Author: Andrew Mooers

Maine, What I Hear On The Streets.

Huddled together, the couple Saturday morning who toured the house in Monticello Maine newly married.

She from England, he from the states. And both had been living in Israel together. Interesting talk during the property walk about the long process of getting US citizenship for the red head wife. Take a number, have a seat. Hurry up and wait.

Sensing a little edgy animosity around the light, bright conversation. Because of the illegal aliens that skirt, skip around the Candyland game board seemingly much easier. Below radar, traveling light. Not needing official regulation chutes and ladders. Without the thick stack of stamped, triplicate legal paperwork weighing them down. Following them in a bloated, straining three ring embossed binder tucked, protected under one arm.

We talked about how rabid serious soccer is taken in England.

How space in London is at a premium. With rules for sportsmen etiquette. The do’s and don’ts watching, following a game match and what can be uttered at a crowded loud, shouting corner pub if you value your life. But still be a loyal, proud fan of Chelsea, Arsenal, whatever your team’s colors, heritage, season record. Just like the German’s have ethics on their Autobahn. About souped up VW beetles sneaking by. Actually passing a sleek, more expensive BMW, Porsche or Mercedes on the open, no holds barred wild ride roadway.

The next pair linked up with right on schedule from Rhode Island back at the Maine real estate office.

Built, own, wrestle with a whopping 5300 square foot home in southern New England. But now that two daughters, their three horses and the busy run run run exhaustive schedule are poof, gone, time to seriously get high school skinny downsized.

They too echo a familiar theme. Want a property listing with healthy supply of Maine land wrapped around it. But this Maine home shown not finished. Weather tight but just bare studs inside. Walls needing insulation stuffed in, mucho grande interior work. From top to bottom. Side to side. Monday, expecting to hear it’s a green light. A go to move forward with a Maine property listing purchase and sale agreement.

Next segue to a conversation with a plumber who shares he was surprised to be contacted for a work order estimate.

Tapped on the shoulder. For lots of bathrooms in an extensive, complicated remodeling job. Where the local Maine house owner is a very close next of kin to someone in his same water and waste profession. Cutting, bending, shaping the same copper tubing. Soldering the identical faucets, flanges, fittings. And him head scratching wondering what’s up with that? Classic case of separating love and the checkbook when blood related.

The family member never intending to hire him. Heavens no.

But he hauled, ushered into the case as a checks and balances mechanism drone alone. For a robotic keeping the sibling honest role. To eyeball, add up, make sure his numbers are inline impeccable. The bill not padded, bloated. To improve on the bottom line if possible.

Family can be the most challenging, fun and games in business involving your chosen profession. And you exploited if you are a classic enabler. Sucked into the vortex of drama, back biting if not quick to side step. Avoid, successfully resist the tractor beam.

Do you like, enjoy listening in on Maine real estate conversations? Simple adventures keeping your eyes and ears open in Northern Maine shared with you the faithful Me In Maine blog post follower. In an attempt, sincere effort to bring you something new, varied, mildly entertaining, a tad though provoking about the human condition.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

February 3, 2013
Absolutes, Some Are, Some Are Not With Over 31 Flavors Of People.

Maine Is Four Seasons, Winter Is One Of My Favorite.

In my real job of list, market, sell Maine real estate, winter can be viewed by sellers as the “runt” of the seasons litter.

Often the comment, “Well better wait until spring and take the Maine home, whatever the listing off the market”. Or delay getting it live, advertised. I ask why is that, knowing their response. “Because everyone knows, no one buys Maine real estate in the winter.” Said like every man, woman and child knows that. End of debate. When some like myself in the pack of 31 would respectfully disagree. With all due respect uttered in a Joe Dirt delivery.

It’s the same answer they would give if on the final round of a Jeopardy quiz game show. With complete confidence that it was the one and only winning response to make. To be the hero and their home town some kinda proud. (Buzzer disqualifying sound).

