Well, here goes. The start to our trek North to Maine, our new home-state. (Bangor: for sale, to buy)

[Cuffler]

I've been a member here for quite a while,gleaning as much information as I can about your fair state and contributing what I could when it seemed appropriate. I've eagerly followed many of the newcomers stories as they began their sojourn North with great interest so that I might avoid making common mistakes. As we approach mid-April, we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with our home updates as we ready our house for the Connecticut market. Our plan is quite simple, actually.

We will put our house up for sale and, I hope with bated breath, that it will sell relatively quickly. My wife is still working for the time being, I'm essentially retired. I've had a cabinet making business for 26 years but I've wound down all my projects and can't take on any new ones for fear that I'd be stuck without a shop if the house does sell. So, we will pack up our belongings into Pods and move the 1-1/2 miles up the road into my mother-in-law's home for the intermediate future. She's asked us a dozen times so we'll happily oblige. Then, after the dust settles and the homestead is sold, I will begin the task of spending days in Maine to reconnoiter for new digs. We are trying to stay south of Wiscasset. It is truly unfortunate that Wiscasset has to have such a traffic issue with that bridge. We've encountered it every single time we've traveled North in that area. We'd love to find a place in any of the towns East of Wiscasset but there's no way we want to inflict that sometimes hour-long wait on our visiting family and friends. So, we'll concentrate on the Western side and South of that area.

We'll be looking for a place under $200k, preferably ranch-style home on one floor (as we age ) with a garage and with a couple of acres were we don't see our neighbors every morning and night. Being within an easy drive to a city with access of physicians, of course, would be important as we age as well. I've noticed that there are a lot of homes coming back into the market after the winter. That's helpful to us, of course. We've found a few even in Freeport and Brunswick that met our criteria. We're not ready to plunk down bucks yet, however, until we unload our current burden. I do have a realtor feeding me streaming properties which helps a lot.

So, this begins our journey to the North that we have been working hard toward for the previous 5 years. It took me 3 years to convince my wife that it was time to leave Connecticut as they are working hard to make our retirement years very uncomfortable by taxing anything that moves and even tolling the local highways.

We'll be looking forward to anything you all find interesting to comment on as we begin our journey. I'll contribute information as it becomes available, especially when the house is actually on the market. It's a very special house in so many ways and, I believe, will call out to a family as it did to ours 32 years ago.

While so many of our friends prefer to move south, we're New Englanders to the end and moving up to Maine will be the culmination of a very long dream and we're looking forward to having you all as neighbors if only on the 'net.

Thanks!

Rome

[svband76]

Awesome story and excited for you. Best of luck.

[FlowerPower00]

You won't regret it. I was raised in CT, and when I visit "home", I am amazed at how many people can live in one little spot...the air is better in Maine, the scenery is better in Maine, and, well, life is better in Maine.

[westeasterly]

Congratulations, Cuffler. I am one year into my move to the midcoast area and I absolutely love it. Will look forward to your reports!

[UpTheCreek]

We came up from NC almost 3 years ago. Wish we had made the move sooner!

Good luck, exciting times!

[WhoFanMe]

Good luck and be ready to jump quickly on a property in Cumberland County that meets your criteria. The competition to buy that type of home is fierce. You will have an advantage if you're not using VA/FHA/USDA RD financing.

[seasallyttle]

Good luck on your adventure!

[slyfox2]

Go further north than Gorham. In Ellsworth, you can find lots of choices, and with Bangor 45 minutes away and MDI 20 minutes, you will have everything you need.

I moved here 1/10 of my life ago, and have never looked back.

[Last1Standing]

The Wiscasset bridge is a big concern for me to. Another solution might be to go farther up the coast so that you rarely have to go down to Wisacasset.

[Kiwiluver]

Congratulations, I am halfway to living in Maine full time. I spend more time there than NC. I am pulling the plug on everything and that takes time. All of my contractual obligations end April 30th. After that, all I have to do is sell a house, and finish my garage in Maine. Someone mentioned Ellsworth, it certainly has all the things someone would need to make it however I find the traffic horrible in the summer.