Houlton Maine? (co-op, mortgages, house)

[artist616]

this is informative.....i love the artsy culture and wouldnt want to make a huge move and not be happy ultimately...altho the house prices in houlton are excellent right now and some of the houses are historic and real treasures....but location, location, location....! thanks again.

[MainerWannabe]

Originally Posted by artist616

Thanks NMLM and Brava,
i did check into hallowell and there are a lot of galleries...this is an excellent forum for someone looking to educate themselves about the local culture....each response tells a story..thank you!

I told you... Very different points of view. But IMHO all have your best interest at heart. I would advise you to spend some time in the area you are interested, maybe rent for a while, to make sure you'd want to be part of that community.
Keep well, and keep reading the posts!

[kellysmith]

Originally Posted by artist616

...altho the house prices in houlton are excellent right now and some of the houses are historic and real treasures....

Since you asked about the historic houses in Houlton, there is also a reason you see some grand old houses that seem to be low priced. Those old historic houses were built when energy costs were not an issue. It will take 2000 to 3000 gallons of fuel oil to heat one of those treasures. It wouldn't be out of line to spend $10,000 for heating costs, and you still would be cold. Another issue you will deal with is because insulation and vapor barriers weren't a big part of construction when the old treasure was built, you will find moisture (from that $10,000 worth of heat) seeping through the wall and even though you spent all summer painting your treasure, the paint will peel off within a few years. (low VOC paints don't last on these old houses like lead paint did) The market has priced these old treasures where they are because folks have found that the price of the treasure is only a part of the cost...and in the old treasure house market bring a big wallet if you want to maintain one.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

artist616 asked a question and within ten posts got the info needed with a few critiques from out of state thrown in for good measure. What a forum!

[beltrams]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

Since you asked about the historic houses in Houlton, there is also a reason you see some grand old houses that seem to be low priced. Those old historic houses were built when energy costs were not an issue. It will take 2000 to 3000 gallons of fuel oil to heat one of those treasures. It wouldn't be out of line to spend $10,000 for heating costs, and you still would be cold. Another issue you will deal with is because insulation and vapor barriers weren't a big part of construction when the old treasure was built, you will find moisture (from that $10,000 worth of heat) seeping through the wall and even though you spent all summer painting your treasure, the paint will peel off within a few years. The market has priced these old treasures where they are because folks have found that the price of the treasure is only a part of the cost...and in the old treasure house market bring a big wallet if you want to maintain one.

Actually, just to modify what you say a wee bit, while many of those houses were indeed built when energy was cheap, we'd be talking coal heat rather than oil. Oil heat didn't really get going for residences until the development of the oil burner in the 1920s and then the heating oil tank/pump/hose truck as we know in the 1930s, both which made whole-house heating oil systems practical.

Other than that, I'd second what you say.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by artist616

Hello my fellow New Englanders!

Welcome

...I am looking to buy a small vacation type home that becomes my retirement home in 5 to 10 yrs....

We moved to Maine after I retired, Maine is great for retirees!

... I love some of the historic homes i see for sale in houlton...the town looks adorable and much like my tiny town in southern New England.

I have some questions for any natives who are willing to answer....
How bad does the snow get that far north?? i am in a coastal town now where we rarely see a foot or more....and the snow reaches 6-8 inches maybe 6 times per season....

The locals are used to it.

... how cultural and artsy is that part of maine? is there a beatnik part of that area? aka vegetarian restaurants, coffee houses, art galleries, and is there a gay community (which usually finds itself within those other types of areas....).

With all due respect, you may want to focus more on Belfast or Unity,
instead of Houlton.

... i understand the economic conditions .... and i would likely buy a very inexpensive home outriight and work online from home while collecting my retirement .... i ll have one child in college who will hopefully stay in new england.

thank you in advance!!!!

If you have a pension income you should do fine in Maine

[brava4]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

Since you asked about the historic houses in Houlton, there is also a reason you see some grand old houses that seem to be low priced. Those old historic houses were built when energy costs were not an issue. It will take 2000 to 3000 gallons of fuel oil to heat one of those treasures. It wouldn't be out of line to spend $10,000 for heating costs, and you still would be cold. Another issue you will deal with is because insulation and vapor barriers weren't a big part of construction when the old treasure was built, you will find moisture (from that $10,000 worth of heat) seeping through the wall and even though you spent all summer painting your treasure, the paint will peel off within a few years. (low VOC paints don't last on these old houses like lead paint did) The market has priced these old treasures where they are because folks have found that the price of the treasure is only a part of the cost...and in the old treasure house market bring a big wallet if you want to maintain one.

That is amazing. Wow, such a dismal prospect when the intention is so noble.

[beltrams]

With all due respect I resent the idea that one needs coffee houses and art studios to be "cultural." I've visited my brother when he was living in the Bay Area of California, as well as having lived in the Boston area myself, and I grew tired of that over-stuffed, conceded attitude of self-importance those areas have some time ago.

Heck, Dunkin Doughnuts is a coffee house for all they bring to an area. As well, I bet most residents living within an hour of Boston haven't been to an art studio in several years at least.

The outdoors, self-sufficient "culture" of western and northern Maine suits me just fine.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

My comment about the beatnik back in Post 2 was fact. The guy bought a camp and decided to live there. It was what we in Maine call a "camp camp" with no insulation. In February a neighbor noticed there had been no tracks coming out to his mailbox so he got on his snowmobile and rode in three miles to the camp. The snowed-in pickup was there and no smoke was coming out of the stove pipe. This guy's plan was to gather dead standing wood for firewood. He had virtually no wood ahead. You can't gather wood enough that way to stay alive long term. The neighbor went in and thought the beatnik was dead. He rode back out for help and soon there were four people there. They brought the guy out in a sleeping bag on a toboggan with heat packs inside the bag. He was hospitalized for weeks before he was well enough to leave the hospital.

[kellysmith]

Originally Posted by beltrams

Actually, just to modify what you say a wee bit, while many of those houses were indeed built when energy was cheap, we'd be talking coal heat rather than oil. Oil heat didn't really get going for residences until the development of the oil burner in the 1920s and then the heating oil tank/pump/hose truck as we know in the 1930s, both which made whole-house heating oil systems practical.

Other than that, I'd second what you say.

The treasures I speak of were built before there was a central heating system of any kind in most houses. You will find half a dozen or more fire places in the place. Even when I was a kid, houses more often than not did not have central heat, but a parlor stove in individual rooms. Bedrooms were unheated, single paned windows....didn't take long to crawl under quilts so heavy you couldn't move...and I'm not THAT old! I remember opening the oven door on my grand parents combination wood stove in their kitchen and sitting on the oven door. Grandmother would say..."get off that oven door!" Nope, not many central heating systems back in the day. Not to say there weren't coal furnaces in schools and other industrial sized buildings, but I can't think of one house in the Houlton area that had a coal central heating system...probably were some, but not as a rule.