Sometimes it’s more of a “I don’t want to move in the winter” in the case of a Maine home, farm house. Not just a quarter of the year that everyone starts playing Quakers Meeting has begun. No one smile. No gum, teeth, tongue showing, and definitely no Maine home listing / selling ya hear?

The thought hit me leaving a house closing yesterday and climbing back into the jeep parked in front of the courthouse to bee line back to the listing hive.

We sell lots of Maine homes in winter. Because life does not (sound of record needle screeching, ripping to a musical halt, then pregnant pause silence) take a break when Maine winter snow happens.

But Maine home owners pulling the marketing plug in winter help the other house seller properties that are available. Like musical chairs, where shorter supply means greater demand. Extra attention to what is on the market happens. Like increased pressure from a restricted, kinked up MLS hose. The flexible seller who says “sure, we can move in winter” opens up, increases the buyer pool size for a local Maine home. Or job transfers, need to move to be closer to an elderly, sickly parent out of state life situations develop. Can’t wait until spring, summer, fall.

The marketing for the Maine home can continue with a clause, contingency that the possession of it won’t be until the end of April.

Or some you pick it, the designated “check out” time. But believing no one sells, moves in the winter because you do misses what happens all the time from our experience. Because you would not do something in life is not an absolute that no one else would too.

Lots of folks disagreed with Chris Columbus about the shape of the world we all spin on. No sir, most would argue, it’s a given everyone knows we populate a blue and green flat rock. Not the absurd notion of a round revolving, tilting marble. What are you smoking? Geesh Louise.

The Maine home seller who insists on waiting until spring to list because of a few repair updates, invariably finds it is after July 4th by the time we get the marketing machine kicked into full gear. See it happen all the time. So suddenly smaller winter inventory of Maine homes and then watch out. Flood gate, roller coaster of here they come opens up. Running of the bulls crazy. With panic, fear and hurry hurry shoulder to shoulder shoving. Herded, crowded and making an all or nothing inventory supply bottle neck. PSSssst.

(Whispering) Ignore the memo someone sent about Maine homes don’t sell in winter.

List that Maine home to market the heck out of it full throttle. Expose it to the four corners of the Earth and back over the Maine winter. Don’t think like some in the 31. To generate Maine home interest on line, far far away. For other folks that may not want to move in winter either just like some of you. But come spring, watch out. Your Maine home Chummy, Mister Man is already sold. Because of the winter connection established with back and forth communication. Watching videos of the Maine homes that are like the next best thing to being there anyway.

And this just in, the groundhog did not see his shadow.

Get that Maine home listed, marketed, on its way to the real estate sale closing. There. We can now resume our regular, scheduled Me In Maine blog post programming with that off my chest. Out in the open. Thank you. Off to show a Monticello, then Ludlow Maine home this morning even though I know I know, no one ever sells, buys a home in winter. It’s not true. Witness it happening first hand all the time. Just saying.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

February 2, 2013
The Advantages To Raising Kids, Growing Up In A Small Maine Town.

Putting Their Small Maine Town On The State Level. Proud Of Our Youth In Maine.

The pros and cons to being a country or city mouse creates a long list to ponder.

Maine is a collection of spread out smaller towns. Over a vast area of land in a pretty big state. That by all rights should be in Canada. Due to its tucked away, up here all by herself. In the right hand corner of the country, end of the line, last outpost like location.

The major lifestyle distinction that hits you with small Maine rural communities is you don’t just live there.

Or simply attend events. You are knee deep in the activities that happen around you. Working behind the scenes and often out in the open so the activity can happen. Because without the home grown involvement from the grassroots up, it would not occur. Not the financial resources to stage, hire it all done. So the local community happenings are richer. Extra special because of the locals putting their back into it in tons of creative ways. To be better than last year’s due to every individual having an integral part. Stepping up, depended on as we all divide up what needs doing.

Besides relying, needing each other to step up and participate in a small Maine town community event, you know all your neighbor on a first name basis. Fewer of them because no sprawling subdivision of Maine homes happens. No neck straining Jack and the Beanstalk high sky scrapper housing projects happen. Large doses of land surround the majority of Maine homes. Many towns with country happening in less than a half mile in any direction surrounding the burg, borough, plantation. We eat better locally grown Maine food too.

