Summer Place is a unique community in Portland.  Only minutes from downtown, this charming neighborhood of nineteen homes offers custom cottage-style homes that feature great views of the ocean from Falmouth to Spring Point in South Portland.  During the summer months you can see cruise ships enter Portland Harbor, make their way around Fort Gorges and dock at Portland’s Ocean Gateway.

So, if your looking to enjoy the gentle sea breezes on your front porch you might want to consider 5 Summer Place, which has recently been updated – and is now ready for you to move right in.

View this Great Home

5 Summer Place is located a top a small hill overlooking the neighborhood and the water beyond.  It features a large front porch, first floor deck and two additional decks of the second floor.  The master suite and guest bedroom each have their own private deck!

See Work in Progress

Yes, this home was on the market in 2011 and comments from prospective buyers led to the recent updates and renovations.  The entire home has been painted in warm tones that accent the natural wood floors, trim and many built-ins.  The kitchen has undergone a significant facelift as granite has been added, the cabinetry has been refinished and other accessories added.

The most significant change is in the living area, as you can see in the video below.  A new entrance to the backyard and basement has been added, improving the overall flow of the first floor living area.

Local contractors were used to get the job done on time and under budget. The painting was professionally done by Sue Strasenburgh of Peerless Painting and Colin Greig performed the services of General Contractor.

It’s a really great upgrade designed for faster, easier more efficient property searches.  It is now directly integrated into our website, thus eliminating the need for users to remember or bookmark a special URL.

This new search includes many enhanced features, including the ability to create and save multiple searches, manage favorites, track your search history and access a wider range of search criteria.

Once you are registered, you will have access to all homes, condos and land for sale in the Maine MLS.  There is also great neighborhood information available to help you make comparisons.

We invite you to give this new search a test.  You can access it directly by clicking the link: Maine Real Estate MLS Search.

Save Your Searches

This new search allows you to not only customize your search – but save as many as you want.  You will also be able to select how often you want updates sent to you and which search to included.  There is a lot of flexibility!

Transition to New Search

If you already have a search in place with us and would like to transition to this new search simply enter your home search requirements and you’ll be good to go.  If you would like us to do it, just let us know and we can set it up.

In any case, both searches will be available for the foreseeable future.

For more information about the local real estate market, please visit our website, MaineHomeConnection.com.  We have also recently introduced a new site that is primarily about Portland – MainelyPortland.com.

Today’s video is really just an introduction of what we hope to be offering over the next few weeks and months.  We still learning how to put these together, so please be tolerant as we get the kinks out of the system!

Our primary goal is to provide insight and analysis of the real estate market from a very local perspective.   We hope to get “inside” the raw numbers and convey to our viewers information that can really be helpful.

As always, if you are in need of any customized reports or information, just let us know.

According to data provided by the Maine Real Estate Information System (MREIS), across the state of Maine 1,164 single family homes were sold in the first two months of 2012 compared 1,032 in a similar period in 2011.  Unit sales were down as was the median selling price of $151,250 in 2012 vs $159,900 in 2011.

In Cumberland County single family homes sales were better in 2012 vs 2011 as 283 sales were completed representing an increase of 2.5%. The median price was lower, however, at $215,000 in 2012 vs $215,000.  Often, however, these changes in median price are a result of changes in the mix of homes sold in any given month.  Reviewing pricing over a longer period of time is much more insightful.

As inventory remains high competition among sellers is very intense, as evidenced by discounting from original list prices.  During the first two months of 2012 homes sold at only 92.2% of list price.

In York County units sales were up significantly as 204 homes were sold vs 155 in 2011, representing an increase of 31.6%.

Local Communities:

On a monthly basis we track several local southern Maine communities.  You can view homes real estate sales statistics for the following towns and cities: Portland,  South Portland,  Falmouth,  Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Yarmouth and Old Orchard Beach.  Each report includes sales for single family homes and condos, comparisons to prior year, current inventory and other key statistics.

If you need specialized data or reports, just let us know.  We can create customized information that should meet your needs.

• 44% of recent home buyers were first-time buyers in Maine, compared to a national level of 37% – a drop from 50% in 2010

• The typical buyer in Maine was 43 years old, while nationally the typical buyer was 45 years old, a jump from 39 years old in 2010

• The 2010 median household income of buyers was $63,900 in Maine and $80,900 nationally. The median income was $52,500 among first-time buyers and $73,500 among repeat buyers, compared to $62,400 among first-time buyers and $96,600 among repeat buyers nationally.

