Move to Maine after retirement-suggested towns?

[Northern Maine Land Man]

If you have not lived in a condo before, doa LOT of research. You give up a lot of rights in a condo. Read the bylaws carefully and consult an attorneybefore signing anything. Some condominiums change theirbylaws as often as they elect new directors. Residents rights and responsibilities change frequently. Very few Maine born people live in condos. One of the more odious rules in condos is the prohibition of washing and waxing your vehicle. Another is parking your motorcycle where it can be seen by other condo members.

Proceed with great caution.

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

If you have not lived in a condo before, do a LOT of research. You give up a lot of rights in a condo. Read the bylaws carefully and consult an attorney before signing anything. Some condominiums change their bylaws as often as they elect new directors. Residents rights and responsibilities change frequently. Very few Maine born people live in condos. One of the more odious rules in condos is the prohibition of washing and waxing your vehicle. Another is parking your motorcycle where it can be seen by other condo members.

Proceed with great caution.

Every homeowners association is different. I am free to wash my vehicles at any time, I pay for water and sewer, some associations have one water bill for the entire association and may set limits. I haven't come across that yet, but I suppose I will someday. I don't own a motorcycle, but I could park it in my driveway or garage. Most bylaws changes need a 2/3, 3/4 or 100% vote to change, usually at an annual meeting. That information can be found in the Declaration. Maine law requires that a buyer needs to be provided those documents no later than 5 days after the effective date of the Purchase and Sale Agreement and then has no less than 5 days to review them. If financing is involved, the lender will also review to ensure that the association is solvent before lending money.

[Cuffler]

In order to see what's currently available, I'd recommend that you begin with a Google search:

[Homes for sale in Knox County, ME]

Let Google do their thing. I always selected the "realestate" websites, NOT Zillow.

Insert the county your desire to search. When you're in there build a search string by amending the choices of types of homes, size of property, price, view, etc. ,etc. You'll be presented with a bunch of places currently available in your price range. In the amounts you're suggesting you shouldn't have an issue finding something. Having been on this quest for 26 months here at this forum, the prices of Maine homes as really escalated. One article I found said that Knox County, alone, inflated prices by as much as 37% over just two years ago. Maine, in general, has gone up 5% then 6% in the past few years. There's a seller's market out there to be sure.

Good Luck.

[gf2020]

My wife and I have been looking at waterfront mid-coast property (from Brunswick to Newcastle) for several years, with an eye towards building for retirement. We would love to be in a low tax town like Harpswell or West Bath but prices are high and inventory is low so we have continued to push further down the coast. We promised that we wouldn't look past Wiscasset, because of how the traffic backs up in town at the bridge, but sure enough our current favorite property is in Newcastle. If we keep going, we have seen a terrific lot for sale in Waldoboro. Yesterday, I even looked at property in Friendship, Cushing and South Thomaston! You have to draw the line somewhere.

In the end, you'll need to decide on what features of a community or proximity to services are important to you. Accessibility for friends and family in the Boston area is high on the list for us, so keeping the drive to under 150 miles from our current home is likely a key deciding factor. Additionally, good proximity to medical services is probably important as we get older, so the fact that Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick and LincolnHealth in Damariscotta essentially bracket the area we are focusing on is good. Maine Medical Center in Portland, however, is the state's only Level I trauma center. My wife likes to shop, so having a Marden's or Reny's nearby would be nice, and we really don't want to have to go more than 15 minutes or so for a grocery store.

As you can imagine, when you start laying out your requirements and looking on Google maps or your DeLorme atlas, you start to hone in on communities that make sense for you. Once you do that, you need to visit those towns and see if you could picture yourself living there. High property tax rates are worrisome. Many of these coastal communities have mill rates around $20.00 per thousand so a house assessed at $500,000 (easy to do with even a modest, waterfront home), will have an annual tax bill of $10,000 or more, that is not attractive on a fixed income. We have come close to deciding on a lot a couple of times but we still haven't pulled the trigger.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by Spanky25

I’ve been to Maine many times, every year over the past 20+ years. Mostly in the “vacation” towns. Seriously thinking of moving to Maine after retirement. Looking for town suggestions. Close proximity to hospitals, supermarkets, restaurants, ect.

I’m thinking along the coast. Either just north or south of Portland. However, wide open to suggestions so I can research even further. I absolutely love Boothbay Harbor, however probably just for vacation. Love Kennebunkport, probably over budget. It’s just my wife & I. Looking for a condo. As far as budget, I’d like to stay below 400k, with additional funds for taxes, HOA fees, ect...

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Generally, I think the rocky mid-coast region is prettier than the sandy southern coast. It sounds like you don't want to be too far off the beaten path. Some suggestions, all have proximity to a hospital, as well as a supermarket and restaurants in town:

- Camden/Rockport (hospital in Rockport)
- Damariscotta (hospital in Damariscotta)
- Brunswick (hospital in Brunswick)
- Scarborough (hospital in Portland)

[Spanky25]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Generally, I think the rocky mid-coast region is prettier than the sandy southern coast. It sounds like you don't want to be too far off the beaten path. Some suggestions, all have proximity to a hospital, as well as a supermarket and restaurants in town:

- Camden/Rockport (hospital in Rockport)
- Damariscotta (hospital in Damariscotta)
- Brunswick (hospital in Brunswick)
- Scarborough (hospital in Portland)

Outdoor,
Exactly! “Not too far off the beaten path”. Love your entire list!
Thank you!

[phoebesmom]

Of those four I like Camden/Rockport and Damariscotta the best. Brunswick and Scarborough are more crowded and less scenic.