In Northern Maine like Northern Michigan or small parts of lower populated areas of the country the marketing of real estate is completely different. Even the listing forms have questions that would make a city broker stratch his head. Rent control in cities, buy your parking space, 20th floor cooperatives, condos...none of that happens in small out reaches of rural America. Homes for $29,900 and less. Raw unimproved land for $2900 with a drilled well. Minimum wage pay scale. High quality of life for community involvement, raising kids, attending church and enjoying the great outdoors. Lower teacher to student ratios. Kids learning work ethic and not handled twenty dollar bills for ipods...they earn them! And they don't lose them or destroy them. They know the value of a dollar before they hit eighteen.
High speed internet has allowed folks tired of the city and traffic to move to rural areas and buy for a fraction of what they sold, and then to continue to go on line to telecommute to their same or similiar job. The employer does not care where on the planet the employee is...just show up to work from your home office with a modem, fax and phoneline. Offices with 60 agents and seventeen outlets...not in Northern Maine where there are 11 people per mile and unspoiled lakes and woods to explore. You won't make seven digits a year in rural off the beaten path areas...but you won't need to. All your expenses...mortage if you have one, insurance, labor for repairs, all cheaper. Everything you know, divide by three. Taxes of 600 dollars a year, not 4300 dollars a year. And Uncle Sam does not stick you in that higher bracket you are trapped in now...you suddenly make a little less but spend a lot less and actually have money left over.
A different pace, a simpler lifestyle and enjoyment of all four seasons with space to breath, to think to volunteer and create outside the work arena. Are you a country mouse? Its the family hometown lifestyle a broker in rural america sells. Life like Andy of Mayberry and The Waltons. The way life used to be everywhere in America. New and different where your boundaries are unsure...can be exciting to some who are ready for adventure.
Hello Andrew: I looked and I found... It is great to find others of us out there on AR. Our market place, Viroqua Wisconsin is small too, we have a county population of about 28,000 with 750 sq miles of territory to cover. The area I cover is actually 3 counties wide for listing and showing. A favorite saying to city buyers is we only have 3 stop lights in the county and currently they are all working!