Cary, Monticello, or Houlton Maine

MC- Or just dont use a realtor and save 2/3 on the purchase price to begin with.

We used a local lawyer to draw up and file the paperwork, he charged a flat-fee of $200 per land transaction.

while this holds true for now it's best too get a passport, certainly for children and be very open bout what ya got in your car!never had a problem crossing over too New York ,Vermont or Maine with just photo id but things are definatly tighter now! we just got back from the St. Stephen, St. George (Canadian)Calisis, Campabello Maine area. very nice people in that area of Maine! we looked at pricing on the Canadian side in New Brunswick and Maine, both sides of the border seem too be rising in price for what ever reason. people were easy too get along with too, depends on what your like i reckon!! helps we have close friends in the area too i expect, they and their kin are trusted (they are our son's god parents) and we are with them.

__________________
àigeach carnaid
chaora dhubh
"Don't raise your voice, improve your argument."

cruachan

We got a series of letters from the Maine Treasury, we re-did our taxes filing for 2005 and recalculated our income taxes. They had taken $11 [and change] out of my wife's pay, but thought that it should have been more. A couple letters later and a phonecall, and she got it straightened out just this Monday, We owe a total of $15 now, so we sent off a check for the remaining $3 and change.

For the house I am building, we had to take some land out of 'tree-growth' tax-status. The state auditor's office spoke to me on the phone to verify what I wanted to do and to advise me. She said that since my land was waterfrontage, if I took all of it out of 'tree-growth' the new property taxes would be more each year, then what we had paid to purchase the land. So for now, we only took out 1 acre [to account for the driveway, house and barn]. When we got the paperwork in the mail, she had included a form to apply for a 'homestead exemption'. The penalty for taking that one acre out of 'tree-growth' was over $800. We now have to wait and see, how much effect this exemption has.

I feel that our property in Ct, has high taxes. So far our taxes here have not been bad. I bought in late 2004. And we pay under $50/year for property taxes.

From the road, it is just forest:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...y/2ada67cf.jpg

Back end of our place:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...y/d38813bf.jpg

Heading a little further towards the river:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...y/91b5f32b.jpg

Then when you get to the river, looking left:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...y/5a2653be.jpg

Looking straight:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...y/6bf32394.jpg

and looking to the right:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...y/54e7437f.jpg

I only posted links, otherwise the pictures do clog up HT thread loading times.

I'm curious what you plan to do for income?

Nursing seems to be a good field for the frzn North as well as te rest of Maine. Its not a field I myself could ever do...blood, bedpans, the smell of death---not for me.

As far as taxes go---if you calculate average wage and then add up sales tax, property tax, excise tax (vehicles,luxuries), income tax...we do have a high burden if you are a typical consumer.

I suspect that when abatement time comes Galen will see a sharp increase...we had an abatement this past Spring Our taxes went up $150 and a dozen eggs....we pay about $750 for an 1800sq. ft house and 6 acres in China just outside of Waterville....we have the main barn(think Little House on the Prairie size), a tractor shed, wood shed, chix shed and a storage shed but we have torn down 3 other small poultry buildings over the years. We do get a little over $10k off for the homestead exemption.
Galen do you get a Veteran's exemption? I think its also $10k.

My parents have a 3000sqft home and a 4 car garage and 47acres in unorganized twp and pay $1000 in property taxes.

If you are buying land be sure to consider a good stand of hardwoods for home heating....your heat bills will knock your socks off otherwise.

I couldn't see the picture MFM, I did chceck out the rest of your site! I am having problems with our homemade soap clogging our drain. Do you happen to know what the problem is? Your soaps are beautiful. Nice greenhouse too. My dh built me a a small version! I LOVE it!!

I again didn't realize Maine was so taxed! The property taxes seem good atleast compared with NJ. I need to do some more research!

Thanks!!

We may have to take a vacation to look around some more!!

Great place ET1! How long did it take you to find it? How did you find it?

Thanks!!

Sorry, I didn't understand what is the 10k off of?

Thanks for the tip about the standing hardwood. We do plan to heat with wood! I don't want to think about the cost otherwise!

I looked into the 'vet exemption' you need to carry a 100% VA disability to qualify.

I am reasonably fit, I was retired due to 'high-year-tenure' [basically I got too old to be on active-duty]. My last two subs, I was in the top three oldest men onboard each of them. I have my foot in the door with the VA [high dosages of hard radiation, exposure to weird chemicals, a couple pinched nerves, a mis-shaped retina, and a series of concussions, 50% hearing loss in specific bands, etc. but so long as I can still perform my duties, I have no percentage levels of disability. Now as soon as the radiation finally kicks-in and gives me cancer, then I will be given a higher level of disability. But for now I have a 0% rating.]

It is kind of funny how the system works. Really.

One of our neighbors was advised [by the state auditor] to only cut a forestry access road into his land, and to drop a 'cabin' on it. He could include a well, septic and power. But so long as it was a 'cabin' then he could keep all of his land in 'tree-growth' and avoid the tax-hike.

Now when you say:
Do you mean that $10k is subtracted from the tax-valuation of your property?

yes its off the assessed value..which is substantially lower than the appraised value(selling price)