Seriously considering relocating to Maine (Portland, Bangor: short sale, renting, house)

[bobo11100]

Hi. I was wondering if I could get some opinions/advice about relocating to Maine. My husband, 9 year old daughter and I went on vacation last summer to Maine and fell in love with it. We went back in November, for our 10th anniversary because we loved it so much. We have another trip planned for this year. This trip is mostly about investigating potential cities/areas in which to live.

We have a pretty short list of needs when it comes to areas. It has to have good schools, be within about an hour drive to an airport (Portland...my husband travels a lot for work), and we want some land...at least 2-3 acres, preferably more. We have been perusing the internet, realtor.com, looking in the following areas: Falmouth, North Yarmouth, Cumberland, Cape Elizabeth. We are not so much into the neighborhood developments, but looking for a more rural, spread out, private setting.

I was wondering if I could get some opinions on these or other areas that would be a fit for us. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

[Maineah]

Three of the four you picked are among the most expensive communities to purchase housing in in Maine. Inn that short list I'd steer you to Yarmouth....not North Yarmouth. Two different animals here. Yarmouth is a quaint old community with excellent schools. You could find a fairly rural area on the north or west sides of town with a few acres of land. It will still cost you 400k or more for what you describe in any of these towns. Cape Elizabeth being the highest.

[NJ2ME]

I have a friend who lives in North Berwick (a move in which the military moved them). She has fallen so in love with it there, she also has a 9 year old daughter and she is so impressed with the school system. Her husband is close to retirement and they love it so much, they think they are going to stay in Maine now. They live out rural "away" from things, have a couple acres... but its a quick enough drive to get to Portland, the beach or stores. Sounds sorta like what your looking for.

[frenchroast]

Hi There: Maine is an interesting place in more ways than one. It is expensive to live most anywhere in New England and Maine is no exception. It has one of the highest income taxes in the union. The costs of housing is quite high but that depends on what yardstick you are using for comparisons sake. The SE corner of Maine is one of the most expensive areas due to its proximety to Boston. There are a few towns that seem to have escaped the extremes. In the SE corner Elliot is a sweet town and the Berwicks are lovely. Kittery is located close to Portsmouth, NH where most everyone does their shopping. NH has no sales tax but their property taxes are huge. We have been infiltrated by Massachusetts folks who have driven up the values and brought their brand of politics. If you like liberal you'll probably like most of Maine or New England it seems. All of that might change with the upcoming elections. The scenery is outstanding and the further away you get from the SE corner the pace slows down. We have our traffic woes in the summer like any other place that is beautiful. Consider renting in any part of the country that you might consider moving to. Subscribe to the local newspapers on line to get a feeling for the area. Portland is a great city but all flights that I know of connect through another airport. Another reason for the SE corner being so desirable is it's proximety to the Manchester, NH airport where SW dominates with many non-stop flights that are reasonably priced. Portland flights are always more expensive. Mid-Coast is also expensive but then inland there are many inexpensive places. Perhaps you might consider Bangor and areas close by. I hear that they revitalized that town. Happy hunting. Jean

Originally Posted by bobo11100

Hi. I was wondering if I could get some opinions/advice about relocating to Maine. My husband, 9 year old daughter and I went on vacation last summer to Maine and fell in love with it. We went back in November, for our 10th anniversary because we loved it so much. We have another trip planned for this year. This trip is mostly about investigating potential cities/areas in which to live.

We have a pretty short list of needs when it comes to areas. It has to have good schools, be within about an hour drive to an airport (Portland...my husband travels a lot for work), and we want some land...at least 2-3 acres, preferably more. We have been perusing the internet, realtor.com, looking in the following areas: Falmouth, North Yarmouth, Cumberland, Cape Elizabeth. We are not so much into the neighborhood developments, but looking for a more rural, spread out, private setting.

I was wondering if I could get some opinions on these or other areas that would be a fit for us. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

[bobo11100]

Thanks for all of the responses. You're definitely giving us food for thought. We currently live in New Jersey, where our property taxes are through the roof, and isn't giving us the serenity, and quality of life that we are seeking. Like I said earlier, as long as the schools are good, and it is within an hour drive to the airport, and we can get some space and privacy, we will consider it. Don't mind paying a little more as long as we can get most of what we're looking for. But those three things are absolute deal breakers.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by frenchroast

Hi There: Maine is an interesting place in more ways than one. It is expensive to live most anywhere in New England and Maine is no exception. It has one of the highest income taxes in the union. The costs of housing is quite high but that depends on what yardstick you are using for comparisons sake. The SE corner of Maine is one of the most expensive areas due to its proximety to Boston. There are a few towns that seem to have escaped the extremes. In the SE corner Elliot is a sweet town and the Berwicks are lovely. Kittery is located close to Portsmouth, NH where most everyone does their shopping. NH has no sales tax but their property taxes are huge. We have been infiltrated by Massachusetts folks who have driven up the values and brought their brand of politics. If you like liberal you'll probably like most of Maine or New England it seems. All of that might change with the upcoming elections. The scenery is outstanding and the further away you get from the SE corner the pace slows down. We have our traffic woes in the summer like any other place that is beautiful. Consider renting in any part of the country that you might consider moving to. Subscribe to the local newspapers on line to get a feeling for the area. Portland is a great city but all flights that I know of connect through another airport. Another reason for the SE corner being so desirable is it's proximety to the Manchester, NH airport where SW dominates with many non-stop flights that are reasonably priced. Portland flights are always more expensive. Mid-Coast is also expensive but then inland there are many inexpensive places. Perhaps you might consider Bangor and areas close by. I hear that they revitalized that town. Happy hunting. Jean

Good!

[WhoFanMe]

There are 95 single family homes on the MLS for those 4 towns with lot sizes of 2 acres or more. Prices range from $159,900 for a short sale new construction home that needs to be finished in North Yarmouth to $5.75 million for a house on Ocean House Road in Cape Elizabeth with 52 acres and lots of variety in between. As others have mentioned several surrounding towns will also fit your requirements.

[lawmom]

I don't see political leanings in the short list he OP mentioned. I'm not sure why these threads have to turn political. When the OP asks about politics, or in any way mentions their own leanings, yes, but if not, then why? Just something I'm curious about I guess.

[Submariner]

You said that you needed access to an airport, then you said Portland. Maine has many airports. By focusing on Portland, you are focusing yourself on a very tiny corner of Maine where the highest cost-of-living does apply.

Bangor has an international airport.

[lawmom]

Bangor has great schools, too.