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Attitude, Expectations, Priorities | The Shift In Real Estate Sales.

By
Real Estate Agent with MOOERS REALTY ME Broker License 106759

Before secondary mortgage market packaging to sell the paper on a property, it was save up the twenty five percent down payment to mortgage, buy the home.

Took some time. The purchase made the priority in the life of the couple, family who wanted to buy a home. Leave the rent rut.

So they went without many things, the priority was the roof over the head.

Not another tattoo or body piercing. Not something they did not need. Like the latest and greatest maine black bear photoelectronic device or a new ride to impress.

Careful spending, impulse control exercised in the easy does it. To get the keys please to that first home.

When local was where it happened in small towns, buying a home made the loan all about character.

And study of the property, along with  the borrower. To see what jumps out like red flags about the interview, loan application. The ten foot pole marks on the property considered too.

That take away of  the overall gut feeling on the all important question.

Is this a foreclosure waiting to happen or not kinda loan? Wondered the banker who knew your Dad from bowling down at the club. And helped your Uncle Bob coach you on little league. To hustle to first base even if it was a walk not a hit.

The two rubber stamps in the top drawer of the lender who was the appraiser, credit counselor, underwriter all in one.

"Accepted" or "Rejected" were the two flavors of the direction the home loan could go in blue or red. No 50 shades of gray or straddling the fence getting long, painful deep reaching splinters.maine public supper photo

That big quarter of the property purchase ker plopped down in green backs at the real estate closing made all the difference.

The letting go, you can take it back was not in the tea leaves or crystal ball broadcast.

The borrower knew you could not have everything going and money in the bank.

Small rural living is still like that. Priorities are clear, life is kept simple. Debt is not your friend and if you must, be careful. By not getting spread too thin. To avoid being up against it. Upside down, head over heels in the red for spending and wrecking your credit. Damaging your reputation of paying your bills on time or labeled as one that does not at all.

Could be the drive through super size that meal deal is part of the shift in attitude, expectations.

Or highly effective marketing that mesmerizes, hypnotizes the audience to go on. Whatever feels good. You deserve it and just buy the product or service. Don't worry. You'll find a way to pay for it later. Maybe.

Living beyond your means, frowning at the concept of saving money for a raining day. Thinking I small maine town river photodeserve it right now and don't have to work for it like my parents, gramps and your grandmother too.

And when purchasing a home you can afford that is less than up to snuff.

But all you can swing because of all the debt you carry, real estate buyers can get a little demanding.

What do you expect for a $14,500 Maine home? Be glad it has a metal roof, vinyl siding, storage shed, modern windows.

Don't be looking for granite counter tops, crown molding and three bathrooms.

Or one Maine house for sale we just put under contract for in the upper teens.

I am glad where I live in rural small town Maine.

Nothing is taken for granted, the awareness is 20-20 before life events happen.

The expectations are realistic, the willingness to roll up the sleeves and do whatever it takes is not questioned.

Hard work for everything they have around them is what propels the small Maine town home buyer. No born with silver spoons, CCR fortunate ones traipsing into the real estate office as a rule. And frugal is not cheap. There is a difference.

Is that the attitude, the bulk of the folks you deal with in your real estate market outside Maine?

Here it is not threatening law suits because the place did not have features that price range does not offer. Or when the relocation does not agree with them, because the neighbors don't find them so friendly and back away here it comes. maine land photo

Searching for ways to rattle the sabers.

To suggest they are lashing out. Ten minutes away from the run to lawyers.

Itching for court house steps, lady justice to make someone pay. The more the merrier brought into the legal drama because they are not happy.

And somehow others are responsible for it. We run into a few Eeyores.

We referee those situations on occasion but as a rule, folks move to Northern Maine to get away from those kind of neighbors. To have few or no neighbor at all and just enjoy the space. The knowing they are not bothering anyone, no one is in their face either. And that all comes with the low cost real estate listings, simpler approach to living in Maine.

I'm Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

 

 

Comments (15)

Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

The work ethic seems to have skipped a generation ....too many first time buyers expect to start where their parents left off.....and there is not the concentration or thought to saving money.

Mar 11, 2015 09:23 PM
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

I personally like the old way of doing things, by saving enough money to be able to comfortably afford your purchase.

Mar 11, 2015 10:13 PM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Sally K. & David L. Hanson We see the eroding of work ethic and young buyers pulling out a violin when explaining Mom and Dad did not start out where they are now. Worked to make the place better. Picking potatoes growing up on a farm did not hurt me, my four kids.

Gabe Sanders Better loans, less FSSR.

Mar 11, 2015 10:28 PM
Noah Seidenberg
Coldwell Banker - Evanston, IL
Chicagoland and Suburbs (800) 858-7917

I am with Gabe Sanders My father always told me to save my money and don't borrow more then you have to and pay off your credit cards each month.

Mar 12, 2015 12:01 AM
Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Andrew, hard and honest work never hurts..trouble begins when we start coloring waayyy off the lines.

Mar 12, 2015 01:52 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Noah Seidenberg Using credit cards for the 30 days you get free, but don't carry a balance. Pay off. Don't buy if you can not works best.

Beth Atalay Stay in the lines.

Mar 12, 2015 05:21 AM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Andrew

Maine is more old school in their values . . . . and that's a good thing.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Mar 12, 2015 11:42 AM
Conrad Allen
Re/Max Professional Associates - Webster, MA
Webster, Ma, Realtor

Hi Andrew.  $14,500 doesn't buy you a mansion?  Who new?

Mar 12, 2015 09:12 PM
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

Good morning Andy. We always want better for our kids, but sometimes I think it has gotten out of hand.

Mar 13, 2015 12:50 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Lou Ludwig ... Exactly.

Conrad Allen ... More property, less coin. Win win in small rural Maine, northern New England real estate.

Joe Petrowsky ... Rein in the spending, spoiling. Amen.

Mar 13, 2015 11:14 PM
Maria Gilda Racelis
Home Buyers Realty, LLC-Manchester, Bolton. Vernon,Ellington - Manchester, CT
Home Ownership is w/in Reach. We Make it Happen!

Hi Andrew Mooers . That is why I resisted the temptation of buying handsome and dashing car. I can't live with a high debt. Simple living -- who would not want that. But there are instances when we need to splurge as we only live once.

Mar 13, 2015 11:41 PM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

So true Maria Gilda Racelis .. Travel. Do that and make sure to have blue green water in your diet of vacation fun.

Mar 15, 2015 12:04 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

We did not realize how lucky we were during those years we could go to our local bank and meet with the president to arrange for a mortgage to purchase another investment property.

Mar 15, 2015 01:31 AM
Pamela Seley
West Coast Realty Division - Murrieta, CA
Residential Real Estate Agent serving SW RivCo CA

Living beyond one's means on credit is a debt trap. Over-leveraging to buy a home is what borrowers did and then lost them. I hope we have learned from that mistake. 

Mar 15, 2015 04:01 AM
Mary Ann Isaacson
JDK & Associates Realty - Brentwood, CA

I'm so jealous that you could buy anything that resembles a house for $14,000. In our San Francisco area, you can't even buy a doghouse for that. Ha ha, the doghouse would probably be $100,000 more if you want them to throw it in. I think our area and Silicon Valley is caught up in the dream world you're speaking of. Next time show them an equivalent house on the West Coast. Maybe they'll appreciate their humble abode.

Mar 15, 2015 04:21 AM