Maine Real Estate Info

Unfortunately for sellers, the news isn’t great, and the numbers don’t lie. The good news is that the market is great for buyers! While inventory levels are very high, and interest rates remain low, with home prices having dipped slightly, more sellers are willing to make some concessions which make this the ideal time for buyers. It’s always a great market, it’s just a matter of who is benefiting the most, and today’s market is more beneficial to buyers than sellers typically. Read on…
Maine home sales fell 20% from February 2007 to February 2008, the Maine Association of Realtors said yesterday.

Realtors sold 555 existing, single-family homes last month, compared to 698 homes last February, according to a press release. The median sales price of Maine homes fell 2% during the same period, to $190,000.

Nationally, home sales fell 22.9% from February 2007 to February 2008, and the median sales price fell 8.7%, according to the trade group.

While the average median sales price (MSP) of a home in Maine has dipped only 2% since last year, residents of certain counties are experiencing much larger fluctuations in the value of their homes. Here’s a list of the three counties that have seen the greatest increase in home values and the three counties that have seen the greatest decrease in home values. All the data is available here.

County _MSP 06-07__ MSP 07-08_ % Change

Statewide $192,000 $188,000 -2.08%

Somerset $78,750 $96,500 22.54%

Oxford $146,000 $165,000 13.01%

Lincoln $212,625 $239,000 12.40%

Washington $120,000 $69,900 -41.75%

Sagadahoc $199,950 $167,500 -16.23%

Androscoggin $163,300 $155,000 -5.08%

Source: Maine Association of Realtors

To Search more than 24,000 Maine properties for sale, go to: Maine Real Estate Experts .com , Maine MLS .info or Meservier.com

Also…If you want to know what the real estate market is doing in your Maine neighborhood, visit: Maine Market Snapshot .com

Just listed this week is a 25 acre equestrian property named “Upper Pond Stables”, located at 147 Upper Pond Road Litchfield Maine. The asking price is $549,000.00 and a website for the offering is located at www.MaineHorseProperty.com. Please visit the website for the status of the listing. What a great time to BUY!

The stables has its own website which can be found at www.UpperPondStables.com. For all you horse lover’s out there, take the time to visit the website and, if interested in a personal viewing, give us a call at Meservier & Associates of Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine, at 207-784-2525, and we’ll arrange it for you.

Effective March 3, the Maine State Housing Authority is offering more mortgage options to homebuyers using their mortgage program. Options include a choice of 0 or 2 points, and a 30 or 40 year mortgage term.  These new options join other recent program changes that include expanding the program to veterans and active duty military (even if not first-time homebuyers), and Maine HOPE program that provides payment protection for program borrowers. For more info: http://www.mainehousing.org/NEWSPressReleases.aspx?PageCMD=newsDetail&NewsID=181

The table below demonstrates how even as home prices may drop, monthly mortgage payments basically stay the same; due to increased interest rates:   Scenario 1:
Prices decrease by 5% and interest rates increase by 0.5%
Scenario 2:
Prices decrease by 10% and interest rates increase by 1.0%

Table: Kadlec, Dan. “Ignore the Headlines!”  Time 25 February 2008  

I have to ask myself…Why would my clients spend months in a situation that they want out of when they can begin their new lives in their new home today, with less interest? 

It’s NOT too late…Call me or email TODAY!…or…Fill out my Dream Home Finder yourself at: meservier.com - Dream Home Finder 

Michael Meservier
Meservier & Associates
Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine
34Center Street Auburn, ME

office: 207-784-2525
email: REALTOR@mainerealestateexperts.com