Happy Holidays from Damariscotta, Maine

    As we approach the Eve of Christmas in Mid Coast Maine we are in danger of setting a record for a high temperature and have absolutely no chance of seeing white. Here at Newcastle Square Realty World Headquarters not a creature is stirring except the mice and yours truly and I'm out of here as soon as I hit "post".  If you'd like to see a property send an email or leave a message and someone will get back to you on Tuesday morning.

   But, before I leave please let me take just a minute to reflect on some of the things that help to make our area the wonderful place it is.  It's not really the spectacular natural beauty all around us (although we have plenty of that, see Lee's post below) or our so called quaint and charming village center or anything physical.  Rather I think it is the people who live here and the way they care about each other, even those they may not know personally.  When you get right down to it a community is about people and how they care for one another.

We have a lot of need in our area and I'll list a few of the organizations that are trying to help meet those needs.  If the Holiday spirit moves you please feel free to send them a check or maybe give them a call and volunteer to help out.  It will be appreciated and you will make a difference.

Community Housing Improvement Project (CHIP) PO Box 6, New Harbor, ME 04554

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Midcoast Maine PO Box 457, Damariscotta, ME 04543

Eldercare Network of Lincoln County, 6 Hodgdon St., Damariscotta, ME 04543

   It's interesting that none of these organizations has a website that I could link to here, everything they collect goes towards the care they are providing.

   There are plenty of other worthy charities and organizations doing lots of good in our area. The Y could use money for scholarships and they're always looking for coaches. The school could always use some new band instruments or uniforms or books in the library. The Lincoln Home and the Hospital would love to hear from you. And once you've helped out with all of the human needs, we have a church here in town that's in danger of losing it's steeple. The parish can't afford to replace it and unless money can be raised we may loose a local landmark.

   So really, there's no end to the opportunity to do good things if you want too. 

   Well that's all I have to say today. I'm going home to spend time with my family. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones. Peace.

Jim Cosgrove

Winter Solstice at Pemaquid Point

   Yesterday marked the beginning of the winter solstice. Here in the Northeast the days will begin to grow longer and the nights shorter. At Pemaquid Point this is the time of year when the angle of the sun creates the most dramatic sunrises and sunsets.  This morning I walked over to Pemaquid Lighthouse to see if I could get a "sample" for you of the winter solstice sunrise.

   It seems only fitting that this colorful, dramatic sunrise takes place over Monhegan Island. In the summer Monhegan Island attracts people from all over who seek to capture the natural beauty of the island in a painting or photograph. Jamie Wyeth's studio was on the island for many years. At the peak of the summer season there are as many as 20 art studios open on the island. But, with the onset of the winter solstice, the island and the sun are best enjoyed from the mainland!

Lee Simard

Good News for Waterfront Real Estate

    OK, right here, right now I am officially putting an end to all talk about recessions and the economy being bad and the real estate market going to...heck.  I don't want to hear any more gloomy news from The Fed or CNBC or anyone else who thinks they know what the economy is going to do tomorrow.  If you follow the news at all, by now you have heard that Wall Street is handing out enormous bonuses.

   Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack set a new record with his bonus of $40 Million and was feeling pretty good about it until Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein got $53.4 million. If Mack handles this like some of our beloved sports figures he'll soon be on the news talking about how he's disrespected and needs to feed his family and then he'll say he's not coming back to work until Morgan Stanley shows him the love and gives him more than Blankfein.

   Now these are just the top guys, altogether Wall Street is giving out something like $36 billion in bonuses!  This is a staggering figure.  It usually takes Congress a couple hours to go through that much.

   But why, you ask, is this "good news for waterfront real estate" and why should anyone in Damariscotta and the Pemaquid Peninsula area of Maine care?  Well, because this is not excessive gluttony for a few obscenely wealthy individuals.  Oh, no.  There is going to be a trickle down effect.  These guys are going to spend this money.  And what are they going to spend it on?  We're told primarily cars, restaurants and real estate!  Specifically waterfront real estate.

