Moving back to Portland and need some advice please :) (South Portland: extended stay, 2009)

[jessrmccar]

Hi,

My family and I (my son and boyfriend of 10 years) are wanting to move back to Maine after a move to Nevada. We moved to Nevada with big dreams on big paying jobs, but we've realized that it is not all that is cracked up to be and want to raise our son in the same great environment that we were brought up in (we were both born and raised in Maine).

We are possibly thinking of moving back to Maine in October, which is not the best time to move in Maine in the rental market and we need time to save our security deposit. So we are considering possibly living in a hotel until March or April of 2009 so we have a better selection of rentals to choose from. However, we never lived in a hotel during the offseason, does anyone know of a decent hotel or motel that offers reasonable off season rates and has bus service to Portland? If you know of a hotel that is also pet friendly (we have a cat) it would be much appreciated.

[Mark S.]

Are you set on Portland, or anywhere in Maine?

I don't know of any extended stay hotels/motels, but I'm sure there are some somewhere.

I wouldn't give up too quick on finding a rental in October though. The pickings are certainly slimmer, but it isn't impossible to find something. Craigs list and the classifieds sections of local papers is generally the best method.

[moose31]

Originally Posted by jessrmccar

does anyone know of a decent hotel or motel that offers reasonable off season rates and has bus service to Portland? If you know of a hotel that is also pet friendly (we have a cat) it would be much appreciated.

You might want to check all the motels on Route 1 from South Portland south....especially the mom and pop motels. They usually have many rooms to rent on a seasonal basis long term.

[jessrmccar]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Are you set on Portland, or anywhere in Maine?

I don't know of any extended stay hotels/motels, but I'm sure there are some somewhere.

I wouldn't give up too quick on finding a rental in October though. The pickings are certainly slimmer, but it isn't impossible to find something. Craigs list and the classifieds sections of local papers is generally the best method.

We are planning on moving to Portland again; my boyfriend and I are most comfortable there. I actually found out that the Eastland does long term rentals, but I am waiting to find out on their rates. The reason why we are trying to stay in a hotel over the winter is because we are hoping to sell most of our belongings to get back to Maine and winter should be enough time for us to accumilate some new belongings once we get back as well as save enough for a deposit on an apartment (there aren't too many landlords that won't be looking for a security deposit).

I've posted an ad on craigslist though in the housing wanted section so we'll see what I get for responses.

Thanks for the advice though

[jessrmccar]

Originally Posted by moose31

You might want to check all the motels on Route 1 from South Portland south....especially the mom and pop motels. They usually have many rooms to rent on a seasonal basis long term.

I've thought about checking the hotels along route 1 in SP (at least there's a bus route there), I'll have to google hotels in South Portland and see what I can find

We stayed at a mom and pop place a long time ago over a winter season and it wasn't too bad, just trying to save some cash over the winter season to get a decent apartment in the spring.

[moose31]

Originally Posted by jessrmccar

I've thought about checking the hotels along route 1 in SP (at least there's a bus route there), I'll have to google hotels in South Portland and see what I can find

We stayed at a mom and pop place a long time ago over a winter season and it wasn't too bad, just trying to save some cash over the winter season to get a decent apartment in the spring.

The problem with that is the motels will probably be charging a premium because the cost of heating has soared in the cold country.

If you aren't going to be working, and you will have limited finances, you might find the Portland area isn't exactly the one you remember in cost of living terms.

Do some tight planning and budgeting..housing, food, and transportation, not to mention adding winter clothing, will be expensive.