Young amily moving from North of Seattle to Maine

[dramamama6685]

Maine is beautiful.. do your homework and you'll be fine. Many folks on here have moved up and had wonderful experiences.. after all they get the"Maine, the way life should be" from somewhere.

[mainegreeneyes]

For what it's worth, here's my 2 cents about moving to Maine:

I am not from Maine, nor did I have any family from Maine when we moved here over 20 years ago now. (I am originally from NY) We moved here because my ex's job transferred him to Maine (he was in the paper industry). We first lived in Piscataquis county. I have lived in other areas of the state too, but now live in the augusta area. Most people I meet in Maine are here because they have family from here or their spouse is from here, etc..

Maine does have high taxes, but compared to other areas of the country, a lower cost of living. You will want to make sure you have a job - or have enough savings to last you a while. I was working for software companies in California and spent more of my time traveling out of state than living here. In this last downturn, when my company went under, I decided to go into real estate and got my license. I had been an investor before, so it was something I was always interested in and figured why not?

As one poster mentioned, you are probably making an income that is in the top 3% for Maine. If you can continue to earn that kind of money by living here instead of Seattle, you will do well. I had considered moving to California last year because I was worried about the economy and being far from the center of technology jobs.. but in retrospect I am glad I didn't. In the bay area of California, it was almost impossible to find a home for under $1M - and they were nothing special. In Maine, you can find something great for 300k or less depending on the area. yes you can spend more, but why?

Maine does have high income taxes. And high excise taxes. but the cost of your home will be a substantially lower part of your budget. If your job allows you to work remotely or you just need to be close enough to an airport to fly (like I did), I would choose the central Maine area. You are still within an hour of the Portland airport and housing is lower. You will be able to save a much larger portion of your income - which worked out great for me - otherwise, i couldn't afford to have a mid-life "career shift" - or a break from high tech.. But, if you need to find a new job, I wouldn't come to Maine to do that. There are very few high paying jobs in this state.

If you are looking for more of a city environment, portland area is nice. I have lived there and also in Bangor - and if I had to choose between the 2 I would choose Portland - better airport, closer to boston and NYC, more cultural activities etc. But the area between Portland and Augusta all have great communities too as another poster mentioned, and housing prices are even lower - and you are still within 1 hour of Portland. Also, the more south you go in Maine, the milder the weather (by Maine standards).

Maine is not for everyone - but no place fits everyone. If you can keep your high paying position and do it from Maine, it is worth your consideration. In comparison to NY or California, the lifestyle is definitely different - but I prefer it.

If you have done your homework about Maine and still feel it is a good spot for you then make the move. Years ago, when I first got married and we had 2 choices of where to move, one in NY and one in northern NH, northern NH felt "right" - even though I had never been there! We moved, and then moved to Maine a few years later, and never looked back.

My best advice to you would be to make sure that whatever you buy for a home, you do your homework and don't pay too much money!! If you don't like Maine after living here for a few years, you can always move back.. but you will want to be able to sell your home and not lose money! people from out of state come here and think that they are getting a bargain - when they are really spending way more than the house is worth . Then when they decide to move again, they can't sell it - unless they find someone else "from away"... things can always change, but most of Maine has not had big run ups in real estate, so make sure you don't overspend for the area you move to.

Good luck in your decision.

[AliceT]

I'm sorry, but there is no more room in Maine. I bought the last available parcel several years ago.

On a serious note, rent a place for a year before you decide. I don't think Maine is for you and if Starbucks is your idea of normal, you are going to be incredibly disappointed. Maineacs don't pay $5 for cold coffee. That kind of money is saved for rounds for hunting season.

Portland is a small town compared to Seattle. There is absolutely nothing similar about the two.

Become a renter for a year and see what that experience does for you. Your title won't impress anyone in Maine. In fact, you might not want to spread that around because it sure makes you sound like an alien from another planet. Maineacs are hard working people. The office types are few and far between and even the office types in Maine know how to fell a tree and chop it up into cord wood. If you don't, you'll need to learn it mighty quick.