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May 3, 2010

Housing stock | A look at what Maine's median home price of $158,000 can buy

Since June of last year, home sales in Maine have been on the upswing. In the first quarter of 2010, homes sales increased nearly 25% over the first quarter of 2009, aided by the federal home buyers tax credit.

That's good news for buyers and sellers alike, although sellers are hoping for a similar sustained rise in home sales prices. For anyone who's sought a home equity loan or refinanced a mortgage lately, the loss in housing values is a shock. According to the Maine Real Estate Information System, the price of the median home nationally dropped 2.1% to $164,300 between February 2010 and the same month a year ago. Here in Maine, February's median sales price of $158,000 is nearly identical to what it was a year ago. But if you look back to the same reporting period in 2007, the median home sale price was $194,000. In three years, the median sales price has dropped nearly 19%.

So what will $158,000 or so get you today? We took a look at listings by county around the state and compiled a sampler of single-family homes listed for approximately the state's median sales price. Here's what we found:

1. Androscoggin County, Lisbon
Split entry
Square feet: 1,032
Bedrooms/baths: 3/1
Built: 2000
Lot size: 0.34 acres
Price: $159,000
Allen & Selig Realty 829-3339

Finished with wood and ceramic tiling in the main living areas and includes a patio leading to a deck

2. Aroostook County, Caribou
Cape
Square feet: 1,644
Bedrooms/baths: 4/3
Built: 1950
Lot size: 0.18 acres
Price: $159,000
Mahoney’s Real Estate, Inc. 498-6571

This home comes with a fireplace, hardwood floors and a finished family room in the basement on a landscaped lot

3. Cumberland County, Naples
Bungalow
Square feet: 1,162
Bedrooms/baths: 2/1
Built: 2000
Lot size: 1.9 acres
Price: $157,900
Coldwell Banker Team Real Estate 892-1600

Features a direct entry, one-car garage with a large mudroom, a screened porch and a woodstove

4. Franklin County, Jay
Ranch
Square feet: 1,244
Bedrooms/baths: 3/1
Built: 1975
Lot size: 4 acres
Price: $157,000
Keller Williams Realty Mid-Maine 689-9800

Equipped with a two-car garage, a four-season sunroom and newly carpeted bedrooms

5. Hancock County, Franklin
Cape
Square feet: 1,240
Bedrooms/baths: 2/1
Built: 1870
Lot size: 2 acres
Price: $159,000
Town & Country 667-7557

Features a remodeled kitchen, a wood-heated workshop and is a short walk from Donnell Pond

6. Kennebec County, Waterville
Cape
Square feet: 2,440
Bedrooms/baths: 4/3
Built: 1937
Lot size: 0.23 acres
Price: $157,500
Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate 872-7650

Newly renovated, this home includes a formal dining room, a large office and an attached two-car garage

7. Knox County, Union
Cape
Square feet: 1,000
Bedrooms/baths: 2/2
Built: 1860
Lot size: 1 acre
Price: $159,000
Brad Carter Real Estate 596-0752

Furnished with a wooden spiral staircase, includes original cabinetry and a two-story barn

8. Lincoln County, Bristol
Cottage
Square feet: 1,592
Bedrooms/bath: 2/2
Built: 1940
Lot size: 1 acre
Price: $155,000
Newcastle Square Realty Associates 563-1003

Overlooks Little Falls Brook and includes an open floor plan and a master suite on the second floor

9. Oxford County, Porter
Farmhouse/Victorian
Square feet: 1,650
Bedrooms/baths: 3/3
Built: 1864
Lot size: 2 acres
Price: $156,000
Cote & Howe Realty 625-3222

This New Englander farmhouse retains its antique charm, with modern conveniences and yards away from Ossipee River

10. Penobscot County, Millinocket
Colonial
Square feet: 2,400
Bedrooms/baths: 5/3
Built: 1971
Lot size: 0.29 acres
Price: $157,000
ERA McPhail Realty
794-6666

Features an open concept formal living and dining room, a master bedroom and an enclosed porch

11. Piscataquis County, Greenville
Chalet
Square feet: 1,300
Bedrooms/baths: 2/1
Built: 2004
Lot size: 3.58 acres
Price: $159,000
Century 21 Moose Country 695-3731

Located a few miles from Moosehead Lake’s amenities, this home features log siding, wood floors and includes furniture

12. Sagadahoc County, Topsham
Raised ranch/split entry
Square feet: 1,584
Bedrooms/baths: 3/2
Built: 1982
Lot size: 0.21 acres
Price: $157,000
Keller Williams Realty

This home offers bamboo flooring, a fenced-in backyard and a finished basement

13. Somerset County, Moscow
Ranch
Square feet: 960
Bedrooms/baths: 2/1
Built: N/A
Lot size: 14-plus acres
Price: $159,500
United Country Real Estate 672-4108

Includes two smaller cabins and a two-car garage

14. Waldo County, Brooks
Ranch
Square feet: 1,040
Bedrooms/baths: 2/1
Built: 1974
Lot size: 2.5 acres
Price: $157,000
Jaret & Cohn Real Estate 338-4220

Frontage on Meadow Brook and a 2,100-square-foot insulated and heated workshop

15. Washington County, Eastport
Raised ranch
Square feet: 1,232
Bedrooms/baths: 3/2
Built: 1995
Lot size: 1 acre
Price: $155,000
Prudential Northeast Properties 667-4604

Features a back deck with swimming pool, vaulted ceilings in the kitchen and dining areas and has a nice ocean view

16. York County, Parsonsfield
Cape
Square feet: 1,138
Bedrooms/baths: 3/1
Built: 1880
Lot size: 0.3 acres
Price: $157,900
Cote & Howe Realty 625-3222

Located in a quiet neighborhood, this home is equipped with a heated barn, an enclosed porch and woodstove

 

               

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