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The Parrot Flew Loose Around The Maine Home, Two Dogs Competed For The Couch End.

Maine Is More Outdoor Beauty, Less People Problems.

Renting a Maine home, and knowing that you would be a good renter.

There must be others like you out there right? But maybe if you would never trash a place, or forget to pay your rent on time, you become of the opinion everyone else is basically good, caring, considerate in the same way. Nope.

The track record of where did the person live before, what kind of a renter were they knowing your past is one strong predictor of what is ahead for drama. Litigation, no ones likes it, needs it. Except lawyers. Just be respectful of the property, keep your rent current and let the landlord know if a problem arises with the rental. That’s all the owner wants. Communication. Before lots of needless further damage happens because the property owner is out of the loop.

Call today from a Maine farm property owner wanting to downsize. To buy another home in Maine with 6 acres we recently listed for sale.

But he really needs to sell what he owns first. I explained Maine banks have lots of “bridge” financing home options. That they need to make loans. To put the money on a mortgage, out to work with monthly installments with interest added in for the cherry on top.

I said you could rent one place until it sells so not two properties to worry about exactly. But he had had a track record with rental tenants in his past. Still shudders and gun shy. He was a pretty capable state trooper retired kinda guy. But had one tenant, a mom with small child that paid the monthly payment for the rental ahead of time surprised him. When he visited the property to check on a leak, he was shocked upon stepping inside the unit. He had just remodeled a year before with new paint, rugs, appliances and some furnishings.

As he poked his head in the Maine apartment door, a shadow flew over.

A large parrot flying loose in the apartment made him hit the deck out of instinct. Then two dogs got his attention. That were taking turns, tag teaming the end of the shredded living room couch. Did not seem to mind him being in the place. As each lifted a leg to mark their territory. Three times a day at least from the smells of it. Eviction papers were quickly drawn up and the legal process started. Rugs, paneling and moulding trim hauled out holding his nose to fill the largest dumpster he could rent. For debris removal at seven cents a pound, destined for the landfill.

Renting a property in Maine short term. Ask lots of questions, do a credit check. Track down the facts, past making notations on a reporter’s ringed top notebook. Not just the current Maine landlord, but the previous ones need interviews. The current one will tell you anything to get the tenant six months behind on rent out. The one he is waiting for the court docket to open up for the forcible entry and detainer / eviction dog and pony expensive, slow legal circus.

Some folks are renters because their credit is shot but it’s never their fault. Like criminals in prison that are all innocent, set up, waiting for justice. Knowing the days of slum lords being able to have the upper hand are long over. And tenants crystal clear on what to expect. With rights, expectations from you to provide them housing whether the rent is paid or not. No matter if they treat the place with love and respect or not. Owning vs renting Maine properties.

Take notes with previous landlords, other neighboring tenants. Make a surprise visit to the place they are leaving and find out the real reasons why they are so anxious to get their foot in the door to the rental you have up for lease.

The best tenants have jobs, or are retired and brought up with a better sense of values. Taking care of property. Working hard for everything they have being where the pride, respect originate. The place is not to be a Noah’s Ark collection of two of every kind of critter. On the loose.

Get a month’s rent in advance for security and another pair of 1st and last month’s rent up front. That will separate the chaff from the wheat of who to let rent the unit you want to generate income, help pay the bills and come back at the end of the lease not looking like the set at the end of a Stephen King horror movie. And what happens to a rental deposit when no damage but landlord does not release?

And oh yeah, the guy who told me about the dogs, the parrot, he re-rented after totally overhauling the rental after less than a year from the same process before the cute tenant with one child moved in.

More dark clouds and bad luck in the landlord, renting business. Somehow a mysterious fire destroyed the center of the apartment within two months of the next tenant moving his things, duds, furniture in. I can see why he is a little timid from the track record experience of renting a property as the landlord, owner.

Maine, big state, simple living, lots of outdoor natural recreation.

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

August 1, 2012
Do Your Insides Match Your Outside?

