Maine Morgage Lenders (Bangor, Augusta, Waterville: real estate, renting, mortgage)

[Kel72]

Anytime I need to find truth about a particular topic in Maine I always come here because I feel you all give the best and HONEST answers.
My husband just recieved a settlement from when he was injured and we have wanted to make the move to Maine for many yrs but where waiting for this settlement. His brother is in Waterville and he loves it, it truely has changed his life for the better, he is calmer man

My question is I need to find the best Lender in Maine to go through and its been years since I have had to do this and I am in Mass so I am not sure where to start. We are not working with any brokers right now because we would like to be prequalified to show we are serious. We do have an area which is Augusta and 10 miles around like Hallowell etc, not sure which county that falls in I forget. There are several homes that I have seen that I would like to make an offer on but again we feel we should have all this in order first so I would appreciate any help in this area. Also if anyone knows of a good realtor I would be willing to work with them as well. We are not set on that particular area we just gravitated toward that area where work would be available for myself at least. I am in the medical field.
We would like to do this as soon as possible so that when my oldest graduates in May we are out of here!!!
Thanks in advance

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by Kel72

Anytime I need to find truth about a particular topic in Maine I always come here because I feel you all give the best and HONEST answers.
My husband just recieved a settlement from when he was injured and we have wanted to make the move to Maine for many yrs but where waiting for this settlement. His brother is in Waterville and he loves it, it truely has changed his life for the better, he is calmer man

My question is I need to find the best Lender in Maine to go through and its been years since I have had to do this and I am in Mass so I am not sure where to start. We are not working with any brokers right now because we would like to be prequalified to show we are serious. We do have an area which is Augusta and 10 miles around like Hallowell etc, not sure which county that falls in I forget. There are several homes that I have seen that I would like to make an offer on but again we feel we should have all this in order first so I would appreciate any help in this area. Also if anyone knows of a good realtor I would be willing to work with them as well. We are not set on that particular area we just gravitated toward that area where work would be available for myself at least. I am in the medical field.
We would like to do this as soon as possible so that when my oldest graduates in May we are out of here!!!
Thanks in advance

I think the first step to take is to get in your car and come to Maine right now. Start looking at the houses and areas that you think you are interested in and start talking to banks yourself with your " boots on the ground" HERE.

It isn't clear from your post whether or not you do intend to use a broker, but if you do, the broker may be able to point you in the direction of a local bank that is a good lender for whatever area you are moving toward.

Any other approach is speculation I think, unless you plan to go through a big bank that has branches where you are as well as where you want to go in Maine. But the big banks are having trouble doing much of anything right now, and I think you might do well by being IN Maine when you do your talking.

If you are serious about "being out of here" in June, then you had better start making frequent trips to where you are going, NOW. Massachusetts isn't very far away. Take advantage of that.

[Kel72]

Yes, I do understand your point. We have spent several weekends since Oct in Maine in several areas and then I had surgery and life gets busy but we do very often do what you suggested. I was thinking about even renting something like an eff apt until this process is over since it might be cheaper than renting motel rooms all the time!!! Where we want to be is at least 3-4 hrs from our place now so yes we could drive home but its easier to stay. I am sorry, yes we would use a broker I just have not found any to be very helpful from the emails I have sent out inquiring about properties, in their defense they may get inquiries all the time and no serious buyers but we are very serious and ready to act.

[reloop]

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

I think the first step to take is to get in your car and come to Maine right now. Start looking at the houses and areas that you think you are interested in and start talking to banks yourself with your " boots on the ground" HERE.

It isn't clear from your post whether or not you do intend to use a broker, but if you do, the broker may be able to point you in the direction of a local bank that is a good lender for whatever area you are moving toward.

Any other approach is speculation I think, unless you plan to go through a big bank that has branches where you are as well as where you want to go in Maine. But the big banks are having trouble doing much of anything right now, and I think you might do well by being IN Maine when you do your talking.

If you are serious about "being out of here" in June, then you had better start making frequent trips to where you are going, NOW. Massachusetts isn't very far away. Take advantage of that.

I agree completely with this post. Bangor Savings Bank IMHO is great to deal with, but as with any decision of this magnitude, being face-to-face with your lender and also possessing a clear plan with regard to what you are interested in, is a prudent way to go.

[BacktoNE]

In the Waterville/Augusta area, my recommendations would be:

Kennebec Savings Bank
Kennebec Federal Savings Bank
Bangor Savings

This is from our own personal experience, and not a reflection on any other lenders in the area. We have had excellent experiences with all 3 mentioned above.

As for realtors. I'm sure you will find that they are more helpful once you are actually in Maine. They get inquiries all the time from people out-of-state and most are just fishing expeditions. Meet a realtor in person, sign on as a serious buyer, and they will be very attentive.

[msina]

In my experience......... Bank of America sucks. We've banked with them for over ten years and had a really bad experience with them. We prequalified through another bank, the loan officer was wonderful. Great advice (for our situation), called us just to check in, encouraging and went to great lengths to be helpful. I now consider her a friend. NMLM to the rescue again.

[Kel72]

Ty to those who took the time to respond. I actually spent the morning looking for a relocation specialist who also has some listings we where interested in so I am hoping she will put us in touch with someone who deals in this area of relocating. Any infomation anyone could share About Maine would be greatly appreciated. I know the winters and the job market, I am not looking to be comforted on that, I agree with alot of people who say you need to be prepared wherever you move to be ready for the conditions and we will be in time, I am just looking forward to the serenity of a smaller town there where we are, less traffic, less crime. I know life is a struggle but I firmly believe if you are going to struggle then do it where you will be happy at least, that is maine for me.

** Mainewriter It says I cant PM you because I am not on your friends list but wanted to say Ty for the nice message**

[forest beekeeper]

In our many previous moves we always asked the realtor who he recommended. The realtors have always had a 'guy' who would take our application and try to see what he could work out from among the companies that he represents.

We have always been happy doing it in this manner.

Each time as we moved and bought a new property [California, Scotland, Connecticut, Washington] it worked out well for us using this method of finding a loan.

It is possible that we may have been ripped off in the process, but we did not feel that we were.

Be very choosy in picking a realtor though, if he feels like a snake, just let him slither away. But if you feel that you can get along with the realtor, then you might as well trust his judgment.

In theory a realtor deals with these deals every week, so he should know who gets the deals done.

[mainebrokerman]

in hallowell/augusta/gardiner area, is savings bank of maine (formerly gardiner savings bank)

thier is one of these banks on winthrop st in hallowell,

i use to have a mortgage thru this bank and had very good luck with them,

[WhoFanMe]

Hello kel72,

Kudos to you for doing things the right way and making sure you can afford what you're looking for before starting your search. Underwriting standards seem to be changing from week to week and loan programs popular earlier this year are no longer feasible for buyers. I will send you the names of a couple of agents I know in the Augusta area and you can speak with them about who they recommend for financing. Like real estate agents, some loan officers are better than others, the good real estate agents know who they are because they get the transactions closed.