Southern Maine, here we come! (Bangor, Sanford: real estate, renter, mortgage)

[Red Square]

Hi all,
We are moving to the Sanford area after all and we have to sell our house. Yikes! After reading Elcarim's post, I am worried. What all do you ask a potential realtor and how do you find a renter if the property doesn't sell? We have to go - new job. Any help is really appreciated.

[mainebrokerman]

in march 126,450,000 worth of homes were purchased in maine, thats over 126 million in one month, and thats down from a year ago, and that doesnt count fsbo's or leases/options

even tho the market is slower than it was, homes are still selling everyday,

red square, id call a local real estate company for a buyers broker, wont cost you anything, they will help you search for properties that fit your criteria (will email them to you) for a place in sanford

[flycessna]

Depends where you are now? Renting is nothing more than writing a lease, putting an add in the paper and screening potential renters. for single family homes the protocol is you are responsible for taxes and ins and of course your mortgage ;(. The renters pay all utilities. If you consider yourself a good judge of character then you could handle this yourself........but there is always the option of using a management company. Long distant management of a rental property could be difficult and I do not reccomend using a management company for anything other than finding a renter. My buddy in Az looks after a neighbors house that is rented out and the guy pays him a 100 bucks a month...the tenants have no idea my buddy doesn't even own the house so it all works out very well. Maybe you know someone there that could do that too. good luck

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Make sure when you list your house that you get a Realtor, not some agent in a local office with limited marketing opportunities. You need your house to get world wide exposure. Ask the Realtor if your house will be on the Wall Street Journal web site for example. Ask to see his track record. How much business did he do last year? Not the agency; Him. You need somebody who can market your house AND the community.

[Red Square]

Thanks for the great advice! I appreciate it. We are moving from Bangor. The stats on houses still selling really cheered me up. Thanks a lot for the ideas and what to look out for. We do have a broker in Sanford and he is awesome. We sure don't want to end up with two mortgages!
I knew you guys would have answers.