Retiring/"Second Act"--need add'l moving to Maine info! (Portland: real estate, oceanfront)

[dthw]

Hello. Like most "moving to Maine" people, I have been reading the threads on this topic and lurking around the posts but have yet to find relative info on my personal "moving to Maine" questions. So, here is yet another (but slightly different) stab at this topic. I hope all of you reading will bear with this detailed post and pony up some helpful advice, please.

Our story:
My husband will be taking an early retirement in less than 2 years at the age of 55. He/we have a nice retirement savings (which we hope to not rely upon for at least a decade or so). Given that he is relatively young in terms of retirement-age, he plans on working part-time. He has zero desire for the office grind, 50-60 hour work weeks which are not uncommon for him presently, handling many duties and responsibilities etc. He says he wants somewhat "mindless" work and has no pipe dreams of garnering big bucks --- but a modest amount to supplement my income and stave-off having to dig deep into retirement savings.

His background involves police work, social services casework, and for the last 20+ years working as a residential administrator for a private, residential pre-K-12 school. He is willing to work in some capacity in those fields -- or not. He enjoys people, isn't afraid of light manual work, yet has little desire to manage endless responsibilities. He is still working on what all this might look like. So while my husband won't be "bringing a job with him," given the threads I have read I was thinking (or hopefully wishing) it may not be too difficult for him to find some part-time or seasonal work. Your thoughts?

Me? I am a self-employed freelance writer who works from home. I must have a reliable internet connection. Being 5 years younger than my husband, I have more work years to go! I have a long history in the food service industry, having grown up working in all areas of my family's restaurant. In addition, I previously owned and operated a personal chef business... with other jobs throughout my career working in the business and residential academic sectors where I honed my writing skills.
My present focus is on my freelance writing business. I like being a solo-preneur.
(If need be, though I really don't think this will be necessary, I would not be opposed to venture back to the food or tourist industry on a very part-time or seasonal basis to supplement what I am already doing).
I get the distinct feeling that many people living in Maine wear multiple hats and do many things to remain afloat and able to live in an area they love. We would be no exception.

We have targeted the midcoast region -- fell in love with this area after visiting many times within the last 2 years. We like the scenery/coastline, people, amenities (or in some cases lack-there-of), and somewhat proximity to MA (sorry).

In a long-lasting, tourist-induced love affair with the Cape Ann, MA area, we had thought we might retire to Rockport/Gloucester but after we recently explored the area in earnest with blinders off, the gloss fell away as we came to realize a couple of things:

1. Real estate prices there are ridiculously high -- out of our financial goals/range. We have no desire to plunk a lot of $$$ down toward a purchase nor take out a long-term mortgage on a very, very modest retirement home.
2. More importantly, the area is too densely populated for our desired life style -- we don't want to be stuck in hours of North Shore/Boston traffic when off Cape Ann. We aren't interested in Boston or the city vibe, which Cape Ann, Rockport more so, is taking on.
3. We also want more wild areas/nature and less people.

We both are from western PA originally and love that area's winter snow and cold temps, which I do not think quite rival ME's but still are nothing to sneeze at. We currently reside in central PA where winter temps can be more moderate and ice more likely than snow some years. Totally depressing factors. And I hate summer humidity and heat, which we have in abundance here in central PA -- feeling more like DC/VA/MD weather overall. So we are not afraid of coastal Maine winters in terms of temps, snowfall amount, long winters, nor getting around in winter weather. And we plan to be active in winter. Things I see which are pointed out time and time again in these "moving to ME" threads.

And a puzzling, only somewhat relevant question -- why when we talk to our MA friends of our potential desire to move to ME do they always mention how dreary, long, and depressing ME winters can be? I don't get that. I have spent some February weeks in Rockport, MA and they were always snowy and very overcast. How is coastal ME and coastal Cape Ann weather all that different?

