It’s easy to find an expensive Maine home with a gorgeous view. But if you know where to look, you can find a more affordable one as well.
Most of those kinds of homes will be located inland or Down East, which is just about the last area of affordable coastline in Maine. On that inflated coast, many will be seasonal camps, homes in need of renovation or those on hard-to-access islands.
We rounded up four Maine homes with beautiful views at a range of price points, from a pricey one with a harbor view to a modest one overlooking the Machias River.
A coastal home near mountains and water
This East Blue Hill home has views of both a working waterfront and the mountains of Acadia. Credit: Rhonda Varney, Vacationland Photos
62 York Road, Blue Hill, $1.2 million
Advertisement
This 3-bedroom home just outside the East Blue Hill village sits on 5 acres and offers views of both the scenic harbor and the mountains of Acadia National Park, listing agent Christine Lutz of Realty of Maine said. The small harbor has made this area a coveted one, in part because it is a working waterfront on a cove.
The property is on a quiet, private road but is only a couple miles from village amenities, and is less than an hour from Acadia and the Bangor international airport. The home has hardwood floors throughout, and comes with a 1-bedroom guest cottage, though that needs a complete renovation, Lutz said.
“We’ve had some good interest,” Lutz said of the two weeks the property has been on the market. “That was a nice surprise: the million and over market still seems to be strong.”
A seasonal artist’s island escape
This Vinalhaven home sits on two coves. Credit: Courtesy of Drum & Drum Real Estate Inc.
272 Green Island, $695,000, Vinalhaven
This seasonal home sits on two coves, meaning that both the back and front yards of the house look out onto the ocean. Though the home is an hour-long ferry ride from Rockland, it is only a short skiff ride from the Vinalhaven landing and the limited amenities offered on the island, listing agent Peter Christine of Drum & Drum Real Estate Inc. said.
The 3-bedroom house was built in 1990 by an artist, Buckley Smith, who lived there in the summers and took inspiration from his surroundings for his maritime-themed artwork.
Advertisement
The property’s features include an antique cookstove, a deepwater dock and mooring, and a cottage adjacent to the main home. It’s a seasonal property but could be lived in year-round with some investment, Christine said. The home was listed a month or so ago, and has attracted mostly artist-types like its builder.
“It grabs people’s imagination. It’s got a lot of character,” Christine said. “That gets people who have an artistic bent.”
Two oceanview cottages with investment potential
This two-cottage property on Swan’s Island has beautiful harbor views. Credit: Dean Tyler Photography
276 Harbor Road, $295,000, Swan’s Island
This property on Swan’s Island, just off Deer Isle and Mount Desert Island, includes two oceanview cottages.
“It’s a small property, but it’s got incredible value on the water,” Steve Shelton, the listing agent and a broker with Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate/The Masiello Group, said.
One building is a one-bedroom cottage. The other was used as an office. Though they both need renovating, Shelton said they each already have heat and bathrooms installed, and the office cottage has a custom fireplace and laundry room.
Advertisement
With only $50,000 put into improvements, Shelton reckons the value of the property would increase by $200,000. The home has already received a fresh coat of paint, though the listing pictures haven’t been updated to reflect that, Shelton said.
The unique property has been listed for nine months. Though two buyers have gone under contract, both deals fell through because though they loved the house they couldn’t make the renovations work given the island’s inaccessibility and strict ferry schedule.
“Anything you do on an island is at least 25 percent more, for construction,” Shelton said. “It’s a challenge to get contractors out there.”
A home overlooking the Machias River
17 Monaghan Lane, $189,000, Whitneyville
We’re returning to the mainland for this 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom home in a small Washington County town that offers picturesque views of the Machias River from atop a hill.
Advertisement
It has been recently renovated, according to the home’s listing, and has new flooring and new light fixtures as well as a new paint job. The Whitneyville home is only a few minutes by car to the town of Machias, the population hub in the southern part of the rural county.
Keon Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Maine Celtics defeated the Windy City Bulls 122-87 in an NBA G League game on Sunday afternoon at the Portland Expo.
Hason Ward scored 16 points and Jalen Bridges 14 for Maine (13-15), which had seven players score in double digits. Bridges drained four 3-pointers for the Celtics, who shot 13 for 28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc.
Max Shulga dished out 11 assists and scored nine points.
Maine led 33-18 after one quarter 72-36 at halftime.
