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Home construction to bottom out in 2008
2008-01-25 19:24:00
New home construction in Maine will bottom out in 2008 and industrial lease rates will stabilize due to low demand, experts said yesterday at the Maine Real Estate & Development Association?s annual conference.Presenter Charles Colgan, a former state economist and professor at the University of Southern Maine?s Muskie School of Public Service, said new home ...
More About: Home , Construction , Bottom

Maine Real Estate Stats For December 2007
2008-01-25 14:59:00
This is the type of information we need to know and be able to communicate with our buyers and sellers, says Paul McKee, Team Leader of Keller Williams Real ty Mid Maine. The Maine real estate market is holding steady regarding prices, slightly up in 07, but the number of transactions have decreased from the previous year.  Over ...
More About: Press Release , Estate , Real Estate , Stats

MAINE HOUSING MARKET: BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS
2008-01-23 17:03:00
NOTABLE QUOTE:  This last sentence in a Kennebec Journal editorial on 1/19/08 - “But if you’re selling one house in Maine and then buying another, the issue is a little less urgent for you. What you might lose on one end, you can make up on the other.”  To read the entire editorial - http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/vie w/columns/4671783.html
More About: News , Market , Good News , Bad News , Housing

Maine home prices defy the national slump
2008-01-23 16:42:00
A great article came out in our local newspaper regarding the housing market in Maine . Here things are a little bit different. Home prices in Maine have actually risen. The article talks about a trend tahat highlights a disconnect in Maine: Over the past year, the number of homes sold has declined by double digits nearly every ...
More About: National , Slump , Prices

November 2007 Maine Real Estate Press Release
2008-01-04 22:39:00
MREIS PRESS RELEASE:  In a press release to the media today, MREIS reports that the number of homes sales in Maine in November dropped 10.63% comparing November 2007 to November 2006; and the median sales price increased 1.62%.   NAR reports nationwide single-family home sales decreased 19.9%; and national median existing sales price dipped 3.7% to $208,700. ...
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Lewiston, The New All-American City, wins Marriott Hotel
2007-12-19 23:02:00
A North Carolina developer will build a Marriott Courtyard hotel on the Island Point development in Lewiston, casting doubt over Auburn?s hope to lure a Marriott hotel to its side of the river.Wins ton Hotel s Inc., in Raleigh, N.C., announced Tuesday it will begin next spring constructing a 120-room hotel on Mill Street at the foot ...
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What?s The Housing Market Doing In Your Maine Neighborhood?
2007-12-12 23:51:00
For buyers and sellers alike! This request form sents information to your email within 30 minutes and is customized to the criteria you select. You’ll continue to recieve these in roughly 30 day intervals and watch how the market conditions change. Feel free to call with any questions you may have with the market snapshot ...
More About: Market , Housing , Sellers , Buyers , Neighborhood

Maine Real Estate For Sale In North Yarmouth, Minot And Mechanic Falls
2007-12-10 22:14:00
You are viewing our vFlyer, highlighting 3 properties we have reduced in North Yarmouth, Minot and Mechanic Falls Maine. Prices recently reduced!
More About: For Sale , Estate , Real Estate , Listings , Sale

Foreclosure Plan Will Be Greeted With Questions
2007-12-06 14:53:00
Daily Real Estate News  |  December 5, 2007 Foreclosure Plan Will Be Greeted With Questions Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will unveil a plan on Thursday to forestall foreclosures and ease the housing recession. The release of plan’s details will coincide with the release of data from the Mortgage Bankers Association that show that homes in foreclosure hit record levels in ...
More About: Sellers

Bill Would Help Home Owners at Brink of Foreclosure
2007-12-06 14:49:00
Daily Real Estate News  |  December 5, 2007 Bill Would Help Home Owners at Brink of Foreclosure U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is pushing for a bill that would allow bankruptcy judges to change the terms of a mortgage on the primary residence of owners at risk of foreclosure or bankruptcy. Judges would be able to lower an adjustable ...
More About: Mortgage , Sellers

Mortgage Volume Soars After Thanksgiving
2007-12-06 14:45:00
During the week after Thanksgiving , mortgage application volume rose 22.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis to 791.8, recovering significantly from a holiday slowdown. On an unadjusted basis, applications rose 51.5 percent and were up 24.2 percent from the same week in 2006. The Refinance Index increased 31.9 percent to 2761.3 from 2093.0 the previous week. The ...
More About: Mortgage , Volume , Mort

Credit Scores Explained - What Maine Buyers Need To Know
2007-12-05 00:33:00
Credit Score Primer: What Buyers Need to Know to Get a Loan In the wake of the credit crisis, lenders have become much pickier about whom they lend to. Here are some basic facts that will help potential borrowers understand what they face. The measurement that most lenders use to assess applicants’ credit risk is the FICO ...
More About: Credit , Mortgage , Scores , Maine

