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I too wondered about the comments "the stunning view of Cutler" as well as "star gazing would be limited." I too would like to know more about what prompted those comments.
I really don't care where they're from. I don't think trying to talk oneself into buying something just because it's in your price range is a good idea. That would be similar to you talking yourself into a ticky tack subdivision that cost 10x more when you wanted bare land and woods. In the OPs post i got the impression he would prefer something away from the former Navy base view but due to price range issues, settling for was a consideration--kind of opposite your experience. (Location location location) You got what you wanted for 10x less money than what you would have paid for something you didn't want anyway.
The drawbacks, in this case, are... a questionable view... that's about it, really. Maybe that it's an open southern exposure rather than some nestled in cove perfect for kayaking? I dunno. This'll have much better sun exposure than all these other small wooded lots I'm shopping, there's pros and cons every which way. I haven't come anywhere near finding this sort of cleared coastal acreage elsewhere in my price range. Since being on the water is my first priority, and having a decent sized lot for my homestead-y activities is right up there too, and I'm limited by my budget, I'd be sacrificing a lot of other wishlist items with any other property and that moves this to the top of the list. Easily. The alternative to making some concessions guided by budget is... what... not moving out of the south? I don't think my sweat glands will live through another Mississippi summer!
Last edited by HaikuHeritageFarm; 01-04-2021 at 11:03 PM..
... I do work remotely online, a quick search suggested there was decent internet options on Cutler Rd. I hope that's accurate?
That is difficult to comment on.
There is a wild difference from one town to another over internet access speeds.
My township has no cable company, we have internet access through our phone company who has twisted copper-wire pairs ran to each house, but they tried to upgrade it to use dsl technology [it does not work that way the physics are just too different]. I get 2Mbps down and 0.2 Mbps up on a good day.
We have a new couple that moved into town, they came here from L.A. and they work remotely online. They bought land right on the town line. The next town up has fiber optic ran to each house, they were able to convince their phone company to run the fiber across the town line to their house, and now they have high-speed broadband. The only home in our township that has such.
We used to see a lot of posts from a lady called 'Starwalker', she had some great posts about searching for a home that has high-speed internet access. Apparently, she contacted the town office in each town where she was considering buying a house, then she tracked down the ISP. Most of the time the first person you talk to at an ISP is a salesperson who thinks they are a realtor, as such, they will happily lie to you to convince you that they offer high-speed access. But when she dug further and insisted on speaking with tech support, then most of the time tech support would admit that they only offer dial-up access. [you can see why I compare them to realtors].
The story that she tells is pretty good, if you can locate the post.
On a side note, it makes no sense to me, for an ISP to lie to you promising high-speed access when they know they do not offer any such thing. That if you buy such a house, you will become a long-term disgruntled customer after you realize that you can only get dial-up. But that is why I compare ISP salespeople to realtors, they will knowingly be dishonest if it means they can get you as a customer.
My ISP marketing says they offer 'up to 10Mbps', which only means that you will never get any speeds in excess of 10Mbps, the fact that you can only get 2Mbps fits perfectly within what they have promised.
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... P.S. Hi, I'm Rachel. Nice to meet you all.
Nice to meet you, I am Galen.
When you finally make it to Maine, you are welcome to contact me and come over to have supper.
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Originally Posted by HaikuHeritageFarm
... being on the water is my first priority
Have you thought about freshwater?
Maine has a lot of freshwater rivers and lakes, all with water-front properties.
We bought two land parcels, one has a quarter-mile of river frontage on the Penobscot River, the other property is located inland a mile away from the river.
The water-frontage property was on the market asking $750 an acre, while the non-water frontage property was asking $350 an acre.
So you can see the difference that water access makes on the price of land.
When I was shopping for land. My buyers agent sent me sent me to look at a property on the MLS listed as 'waterfrontage'. I hiked the entire property line looking for this water frontage. When I could not find a body of water I called the listing realtor, she admitted to me that she had never stepped foot on the property, she had no idea if it had water frontage or not, she just listed it that way to get more bites from prospective buyers.
Buying low priced land allowed us to go a little crazy designing and building our farmhouse. We are on solar-power, and our house is very efficient to heat through the winters. At 2400 sq ft it takes us a little under 4-cords of firewood each year to stay warm.
BTW, do you have a particular joy in short poems [of three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third] ?
Yes, I've considered it. A river or a very large lake would be a possibility, but it would be a concession as I do have a particular affinity for the sea. I once rented a tiny 400sf concrete box of a precarious cliff-perched apartment in some tiny fishing village south of Puerto Vallarta. I thrived on the ocean, hearing the waves continuously as they roared or quieted with the weather, watching the fishermen go to and fro every day, seeing the color of the water change with the time of day and the weather and the season... it was an unexpectedly steadying experience. It felt like a second heartbeat as I got more attuned to it, and it's the big draw to Maine for me. Maine and Alaska are probably the only places in the US where I could eke out an affordable oceanfront lot without worrying about being wiped off the map by floods or hurricanes.
Trust, I've thought about going back to Mexico but Americans can't own real estate on the water. Also, being there makes you really appreciate the US Postal Service.
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Originally Posted by Submariner
BTW, do you have a particular joy in short poems [of three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third] ?
