2nd Home? Need Advice Please! (Bar Harbor, Eastport: houses, heat pump, to buy)

[suaz]

I have wanted to live in Maine for years but as I get older (66), I realize that I wouldn’t be able to handle the winter as an older single person. I’m thinking about a second home. I’d be looking to spend up to $200,000. I don’t need much space. I’d like to be in coastal Maine.

Questions:

1. Town recommendations?
2. I live in Phoenix and would love to spend June through October in Maine. What do you do to the house before you leave?
3. I’d have to buy a second car and leave it there. It’s too far to drive, especially as I get older. Comments about leaving a 2nd Car there the rest of the year without it being driven?
4. I’ve heard of 3 season homes. What are those?

Any comments and advice would be greatly appreciated!

[kellysmith]

If you want to be coastal on that budget, look east of Bar Harbor. I'd say from Jonesport to Eastport would have something somewhere in that range. On the other side of Bar Harbor, 200 grand wouldn't get you much for Coastal property. As far as leaving a vehicle behind, get a place with a garage and it's not a problem to leave a vehicle that long. Some folks do that with their favorite vehicle to keep it out of the salt put down on roads in winter. a 3 season home means it doesn't have enough insulation to live in it during the winter. The water would be drained and the place left unheated during the winter. Camps on lakes fall into that category most often. I'd recommend getting someone to drain the water and keeping some heat on during the winter. That means you would want forced air heat, or a mini-split heat pump for a heat source. A boiler can be a catastrophe in an unoccupied home. Something happen and that freezes up and you have some problems, especially if a water pipe bursts with the water not turned off. That's why I'd recommend having a plumber winterize the plumbing and keep a little heat on. You'll find a neighbor who will look after it for you I'm sure in no time as long as you ask nicely and are willing to pay a little bit for the effort. Houses that are unheated in the winter show the wear and tear of the temperature drops. I'd never leave a place unheated. It will cost more than it saves in the long run.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by suaz

I have wanted to live in Maine for years but as I get older (66), I realize that I wouldn’t be able to handle the winter as an older single person. I’m thinking about a second home. I’d be looking to spend up to $200,000. I don’t need much space. I’d like to be in coastal Maine.

We have friends who live in Maine from Spring thru Autumn. They Winter down South.

Local plumbers are accustomed to 'winterizing' homes, so that homes can be left unattended over the Winters.

For an automobile, I think that you would be best advised to find a mechanic you trust and ask him. I did 20-years in the US Navy, on long deployments I often left a car at home, but cars do not perform well when left to sit for months at a time. You really need someone to drive it every week and to do maintenance.

Welcome to Maine