Moving to Maine in the Fall of 2010!!!! Need Help Please!!! (Portland: for sale, houses)

[Rdrunner]

Hi, everyone!
I just found this site and thought I'd jump in on this question with my 2 cents:
Maine does have a variety of regions as has been mentioned. If at all possible, you should try to take trip here in the next year (Maine is at its best in the fall IMHO). Get off of I95 asap and travel the side roads which will give you a better overview of the area. Riding the interstate won't tell you a thing about the state except to confirm that 'ayuh, Maine has a lot of trees'. Western Maine has a lot more hills than the coast. There are a lot more small farms. The sunset views from the hills can be literally awesome, in the original sense of the word. The coast is a beautiful place with many small, picturesque villages. Northern Maine is a bit more desolate as the towns are spread farther out from each other. (I am less familiar with the area above and surrounding Houlton which is probably farther north than you want to go). Based on my travels around Portland, you will probably have to go west of Portland for an affordable small farm as opposed to the east, which is more expensive and developed.
Century 21 and Coldwell Banker are two real estate companies that post online; I'm sure that there are others. This will give you a good idea as to what is available and maybe some areas to check out when you come up. An agent I know said that the market in Maine (or at least for the western Maine area) hasn't changed much due to the economy. I didn't think to ask if this was because it was already a bad market before!
Try to decide what is really important to your lifestyle as this will help you choose a region. (My daughter (25) hates it here. She says it takes an hour and a half to get anywhere and it's true. She now lives in California where a Wal-Mart is ten minutes away, no matter what direction you go!Ug.)When you choose to live in the 'boonies', things get simplified (ie: big excitement last night was karaoke at the Elks Club) and shopping online becomes the way to get what you want. But our air is clear and clean, neighbors are helpful and generally friendly, and our vistas are gorgeous.
Good luck in finding your dream home.
(Sorry; that may have been more than 2 cents worth; although with the economy......)

[retiredtinbender]

2 cents or a dollar fifty. Makes no never-mind to us.

[dramamama6685]

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

2 cents or a dollar fifty. Makes no never-mind to us.

Tee hee!

[mollysmiles]

Personally I'm a dollar fifty type of person too!

[txmom]

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

Kit-ree is a nice area. Mostly the small towns N/E of it. But you're right Forest. It's like dipping your toes in the lake.

Another thing though, too, is if you want to see the real Maine, get off the turnpike. It's good if you're deestination minded but if you want a good look around hit Rt 1 and the by-roads too. Take your time and stop every-so-often, get out and look around towns. But not the stereotyp[ical ones like Freeport, Canmden, Bar Harbor. Look at teh real down home ones, Dammariscotta, Thomaston, Trenton, and such. Get the real feel. Good luck and HAVE FUN.

I have a soft spot for Trenton. Hubby and I lived there after we returned from Saudi Arabia. We were married in our home in Trenton (right by Harris G. Strong's business, we rented a house from them). As a wedding gift to us, the people at Harris G. Strong's framed a papyrus that we had brought back with us. The papyrus is called an "Egyptian wedding card" -it is so beautiful. We moved to Texas shortly after we got married, but Trenton holds a special place in my heart.

[Csilla]

We are looking for more of a Farm setting,Rural,and a real good deal ,or if you will a huge fixer upper,but the important stuff like electrical,plumbing,and roof/foundation,must be good!!! I do not want new /big and expensive,and no oil heating!! we would love a wood burning fireplace and a woodcooking stove or hook-up for it!!! I want to grow 3 things,Veggies,Children,and some live stock too! Such as chickens,a few pigs,and rabbits!!I used to live on a farm in Europe!! So no i'm not the typical woman who lives in the city now,but that's all I know or want!!! I love the simple life ,much,much more!!! To me life is rewarding growing my own food,cooking and baking from scratch,and a spotless house and greeting my hubby with a nice warm dinner after a long day!! That is who i am,not some daisey duke wearing wanna be!!! And no the cold weather and lots of snow does not scare me one bit!!! I'm hungarian ,we like roughing it,it's normal to me to have alot of snow,and cleaning pig poop early in the morning before the sun comes up!! Any questions or advise as to who may be selling such a place,more up north in the Carabou area,would be great!!!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Csilla

