Why do some real estate home sales not happen quick like a bunny?The reasons some properties just hang around forever. Don't get a SOLD real estate sign rider screwed on. And linger racking up the days on market clumped together amoung those other homes looking for a new owner. To reach in and draw,  to tap into the local inventory of listings.  People are involved in the house selling process is one big source of delay. Buyers and sellers can be a boisterous bunch. Too many others eyeballing the sales process and putting in their two cents for objections. The buyers and sellers come in all kinds of personalities and moods. Real estate is an emotional process good and bad with highs and lows.The swing up and down can cause rough seas for the real estate professional to navigate and keep... 09/13/2017

Taking the property off the current inventory of real estate listings, how big a deposit, what sizes holds a property for sale?Until the buyer can travel from out of state or perform whatever inspection, meet whatever delaying contingencies before finally proceeding to the real estate closing. Log jams, kinks that stop the flow of every day living are dangerous. Time is money and delay in real estate marketing is costly.As a Maine real estate broker who has to explain to the next hot to trot cash buyer that a property they are getting sweet on is already under contract, you want to be as sure as possible.To uncover all the details, to look for red flags before advising a seller to sign this contract that takes the property out of serious marketing circulation.What to do, should the sell... 08/18/2017

The home for sale at 8 Johnson ST Houlton ME would be ideal for the fixed income, retirement house buyer.Or the couple starting out and wanting to climb out of the rent rut where all those monthly checks are down the drain. Paying for someone else's home when you should be buying your own. The quiet neighborhood, the deep 117' lot with 132' on quiet side street every house buyer looking for a house in Houlton Maine will agree. You can not beat the private feeling with three sides lined with trees.Learn more about the one owner, circa 1994 ranch style home for sale in Houlton Maine.Property listing link for 8 Johnson ST Houlton ME 04730. Are you looking for a two bedroom, one floor, not wasted hallway ranch style residence? This home has two more bedroom options or you decide what to do ... 08/02/2017

Land in Maine, the property buyers line up for the cheaply priced, large in size acreages for sale.And when talking land for sale in Maine, it helps to know more about what type of property the buyer is after. Because land, the real estate with just the dirt and hold the buildings comes in more than one flavor. There are your house lots in town or country. The lake, river, stream, pond lots of land in all sizes too. The location is key but the size is a major factor. Because most out of state buyers who have lived in a city too long, want and need the space. As much acreage as possible because of being jammed in too tightly and they can change all that. Because is lots of land for little money. All the time.So land in Maine for sale, to farm or develop?What did you have in mind? And is ... 07/31/2017

The places on the water front in Maine, the real estate buyer hot line glows red hot for anything parked next to H20.The heavier load of requests through email, texts, phone calls and real estate office lobby visits in person. The fun, water front property listing demands increase a hundred fold. When snow shovels are put away in the shed or corner of the garage.As the mercury rises in the tube outside the real estate lucky enough to be parked next to water.To border a stream, river, pond, lake or the ocean front in Maine.Because everyone knows, kids and adults alike that water fixes everything!So Maine land near or better yet on the water front, lots of property that a real estate buyer can tow in a camper to set up for the spring, summer, fall. Or buy together with family members. The... 06/26/2017

The 22nd year running of the Northern Maine soap box derby race is this weekend.Saturday, June 17th the dual purpose race happens in the Shiretown of Aroostook County, Houlton Maine. This race is the local for northern Maine and also serves as the venue for the state competition.Where gravity racers that put together kit cars put them to the test.Down "Derby Hill" where race cars are transported after safety checks to topside.Where lift, heavy unloaded soap box derby cars are rolled through the steps prior to launch. When Andy Sloat, long time volunteer asks "Drivers, are you ready? We have a green light from the bottom". Then the lever is pushed forward and a pair of cars in the current heat roll out of the channel iron gate.The soap box derby car release happening over and over as the... 06/15/2017

When you are a buyer searching for real estate listings in Maine, time is precious.Especially the new to the market properties. Because you the buyer have already studied top to bottom and side to side what is peddled for properties for sale. That may not match your price range, the gotta have, the don't want list for the ideal property listing. Fishing for information should be easy. No tangles in the net or traps cast and set to gather what is needed. The buyer should be able to drill down into more and more of what they are after and not feel teased or neglected. Left to dig, scratch, wait for information.Never ever have had anyone say there was too much information or imagery or video too long... they want everything  about the property listing for sale. Scan those surveys, floor pl... 06/14/2017