Happy Campers, Maine Has More Of Them. Make The Vacation Trip.

The you that John Q Public sees, thinks they know, does your outside match your inside?

If you are busy making a living, raising a family, trying to squeeze in a vacation now and then. To make sure to get to church, say your prayers, count your blessings, maybe the inside of you still does not match the outside everyone else sees.

The person you talk to in the mirror each morning brushing your teeth… do they have a little black box that you are not so sure what is inside? Have you learned the combination to that history recorder or do you want to? Or does it matter? Have you ripped off the rear view mirror and moved on from anything painful in your past? Or are you stuck, waiting, wondering on the inside while the outside world rushes by?

Events, experiences, relationships that happen to all of us help shape the DNA we are born with.

And everyone goes through life differently. Values, beliefs, traditions. Gleaning a lot or a little depending on how open their heart is. Or considering how easy it is to change old ideas you held near and dear. But that no longer work and need discarding. Revamping, overhaul. It is okay to change your mind. But fear that re-examination of everything we all filter through our senses could make some tired. That is a lot of work. But maybe surrender is where the peace comes from, stays for a healthy, happier life. For a rock solid foundation to build something that lasts, endures, grows deeper.

When you spend time in Maine, the great wide open space, less people to bump in to means you get in touch with you.

The one that may have been on hold due to other pressing matters. Many that have wrapped up. Others that were not so pressing when you really sit down and take inventory of what is important, really matters in your life. Maine, a place to become a happier camper.

Don’t put off visiting Maine. Start the process of the inside work. That is needed to match up with your outside the rest of the world sees, knows. Maine, find your place in the space of Vacationland. Come for more than lobster, to see a Maine lighthouse or roam the wild life infested woods.

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

July 26, 2012
Visiting With Older Maine Aunts, Family.

Watching The World Go By, Waiting For Days Without Alone.

When you visit with an older family member, that lives alone, you think gee, that must be hard.

But when you ask the person doing it about the situation some interesting observations come up in conversation.

For starters younger people in the working world, involved in community service work, raising kids can keep themselves pretty round the clock busy. Not be so idle. But consider if you are an elderly person, that can not drive and is house bound. Or has fear of driving. Does not do it at night so is limited on how far a trek to take. To get out, see how the rest of the world lives once in awhile. To shake the cabin fever. The “camp queer” being under house arrest spell.

Many older folks I run into with my job helping sell Maine family homes that outgrew the owner, that are alone, mention “sundown syndrome.”

They are fine alone during the day when busy with tasks. While the world is moving and shaking with activity. But about 6:30 it hits them. They are alone. And it the loss of a particular loved one is a permanent situation. And it is not a case of choice… where when as George Thorogood croons “when I am alone, I prefer to be by myself” either.

The recall of where their mate sat during dinner. That was his or her chair. This was the habit daily to sit down for a cup of coffee in the morning in the pair of rockers. And discuss the day. Or to take a break from hobbies and chores done jointly or individually. But to be able to compare notes. Know each was not alone. And after a sixty year marriage, it is not a case of trying to make the wrong one the right one either. The other was not perfect, but was perfect for the other. And each knew it completely.

But what you may not think about is the process, toll of being alone a long time.

Not just during a long winter when it’s dark, people are shut in more and not out, about. But when days go by without much contact with the outside world other than the boob tube. Newspaper, radio and often no Internet for the older age group in some cases. Especially the men who are not so eager to tackle the dot com, dot net.

My Aunt Molly told me when you are alone, you don’t talk to many people besides yourself. And in time when you are in a group, something rare, you don’t have much to talk about. You have new nothing to say. Because you are out of the loop. Been out too long. Don’t feel so comfortable around people because used to them being missing. Pre-occuppied. She lamented she just doesn’t have much for new information to relay of interest, of any use to someone else. When this ninety year old woman shared that I had never thought about the elements of being alone.

Lonely has many shades, degrees.

