Moving to Bangor in late January (Portland, Brunswick: best town, apartment complexes, rentals)

[diablogun]

Hi everyone, I just accepted a job in Bangor at the airport and will be moving there in a few weeks, I was wondering if anyone knew some decent apartments that I might be able to rent at beforehand; I have been perusing the Net and can't find much that gives me photos or an idea of the desirability of the area. I have read alot about the area and it seems wonderful--if you can believe it I took the job without visiting :-) Anything to escape Phoenix and the heat/commute/crime/pollution/illegal immigrants.
Any info you would have about the area I would much appreciate :-)

[Dragondog]

dialblogun

apartment wise I live in Connecticut- so cannot be of much help
however escaping the heat and other problems in Phoenix is understandable.
They say AZ is the fastest growing state- well it will not be from your presence!

Good luck- Bangor is a really very nice place to live.

[lovemaine]

I would check Craigslist. Quite a few of the rentals available also have pictures. I would also call a realtor in Bangor. A lot of times they can be very helpful in finding apartments. Good luck!

[MAINEr]

Hughes Management has nice apartments and some that are not so nice but a 2 bd they have now id 625/mo with electic heat which will average you about 150 in winter, also Harbor Management has several apartment complexes

http://www.bangorregion.com/Website3/Relo/rentals.htm

http://yellowpages.superpages.com/li...l%5EApartments

I work right near the airport and lived/work in bangor for all my years let me know if you have any questions

[bigchuckie]

Check out Bangor daily news.com they have alot of rental info. Also check dawson realty they usaully have alot of rentals as well

[diablogun]

Thanks for information; I just got a bunch of information booklets in the mail today from my job-to-be and everyrthing looks great :-) By the way, where do you think the best town to live in in the Bangor area? I am thinking I want to be able to buy a newer house with around 1600 Sq feet for less than 150 K and avoid the higher taxes. I've looked on the MLS and most new builds are somewhat North of that figure.
Also, are utilities really expensive there? Would you all say that every day costs are expensive in Maine?
Sorry to bother you, but I am very curious about everything in my new town :-)

[Dragondog]

Utility costs in all of New England are costly. Electricity is high- and costs of oil,used primarily in Maine for heating fluctuates with the price of a barrel of oil- a heating alternative is propane gas- which is cleaner and a wee less money. Natural gas is used more in south western Maine.

As for housing costs 150K for the home you describe will be tough to find.
Bangor is considerably cheaper then Portland, Brunswick, Bath and other areas of coastal Maine from the New Hampshire border to Rockland and Camden.

I did see at Realtor.com in Bangor a new 3 bedroom 2 bath ranch home on a quarter of an acre for 155K- AND A new 4 bed 2 bath on one half acre for 183K.

Other new constriction under 200K around Bangor is under construction.

Day care costs throughout New England tend to run 65-75 dollars a day. Probably less in the Bangor area.

[stevenlear]

New Construction comes at a premium to resales. There are some wonderful older homes on the market here for under $150,000 with all the space you could hope for and they don't all need a ton of work (although many do).

Deciding on which town to choose to live in is a matter of prioritizing several factors: taxes, schools, convenience, etc... It is best to have a look around and consider all your options first hand. You may find that a dollar or two difference in tax rates is more than set off by other factors.

Utilities can be a bit high, depending on what you are used to. Yes, you need to heat (usually with oil) for about 5 to 6 months a year (though not continuously) but you can throw the windows open all summer and you will only wish you had air conditioning about 4 or 5 days during the summer... easily cured with a window unit.

Day to day living expense rival just about anywhere else... you will not "save" on groceries, etc... The market is small and most everything gets here by truck at the end of a long road trip.

All that being said... it is a small price for the quality of life you will experience here.

[diablogun]

Tahnks agian for the information; I imagine the costs to be a bit cheaper than Phoenix, though not vastly so. I also saw a lot of those older houses, and some of them are gorgeous. Is there any indication that the housing market is falling there a bit recently as it has elsewhere?

[Dragondog]

The housing market in New England has stalled-prices in most areas are declining. The main exception is the Hartford CT area- which should remain the same or rise slightly.