   Well nobody represents more fine waterfront properties in mid coast Maine than Newcastle Square Realty.  I want Wall Street to know that we're standing by ready show property. How about a nice cottage by the water or maybe a private lot to build on or an entire island in Damariscotta Lake? Whatever your heart desires, we have it or can find it. So if you're a Wall Street bonus recipient or even if you're not, give us a call today and let us show you around one of the prettiest parts of the world. Just please, don't try to tell us how bad things are down there in the big city.

Jim Cosgrove

Main Street Project

    If you've been trying to call us today and are having trouble getting through, please keep trying.  Main Street in the Twin Villages of Damariscotta and Newcastle is in the midst of a major face lift and as you can see in this picture, today the Central Maine Power crews are working on the lines right in front of Newcastle Square Realty World Headquarters.

   They have been up and down Main Street for the last 2 weeks and while there have been some pretty good traffic jams it's nothing like it would have been in the summer.  I would be remiss if I didn't add that the CMP guys are doing a terrific job of keeping all of the businesses informed as to when their power will go out and how long it will be down.  These guys are moving live wires around and all in all it's going pretty well.

   The comment most heard on the street and in the coffee shops is "why aren't they putting the lines under ground?"  Well a reliable source tells me that the cost of burying the power and changing the entrances to the various buildings would have exceeded $3 million.  When this town finds an extra $3 million I can think of quite a few things we need more than buried power lines.

   They'll be finished with the power line phase of the project soon and nothing more will happen until next spring.  That's when the real dirty work will start as they begin to rip up the pavement.  Next summer has the potential to be a mess.  If you're coming from outside of the area we'll try to keep you informed of what to avoid and some possible alternate routes.

Jim Cosgrove

Inside Scoop on the Office Party

   Ever wonder what real estate professionals do at a holiday party?  I will let you in on a secret; they get house tours of each others homes.  Bill and Tracy Babcock christened their new house by hosting a great holiday party for the brokers and staff of Newcastle Square Realty. Actually this isn't a new house but an older, circa 1850 home with a beautiful new addition. Bill and Tracy, along with one of our fine local craftsmen have spent the last 3 years painstakingly working on every detail of this project. 

   One of the problems we see all too often when someone puts a new addition onto an older home is that the two parts of the home simply don't match. Not so here, the Babcock's have done an amazing job of blending the old with the new without losing any of the charm of the original 19th century farmhouse.  It is certainly worthy of spread in House Beautiful or Architectural Digest or even the mainecoastpropertiesblog!

   And what was the highlight of the tour?  Was it the his and her dressing rooms? This his and her offices?  The incredibly well appointed chefs kitchen?   No, it was....the automatic opening trash can.  How have I lived without one of these for so long? You wave some trash in front of it and it opens.  How cool is that?  You've never seen people use so many napkins just for a chance to throw them away. I'm calling my stock broker today and buying into the company that makes these. Clearly this is the next big thing!

Tom Field

Editors note: (Big sigh) This is a true story.  Sad, but true. Gone are the days when people could get in serious trouble with the boss for what they did at the office party. We're a very staid group.

Decorate to Sell!

    The Holiday Season is a great time to showcase your home! The two times of the year when your home probably looks its absolute best is in the early summer when all your hard work on the yard is paying off and now, when you've decorated for the Holidays.

   Your front door can be made even more welcoming than usual with the addition of pine boughs and a beautiful wreath. Inside you can play up some of the best features of your home. If you have a fireplace or glass front wood stove, it's the right time of the year for a glowing fire to inspire warm feelings from potential buyers. Turn the thermostat up slightly, even if you are at work for the day. You'll want buyers to come in from the cold and feel cozy in your home.

   If you normally decorate your home with Christmas candles in the windows, be sure to ask your broker to stop by and take some 'early dusk' photos featuring a pleasant glow in every window.