One of the biggest requests for information from relocating, out of town real estate home buyers is schools. Tell me about schools in the Houlton Maine area.The education of our children is everything to a parent who knows how important the schooling is to build the self sufficient, contributing citizen of tomorrow. Just like their parents did with them, teaching them life skills and more than reading, arithmetic. So schools in  the Houlton Maine. Information about schools in the Houlton Maine area, beyond just what is offered in the county seat is popular with online real estate home buyers. Who don't automatically know about the individual school administrations in this sprawled out area called Northern Maine.Other popular local searches is for jobs in Houlton Maine. And the all impor... 06/07/2017

Title issues, they come in all sizes when a real estate listing is put up for sale.And the best title issues are the ones known about early on. To provide for the time needed to fix whatever lien, easement, encroachment, survey issue or whatever title issue keeps the property from getting to the sit down real estate closing. The words "title problem" can make buyers and sellers gulp hard.Hands to sweat and the fight or flight instinct to kick in.No one wants to learn about title issues as they carefully enter into a property sale listing sale.But as a real estate agent or broker, they crop up in listings needing to be sold.Rolling up the sleeves, knowing from experience like a surgery how bad is it and what are the risks ahead in the OR.But how to deal with them starts with knowing what... 05/30/2017

The land sales in Maine are brisk and many want to just own and enjoy playing in the dirt.The ground around them. To build in time what they had in mind to create for a construction project to complete on the land in Maine. But sometimes there is a clock ticking. Pressure to get those kids in and not stacked up like cord wood. Space for the family, no time to run a nail gun if you are wearing the carpenter's belt and a pencil rides on your head. Tucked behind your ear for quick calculations in the measure twice, cut once. Existing properties in Maine for sale that are not just bare undeveloped land.A home, building that someone else long ago or recently put up to be just what the purpose called for are out there.Some had "too many cooks in the kitchen".Are a royal mess to untangle. Beca... 05/18/2017

The all important appraisal on the home for sale when the place on the market status changes from "for sale" to "contract pending".The sale pending status of the home for sale is a beautiful site to behold. Not as rewarding as the "SOLD" sign panel rider whipped out and butterfly screwed to top it all off after the real estate closing. A very loud ticking clock is always grinding away in the back ground during the marketing, especially when the home for sale changes status from "active" to "pending". But how to stretch the value of a home, how to push the real estate market to get the top of it. Just being under contract does not mean the absolute guarantee for the sit down real estate closing at the long table in the conference room of a lender or lawyer. Like the real estate agent gro... 05/16/2017

The home sale in Southern Aroostook County, the cat was not making the trip south to Florida.The couple were relocating, I listed the home for sale. And learned the gray and white cat that followed me around during the shooting of stills and video loops to edit. That he was not making the trip to the pack it  up and point the buck board to beeline to the Sunshine State.Hero was a perfect blend to add to the one tiger cat my youngest had picked out at the local Hollywood Pet Salon. The little gray tiger and Hero got along famously from the get go like soul mates. Meow. Don't worry, like Bob Barker all reminded us on the spin the big wheel and try to figure out the right price, both cats won't be furthering their feline line. My neighbor kept exclaiming about how I had to meet the new coo... 05/15/2017

Do you need to roll up your sleeve and give a pint of blood, or donate a duplicate organ to get a bank pre-approval letter?Does it take a long time to get pre-approved to buy a home? They make it look easy like even a caveman could skip through the steps with a breeze. What to hunt down, photo-copy or scan to bring for paperwork to get a pre-approval letter from a bank to buy a home. That is one FAQ real estate question we field a lot in our list, twist, sell (repeat) routine. Like most things in life, everyone has an opinion on every subject under the sun.There are many out there thinking why go to the bank until you found something worth the trip.Through the lobby double glass doors, hang a right down the hall for the sit down, close the door. And start the process of getting ready to... 05/11/2017

