Moving to Maine (Portland, Caribou, Farmington: subletting, apartment, rentals)

[michaelrexhouse]

Greetings All!

Three friends and I are really growing weary of the hustle and bustle of New York and are looking to move to Maine for at least a summer (and possibly longer). All of us are college students and we were thinking about renting a house, but are a little concerned about finances, as none of us have ever really lived away from home, except at school. What kind of money are we really looking at here? I've been searching around for houses/apts. and have found that the costs are much lower than I could have ever imagined. One place I was looking at recently was $1000/month for a 4 bedroom house one a small piece of property with all utilities included, supposedly within a mile of a college. It seems too good to be true. We're really not dreamers, we don't expect to live like kings by any means, but we also don't require much. Kind of trying to get away to clear our minds a bit (getting kind of OVERWHELMED).

Anyway, any information would really help me in my research and would be utterly appreciated.

Regards!

[island mermaid]

Maine is a pretty large state. What areas are you interested in?

Please send more info regarding what your interests are, what you're looking for and we will be able to provide you with plenty of information.


($1000 per month for a 4 bdrm seems a little off- which town was that in?)

[Bydand]

Wow, talk about different areas of the state having different viewpoints. $1000 a month for a 4 bedroom house and you would be sitting on an empty rental for a LONG time. I know somebody renting a very nice 5 bedroom house in Caribou, large corner lot, $550 a month. Another in Washburn, nice 3 bedroom, large lot $350. I guess downstate is a bit more than up here.

Good luck with your search, hope you find something nice and you guys enjoy yourselves.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

How about $600 a month for a 6 bedroom? It's an older home on an acre with parking for about 10 cars. Walk to the store. The summer job market is tough here though. Do you guys paint houses? Got a truck to haul ladders? We have a short painting season here.

[oceanfit185]

Have you looked into being a camp councilor or something like that? I know some resorts will put you up and pay a small amount if you work there. And Maine has tons of summer camps. This can be a fun summer, but don't expect to come out of it with money left over...

If you really want to get an apartment you could. But it’s hard to find short term leases or summer rentals. It’s even harder to find summer rentals for group of college age guys. And vacation rentals aren't dirt cheap. If you want an apartment you should look at subletting near a college or university.

Also, expect to earn less also money here. Unless your folks are going to pay for your summer, you can expect to be painting houses or moving people during the day. Also, the tourism industry tends to be good summer work. If you can work behind a bar or serve tables there is good money in that as well.

Good luck

[michaelrexhouse]

Thank you all for your responses! I guess I should have specified some of our objectives this summer:

-We're all musicians and wish to live in a house together so as to facilitate creativity.
-We're all very good friends and (I would consider) very mature people in our early 20's who are looking for a legitimate place that we could call our home for a while and treat it as such. We're all pretty handy and would also be willing to get involved in some sort of fixer-upper!
-I realize Maine is a large state, I'm not really sure where we'd be interested in. Pretty much anywhere, the main goal is to escape people and become immersed in nature. All of us love hiking, camping, swimming, fishing, hunting, etc. We are very outdoorsy people, but life and college have taken us out of this realm and we wish to return.

I definitely would be interested in getting a job as a camp counselor, but my friends will be looking for jobs as well. Again, we're not really looking to get rich or have any money at all (we're all so used to living on relatively low funds as none of our parents are particularly well of and are all struggling just to help us get through college).

We're pretty simple people, to be honest. Gardening, swimming, hiking, the ability to play music frequently and work are really our only requirements. What monetary range will food and general sundry living expenses fall into. The middle of nowhere would be fine, so long as we are all able to get jobs (none of us are afraid of getting our hands dirty and helping out in the community either!)

Thank you all again so much!

[michaelrexhouse]

Also, we're all pretty capable people. I have no formal experience painting houses or moving, but I'm a fast learner, very willing and capable. I also have experience in food service as a cook and have experience in various odd jobs. I can't emphasize enough our willingness to help out in the community and work in any field possible. We have not ruled out making this a semi-permanent place of residence (i.e.- the next couple years).

I have been to Maine several times throughout my lifetime (I have relatives there) and just love it. I'd really like to make this my own permanent residence at some point in the future.

[oceanfit185]

Where do your relatives live? That might be a good starting point.

I think you might enjoy the Farmington area. Rangeley Lake is really nice and not a bad drive from Farmington. And hiking is close.

Bridgton, Bethel and Kingfield are ski towns that might be cheap in the summer. But I'm not sure.

If you’re in a band Portland has a pretty good local music scene. It’s not a "real city" so 30 min.'s in almost any direction and you are in the middle of nowhere. Maybe look into somewhere around here.

You might want to think about Portland it’s self. It’s not a huge city, no traffic, and lower crime rates than New York. Good night life/local art scene. And it can be affordable. At one point last year I was paying 275 on rent. But that is unheard of. With a groupd of guys, maybe a few people sharing rooms, you can get a cheap place.

As for work ... Maine is a hard place to find a job. Working as a painter or mover are really summer jobs. There isn't much business in the winter. Same with anything involving tourism. If you want to stay here long term it can be done. You just have to be patient and grab opportunities when they come.

Are you planning on taking a few semesters off or moving up here after graduation?

[CapeCodder]

You might want to avoid the more touristy areas this summer. There are some beautiful rural spots that aren't far from bigger towns with work.

Look into jobs first and then spread out around the local towns from there.

Try the Morning Sentinel online for jobs and rentals. Also, look into Uncle Henry's...they sometimes offer rentals. You don't want to be house poor.

It's refreshing to see grads come to Maine.

I hope you all love it here!

[ribbets]

Have you tried the White-Water rafting outfits in Bingham or the Forks, they were looking for general labor and cooks for this spring.
White Water Rafting Guides Summer Jobs on the Kennebec River in Maine Magic Falls (http://www.magicfalls.com/guideform.php - broken link) is to get your guide license.