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Yes, you are correct about Oakfield/Smyrna area. They have started to see some gains (my brother lives there).
Linneus/New Limerick has the LP mill and they are doing okay too.
Sherman and Island Falls are hurting; you can pick up some real steals when it comes to houses in far southern Aroostook. That area is beautiful and is situated in a great location. I have known some people who moved there from away to either retire or try to make a go of it.
(By the way, I don't think any place in Maine is "dying". Maybe "struggling" but not "dying" in the same sense as Detroit or many other parts of the country. People have been saying that my town has been dying for fifty years yet it looks pretty good today, for a place that was given last rites long ago.)
Yes, you are correct about Oakfield/Smyrna area. They have started to see some gains (my brother lives there).
Linneus/New Limerick has the LP mill and they are doing okay too.
Sherman and Island Falls are hurting; you can pick up some real steals when it comes to houses in far southern Aroostook. That area is beautiful and is situated in a great location. I have known some people who moved there from away to either retire or try to make a go of it.
(By the way, I don't think any place in Maine is "dying". Maybe "struggling" but not "dying" in the same sense as Detroit or many other parts of the country. People have been saying that my town has been dying for fifty years yet it looks pretty good today, for a place that was given last rites long ago.)
The description of the house says "private sewer," but the lot is only a quarter acre ... not much room for a septic system! I wonder if something's going on with that?
The description of the house says "private sewer," but the lot is only a quarter acre ... not much room for a septic system! I wonder if something's going on with that?
That price is dirt cheap!! Hmmm ...
In towns that have no municipal sewage facility every home has it's own well and sewage. You still see homes on 50' lots. The well is in one corner and the leach field is in the far opposite corner.
In towns that have no municipal sewage facility every home has it's own well and sewage. You still see homes on 50' lots. The well is in one corner and the leach field is in the far opposite corner.
Oh, I know lots of houses with private water & sewer, but honestly, not on small lots. Usually at least an acre.
I am curious, what do you do if (say) the leach field goes bad? There's not much room to maneuver. Doesn't it also limit what you can do on your land? (EG I have 1.29 acres and I'm on city water/sewer, although that is VERY unusual where I live ... normally I'd have a septic system & well, but the water/sewer plant was built very close to my house so decades ago my house was tied in.)
I love the idea of retiring to Maine someday, but I suspect it is just a dream, alas.
i'd be asking how long since someone lived there? has the town deemed it un-inhabitable?
then pay for an inspection,,focusing on water damage/mold
if, by chance, the place is in ok to decent shape....without any major issues, and inhabitable, then it's a good deal-worth taking a look at
My thought exactly, except I'd add -- likely asbestos around pipes (maybe siding too) and lead paint, due to the age of the house. Can't rent at all now without disclosure, so 3-family would be a moot point without a complete overhaul in that case.
And you'd wanna check for radon, another deal-breaker and super common up here along w asbestos and lead.
Oh, I know lots of houses with private water & sewer, but honestly, not on small lots. Usually at least an acre.
I see where folks may own a couple hundred acres. Then they sell a tiny 50' lot next to the road. A few years later after they have spent that money, they sell another 50' lot. The end result is that you see a string of tiny lots next to the road, with a 200 acre lot behind them.
On the South side of my land, are two adjacent properties. One is up next to the road, 50' wide with a house on it. Behind that property and stretching a quarter-mile is a much larger parcel, that the tiny lot was once a chunk of. On the other side of that tiny parcel, away from my land, is a row of tiny parcels all the same size. Behind all of them is the same large parcel.
Quote:
... I am curious, what do you do if (say) the leach field goes bad?
Define 'goes bad'. No, don't, ... bad idea.
If poor design, has caused the soil underneath a leach field to become clogged and stop aerating. I am certain that a Soil Scientist / Septic Design Engineer can work out a remediation. [Likely by hauling away the top foot of soil and bringing in sand]
My leachfield is a simple 'stone bed' system. However they now have fancy chamber systems, as well as above ground 'mounds'.
One friend in our church says that his is a 1955 cadillac buried with the septic line going in through one window.
A friend of ours who lives 1 1/2 mile away, just had his leechfield replaced last summer. His previous 'system' was a wooden box. The previous folks had dug a big hole, built an 8' by 8' box, ran the septic into it and buried it.
Multiple people have told me [these have been Maine farmers] that you mark off an area, and remove the top foot of soil. Then you dig 3 or 4 trenches connected at one end. You put a thin layer of gravel in the trenches, and you cover the trenches with branches. You run the septic line into one of the trenches and you bury the entire thing.
Quote:
... I love the idea of retiring to Maine someday, but I suspect it is just a dream, alas.
Yeah, its been my experience that anything that sounds too good to be true probably is.
An inspection or even a walk through would probably reveal something major wrong.
Not necessarily. The house appears to be vacant, no tenants, therefore no income. It could very well be that the owner is tired of paying the taxes on it, or has been unable to pay the taxes on it and wants to unload it before it is taken. The asking price would just about cover ten years of back taxes.
Oh, I know lots of houses with private water & sewer, but honestly, not on small lots. Usually at least an acre.
I am curious, what do you do if (say) the leach field goes bad? There's not much room to maneuver. Doesn't it also limit what you can do on your land? (EG I have 1.29 acres and I'm on city water/sewer, although that is VERY unusual where I live ... normally I'd have a septic system & well, but the water/sewer plant was built very close to my house so decades ago my house was tied in.)
I love the idea of retiring to Maine someday, but I suspect it is just a dream, alas.
Maine has lots of lots as small as 48' with working private wells and septic systems. You see this a lot on shoreland cottage lots like in my immediate neighborhood. There has been no issue with the local systems for over 25 years. some maintenance may be required.
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