Attention Home Sellers - Heed These Buyer Tips
2007-12-05 00:31:00
Homes Features that are Big Buyer Turnoffs Old homes can be quaint, but there?s a difference between old and outdated. Unless home owners periodically invest in upgrades, their homes will fall so far below the standards of current buyers that they become obsolete and hard to sell. What?s obsolete? Here?s a list of relics, many of them ...
More About: Tips , Home , Sellers , Buyers

Maine High School Ranking Makes News - Way To Go Maine!
2007-12-05 00:26:00
U.S. News and World Report  recently ranked the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone #35 on a list of the top 100 high schools in the country. Four other Maine high schools made an unranked list of the top 505, while eight others were in the top 1,591. The list focuses on college ...
More About: High School , High , Ranking

Great News From The White House Regarding A Foreclosure Plan
2007-12-04 00:28:00
White House , Banks Hammer Out Foreclosure Plan The Bush administration and major financial institutions are close to an agreement that would temporarily freeze mortgage rates for home owners with spotty credit histories.The agreement is designed help the 500,000 subprime borrowers whose mortgages are resetting and are likely to result in foreclosures, threatening the broader economy. A sticking ...
More About: News , White House , Great , White

Maine Subprime Woes Hit Buyers With Good Credit
2007-12-03 23:48:00
 Maine has been affected by the latest mortgage crisis. Following up with our in house mortgage brokers, Approved Home Mortgage , many buyers are surprised by the criteria for these types of loans. It really isn’t a sure deal getting a loan these days. The best time to buy real estate is now especialy to increase your portfolio and I have ...
More About: Credit , Good , Buyers , Subprime

Maine Real Estate MLS Website Features New BLOG! "Maine Real Estate Info"
2007-08-31 00:23:00
On Tuesday, www.MaineMLS.info rolled out its new feature...a blog. Now consumers searching for real estate in Maine need not look to far for Maine information.The site features the ability to search for more than 25,000 Maine properties, request a free market analysis, apply for a loan, view virtual tours on the featured listings page and view an interactive map of more featured properties with Trulia.Now, with the rollout of the information blog located at www.MaineMLS.info/wordpress , buyers and sellers of Maine real estate can get full access to newsletters, tips, mortgage and loan information, Market reports, Maine Green news and agent listings, etc.MaineMLS.info is the product of Meservier & Associates of Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine. They are one of Maine's fastest growing real estate teams, dedicated to customer service and commited to excellence.They are located at 34 Center street Auburn, Maine 04210. Call them at (207)784-2525 or email at mike@meservier.co...
More About: Website , Estate , Real Estate , Features , Blog

Maine Real Estate Press Release - Sales And Median Prices Are Up
2007-08-28 22:03:00
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESALES AND MEDIAN PRICES OF MAINE REAL ESTATE BOTH UP OVER FOUR PERCENT IN JULYSOUTH PORTLAND (August 28, 2007) - Unit sales and median sales prices of Maine's single-family homes rose over four percent in July. According to the Maine Real Estate Information System, Inc., Realtors reported selling 4.26 percent more homes this July when compared to July 2006. Not only did sales increase: the median sales prices for the homes sold increased 4.74 percent. A total of 1,247 homes changed hands during July 2007, up from last July's sales of 1,196 homes. The median sales price reached $199,000 -- a 4.74 percent increase from July 2006's price of $190,000. The median sales price indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less.Nationally, sales of existing, single-family homes dropped 9.3 percent from July 2006. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median sales price dipped a slight 1 percent during the 12- month pe...
More About: Press Release , Real Estate , Sales , Press

Maine - More From Business Booster Collection
2007-08-13 21:49:00
 My "in-house" mortgage consultant sends me these articles several times a month. Of course, I couldn't even begin to explain this, even after reading as it is not my area of expertise. Everday, there is news about the real estate market and the mortgage industry keeping consumers on the edge of their seats. It is prudent that we remain well informed. An Inverted Yield Curve:What It Means to Mortgage Rates & Programs   The U.S. economy, interest rates, and the housing market are frequent topics on the nightly news. Viewers are told about leading economic indicators, how the stock market has performed, and whether the Federal Reserve is planning on changing interest rates. What isn't explained is how these items are interrelated and how they may impact which home loan is best for you.The Federal Reserve attempts to keep the U.S. economy healthy through its use of monetary policy. As fears of inflation increase, the Fed will raise certain shor...
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Maine's New Buyer Stats Field - Great Data For Agent Marketing
2007-08-07 17:20:00
These stats came in today's email by the Maine Association of Realtors. MREIS is "Mine Real Estate Information Services"NOTABLE STATISTICS:  Recently MREIS looked at the data for the first 685 sales reported with the new data field - Buyer s Previous Zip Code.  Statistics show that of those, 75% of all properties were purchased by those in Maine, with 25% from out-of-state.  While single-family residential and condo property types each had 75% of purchasers from Maine, multi-family had over 90% and mobile home had 86% of purchasers from Maine.  However, nearly 40% of land purchasers were from out-of-state. Nearly 49% of all out-of-state purchasers were from two states - MA (32.6%) and NH (16.3%).  REMINDER - that data field is a mandatory field in MREIS. You cannot use 00000.  For Canadian or International purchasers use INTL in that alpha-numeric field.  If you think about, this is a great tool for your marketing campaign. Where you a...
More About: Marketing , Agent , Data , Great