We are looking for more of a Farm setting,Rural,and a real good deal ,or if you will a huge fixer upper,but the important stuff like electrical,plumbing,and roof/foundation,must be good!!! I do not want new /big and expensive,and no oil heating!! we would love a wood burning fireplace and a woodcooking stove or hook-up for it!!! I want to grow 3 things,Veggies,Children,and some live stock too! Such as chickens,a few pigs,and rabbits!!I used to live on a farm in Europe!! So no i'm not the typical woman who lives in the city now,but that's all I know or want!!! I love the simple life ,much,much more!!! To me life is rewarding growing my own food,cooking and baking from scratch,and a spotless house and greeting my hubby with a nice warm dinner after a long day!! That is who i am,not some daisey duke wearing wanna be!!! And no the cold weather and lots of snow does not scare me one bit!!! I'm hungarian ,we like roughing it,it's normal to me to have alot of snow,and cleaning pig poop early in the morning before the sun comes up!! Any questions or advise as to who may be selling such a place,more up north in the Carabou area,would be great!!!

It sounds to me like what you need is one of Maine's UTs.

Unorganized Townships make up 52% of Maine.

I live in a UT, we like it here very much.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Csilla

We are looking for more of a Farm setting,Rural,and a real good deal ,or if you will a huge fixer upper,but the important stuff like electrical,plumbing,and roof/foundation,must be good!!! I do not want new /big and expensive,and no oil heating!! we would love a wood burning fireplace and a woodcooking stove or hook-up for it!!! I want to grow 3 things,Veggies,Children,and some live stock too! Such as chickens,a few pigs,and rabbits!!I used to live on a farm in Europe!! So no i'm not the typical woman who lives in the city now,but that's all I know or want!!! I love the simple life ,much,much more!!! To me life is rewarding growing my own food,cooking and baking from scratch,and a spotless house and greeting my hubby with a nice warm dinner after a long day!! That is who i am,not some daisey duke wearing wanna be!!! And no the cold weather and lots of snow does not scare me one bit!!! I'm hungarian ,we like roughing it,it's normal to me to have alot of snow,and cleaning pig poop early in the morning before the sun comes up!! Any questions or advise as to who may be selling such a place,more up north in the Carabou area,would be great!!!

"Good deal" and "expensive" are relative terms.

Real estate is definitely much more expensive southward. If you're looking for affordable land, you'll probably want to concentrate Bangor and points northward.

I have only visited Caribou. Never spent much time there. But I LOVE Aroostook county. Other towns you might check out up there: Presque Isle, Ft. Kent, Ft. Fairfield, and Madawaska.

[Digital_Duck]

Originally Posted by Csilla

We are looking for more of a Farm setting,Rural,and a real good deal ,or if you will a huge fixer upper,but the important stuff like electrical,plumbing,and roof/foundation,must be good!!! I do not want new /big and expensive,and no oil heating!! we would love a wood burning fireplace and a woodcooking stove or hook-up for it!!! I want to grow 3 things,Veggies,Children,and some live stock too! Such as chickens,a few pigs,and rabbits!!I used to live on a farm in Europe!! So no i'm not the typical woman who lives in the city now,but that's all I know or want!!! I love the simple life ,much,much more!!! To me life is rewarding growing my own food,cooking and baking from scratch,and a spotless house and greeting my hubby with a nice warm dinner after a long day!! That is who i am,not some daisey duke wearing wanna be!!! And no the cold weather and lots of snow does not scare me one bit!!! I'm hungarian ,we like roughing it,it's normal to me to have alot of snow,and cleaning pig poop early in the morning before the sun comes up!! Any questions or advise as to who may be selling such a place,more up north in the Carabou area,would be great!!!

Hungarian? sounds like my wife (from livestock to wood stove to being a great traditional wife)
... but she won't live in snow country any more ... so here I sit in (too hot to enjoy) North Carolina ... i am a Buffalonian who misses it terribly.

[chaosX5]

Good luck Csilla! I hope you find what your looking for..........it sounds like a wonderful plan!

Originally Posted by Digital_Duck

Hungarian? sounds like my wife (from livestock to wood stove to being a great traditional wife)
... but she won't live in snow country any more ... so here I sit in (too hot to enjoy) North Carolina ... i am a Buffalonian who misses it terribly.

Yes, it is rather hot here in NC..............