Moving to Eastport (Ellsworth, Machias: for sale, real estate, rental)

[rosebud1]

Hello! I have been lurking here for a while and appreciate all the great information that is posted by so many helpful people.

I am planning on buying/building a place in Eastport, initially for the summers and occasional holidays, with the goal of moving there permanently within the next 5 years. My DH and I have visited and love it. Our children are in college, so schools are not a concern for us.

We have looked at houses for sale and are debating whether or not to buy an existing house that needs some fixing up or building a modular home.

Any advice that you may have about the pros/cons of building, recommendations for realtors, builders, inspectors, and modular home companies in the area would be greatly appreciated. At this point, our thought is that we would be better off working with modular home companies in the area who know the codes, etc. Our budget is about $150K, including land costs.

[mensaguy]

There are not very many modular homes in Eastport. There are also a lot of houses for sale. With your budget, you could buy any of many homes currently listed. Two real estate companies with physical offices in Eastport are Spinnaker and Due East (it is possible that there are others that I do not know). I do not know of any modular home builders in Eastport and have never used a home inspector, so I can't comment on those areas. Asking questions about codes in Eastport can sometimes get results, but you'd need to ask a specific question.

We bought our house 5-1/2 years ago and try to remodel a room a year so we can have a comfortable place to retire in a few years. It has turned out to be quite affordable to do it this way.

Eastport has many houses that are over 125 years old. That makes a modular home really stand out, and it also makes a lot of property available to needs to be updated.

[medievalbooks]

Agree with Mensa....
Checked out the prices of modulars and found alot of em start at 50,000. Now there may be exceptions but haven't run across any.

You have a nice budget and think you might find a nice older home within that range that could be fixed up, plus if it is preexisting - might not have as many problems with bulding code situations (but I can't speak to that since I do not live in Maine, just can speak to my situation in Mass.)

Crossing my fingers for you -----someday hope the same for me.

[retiredtinbender]

I think they have a modular place in Machias. After that you have to go to Ellsworth (2 hours) or beyond. Plenty of houses on the island to choose from. Mensa & DW are doing it right. The place next door to them is a nice place and a nice price. Spinnaker and Due East are the two realtors in town. Also try:
Real Estate - Homes for Sale | RealEstateBook.com

Real Estate Listings, Homes for Sale and Rental Property Listings – REALTOR.com®

Just punch in the zip (04631) and hit enter. Good luck in the search and welcome to the forum.

[rosebud1]

Thanks so much for the quick responses and welcome!I will start researching in earnest the pros and cons of buying an existing home, which appeals to me on many levels, but I am concerned about not ending up with a money pit. Mensaguy, it sounds as tho' the way you are doing it, one room a year, is a great idea, as long as we can find a basically sound house to start with.It seems to me at this point that building/modular would hopefully mean that we would end up with an energy efficient, well designed home that would blend in with the community, but it will all come down to $$, of course! Retiredtinbender, which house are you referring to that is next door to Mensaguy? Medievalbooks - fingers crossed for both of us on our Eastport quest!

[mensaguy]

rosebud1, DM coming. I don't need to post my address on CD.

[rosebud1]

Got it - thanks so much. I will look definitely look into it.

[woxyroxme]

dramamama and I could just about tell you anything you would need to know about any house for sale. Last month we walked every street in town and got pics of every house that was for sale - 63 total.

[retiredtinbender]

Originally Posted by rosebud1

Retiredtinbender, which house are you referring to that is next door to Mensaguy? Medievalbooks - fingers crossed for both of us on our Eastport quest!

Under Spinnaker: MLS#:23453 Have to go to the website, the link won't work.

[retiredtinbender]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

dramamama and I could just about tell you anything you would need to know about any house for sale. Last month we walked every street in town and got pics of every house that was for sale - 63 total.

you two got the most out of those two weeks, that's for sure.