Maine State Housing - Great News For Veterans
2007-07-27 16:30:00
This just In... the Maine State Housing Authority indicates, "A federal law was passed which enables housing finance agencies to waive the first-time homebuyer requirement for veterans who: a) served in active military, naval or air service; and b) have been honorably discharged, and c) have never received a mortgage financed in any state with Mortgage Revenue Bonds (which MSHA uses to finance loans)."  MSHA has announced their expansion of the exception to include active duty military personnel who have owned a home within the last three years.  Effective immediately, veterans and active duty military (including their spouses) who are non-first time homebuyers, but meet the above requirements and all other MSHA eligibility requirements will qualify for MSHA financing.  The waiver applies to all MSHA programs.  MSHA is unable to determine the number of bonds that will be issued in 2007 or how long eligible funds will be available.  Therefore, the f...
More About: News , Great , Veterans

Western Maine's Fractionation Woes - A Step Backwards For A GREENER Maine
2007-07-18 18:42:00
Is it coincidence his enthusiasm for fractionation, the science of turning forest products into biofuel, evaporated when state lawmakers refused to foot the bill? Attempts by Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Dixfield, to first secure a $50 million bond, and then $350,000 in annual biorefinery funding, were stymied this past session, told the SunJournal of Lewiston Maine . Read it here at http://www.sunjournal.com/index.php?t=12& amp;blogid=60436&bloggerid=7On July 11th, MaineBiz asked readers of The Daily, a Mainebiz.biz ezine,  if the Fractionation Development Center's troubles are symptomatic of challenges in Maine of adopting alternative energy sources. The answer was a resounding yes. 70.9%of respondents said the FDC's troubles are symptomatic of greater challenges29.1%of respondents said the FDC's troubles were not symptomatic of greater challengesA sampling of reader comments:"The FDC was a house of cards and their exit from the stage came far later than it should ...
More About: Western , Step , Este , Greene

Maine's Mortgage Fees Are Better Than Most In The Region
2007-07-18 18:19:00
More interesting news...Maine is one of the region's least expensive states in which to close a mortgage transaction, according to an annual closing cost survey by Bankrate.com. Here's a list of the average cost of closing a mortgage transaction in New England's six states, as well as their national ranking. New York is the most expensive state in which to close a mortgage transaction, with an average closing cost of $3,830.  Closing costsNational rankConnecticut$2,85811Massachusetts$2,84 912Rhode Island$2,76818New Hampshire$2,72421Maine$2,67129Vermont$2,6 6630Source: Bankrate Inc. 
More About: Fees , Mortgage , Region , Mort

Maine Real Estate - Subprime Lending In-Depth - What Are The Risks And Adva
2007-07-13 22:49:00
This brochure provided by the Center For Responsible Lending and The National Association Of REALTORS, gives you the tool needed to be informed. In many housing markets, first time home owners are having difficulty affording their home and traditional mortgages may not be the best option for everyone. Many home-buyers are using Specialty Mortgages to "stretch" out their income so they can qualify for a larger loan.In this brochure you'll discover:The common types of Specialty Mortgages: The 40 Year Loan - Interest Only Mortgages - Negative Amortization Mortgages  and Payment Option ARM Mortgages.What are the major risks of specialty mortgages?Who is best suited for a specialty mortgage?Helpful steps to take before financing a homeSeven questions to consider before considering a specialty mortgageOther helpful websites to visit for basic finance are:http://www.mymoney.gov/http://www.fdi c.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/mscbi /mscbi.htmlhttp://www.freddiemac.com/cred itsmarthttp://ww...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Real , Stat , Subprime

Maine Real Estate - Shopping For A Mortgage? - How To Avoid Predatory Lendi
2007-07-13 22:15:00
According to this NAR brochure, Do you homework first! The National Association of REALTORS has provided this wonderful resource on "How to Avoid Predatory Lending" and use it to help prospective homeowners avoid unfair lending practices.Useful topics include:Beware of predatory loansWhat are some of the problems connected with predatory lending?Shop for the lowest-cost loanIf the loan is an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM), ask these 10 questionsOther solutions REALTORS and home buyers can use to avoid predatory lendersPossible warning signs of a predatory loanThis brochure is available to you by calling Michael Meservier at 207-784-2525 or by email at mike@meservier.com.visit Meservier & Associates to see information for buyers and sellers alike. Search over 25,000 Maine properties at http://www.mainemls.info/.
More About: Shopping , Estate , Real Estate , Mortgage , Real