No stop light waiting happens in a little traffic, smaller Maine town.

Because of working events from your kids sports, church, school functions to serving on local municipal and civic club boards, you begin to know most people in your community. When you wander into a hardware store on a break from a household project, the clerk and you coached little league. You ask how his mom is doing from her surgery. You know from conversations and local news she took a bad spill a few weeks back. Awareness of others, even worry, a prayer happens in small Maine towns.

You never feel alone, the doors are unlocked, there is just not the daily major crime happening in a small Maine town.

Small Maine towns are filled with a friendly atmosphere. Each smiling member knows they have a distinct part, role in being there. And would be missed, it would be noticed if they were missing. As the void created when a member does pass on and an opening for all the many roles they filled are one by one filled. As other town residents step forward to help out. Continue the tradition in the memory of the beloved volunteer who contributed so much over the years. And set the example for all to follow.

Walk in to a small Maine restaurant, stop for a coffee and pastry, donut at a local convenience store and plan for a conversation.

To be updated on how this or that project is going. To learn who just got back from vacation and pretty much get up to date on how it went this year. Hear how glad they are to be back, how much they missed home. After being in the bright lights, big city entertainment vacation location. Where you attend events, not plan and work them.

Or anything pertaining to our Maine youth, hear the beaming pride for the up and coming basketball, hockey, soccer or whatever team. Doing their part hustling to put the small Maine town on the map. Getting countywide, state level or bigger recognition for the small Maine community to buzz about.

Try to walk a town street, a country road in Maine and not have plenty of motorists roll down the window. Slow to a stop as they ask if you need a lift. Look at your watch and smile as how fast more than one pair of jumper cables shows up as you raise the hood of the station wagon, pickup, jeep when the battery goes click click click dead. For a boost showing you are not alone, that someone cares. And knows you have returned the same favor many times during your stint in a short life in a small Maine town.

Teachers know the kids, watch them grow up in a small Maine village. Had their brother or sister a few years back.

Sat with the same set of parents at private school conferences on how Jane or Jimmy is doing in his or her class this year. In the partnership of what to help with at home discussed together. To provide the 3 “R’s” to gain as much as possible from the valued, respected educator, parents, and student team.

Being more resourceful with what you have, not what you whine about wishing you had. Kids learn early on to make the most of it, be grateful for the silver lining in everything that happens to you. To turn any event good or bad into something useful for a take away. So red flags, missed cues are collected, remember the next time to obtain different results.

Small town Maine living means outdoor fun hiking, biking, fishing, swimming and more.

Being lucky to live in Vacationland with no or very low cost four season entertainment all around you. Year round, not just one vacation week a year and that’s all she wrote until the calendar traded in for a new one. Awareness of the natural beauty that is respected around you taught to kids. Where grandparents on open porches or picnic outings make sure the wisdom of what their longer years has taught them is shared with the rest of the family to benefit, learn from to make life richer. And simpler.

Yeah, I am high about living in a small Maine town. Fun to hit a city for a sporting, entertainment, dining experience but always glad to be back in Aroostook County. The place I am so glad to call home.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

February 1, 2013
You Are A Sponge… No No Not The Leech Off Someone Kind.

What Makes A Rich, Personal Life Is Not Bought, It Is Shared. Values, Beliefs, Traditions Big In A Small Maine Town.

Years ago when it was little house on the prairie living, being alone in the wilderness was sink or swim.

Do or die. You became resourceful, worked hard to provide food, shelter, safety for your family. Everyone pitched in, had a role. A family was connected, love was evident. Struggles helped define and strengthen the bond. No one parked on couches and watched reality shows. There were endless amounts of chores to do. Much was tied to the weather for deadlines. No debate, arguing, drama or delay happened.

Industry, pride in your work and a deep satisfaction in what you set out to do each day and actually accomplished was a good honest thing.