A little is good, too much can remove you from your surroundings, the sense of community, fellowship and needing others because no man is an island. Man is a social being. But alone is better than being with the wrong one you try to make the right one. To feel loved, accepted, understood.

Too many “married but living alones” walking the world today right? Doing the day to day in quiet desperation expecting others to make them happy which is an individual solo inside job. To make your outsides match the insides before you are ready to let another into your heart to trust with your inner most private areas. Freely giving the other the key to the long ago opened, sorted through little black box.

As I mow the lawn at the Maine farm I grew up at, the many flower beds still bloom that my Mom planted. Spent time on her knees tending with loving care. People live on in the courageous actions they took, the deeds they did while on Earth. That you don’t forget, that helped shape you and me. Embrace family. Help combat loneliness.

Reach out to a shut in, out of circulation family member and learn a wealth of information.

Unlike some cultures, the elderly of this overbooked, chasing material goodies country are often forgotten in the hustle bustle. Don’t neglect them, enjoy them while they walk the Earth. Are available to enjoy, learn from and for you to cause a spark, joy in their life too. Maine, we need each other in the space, the place called Vacationland.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

July 24, 2012
If People Had Barcodes, Wore Their Ingredient Label Proudly.

If You, Me Were Out In The Open Labeled With Barcodes, Ingredient Labels Of What’s Inside.

What’s inside or missing in people we meet, have relationships of all kinds with in life?

Not what you have a gut feeling is inside. Not what they look you straight in the eye and tell you, believe themselves is inside. But the actual ingredients, tendencies, needs today.

What is in too great a supply of things that don’t set well with the way you are wired, built? What is missing and again something in a certain daily supply you need as a must in a relationship? Or what do you have more than enough for two of in this, this and this area. And the other person does too for something you are lacking for the needed daily requirement in a balanced, nutritious healthy relationship? But moderation of what you both need in the right supply to compliment what you already have on board inside each of you. The stuff that makes you unique, tick, shine, the way you need to roll. Not perfect but perfect for you. Custom made. Putting the fun in dysfunction.

And if you knew the good, bad and the ugly relationship nutritional ingredients easily read with a scanner or visually on the side of each and every person, time could be saved. Study the label as they lift their arm that is pasted on their side. Like you and I study them in the grocery aisles comparable shopping.

Sure, the mystery of getting to know someone can be fun exploring the unknown.

But knowing upfront what you need from the other, what you bring to the table for the good of the relationship. It can be argued people grow, change together and regardless of the here and now, can both build toward a shared vision of unity, oneness. From time to time the panels on each, the bar codes would need updating. Because life goes on, experiences happen.

And other people, your relationships rub off in good and not so great ways. Knowing hurt people hurt people. And often don’t always know why. Like if you had critical parents growing up that were not huggers, did not affirm you or make you feel worthwhile. That you could never please. Just seemingly disappoint. That kind of hurt, pain or missing needed childhood “vitamin” would mean your barcode, side panel would spell out “needs extra helping of daily hugs, confidence building and esteem boosting”.

No panel, no barcode, no communication with nothing held back is key. Otherwise you don’t know what is lacking, why the relationship later in life bogs down or stalls. But pretty sure it is the other person’s fault can happen. Thinking, reacting, feeling your way along blindly. Out of control. When the problem is your own to uncover, study, fix rather than coping in unhealthy ways blaming others for the “deficiency”. It takes two to shine. Or get axle deep, stuck in sinking quicksand.

But avoiding unhappy relationship box canyons going in almost sounds like arranged marriages by folks in other cultures that really knew the children.

And helped come along side to tie the knot that stays happily tied because of their experience from day one until the march down the aisle. They know the kids they raised and can predict this will or will not work. But there are surprises because some folks bring out your best… or worse. And the odds makers are not always right. There are flukes.

But for the long term, to know you are investing years to get decades, a lifetime not start, then start again. Not talking dating, but hoping for the rest of your life partner material. If you knew yourself, and matched the stuff that made you with what was needed to make the two of you even better. Too scientific for you? Not just relying on God or being in the dark, having to have faith in this kind of situation?