Outstanding Information Available For Maine - How To Avoid Foreclosure And
2007-07-13 21:54:00
The brochure, "How to Avoid Foreclosure and Keep Your Home," provides outstanding information for existing homeowners who may not be able to afford their current mortgage, including phone numbers, counseling services and just plain good advice. This brochure is available by contacting us through our website, Meservier & Associates, email mike@meservier.com or by calling 207-784-2525. We understand Maine's Real Estate market and how some homeowners may be having difficulty paying their mortgage.Some of the areas covered in the brochure are:You're not alone if you're having trouble paying your mortgageMortgages with "Payment Shock"How Realtors can helpTalk with your lenderWhat if the value if your property is less than what you owe?And finally, Quick references for Consumers. This is a valuable resource is brought to you by the National Association of Realtors and is yours for the asking.Go to meservier.com to search for ove...
More About: Information , Format , Sure

Yes In-DEED... Use your IRA to invest in Real Estate!
2007-06-21 22:56:00
First start off with a self-directed IRA. You may be able to take funds from other accounts such as 401(k)s or SEP IRA's, etc., to initiate your new self-directed plan. Yes, the IRS allows us to invest in traditional or alternative investments that are not publicly traded. News has it that the real estate market may have hit bottom. You can read it here at Real ty Times. Buy low and sell high has been the investors motto and what better time to buy real estate, than now. Interest rates have also started to rise, yet another indication of perfect timing to buy. The hard part is determining what is low and what is high and with all the on-line and print news reflecting the current Real Estate conditions, I don't think anyone willing to venture onto this investment strategy would be misinformed.The catch to using your self-directed IRA to invest in real estate is that it cannot be your primary residence. It must be for investment purposes only. If you owned a rental property somewhere...
More About: Real Estate , Invest , Stat

Maine's Healthcare Is Within The Nations Top 10 !!
2007-06-18 21:01:00
 Visit the Dailey; Maine Biz for your inbox. It's a headliner for MaineBiz.biz and the newsprint; Maine's Business News Source. Great content for the curious Maine'ah. Sign up for it in your email.In this issue, they report where Maine ranks in the nations best in regards to Heal thcare . Read on;Study: Maine's healthcare 5th best in nationMaine's healthcare system is among the best in the country, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation in New York City. In a study developed to complement the foundation's 2006 "National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance," the "State Scorecard" placed Maine fifth among the 50 states for healthcare access, quality and equity. The state placed in the median range in the remaining two major categories -- avoidable hospital use, and cost and degree to which state residents enjoy long, healthy lives. Maine ranks second in the country for quality of care and heal...
More About: Nations , The Nation

The Business Boosters Collection
2007-06-18 19:59:00
I subscribe to this newsletter that provides great inspiration as well as tips. This insight fuels imagination and motivates me to keep plugging on. When you need the daily inspiration to keep your business and lifestyle moving, whether it be music orprint materials, seek the numerous resources available on-line or find a bookstore. You will be healthier, wealthier and wiser.Read on for today's Business Boost er:The Art of Happiness Making Each Day Your Best In The Art of Happiness*, the Dalai Lama shares this powerful insight into life:"I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. [Regardless of religion], we are all seeking something better in life. So I think the very motion of our life is toward happiness."But how are we to achieve this happiness that we all seek? What common factor can we rely upon, regardless of our health, wealth, appearance, family, etc? The Dalai Lama goes on to discuss how the mind can be trained for happiness, despite a...
More About: The Bus , Booster , Coll

Anybody Seen Kermit In Maine?
2007-06-13 05:08:00
More GREEN news! Daily Real Estate News  |  June 12, 2007Sustainability in Practice: Top 25 Greenest U.S. Cities As Kermit the frog says, "It's not easy being green."Country Home magazine, with help from Sperling's Best Places, examined all 379 major metropolitan areas in the country, ranking them according to how green they were. Qualifications for top ranking included air and watershed quality, miles of mass transit, power usage, farmers' markets, organic producers, and the number of green-certified buildings.Editor-in-Chief Carol Sheehan says, "We wanted to find out who in America is actually taking action, where they are, and what they are doing."Here are the magazine's picks for the 25 greenest cities in America:1. Burlington-South Burlington, Vt. 2. Ithaca, N.Y.3. Corvallis, Ore. 4. Springfield, Mass.5. Wenatchee, Wash. 6. Charlottesville, Va. 7. Boulder, Colo. 8. Madison, Wis. 9. Binghamton, N.Y.10. Champaign-Urbana...
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