While we love lakes, our goal/dream has always been to live near the coast (we could never afford direct oceanfront) so I would hope no more than 10 miles inland from the coast?? Husband wants a small boat and desires sea access, whether he rents a nearby boat slip or has his own at our property (doubtful we could afford this either but who knows?). He doesn't want to have to tow the boat every time he wants to take it out. Water access via a river is good-- just so he can easily get out to sea.
He enjoys fishing (lakes, rivers, sea), hunting, and golfing, and an occasional meal out.... and quiet. Those are his things.

For me, I want peace. Space. The sea. Nature.
I want to be more active than I am presently -- the scenery here isn't inspiring enough (at least for me) to have me scampering outdoors at every chance, as your Maine scenery does.
I would like to be near an area with a slightly artsy-vibe, if possible. I don't mind driving to the things that are important to me like beach walking or trails. I would like to take in independent movies, concerts, lectures, book readings, good restaurants (not "haute cuisine" but some ethnic food would be fantastic) and so forth. A little culture to offset my hermit tendencies.
I was wondering if any midcoast colleges have auditing programs for seniors? That is something I would be interested in the years to come.

We have one college-age child presently doing a year or two of community college before transferring to a 4 year institution. He is about ready to leave the nest but is interested in ME as well.

We would love to find an acre or two of land and build a smaller home (900-1200 sq ft max) but are open to buying as opposed to building. We want less "stuff" so we can live a full life. I am also tired of looking out my windows and seeing someone else's house. We don't want to be isolated but would not mind at all if we did not see another home.

We both would enjoy a viable downtown with small businesses to frequent as opposed to the endless strip malls, chain restaurants, and Big Box stores that seem to be the norm in PA and other mid-Atlantic states. Shopping local is important and organic as much so.

So, to summarize, I would like suggestions for:

What areas/towns in the midcoast region to target for land and/or a home to accommodate:

* husband's desire to own a boat to dock nearby with sea access
* towns/townships where land (an acre...or two) is reasonable and/or smaller home prices aren't too high (we would like to have 275K be our max budget for a 900-1200 sq ft home OR land/home building costs, if possible)
* space, fewer neighbors, and definitely no housing developments
Any realtor suggestions/contacts appreciated as well!

And in terms of which town, relative proximity (say 30 mins or less) to:

* a usable downtown (quaint would be nice too) for shopping --local and organic
* access to non-chain restaurants
* some culture -- plays, concerts, independent movies, lectures, book/writing groups etc
* outdoor activities -- I guess that isn't too difficult in ME but living near a bike trail or cross country skiing trails would be fantastic. A golf course.
and
* no more than an approximate 3 hour drive to Cape Ann, MA (close friends and ties there)

Input on the likelihood of or feasibility for my husband finding retiree/part time employment as noted above would be appreciated.

Thanks so much for chugging through my post! Please feel free to call me out on any impossible wants on this rather in-depth list. I am looking forward to some insight and advice from some helpful Mainers as we prepare for our second act!

[slyfox2]

You can get as far north as Bath or Wincasset. Where in Central PA are you from? PM me if you don't want anyone to know. I cannot speak to you about that far south, since I live on Mount Desert Island(home of Acadia National Park).

[River Runner]

Some towns to consider that meet your important points might be Richmond, Wiscasset, Bowdoinham (maybe) or Topsham. They have the access to water close by and are small quiet towns within driving distances of towns like Hallowell or Brunswick which have a little more artsy feel. Then a bit further drive to towns like Rockland and Camden which are also artsy. And all the above towns are within easy drives for day trips to hiking, kayaking/canoeing etc. And I think within a few hours drive to Cape Ann.

As for the Massachusetts verses Maine winter perhaps it's the length of the winter that the people you spoke with we're talking about. Just a thought. I lived in southern Mass. (about half an hour outside of Providence, RI) and also lived in Boston. The spring comes sooner and the summer lingers a little longer in southern Massachusetts than say midcoast or central Maine. I can remember driving back and forth from southern Mass. to central Maine to come home to visit and in the fall up here in Maine the foliage was picking up and the nights were cooling here (definite fall feel) and then driving back down to Mass. it was like driving back into late summer. And in the spring things bloomed sooner in southern Mass. and summer felt like it came sooner while Maine lagged behind. Winters in Maine can be very long. Of course this can vary a bit since it takes like seven hours to drive south to north up through Maine and a lot can shift weather wise in that amount of distance. So southern Maine weather is closer to Massachusetts weather than say central Maine or if you travel further on up northbound.

