Maine’s housing market isn’t getting any better, and new numbers prove it.

The Portland Press Herald reported that the demand for single-family homes is still very high in Maine. That demand has pushed the average price up over seven percent to just under $400,000. People are paying that and more as closings are up for the fourth straight month in Maine.

The last record was set last year at $385,000 for the median price of a single-family home. The Portland Press Herald quotes Paul McKee, the association president and a broker with Keller Williams Realty in Portland,

Sellers have become more active in 2024. The 3,896 homes for sale in May were the highest number since August 2022 – 21 months ago – and the second-highest in 32-months – since September 2021. With more homes for sale, more transactions are happening.

Mainers are in a catch-22

Maine is a big state and there are many different real estate markets. In some markets in Maine, you might have some wiggle room to negotiate. But in many others, there simply aren’t enough homes on the market, and that puts bidding wars in place and it raises the median price. The average price for a home nationally (all housing types) was $419, 300, a new record and almost six percent higher than last year’s record price of $396,500.

There are Mainers who are trapped in the home they own right now. For reasons like expanding the family, or a new job at a different location – some Mainers simply can’t move. Sure, you may be able to get top dollar for your home, but you can’t move, because you can’t afford anything. Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors said this about mortgages,

The mortgage payment for a typical home today is more than double that of homes purchased before 2020. Still, first-time buyers in the market understand the long-term benefits of owning.

Everybody understands the benefits of owning! But if mortgages have ‘more than doubled’ and your salary hasn’t, that math does NOT add to being a homeowner. He did say that prices should calm down when more homes get on the market, but we continue to see an unfriendly housing market if you don’t have a lot of cash.

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — Independence Day is fast approaching so it’s time to find out where you can celebrate in and around North Andover. Area events include fireworks, festivals and other Fourth of July fun.

To help you fit it all in on your 4th of July calendar, Patch has put together a guide to what’s going on in North Andover and the surrounding areas.

Today, Americans celebrate the birth of a new nation with fireworks, parades, concerts, and family gatherings and barbecues. Celebrations, though, predate by centuries the designation of Independence Day as a federal holiday, which didn’t happen until 1941.

During the pivotal summer of 1776, the pre-Revolutionary celebrations honoring King George III’s birthday were replaced with mock funerals as a symbolic break from the crown.

It was an exciting time in Philadelphia — the Continental Congress voted to break from the crown and, two days later on July 4, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the original 13 colonies —New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia — to adopt the Declaration of Independence.

The first annual commemoration of the nation’s independence was in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, while the Revolutionary War was ongoing. Fireworks have been part of Fourth of July festivities since the first celebration in Philadelphia.

It was an eventful and very long Sunday in NASCAR’s New Hampshire race’s USA TODAY 301.

Christopher Bell won for the third time this season, and joked that it wasn’t rain-shortened like his win in the Coca-Cola 600 was in May.

NASCAR also broke out the rain tires for the second time this season and finished on them for the first time since they were approved in 2023. The drivers ran the final 82 laps of the race on rain tires.

Here are the winners and losers from the USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire.

USA TODAY 301 RESULTS: Who won NASCAR Cup race in New Hampshire? Norman native Christopher Bell is winner

Winners from NASCAR’S USA TODAY 301

Christopher Bell

Bell is the easy choice here with his race win. But the way he did it by leading 149 total laps and dominating the final laps of the race was just the way he needed to get the job done and earn the win, his second of the season and second in five starts at New Hampshire.

Josh Berry

The Hendersonville native was strong in Sunday’s race and finished third. Berry was running toward the front all day and utilized the hectic nature of the wet-weather tires to push his way up the leaderboard. Berry’s finish on Sunday was tied for his best finish this season at Darlington. Berry now has four top-10s and two top-5s in the last six races.

Chase Briscoe

Briscoe battled hard throughout Sunday’s race to finish second. He fought off Bell at the end of stage one to stay on the lead lap, which helped with pit strategy and track position. Briscoe utilized the rain-soaked restart with 73 laps remaining and moved through the field in a hurry. He had a couple of chances to win the race with the late restarts inside of the final 10 laps, but couldn’t get the jump he needed to pass Bell.

Losers from NASCAR’S USA TODAY 301

Alex Bowman

Bowman suffered an engine failure on lap 142 after the first incident-related caution of Sunday’s race. Bowman was running 17th at the time and was credited with a 36th-place finish in the 36-car field. Bowman entered the day just outside of the playoff cutline, and that is sure to take a big hit after his last-place finish.

Kyle Busch

Busch had all kinds of struggles in Sunday’s race – much like he has all season. Busch overdrove a corner, spun and collected Noah Gragson. Busch had a spin in the backstretch just before the race went into the red flag and spun under caution after the red flag, slapping the wall and ending his day in 35^th place.

LOGANO, ELLIOTT CRASH: Joey Logano, Chase Elliott crash in NASCAR Cup race at New Hampshire in USA TODAY 301

HOW IT HAPPENED: NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire: Live updates, highlights, live leaderboard of USA TODAY 301

NASCAR race management

There are a couple of levels to this one. First, NASCAR red-flagged the race too early with the rain coming in. But bringing the wet-weather tires to New Hampshire was a great call to get the race done to even more than its scheduled distance. On top of that, the racing was fantastic with drivers fanning out to find a different line around the racetrack.

However, NASCAR really struggled in its enforcement of the rules after the drivers went back racing with the rain tires. The officials were strict on the non-competitive pit stops and not allowing race teams dictate the strategy was a big miss. This was the second time the wet-weather tires were used in a points race on an oval and the first at the end of a race, so it’ll just take some time and practice to get it right.

If and when the rain tires are needed again, NASCAR should let the teams decide their strategy and how they want to run the race.