Hot under the collar, isn't it nice you never see anger in real estate buying or selling.A frustrated buyer who is not the highest bidder on a waterfront property. Even though multiple offer guidelines were followed to the "T" for an equal playing field. Not everyone is purring in a real estate sale or rental situation.Yelling, screaming can happen with property tenants are being evicted and the landlord is not going to be getting a Christmas card from them this year.Even though one bay of the garage they share with the other tenants is being used as one giant dumpster. Because they say their kids love playing with the rats it attracts.Anger builds, usually happens because two people are not in agreement or able to meet in the middle of whatever is keeping them apart in a creating toget... 05/09/2017

The retirement relocation to Maine, lots of people are doing it. For no shortage of personal and practical reasons. To fulfill lots of deep down desires. But the science of retirement planning, picking a place to match what people see themselves needing down the road. What works best for a person's retirement is tied to so many factors. As as a real estate broker in Maine, the job of matchmaking the property to the retirement lifestyle the buyer wants is part of our rewarding job. Your outside surroundings help create the atmosphere that percolates and radiates inside a person.Achieving contentment in retirement means first spreading out all the puzzle pieces on the card table. It is a serious process for seniors to consider all the elements. And retirement age does not always arrive wh... 05/03/2017

Northern ME, Aroostook County is one big land mass, the largest of the sixteen in Maine.Nicknamed 'The Crown Of Maine" it is a popular destination for sporting enthusiasts of all types. That make it a yearly habit to come north often to Maine for the wildlife, the fresh air, the clean water. Less people, no traffic is one big perk and all this eye candy of unspoiled natural surroundings is part of the tug on the heart strings.Being on the Canadian border with the Altanic Maritime provinces does not hurt the attraction to Maine.Where I live in Houlton Maine, it is like a two nation vacation being parked smack dab on the Canadian border with our cousins "over home" eh?A lot like the blue green split down the middle island stop at St Maarten where it is the best of two cultures rolled up i... 04/28/2017

The place you bought that used to fit like a glove no longer does and someone starts dreaming about a "house addition".Lots to consider before putting up the staging, lining up the workers and getting the permits. For the  hammer and nailing to piece it together correctly from whatever is delivered for housing materials from the local lumber yard. Will what you want to add on to the home you currently own achieve your housing needs for now and beyond?Or will you be swimming in too much house in just a few short years ?When the kids fly the coop and leave the nest that now has larger payments when that extra money should be going reallocated and flowing into the college accounts? Eventually you the home owner with all the extra, empty new space finds yourself swimming in the shoes of a h... 04/24/2017

The history of the home listing for sale is not always known or shared. We are not talking the days on market history for (DOM) but the past bits and pieces of the property information shared. Understanding how the home was built, who lived there and why this addition was put on, for what purpose.The builder at the time of construction if alive could share much.Who did built the house and what was his reputation? Where did he shine or come up short?What was added to help or hurt the place over the years?What used to be on that empty lot to the east?Where are the barns, horse and machinery sheds, chicken house that are long gone on the farmstead house property listing for sale? It all adds to the attraction and explains much of the why this is the way it is evolution in the home ownershi... 04/16/2017

Homes with land in Maine, that is one property listing category that gets asked for a lot.Because Maine is wide open spaces, fresh air, clean water. Country living but not being out in the boonies. This 10 acres plus property has a one owner home. She's a raised ranch with daylight basement. A knotty pine rec room in that cellar with outside entrance could be a home offer to telecommute to work in Maine. The land in Maine for sale surrounding this home on a dead end road with all kinds of scenery is fertile farm soil.A field that became a house location with trees and open space was ideal for this owner who has steadily improved the property listing since it was built slowly, carefully.Tile floors in the kitchen and dining room, birch down the hall, in the master bedroom and oak in the ... 04/04/2017

"When is my house going to sell?"... the home owner asks the question at the kitchen table listing.Or even before the house hits the market when you bump into each other pushing the wire cart with the squeaky wheel at the local Piggly Wiggly. How's the market, what's my place worth off the top of your head. He says he won't hold you to the figure formulated by the stewed tomatoes or waiting inline at the deli counter. The home seller wants the real estate agent or broker to sneak a peek into the crystal ball. So they can mark the closing date well in advance and to plan for the big day.But hold it partner.First things first. Before cashing the bank check from a home sale proceeds.First things first. Time is ticking by ... hear it? And the seller can snap the whip and expect the quickest... 04/03/2017