But ahh, who prints out the ingredient label, properly sets up the bar code for the reader, scanner?

Are we always honest with ourselves, are others we meet always open books, heart’s worn on their sleeves? Or do they pretend, convince themselves they are who they appear to the world to be. Coping the best they can or over compensating and missing true rich, deep happiness, joy, peace. But looking good to most.

Like being trim but not healthy, fit when microscoped. If you could hook up the mechanic’s diagnostics machinery. Plugged in and the reading showing you overheat under pressure. The graph shows capacity to be extra patient under a heavy load. Or prone to blame others when going gets tough. Or exta high levels of being a team player and ability to find the good when others deem situation dire, hopeless, a waste of time.

Information is powerful and quickly cuts to the chase on the likehood of a breakdown and in how many miles.

What to expect and odds of success, failure or going to be a case of just bumping along where both are not getting the maximum out of the relationship. Shown on the scope as here’s your problem. Loud and clear even though the truth hurts. It will set you free. Needs to be seen in black and white clarity. Like it or not.

Maine, a state where you get outdoors every chance you can. You get in tune with you. Know yourself inside and out. And the honest, down to Earth people around you pitch in, tell you things in a nice way about yourself. And are all ears to learn what can run off from your experiences, wisdom too. Maine, find your place in the space called Vacationland.

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

July 19, 2012
Maine Soda Production With Lots Of Local Small Bottlers.

Jimmy Ritchie’s grandfather Lyman Drake was one of many local small Maine soda distributors, bottlers.

Used Beyond The Original Pop, Fizz, Sugary Sweet Old Maine Soda Beverage.

His grandfather had the franchise for Moxie, Squeeze, orange Crush and Hires root beer. The flavors offered the Northern Maine soda drinker also featured white and dark cream soda, other local favorites. Delivery from the Houlton Maine soda bottler to as far north as Fort Kent, as far south as Macawahoc, west to Patten meant truck deliveries.

Maine returnable bottles paying a cent or two deposit and the need for pressure washing, steam cleaning the empty soda bottles too.

As a kid he remembers the hard part was getting out the cock roaches, napkins, cigarette butts and even rodents like mice stuffed down inside tight quarters. And when the bottling operation ceased like others including Fitz’s Beverage, most of the bottles were destroyed. So they could not be returned for the deposit at stores if found in the wrong hands.

Jimmy said Houlton Farms Dairy destroyed their returnable milk bottles for the same reason.

To avoid someone collecting the empties from the dump and trying to cash in on the returnable deposit. The Drake bottling operation was on the hill of the same name. Fitz’s Beverage housed in a 100 foot long building less than half a mile up the same road. On the other side of Drake’s Hill. On the way to Canada the old way.

I remember ten cents for a Fitz’s beverage and my Aunt Ruth’s Maine horse farm having a soda cooler where the bottles slide in slots hung by the neck. Submerged in cold water and accessed by lifting up on one of two top hatches. Kinda like an ice cream cooler. Not a door to reach for with an opening to select, pull out the soda by neck from it’s jaws. That released when the coins dropped in the slot registered as the real legal tender. The correct amount.

Houlton Maine tax assessor Tom Fitzpatrick told me about a Fitz’s Beverage truck wreck in Presque Isle that signaled the end of the home grown local soda bottling era. The back wheels of the delivery truck came clean off and the load of carefully bottled soda was destroyed in the accident.

Picking in the potato fields of Maine, during a digger breakdown or during lunch, a mid morning or afternoon break, I remember White Rock soda, Mountain Dew and even Fresca that was being test marketed in Northern Maine. Later the latter was linked to cancer in laboratory rats but what doesn’t cause cancer if enough artificial anything is injected in to a living body’s system right? At levels three thousand times what human’s consume in a normal life time.

And sometimes like this 1957 Pepsi bottle my mom used ironing, to remove wrinkles, the soda beverage container had other household uses.