You were not subjected to spin, endless rhetoric. You did not have what our youngest calls “first world problems” to fret about, fuss over.

Respect for others, greater awareness of the world around you meant little room for selfish. There were fewer people and everyone needed, depended dearly on each other. Your day to day was not one of leisure and slogan reminders of “have it your way” or “you deserve a break today”. Or here, enjoy your personal pan pizza, or hop in a car all alone and drive five hours to pick up a hot new outfit. And then starve for two weeks to fit into it and why?

The need for personal attention may come out of boredom, not enough heavy lifting that you no longer do.

Less physical labor, no long days with great satisfaction for just keeping your head above water. And everyone around you busy bees the same way to survive. Lazy was the worst four letter word you could be labeled with and when you were caught up, you helped others. Everyone cross trained, all labored until the work was done.

Now the freed up time from a ground up, streamlined average day in America means work less, more time to worry about what we want, maybe not need. The shift from making yourself content, happy from within under your own power and being grateful for what you have. To lamenting what you see advertised you wished you had and can not really afford. But buy any way you can. So you are doing your part to carry your portion of the average American plastic credit card debt of $17,0000 each.

Turning off the marketing messages is the first step.

Getting off the couch, spending less time being social online and creating your own life with more exercise will help too. Not trying to mirror someone else rich, famous, popular. Everything you want to change about your own life, like a stalker, their shadow. The expression “get a life” may mean start living your own. Thinking more of the greater good, not “me me me” only. Are we more self centered, all important and that is part of the wrong turn taken a ways back?

Signals, messages, scare tactics, ego stroking saying you deserve more because you are the greatest. Or could be with this product, service, something you are convinced you need to spend money on. Feeling good, artificially for a while. Greener pastures itch needing a scratch perhaps?

Is something missing in your life and can not quite put your finger on it?

You need time spent in a personal garden. It can not be bought, it does not come from a store. It does not involve a medical procedure to look younger, prettier. Although eating better, loosing weight and getting fit, not just trim could help right? It is not something achieved without a new mental outlook and approach you hammer out because it is your life. Not the talking head’s life who is trying to sell you something.

But depression, apathy from wall to wall negative news of horrendous crimes plastered day after day on the newsprint, airwaves takes it toll.

You, me, we are sponges. Testing off the scale for message radiation sickness. That we can not avoid. And the relief is not treat yourself to something you don’t need. It may be fear, worry, anxiety just taking its toll. Helpless feelings of what can you do that really matters as only one person. These are the good old days twenty years from now, when you look back and think how much easier, simple it was. All in the perspective and taking one day at a time to make subtle changes in your life. It is your life right the way you want it to be going, heading?

Maine, simple outdoors natural beauty. Come sample ME.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

January 31, 2013
Drama, The Good Kind In Maine Theatre Productions.

One Act Plays, Musicals, Comedies, Dance Drama Productions. See Them All In Maine At Every Level.

Few people love drama in their life and try to avoid stress, maintain inner cool to avoid the crazies.

But the good kind of drama that entertains and touches you deeply happens when you attend local Maine theatre events. Whether a children’s theatre production like the Houlton Maine Star Bright group. Or on the state of Maine Drama Festival level. The state of Maine Drama high school competitions are a very worthwhile experience to pencil in on your entertainment social calendar.

On the Maine community drama level, there are lots of companies, production non profit organizations producing memorable theatre works.

The neat local, home grown chemistry of Maine community theatre means someone helped create the set, collecting the props to add to the production. Local talent gave time to memorize their lines, polish up the presentation of the part they play. And local businesses contribute for the close to home fine arts underwriting. So you don’t only see a play or musical, comedy once a year with a trip to the city where they run year round the only other option. The fine arts brought to your home town from within. With Maine local talent for the one act drama, the comedy, musical, etc play production.

The backstage help from a small Maine town is enormous.

