Sprague & Curtis
Tyler Gaudet, Sprague & Curtis Real Estate
November 29, 2022
How to make a career move — and a move to Maine
By Tyler Gaudet, Sprague & Curtis Real Estate
The pandemic has had a significant impact on our daily lives for over two years. Although many have been negative, there may be a silver lining when it comes to the job market.
Positions in seemingly every field across the country and the state of Maine have vacancies as labor shortages have grown across the nation.
As a result, many employers have embraced allowing employees to work remotely, and have expanded their search area to find qualified employees to fill these open positions. This has led many eligible candidates to explore relocating from densely populated urban areas to quieter, more affordable places like Maine.
Maine has seen an increase in these job seekers. Working as a real estate broker, I have seen everyone from young professionals from New York City to welders in the shipbuilding industry move to Maine after landing new employment. Some relocate to Maine to raise their families while continuing to work for their current out-of-state employer while they search for their next career path.
Moving to a new area can present many challenges for people. When exploring a career move to a new city or town, it’s important to research the surrounding areas before deciding on where to live. People should consider things like:
- What’s the commute time to the office?
- Is there a time zone difference between myself and remote colleagues?
- Availability of high-speed internet in rural areas if they plan to work from home?
- Convenience: How far is the home from the businesses that you use and places that you recreate, hobbies and schools?
Many of these questions can be answered by internet searches and researching amenities and attractions offered by that town or city. But to get an in-depth knowledge of the local housing market, your first stop should be at a local real estate office to speak with a Realtor. Many may offer community tours to help you get a feel for an area. Spending as little as 1-2 hours touring the community can be helpful in learning more about the area or region.
When I do community tours, we spend time driving through various neighborhoods, but I also try to cater these to individual interests - showcasing local grocery stores, restaurants, theaters, gyms, etc. These tours can really help folks narrow the search area down because it can be overwhelming to decide which towns and cities to live in simply while looking online.
Sometimes there is not enough time to find a house to buy before landing that new job, or a person simply is not ready to decide where to live and would like more time to get familiar with an area. In those cases, I recommend finding a rental apartment or home to get their bearings for six months to a year before deciding when and if that person wants to buy a house. During that time, they can venture out on the weekends and explore the surrounding areas, discover new local features and try new restaurants.
Life is getting back to a “new normal” as I say, and people can almost work from anywhere now, which can allow them to be more selective in where they want to live. With Maine being such a beautiful place, it is easy to understand why we choose to live and work here.
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