[Cuffler]

We, too, are in our hunt. My wife has selected her retirement date of January 2017. By then we'll have put our house on the market and seriously outlined our search towns in mid-coastal Maine.

We're fortunate enough to live within 3-4 hours drive to where we're looking so we've made appointments with a realtor up there and have been looking at homes with her from time to time to get the feel for what we're looking to spend. I'd love to share her name with you and you can check them out. You can really drill down to specific types of homes and properties and areas and prices with them. She'll send you lists with photos and it's helped us immensely. There are no costs or contracts, either.

What we've done is make a list of the "must have" items that need to be relatively close by like medical services as we get older, food, prescriptions, gas, and just general amenities. We found that if you draw a circle around almost any town of about 20 miles you'll find all those necessities. Draw a 25 mile circle using Portland as your center and you'll find a lot of properties available. Usually in Maine you search using counties as your border. We've been very interested in Brunswick, ME because it's a college town yet you can find a home there for really reasonable prices and be near the shore and most everything else that attracts you to Maine. We're also open to Hancock County which is much further up near Acadia. Living there in that area would be our first choice but we've got too much family we're going to leave in CT and Ellsworth is about 6-7 hours North of there, a bit too far.

Let me know if you'd like this realtor's online contact info. It's a lot of fun to look through all the properties shes been offering up and we then look on Google Earth to locate them.

Rome/currently in CT but not for much longer.

[corgis]

I know you want Mid-Coast but your criteria sounds like it would perfectly fit Eastport or Lubec.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by dthw

... 3. We also want more wild areas/nature and less people.

... I want peace. Space. The sea. Nature.

Maine certainly has a lot of that

... We both are from western PA originally and love that area's winter snow and cold temps, which I do not think quite rival ME's but still are nothing to sneeze at.

Maine winters seem to scare off a lot of people. So long as you are game for it, good

... And a puzzling, only somewhat relevant question -- why when we talk to our MA friends of our potential desire to move to ME do they always mention how dreary, long, and depressing ME winters can be?

I do not find them depressing.

We lived in Washington state for a few years, we found that region is much darker and depressing than Maine is.

... While we love lakes, our goal/dream has always been to live near the coast (we could never afford direct oceanfront) so I would hope no more than 10 miles inland from the coast?? Husband wants a small boat and desires sea access, whether he rents a nearby boat slip or has his own at our property (doubtful we could afford this either but who knows?). He doesn't want to have to tow the boat every time he wants to take it out. Water access via a river is good-- just so he can easily get out to sea. He enjoys fishing (lakes, rivers, sea), hunting, and golfing, and an occasional meal out.... and quiet. Those are his things.

Maine has over 3,000 miles of coast line, plus lots of rivers and lakes. Having a boat on a river with ocean access is very do-able.

We are not near the ocean, though we do have 1/4 mile of river frontage out our backdoor.

... We would love to find an acre or two of land and build a smaller home (900-1200 sq ft max) but are open to buying as opposed to building. We want less "stuff" so we can live a full life. I am also tired of looking out my windows and seeing someone else's house. We don't want to be isolated but would not mind at all if we did not see another home.

We built our home. We had never done such a thing before. It has been a great adventure for us.

If you do build, consider a Net-Zero type of home. There are many options and methods through which you can do it, or you can design and build it all DIY.



Welcome to Maine, from a retiree who moved to Maine to enjoy life.

[dthw]

Slyfox2 -- We live in the Hershey/Harrisburg area. I have heard a lot of good things about both Bath and Wiscasset but have only driven by on Route 1. We have been to MDI twice. Loved, loved, loved it but it is a little too far up in Maine and would make us too far from friends and family. Cannot wait to revisit the area as a day-tripper.

