help with the oil bill is a wise investment these days. As for septic we had to replace our septic tank and add to our leach bed about 5 years ago to the tune of about $25,000. It costs us $300.00 every three years to have the tank pumped out.
A funny story involving someone from the South who moved to Maine involving a septic system. These folks were enjoying their first winter in Maine but were puzzled at the area behind the house where the snow always melted in a perfectly round circle. There was snow everywhere else in the yard but it would not stay in that one place. They even took a picture of it and sent it to the Coast to Coast radio show website thinking they had a landing pad for an alien space ship behind the house. Someone finally told them it was the area right above the septic tank and the heat from the tank always melts the snow.....they were pretty embarrassed about the whole thing.

[boonelsewhere]

Originally Posted by Maineah

As for septic we had to replace our septic tank and add to our leach bed about 5 years ago to the tune of about $25,000.

Mainesh, What type of septic system you have that cost $ 25,000.