• Nationally, 64% of recent home buyers were married couples – the highest level since 2001. In Maine, the figure was 53%. O recent home buyers, 18% were single females nationally – the lowest level since 2004; In Maine females represented 23%.

• For 27% of recent home buyers nationally, the primary reason for their recent home purchase was a desire to own a home. In Maine, this was the primary reason for 32% of home buyers.

Although Maine results track the national trend, it is interesting that in 2011 the percentage of first-time home buyers in Maine was considerably higher than the national average.  The average age was also lower, which is not surprising.

Being from the Midwest, the Klimek’s had in mind something more along the lines of a Frank Lloyd Wright design.  When they saw the work of Wiscasset architect Jim Schildroth, they knew they had their man to build them a home that was indeed something very special.

A former student at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Schildroth developed a strong philosophy of organic architecture, similar to Wright’s, blended with his own magic and sense of whimsy.

“I flex with the needs of the client and the conditions at the site,” was a philosophy expounded by the architect – an approach that is the antithesis of forcing a client into the rectangle of a faux-Colonial home.

While Barbara Klimek was excited about Frank Lloyd Wright, she was less sure about the master’s penchant for low ceilings and very horizontal elements.  She envisioned high ceilings and a curved staircase, things Wright would probably never consider.

These were design features that she wanted the architect to incorporate into their new home – and the result was stunning.  There is clearly a sense of faithfulness to a Frank Lloyd Wright concept – yet a clear vision of something new and original.

Most ingenious was Schildroth’s angular deck as it took shape, cantilevered outward and reached out across the lake.  With its sharp noses jutting out toward the water, it conjures a boat’s bow-but this is no kitschy gesture; it’s business and beauty combined.  “The large deck projects away from the house, essentially from the inside side, thus  shielding it from view of a neighboring cottage that would intrude on views of the lake,”  according to Schildroth.  Not only that, “an angled deck is easier to cantilever than a square deck.”

The stone and wood of exterior are carefully manipulated with a mix of horizontal and vertical elements that anchor the house to its lakeside surroundings.  The house appears as if it were not simply built upon the site, but culled from deep below the earth.  It has a timeless sense about it.  Built in 1991, it looks as fresh today as the moment it was just finished.

The grounds are full of carefully tended perennial beds, and the lake is just steps from the house.  “We have a small beach, and the boat’s right outside,” Klimek says. “We can walk right out and go boating or swimming.”

“I feel incredible gratitude to have lived here,” Klimek says. But life changes, and the Klimeks, with a yen to spend their retirement years traveling, have put their beloved home on the market, for $1.6 million.

According to Khris, even lay people understand on an innate level the importance of the principles of organic architecture.  It just feels right.  This feeling was articulated by the recent visit of a regular house guest when she told her host, “Every time I come here, I feel renewed.”  What’s the going rate for that?

For more information, visit 30 Woodland Shores.

Note: Adapted from the 2008 Portland Magazine article by Brad Faverau

Very rarely, however, do we ever go back and truly analyze just how accurate they were – and we are not about to do so here!

If you are not familiar, for the last several years Google has been publishing a year in review known as the Zeitgeist. The meaning of the word goes back to 1884 and is of German etymology – from Zeit (time) + Geist (spirit) with a literal translation of the general intellectual, moral and cultural climate of an era.

As Google has come to apply this term, “Zeitgeist” is meant to be “the spirit of the times,” and this spirit can be seen through the aggregation of millions of search queries Google receives every day. The annual Zeitgeist report reveals what captured the world’s attention in the past year – the passions, interests and defining moments as seen through search.

2011 Zeitgeist

As of  today, this video has been viewed 7,799,767 times. Last year, when we posted the 2010 version, the number of views was less than 2 million.

When it comes to looking forward to 2012, what is probably more important is not the outcome of the various predictions we make, but rather choosing what we should make predictions about – and which ones actually have any significant at all.

The randomness inherent is one reason why the predictions that we make are often wrong, but there’s a second reason: Often we don’t know which predictions we should be trying to make in the first place.

When you really think about it, what we sometimes don’t appreciate is that hindsight tells us more than the actual outcome of the predictions that we could have made. It also reveals what predictions we should have been making to begin with.