Printing programs, advertising and promotion. Maybe adding a dinner to the night out theatre experience. Sewing period costumes to fit the players, actors in taylor made fashion. Hammering, sawing, painting sets. Arranging lights, setting up actor marks for the delivery of lines. The when and where choreographed coordination critical to the timing of the drama production. Along with the sound, make up, and many other “devil in the details” items to create the “on with the show” flow.

As the red, black, whatever color velvet like curtain opens. House lights dim. Everyone murmurring in the audience in anticipation quiets. To when the curtain closes for hopefully a standing ovation. In a not an empty seat in the house situation. With smiling cast hand in hand, smiling, completing another give it all your got presentation to entertain.

Break a leg.

Bust a gut. To get the theatre, drama production group to stay together. Planning the next local event for the local Maine community to enjoy happens on top of the one just completed. Studying the financials, scrutinizing the numbers. Considering the audience before investing in the scripts, props, staging elements. To at least break even or make money to do more lavish, bigger, a tad more intricate productions.

I remember the fun being in a Maine high school drama one act play contest.

Winning the states with seven other actors, all the support group members that made it happen. Going on to the New Englands in Cranston Rhode Island. Staying with out of state families was super. They took me and one of the cast staying with them to a neat Italian restaurant that had a long long waiting line. Thought why not go to another place because standing in the rain. Took an hour to get a table but was quite a spread, worth the delay to a Northern Maine teenager enjoying the out of state, all new surroundings experience.

Here is a list of performing arts, local Maine community theatre companies, organization houses. Maine, lots to the place with the space called Vacationland.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

January 30, 2013
Do You Take Vitamins, Does The Home Medicine Cabinet Look Like Walgreens, CVS?

Living Healthier Means Spiritually, Physically, Mentally Sharp As A Tack. Or Working To Be. Aware That It All Starts With You.

Food vitamin, mineral supplements, does your bathroom medicine cabinet look well stocked with the A to Z?

Supplements to promote stronger bones, better eye vision. Nutrients to nearly fountain of youth extend your life. Almost. In some reported, documented cases “they” say.

Growing up on a Maine farm it was preached if you ate the abundance of fresh vegetables, home grow food served each meal, you were going to be in the pink.

Healthy as an ox. Pass those garden scallions in vinegar please. Coupled with cleaning out stinking thinking and adding in lots of daily exercise around the homestead with all the land swallowed it west of a small Maine town.

But I remember Durham cows Dad and Mom raised and in time some of the heifers, bulls developed a white muscle disease.

From lack of a trace element called selenium. Selenium is found in metal sulfide ores where it partially replaces sulfur. Doctor Newman showed how to inject selenium to get the cows back on their feet. Into the barn yard fun and breeding games again.

So it makes me think that if eating as much locally grown, close to home produced Maine food as possible, maybe selenium is missing. Not ending up down the gullet, hatch. In the foodstream of our feedbag. Selenium can be destroyed in food production, lost before making it to the Maine dinner table. So here is more on Selenium and foods rich in it.

On the Maine farm mineral licks cured the selenium deficiency in the cow’s diet. Not thinking kerplopping a big, heavy square mineral supplement on the home kitchen bar. Slurping, taking long tongue swipes with the morning coffee as I read the Bangor Deadly. With the zillion bottles of this and that being peddled sometimes everywhere you turn. With the earnest desire of a snake oil salesman’s scare tactics about you heading to an early grave if you don’t pop a few. With charm and concern, suggesting downing the daily requirement of selenium could not hurt right? If done in moderation.

Eldest brother Stephen’s refrigerator has always looked like a home vitamin locker.

Not much room for food. Rows, bags, boxes of supplements. A big believer in vitamns. Eagle eyed about nutrition for years. Monitoring what he takes religiously. And big on vitamin education, advances. Anything out there that explains why this is good, too much of that is bad. Have to hit him up next conversation about selenium, his stance, what he knows about it.

What vitamin do you swear by, what nutrient can you stand up and honestly tell the room it made a whiz bang difference in your life? Once you started popping a few each day.

Maine, big state, we are all connected in a neat way because way way less of us populate Vacationland.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com

January 29, 2013