Opinions on most affordable regions? (Belfast: 2010, to rent, mover)

[lifelongmover]

My husband and I lived in New Hampshire and decided to give South Carolina a try and hate it. We are looking to relocate back to New England and would like to try Maine. He's a paramedic and is looking at jobs in a lot of different areas of Maine. I work at home as a medical transcriptionist, so as long as I have DSL or cable internet, I'm all set. We are wondering if we could get some opinions on what areas are considered to be the most reasonable to buy a home or rent? We would want to rent for awhile until we know which area we prefer, but would hope to buy something at some point. We would need a 4 bedroom house (we have a large family, most of whom don't seem too anxious to leave the nest yet), and my husband would HAVE TO HAVE a shop of some sort or large garage because working on cars is what interests him 24/7. We would prefer an area that is not crowded even if it means an hour's drive to bigger conveniences. I like to read, knit, make soap, go berry picking, and things like that and being somewhat close to an artsy fartsy area would be good for me. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

[forest beekeeper]

lifelongmover -

Welcome to Maine!

... My husband and I lived in New Hampshire and decided to give South Carolina a try and hate it. We are looking to relocate back to New England and would like to try Maine. He's a paramedic and is looking at jobs in a lot of different areas of Maine. I work at home as a medical transcriptionist, so as long as I have DSL or cable internet, I'm all set.

Good skills to have.

We recently had another poster who is also a paramedic [I think] and he had multiple job offers in Maine.

... We would want to rent for awhile until we know which area we prefer, but would hope to buy something at some point.

That is a smart plan.

Maine has different regions, and entirely different cultures. So you really do need to come here, rent, and explore to find which area is best for you.

... We would prefer an area that is not crowded even if it means an hour's drive to bigger conveniences. I like to read, knit, make soap, go berry picking, and things like that and being somewhat close to an artsy fartsy area would be good for me. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

A few areas come to mind,

Maine has a large community of wool producers and spinners.

Berries are everywhere.

Belfast is very much artsy. But so are other areas.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by lifelongmover

My husband and I lived in New Hampshire and decided to give South Carolina a try and hate it. We are looking to relocate back to New England and would like to try Maine. He's a paramedic and is looking at jobs in a lot of different areas of Maine. I work at home as a medical transcriptionist, so as long as I have DSL or cable internet, I'm all set. We are wondering if we could get some opinions on what areas are considered to be the most reasonable to buy a home or rent? We would want to rent for awhile until we know which area we prefer, but would hope to buy something at some point. We would need a 4 bedroom house (we have a large family, most of whom don't seem too anxious to leave the nest yet), and my husband would HAVE TO HAVE a shop of some sort or large garage because working on cars is what interests him 24/7. We would prefer an area that is not crowded even if it means an hour's drive to bigger conveniences. I like to read, knit, make soap, go berry picking, and things like that and being somewhat close to an artsy fartsy area would be good for me. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Affordable areas tend to be in the north and east.
As a rule, paramedics aren't all that well paid up here. Not because they don't deserve the money, but they just aren't.

[Elcarim]

Originally Posted by AustinB

Affordable areas tend to be in the north and east.
As a rule, paramedics aren't all that well paid up here. Not because they don't deserve the money, but they just aren't.

As a rule paramedics aren't paid well anywhere! We've found DH's pay will be approx $2/hr less than it is here to start out. What you will find is that most departments are actively hiring most of the time. What you'll need to watch out for is getting in an area where there is actually a paid department.

[stephmatusko]

i live in lewiston and its pretty affordable. Maybe you could rent for a few months before you decide what part you want to be in ?