Nationally, home prices are monitored by the S&P Case-Shiller Index, which was developed in the 1908’s. The index is actually a composite of several, which measure changes in the prices of single family homes in major metropolitan areas.

At the end of January 2012 the most current report S&P Case-Shiller report was made available. According to November’s report home prices fell sharply in November as 19 of 20 cities included in the index recorded price declines.

Prices are down 3.7% from a year ago and are down 32.8% since they peaked in the summer of 2006. In a published statement, David Blitzer, a spokesman for S&P stated “Despite continued low interest rates and better real GDP growth in the fourth quarter, home price continue to fall.”

Phoenix, one of the hardest hit metro areas in the country, was the only place to record a gain in November. Prices there rose 0.6% month-over-month but are down 3.6% from a year ago. Home prices in Chicago posted the steepest decline of any city on the index, falling 3.4% month-over-month. Atlanta prices were down 2.5% and Detroit prices fell 2.4%.

Closer to home, Boston is the city closest to us included in the 20 that make up the index and in the most recent report prices dropped 1.6%.  This represented the third consecutive month of declining values and brings the region’s home prices to the level they were in April 2003.

Maine Real Estate Sales

Our year end reports compare all of 2011 with 2010.  In the month of November the median price of a home in Maine was $167,950 compared to $168,500. For Cumberland County the median price also increased marginally from $219,000 in October to $220,000 in November.

Through January, Maine has recorded six consecutive months of median price increases.

A summary of 2011 Maine sales results is available at: Maine Home Sales. Details of  individual towns can be accessed following the links at Local South Maine Communities on our website.

Many of the demographics covered in the report show trends that have not been seen in the last 10 years. In the last two years, home buyers were urged into the market by the Home Buyer Tax Credit and record affordability.

Buyers now are facing tighter credit standards and are typically buyers who have the means to buy a home—often without financing. This change is one that is so substantial it is changing who purchases homes, who sells homes, and how the home is financed.

This last year the Maine Association of Realtors commissioned a separate study that focused exclusively on our state.  Over the next several articles we will examine some of the results and interpret how they affect Maine home buyers and sellers.

The Home Search:

• For 35% of home buyers, the first step in the home-buying process was looking online for properties and 10% of home buyers first looked online for information about the home buying process on a national level. In Maine, 40% of home buyers looked online for properties as a first step and 11% searched for information about the process online.

• The use of the Internet in the home search dipped slightly on a national level to 88% from a high of 90% in 2009, as the demographics of home buyers shifts to slightly older repeat buyers from younger first-time buyers. In Maine, this number was 87%.

• Real estate agents were viewed as a useful information source by 99% of buyers who used an agent while searching for a home in Maine, compared to 98% of buyers nationally.

• The typical home buyer in Maine searched for 9 weeks and viewed 6 homes, compared to12 weeks and 12 homes on a national level.

• Nine in ten recent buyers were satisfied with the home buying process nationally while 87% of buyers were satisfied with the process in Maine.

The home buying rate during the survey period of the report – mid-2010 to mid-2011 – dropped to a low following the expiration of the Home Buyer Tax Credit.  In most cases buyers who were buying a home during this survey period were often in a situation where they needed to purchase a home for family changes,  a job-relocation or a clear investment.

However, while sales declined, home values appear to have found more solid footing with several measures of prices showing little change compared to the year before, as reported in our 2011 Maine Real Estate Sales Reports.

We have just completed our 2012 update of the Guide and expanded it to include more southern Maine communities.  In it you will also find a synopsis of selected towns, the most current real estate statistics for the year end 2011 with comparison to 2010 and updates on the local arts scene, including happenings in Portland’s Old Port.

Education and the economy are also critical concerns, and we have included information on these topics as well.  The Portland Economic Scorecard, which was just released by the city, compares cities and metro areas in the United States.

Southern Maine also is well known for its majestic coastline and beautiful lakes, and there are many opportunities to own a waterfront home or condo.  Understanding Maine waterfront real estate is a big undertaking, and we have an entire section developed to this topic, including many maps and area profiles.

Please download a copy of the 2012 Southern Maine Relocation Guide.  You can also request a copy of our complete relocation packaging that includes an interactive CD and additional videos.

See you in Maine!