RiverRunner -- Thanks for some additional towns to check out. Will add them to our growing list!
As for ME vs Northern MA winters -- you made some interesting points. Perhaps that is what our MA friends were thinking of. They did stress DEPRESSING, which I cannot imagine winter being -- at least not for us. So perhaps as you pointed out ME has a longer-feeling winter.

Cuffler -- I would really appreciate the realtor's name and contact info. That was going to be our next step.

My husband and I were actually in Brunswick last month. Went there to check it out after leaving Ogunquit, where we visited a friend. I was impressed by the number of shops, restaurants, funky movie theater. Had a very alive feeling -- and a strong college vibe given Bowdoin. Living in proximity to the town would be nice but not sure living in-town would be our thing. It was only a brief stop so I am reserving judgement until we can check out properties. I like how you have worked out a mapping plan. Will give that a try.

I love that others are looking into retiring in ME. Here in PA (and sometimes in Mass.) when I mention that this is our goal, eyes bug out, jaws drop, and everyone shakes their heads as if we had just announced we were considering moving to Mars! That follows a litany of reasons why me must be insane --- from "it's so remote" to "you will never see sunshine and be buried in snow." And the best has been -- "Why? There is NOTHING there!" We just smile. Let the others remain in milquetoast PA and over-crowded coastal MA. Keeps Maine "roomy" for the rest of us.

Corgis -- Wow, those towns are way up there! If it wasn't for family and friends being in MA and PA, we might seriously consider them. Driving from ME to PA is no small feat, especially western PA where most of our close family still lives. Flying is a hassle too given that the same family are also about an hour drive from a major airport. I still want to check them out, though. I love exploring.

Submariner -- I have to tell you, that in reading lots of posts on moving to ME, I have really enjoyed your input to those threads. Lots of good info. Everyone, really, contributes so much -- very appreciated and useful!

I was actually researching Net Zero home building. Found a company in ME that does modular as well as foundation. If you having any additional info on this, would love to hear about it.
We have built before but never net zero and it definitely wasn't what we had hoped. We built in a housing development with a small lot, set home plans, costly upgrades for everything that wasn't builder material/design. Overall a real downer and pain due to lack of choices etc. Our fault for going that direction and a learning experience, for sure. I am hoping that if we do go the building route again, it will be a better venture than the last one.

And I am seeing that because there is so much coastline, I guess it would not be difficult to get a boat out to sea from most midcoast towns? I would love to have river frontage -- am assuming we could not afford that but I guess we will find out when we work with a realtor. I have no patience for online home/land searches. Tried that and felt like I was wasting a lot of time. I would prefer human input -- so all of your help combined with realtor info should help us out.

To all -- keep any ideas/suggestions coming! Thank you so much for your help. It is nice to know there are helpful and interesting people out there! And people who love Maine...

[slyfox2]

Originally Posted by dthw

Slyfox2 -- We live in the Hershey/Harrisburg area. I have heard a lot of good things about both Bath and Wiscasset but have only driven by on Route 1. We have been to MDI twice. Loved, loved, loved it but it is a little too far up in Maine and would make us too far from friends and family. Cannot wait to revisit the area as a day-tripper.

Believe me when I tell you that another 3 hours doesn't really make a difference between the drive back to Chester and Lancaster counties. You still have to stay overnight somewhere.

And then....Friends..... well, its all about making new friends. Whether they are 12 hours away or 5 hours away, they are still....away.

Been there, done both---4 years ago. Never regretted it once. Two of our best friends we met here, and still get together every 6 weeks or so.

Move where you love it the most, not where your family was or your old friends were. Its all about jumping into a new adventure.

[slyfox2]

Originally Posted by dthw

Slyfox2 -- We live in the Hershey/Harrisburg area.

Understand. I spent four years in Annville(67-71). And I graduated from Carlisle High School.

One thing you will like in Maine: Your local tax is a credit on the state tax, not a lousy $90 deduction.

[dthw]

Good points, Slyfox2. Moving from PA to Maine will definitely be an adventure -- one that cannot come soon enough!