    Even the smell of baked goods coming from the kitchen will be right in place during the season and not just part of staging the home for a showing.

   Unless you have large, open rooms, try to keep a spacious feeling by not filling the room with too large of a Christmas tree. A modest amount of holiday decorations throughout the home will enhance the homey feeling without overwhelming the buyers senses.  After all, buyers are envisioning themselves and their family living in this home - show it off to its best advantage at this time of year.

   If Mother Nature cooperates and provides a light dusting of snow the night before your showing your home will look just splendid in its' Holiday Best!

Kathy Wyman

Damariscotta's Tiny Tree

    Let me make one thing clear.  Damariscotta is a great town to live in.  We have good schools, low crime, great people, I could go on and on.  But, everything is not perfect and here at mainecoastpropertiesblog we don't pull any punches.  We 're giving it to you straight and unvarnished, warts and all.  So here's the truth, we have a problem.  A Christmas Tree problem to be exact.

   For some reason, we don't do a very good job with out tree.  Every year it seems we put up a smaller and smaller tree.  This years tree is so small, if you come up Main Street you can't see it behind the route signs pointing down Bristol Road.  If you're going to put up a tree behind signs shouldn't it at least be taller than those signs?

    Who's idea was this?  We live in The Pine Tree State for gosh sakes. We have more trees than any other single resource.  Walk out in the woods behind anyones house and you'll find a bigger tree than this but we can't find a decent size tree for our downtown decoration? 

   C'mon Town Fathers let's step up your game here, this was a really weak effort. By next year the State has promised that we'll have a freshly rebuilt road and interchange at that corner.  Let's put up a proper Christmas Tree!

   Editors note: Our legal department has advised us that the proper term should be "Holiday Tree". We have decided to continue with the use of the more traditional term but to make our readers a promise that if you will not be offended by our traditions we promise not to be offended by yours!

Jim Cosgrove

Snow Day!

    Here in Damariscotta we have woken up to our first real snow event of the season.  Initially, School Union 74 and Lincoln Academy announced a 2 hour delay to the start of the school day but soon after changed that to school closed much to the joy of everyone in town under the age of 18.  Clearly this was the right call, in both instances as the snow came in heavier and lasted longer than initially predicted.

   This being the first snow event of the year (when exactly did we stop having storms and start having events?) there will be reports of all sorts of fender bender type accidents as people once again figure out that they have to modify their driving habits in the snow.

    Meanwhile, snow plow drivers all over Lincoln County are using real estate signs for targets. I swear, there's got to be a club where these guys get together  and keep score of how many signs they can take out in the course of a winter.  And it must be a good prize because they sure do work at it!

  Here at Newcastle Square Realty World Headquarters we are open, the computers are humming and the phone lines are open so if you've been perusing our web site and have questions or would like to make an appointment to see a property now would be a great time to call.

   And, if you're out snowmobiling and you happen to see Tom please tell him to check his voice mail.

Jim Cosgrove

First Snow!

    One of the great things about living in Maine is how close we are to different weather conditions and how easy it is to go from one weather environment to another.  Or, as the old saying goes, "if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute".

   This past weekend my wife, Stephanie and I took a trip to Fort Kent in the "the County" as the northern part of the state is called. The reason for our trip was that I had a line on a couple of used snowmobiles (save the "cheap" jokes, let's just say I know a bargain when I hear about it).

   We started out from Damariscotta Mills at about 4 in the afternoon with temperatures in the 50's and it was raining.  By the time we made Millinocket ( halfway) it was mixed snow and rain and the temperature was falling into the 20's.  The next morning  when we reached Fort Kent it was snowing heavily and very easy to get into the snowmobile buying mood.

   Back here in the mid coast we have just a dusting of snow on the ground.  Not enough to take those machines off of the trailer but enough to give us hope.  It's getting hard to get those real estate signs into the ground so if you want to list, call soon!

Let the winter begin!

Tom Field