Advertisement
Keyshawn Bryant scored a game-high 25 points for Windy City (12-12).
AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) – An emotional day from Fairfield to Augusta, but felt throughout Maine and beyond, as state officials, community members and loved ones honored the lives of two Department of Transportation workers who tragically died in the field.
Maine DOT Commissioner Dale Doughty described the accident as “the nightmare that commissioners worry about.”
While working on Interstate 95 in January, Maine DOT workers James “Jimmy” Brown, 60, and Dwayne Campbell, 51, died after a driver failed to brake at a stop sign and crashed into a tractor-trailer traveling on the highway.
To honor the men’s commitment to public service and their legacy as fathers, outdoorsmen and Mainers, a procession including DOT officials, family members and more traveled to the Augusta Civic Center Saturday for a memorial service.
Advertisement
Among those in attendance was Gov. Janet Mills, who remarked on who Brown and Campbell were and their dedication to their profession.
“Jimmy, as you know, worked for the Maine Department of Transportation for 12 years. Dwayne for more than 23 years,” Mills described. “We could count on Jimmy and Dwayne just as we could count on the 1,600 Maine dot workers who keep our roads and bridges safe every day.”
Brown was known for his humor and love of fishing, cars and his children.
Campbell got his start in the DOT by following in his father’s footsteps. Mills said at the service that Campbell loved his daughters and time spent outdoors.
For Commissioner Doughty, losses like this hit hard because of the closely bonded “family business” that DOT is.
Advertisement
That family expands past state lines, as departments of transportation from New Hampshire and Vermont were present to show their support.
New Hampshire DOT State Maintenance Engineer Alan Hanscom said he called Maine DOT just hours after hearing of the accident to see what his crews could do to help.
“My employees are impacted or subject to the same dangers that Maine and every other state is,” Hanscom said of the importance of his attendance. “I have an employee that was killed in a motor vehicle crash some years ago, so it kind of hits home.”
Saturday’s event served not only as a commemoration but also as a call to action. Despite DOT’s training, Doughty says it is rendered useless if motorists put right-of-way employees in danger through reckless or distracted driving.
Advertisement
Hanscom expanded: “People don’t realize that this is our office. You’re driving through our office space. We’d like you to give us some consideration and slow down and be mindful of where we are. Give us a little respect.”
Doughty mentioned that these dangers extend beyond DOT workers to everyone who does roadside work. Because of this, he says, agencies must join forces to develop solutions.
“I really think it’s time, and we have a meeting coming up in April, where we pull all agencies and all companies that work in the right-of-way, contractors, utilities, everyone to start to talk about that message,” Doughty said.
On the podium, Doughty told audiences: “Please help us carry forward their memory, not only with tears, but with action.”
On Thursday, the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation authorized the Maine Turnpike Authority to conduct a pilot program for speed enforcement in work zones. The legislation is now headed to the House and Senate.
Despite retaliation from their employer, nurses affirm their commitment to their patients and their union
Over two years since Northern Maine Medical Center (NMMC) first formed their union and began bargaining in good faith for a first contract, nurses remain committed to the patients they serve, and to making their hospital the best place it can be for everyone. Union nurses at NMMC signed the letter they released today, which says in part:
“Over the past two years, you have no doubt heard about the conflict that has grown between the hospital and us.
We want you to know that we never asked for this fight. The initiative to organize our union was to protect ourselves and our patients, not to punish any individuals or the hospital as a whole.”
The nurses’ letter goes on to say that their immediate goals as a union include: winning safe staffing for nurses and patients, promoting transparency and accountability at NMMC, retaining our local providers and staff, and making their hospital sustainable for the long term.
Advertisement
Terry Caron, RN and member of the nurses’ bargaining team said: “Two years ago, we decided to have a voice for ourselves and our patients by forming our union. The NMMC administration could have met us halfway, but it did not. It has only fought us and tried to punish us for speaking up. But we are as committed to our goals as ever. We will never stop fighting for our patients.”
NMMC nurses were joined today by Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry, gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson, and U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner. They echoed the nurses’ call for NMMC CEO Jeff Zewe to stop his retaliation against the nurses and to finalize the union contract for which the nurses have been bargaining for most of the past two years.
Maine State Nurses Association is part of National Nurses Organizing Committee, representing 4,000 nurses and other caregivers from Portland to Fort Kent. NNOC is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing labor union of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 225,000 members nationwide.