Besides being returned, replaced with something syrupy sweet. Or for the couple cent deposit as they pile up on the front porch. Or on the stairs to the cellar just waiting to cause a broken neck. Or wrenched shoulder blade trying to catch yourself with a death grip on the railing on the way to the bottom. Surrounded by a pile of empties suddenly unbagged, loose.

Maine, big state, lots of space, find yourself surrounded in the four season beauty. Where you can hear yourself think, figure life out.

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

July 17, 2012
Growing, Picking, Selling Maine Farm Strawberries.

When you grow up on a Maine farm, rarely is the crop raised only one or two kinds.

Juicy, Plumb, Ripe Maine Farm Grown Strawberries
Diversification is key and not having all your er…. farm produce in one basket so to speak. The money raised during summers from sale of corn, new potatoes, peas and other vegetables came in pretty handy. Because a Maine farmer’s primary bankroll is all planted, cultivated and hoed into the ground hoping for a bountiful fall crop. Today the cost per acre to grow potatoes depending on who you quizzed on a Maine farm hovers between $2300 up to $3000 per square 208′ x 208′ patch of dirt.

The Maine strawberries we grew were in two smaller fields.

The kind too small for larger equipment to excel on but ideal for hand crops like strawberries. The three and four acre minor league Maine farm fields. Where you grid row off the plants. Train the “spiders”. Lay down straw between the rows to keep the grass, weeds, other choking vegetation down. Under control so the strawberry plants can thrive.

Today’s hot stretch of summer humid Maine weather makes me think of picking, selling strawberries. And in addition to the boxes we heaped up on our knees under the hot sun growing up on a Maine farm, quick trips across the US – Canadian border happened frequently too. Picking up flats, crates of already picked Canadian strawberries to add to the ones we grew and peddled on this side of the US border.

Strawberries stored in the cool, dark old Maine farm house cellar to make them last longer.

Because quickly if exposed to the heat of summer, if left in direct sunlight, the overflowing strawberry boxes would settle. Break down and need extra boxes spilled over them to keep them hilled up, overflowing. Looking desirable for customers that lined the Maine farm house driveway for the local field fresh delicacy of the season.

Today has me thinking about heading across the US – Canadian border, picking strawberries, and visions of fresh pies. Strawberry shortcake, jam and other home made items my Mom would prepare for the family table to enjoy. Up the road from our Maine farm, Cora Brown would make a hefty chunk of change to help their small scale agricultural operation peddling raspberries. Susan my first cousin and Milton Cone her husband still tend the raspberry patch for summer roadside sales. The field patch that lives on long long after the originator that planted it has left the revolving blue and green marble.

Today, Elbridge Emerson told me the you pick price in Canada was around $2.50 per box when I stopped in for a cup of black coffee at Cameron’s Market in New Limerick on the way to work. In the stores I am told around $5 dollars per box is the damage, what you should expect to pay for cash and carry local strawberries. Maybe time to plant some strawberries and apply the wisdom, experience learned raising them growing up on a Maine farm.

Maine Farmers Markets, Local Fresh Home Grown Fruits, Vegetables Video.

We only opened the Maine farm fields one year to you pick strawberry operations. The fourth year when they get plowed under. Everything gets started all over with a new crop planted of Robinsons, Bid Reds or whatever varieties that were big moves, shakers the previous season. You pick, where it becomes a free for all and the gleaners eat three boxes during the picking of one. And pay for the one box that marvels skyscaper engineering in dizzy heights, engineering to beat the system. Get more than your money’s worth much like waddling through the all your can eat buffet food line. For the second or third or more time. Burp. Excuse me. (Turning ten shades of red).

As a small Maine boy with large brown eyes, three older brothers growing up on a farm you learn early a lot about human nature, survival.

And good luck trying to get the pickers to stay in certain regions of the strawberry field. Not going to happen. They are marauders, will head, herd, scamper wherever the greatest concentration, easiest picking areas are in a Maine strawberry field.
Maine. All four seasons in one beautiful natural unspoiled space called Vacationland.

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

July 13, 2012