Even in rural Maine, it’s getting hard to find truly affordable homes

Stacey Souza’s most popular listing is a 4-bedroom farmhouse in the rural, coastal town of Friendship.

That’s because it’s listed for $250,000. Many people, notably first-time home buyers, are desperate for anything in that price range, even though the home needs a lot of work and will not be eligible for traditional financing.

The median sale price of a single-family home in Maine currently sits at $408,500, but that sum is far out of reach for the average household in Maine, which makes an annual income of just over $68,000, according to census data. That can afford you a home up to $254,000 with a $20,000 down payment, according to Zillow’s affordability calculator.

But home prices haven’t been that low statewide in Maine since July 2020, according to Maine listing data. They’re unlikely to return there any time soon, even in the more rural parts of the state that agents once had to urge their clients to reconsider.

“This is the new normal,” Souza, an associate broker with Rockland-based Cates Real Estate, said. “Everything that we hear from economists and real estate forecasters is that prices are not going to go back down.”

That leaves the average Mainer searching for homes in a tight spot. In southern Maine, $250,000 nets you a 650-square-foot condo, a seasonal cabin, a mobile home or just some land. In Aroostook, it can net you a charming 3-bedroom home in Madawaska’s town center.

Homes are costlier in the Portland area and along the coast. Yet buyers have been able to scoop up bargains over the last few years in central Maine, where homes were generally affordable to the average family until COVID-era price increases. In 2019, you could still find a turnkey home in the Augusta-Waterville area for $160,000.

“Now if you’re paying $160,000, it’s probably a mobile home on an acre of land,” Tim Fortin, the designated broker of NextHome Northern Lights Realty based in central Maine, said.

Fortin also has a 5-bedroom home on the market going for $250,000 in Fairfield. Like Souza’s, it is typical of those priced around this point in Maine: inland and in need of renovations.

It is a classic 1900s Victorian style build with lots of character, including original woodwork and stained glass windows. Though some renovations were done by a previous owner, more are needed. The floors need sanding and coats of polyurethane. The second floor is unfinished.

Like Souza’s listing, Fortin said this home is sitting on the market because the average person can afford to buy the home but not to fix it up.

“People are looking for more of a finished product,” Fortin said. “I think that’s hard to find in today’s market, unless you’re willing to pay $400,000.”

Because the cost of a single family home continues to climb, even in rural parts of the state, buyers keep having to make concessions. Condition of the home is one, Souza said. Typical buyers are looking at homes that need some cosmetic upgrades. People are also more willing to take a longer commute to work for the price they want, she said.

“People are willing to give up more of the things that they thought would be really important to them, especially for first time homebuyers,” Souza said. “Once they start to see a few homes in their price range there … certain things fall off their list.”