Actually, I am not very interested in poetry at all, this was simply a business name. I started using this years ago in Alaska as I wanted a name that was unique (couldn't find anything else that might confuse folks on a Google search,) easy to spell, memorable (alliteration is a great tool to stick something in a brain), and spoke to my customer base (they love "heritage" and "heirloom" and that's what I raise.) I also wanted something that wasn't location-specific because I didn't expect to be up there forever, and look at me know... trying to move the farm for the third time!
Back to the matter of the Internet—wonder how far out Elon's Starlink problem is so we can all just stop worrying about this already!
Hello Rachel,
You will see the towers in just about every facet of your life. I was looking at a house in that neighborhood initially but found something more suited to my needs and not on a traveled road. The towers had nothing to do with my decision, I just wanted to be further off the road. It is beautiful there for sure. I had to get used to a tower across the water in Canada blinking all night, it is a non-issue now. I moved here from the Blue Ridge in North Carolina, I find the weather comparable except in a few isolated instances.Besides unscrupulous tradesmen, and missing family I have not a regret. Good luck, and I hope you find a suitable property.
Back to the matter of the Internet—wonder how far out Elon's Starlink problem is so we can all just stop worrying about this already!
Well, they are indeed Beta testing now. And in the Machias area, at almost 45 degrees north latitude, it is close to where the earliest concentration of satelite coverage is occurring. (That is at around 53 degrees latitude, both north and south, and is a result of the average orbital inclination of 53 degrees of the current batch of satellites.) IIRC, the beta testing users are all or mostly at those high latitudes.
Be aware that if you want best data availability and best speeds with Starlink that you have to have a somewhat open view to the sky. It does not need to be a 100% view to the sky all around the horizon, but the 'view window' for the satellites is not going to be a single hole at a fixed location in the sky, like with satellite TV. This will all improve with time as more satellites are deployed. So that may be part of your real estate planning or tree management. (I see a new market for small towers!)
Right now, in Maine, you would want a 'view window' open to the north, so you can best pick up the concentration of satellite up along that 53 latitude line. So that you can see how this concentration at 53 degrees latitude is happening, here is an interesting site. Where the green is most dense is where the satellite time is most concentrated.
If you move the slider bar at the top of this web page for the "Degrees From Horizon For Connectivity", you are simulating the lowest average angle above the horizon of satellite viewing from your Starlink receiver. The smaller the number, the lower the trees and other obstructions are around your receiver; i.e., the receiver can see more of the sky around it, and thus more satellites.
This is a really interesting conversation and helpful too. I am a lot like Rachel, looking at property near Cutler and did research on the towers. Starting to worry about the brigtness at night and also read some info from an Ellsworth paper about water contamination from fire fighting material on the base. An article in DownEast made it sound like out of state people are not looked upon kindly. Is that the current mood in Cutler? Thanks for any info.
The Cutler Navy base is still active. Most people think it has shut down. It's not operated by contractors, it's full-time government civilian and a few active duty military. Only the VLF communications site is active. Main side, which was base housing was turned over to private entities.
The Navy still employs 80+ people from the local community. The towers don't provide very much light at night. Just the red strobe lights for aircraft.
Yes, be mindful of water contamination. If you purchase property, do test the water.
As far as the locals go. It can take a little time to be accepted into the community. You have to make an effort to fit in. Participate in the community (be involved in youth activities, go to fundraising, just be social). We have had folks move in that have tried to change the climate so to speak. When we ask, why did you
move to the area? Folks mostly reply, we like the area, the remote/rural feel and we didn't like what was becoming of the place we left. Then 6 months later, they are trying to turn our area into the place they left. That's a big turn off to us. Washington County has been the way it is for a couple hundred years, commercial fishing, logging, blue berries raking, etc. Folks around here don't want change (good or bad). Overall it's a good environment to raise kids and to feel safe.
As of now, we don't experience what other parts of the country are experiencing. If you have any questions, just ask. I live local and work for the Navy base.
I came here almost 5 years ago. People here have a strong work ethic. I got a job working on the roads, saw many neighbors, I feel am respected. This is a family oriented community and mostly conservative in my opinion.
The towers glow red (not bright) at night. They do not interfere with the star view, what does are the lights in the village, but you are not looking for that location.
It is windy here! Not much snow in winter now, mostly rain and ICE. It is still too early to find out for this year.
The state of Maine is becoming more and more legislative. Please check into rules regarding water, septic systems, waterfront property, building ordinances, etc. before you commit.
Well, they are indeed Beta testing now. And in the Machias area, at almost 45 degrees north latitude, it is close to where the earliest concentration of satelite coverage is occurring. (That is at around 53 degrees latitude, both north and south, and is a result of the average orbital inclination of 53 degrees of the current batch of satellites.) IIRC, the beta testing users are all or mostly at those high latitudes.
Be aware that if you want best data availability and best speeds with Starlink that you have to have a somewhat open view to the sky. It does not need to be a 100% view to the sky all around the horizon, but the 'view window' for the satellites is not going to be a single hole at a fixed location in the sky, like with satellite TV. This will all improve with time as more satellites are deployed. So that may be part of your real estate planning or tree management. (I see a new market for small towers!)[/url]
Here is a link to the Starlink Satellite map. It does require a view of the Northern Sky. I have it installed at my place in Mars Hill. Just checked my router from my phone. Presently getting 276 Mb down and 19 Mb up. I don't see any times when I lose connectivity.
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