With summer in our rearview mirror, Midcoast Mainers await the lovely fall foliage with an important task on our minds — winterizing our homes. If this is your first Maine winter, preparing your vacation property or primary home for winter requires thoughtful measures. That’s because winter months can usher in more than a foot of snow, with temperatures in Cumberland, Lincoln, Knox and Waldo...
When it comes to selling your home, first impressions are everything. The moment your property hits the market, potential buyers begin forming opinions that can make or break a sale. That’s why preparing your home before you list is an effective way to start the process! Here are some things to do before listing your home. Deep Clean Before you dive into the tasks required to prepare your home for...
Whether you've moved to the area recently or you're visiting to scope out the perfect Maine property, mark your calendar to enjoy one of the many amazing local fairs and festivals! Here are just a few of our favorites in 2024: St. George Days, St. George, Maine - July 20 We love celebrating St. George! This event features a parade, book sale, lobster dinner fundraiser, and children's activities. View...
One thing that appeals to short-term renters is that their rented home is already furnished. You don't have to break the bank to create a dream rental for others before it becomes your dream home. Starting Strong If you haven't purchased your Short-Term Rental (STR) property yet, you may be able to negotiate buying the property furnished. This will make it "turnkey" for your renters and minimize your...
If you’ve followed our journey, you know we recently bought a short-term rental in Georgia as our future retirement home. And while short-term rental (STR) mortgages aren’t available everywhere, we thought we would share a bit more about what they are and how you might use them to fund your future piece of paradise. The idea of a short-term rental is simple. As a landlord, you rent out to...
Although we're real estate experts, we were still fish out of water when trying to buy a home somewhere we weren't familiar with. What's the best neighborhood? Where's the nearest grocery store? Are there any properties we should avoid because all the local kids claim it's haunted? And because we are still living and working in Maine, we weren't able to do a lot of house hunting ourselves. That is why...
Now, we'd never lead you astray when it comes to real estate advice, but this method may not work for everyone! Michael actually contacted Realtors at The Landings (hey, Christy and Gus!) roughly eight months before floating the idea by me of purchasing a retirement home before we are ready to retire. But just like we knew Skidaway was home as soon as we saw it, we knew Christy and Gus would be the...
Don't get us wrong, Maine will ALWAYS be our home, but we want to spend our golden years somewhere a little warmer. While we're definitely NOT ready to retire yet, identifying your spot sooner than later can be incredibly helpful. Here are the factors that went into our decision, and why we're buying this property now. Lifestyle & Amenities One thing about choosing your retirement location: focus on...
Here's How It Went Now we know what you're thinking -- the Peach State is pretty far from the Pine Tree State. But don't worry, you're not getting rid of us that easy! We purchased our retirement home with a Short Term Rental (STR) mortgage and will be renting the property until we're ready to hang up our real estate hats in exchange for golf clubs and museum maps. We were thinking: "We help people buy...
During the winter months, if we're not staging or scouting houses, we're hitting the slopes! From local peaks to the biggest in the state, Maine mountains provide ample opportunities for spending the day on skis, snowboards or snowshoes. Here are some of our favorite places. Camden Snow Bowl, Camden Our local mountain is the Camden Snow Bowl. Home to the National Toboggan Championships, it's the only ski...