Home Staging in Damariscotta

   Today's Guest Blogger is Bonnie Grenier, owner of Day's Cove Interiors in Damariscotta, who talks with us about one of her first staging jobs here in Mid Coast, Maine. 

    My first local staging job happened quite by accident. I wanted to check out the house before beginning renovations on my own kitchen.  A new house with an updated kitchen would help me avoid the dust, mayhem, confusion, and stress that inevitably accompany every kitchen project.

   I was intrigued by the house because of the great location, right on Day's Cove with an ever changing water view as the tide goes in and out. The outside is immaculate with very attractive landscaping. My high expectations for the house were totally obliterated when I walked through the front door into a dark, dated, dirty and cluttered house with bright red tile in the foyer and adjacent kitchen.  you couldn't miss the stale odor of a house that has been vacant and closed up for months.

   My first thoughts were that this house was incredibly dated and in dire need of staging. There was so much potential, but I knew most buyers would not be able to get past the red floor and dark paneling throughout the house. (Very 70's!) Then, there were all those faded pictures adorning the walls, not to mention at least 3 dozen plates on the walls in the kitchen and dining room. Ahhh...so much "stuff" to look at inside at the expense of that fabulous water view!

   Fortunately, a forward thinking real estate broker and the attorney for the estate selling the home agreed to let me stage the house with a generous budget.  (No small leap of faith in an area of the country where staging has yet to come into it's own!) We agreed that 2%-3% of the asking price was a fair amount for a staging budget.

    We hired a terrific painter with a crew of two who painted 2/3 of the paneling in the house with 3 coats of paint.  A new tile floor in the kitchen and foyer were a no brainer.  The three quarter bath was updated with paint, new light fixtures, and removal of a very dated vanity mirror. We kept the light blue sink, toilet and shower to save on costs but new grey paint on the paneling muted their impact.  We eliminated a fair amount of furniture throughout the house to visually enhance the space.  Our "carpenter on call" did a great job on a variety of small jobs. Fresh bedding, removal of yellowed  accordion style shower curtains in both baths, and a really good cleaning completed our staging efforts.

   That's not to say we couldn't have done more, but given our budget we got a lot of bang for our buck and the changes were remarkable (even if I do say so myself!) The entire job took about 6 weeks, and that was with time off for Christmas and New Years.

   Now, the house has a great, attractive space for entertaining, water views from every room, and is in move in condition.  If my husband and I hadn't already begun construction on our new kitchen in the meantime, my staged house would be a serious contender!  However, you may want to take a look!

  In this competitive real estate market, every home needs to look its best to have a chance of selling. If you'd like to talk with Bonnie Grenier she can be reached via email, dayscoveinteriors@roadrunner.com or by phone 207-563-1305.To see this home in it's new splendor please call Lee Simard or Bill Byrnes at Newcastle Square Realty.

Reverse Mortgage

    When people ask me what I do as a Reverse Mortgage Specialist for Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corp. I explain to them our company's mission statement, which is "To Enhance the Lives of Seniors by Providing Financial Security and Independence."  That mission statement is simple and cuts right to the heart of why a person might want to consider a reverse mortgage on their home.

   For many seniors the "golden years" have turned out to be more difficult than they might have imagined during their working years.  Property taxes continue to soar, homeowners insurance has become more expensive, the cost of gasoline and heating oil has skyrocketed and health care costs take a bigger bite of the budget each year.  In a household where Social Security, a small company pension and personal savings are being stretched to the limit, a reverse mortgage can unlock a portion of the equity that people have in their homes and provide tax free income through a government insured reverse mortgage product.

   A reverse mortgage is a government insured loan product for seniors age 62 and older that provides loan proceeds to a borrower, which is not taxable income, doesn't require them to make a monthly payment of principal and interest and doesn't require repayment until the last borrower has permanently left their home.  The proceeds of the loan can be used for almost anything from paying current bills, to consolidating debt, to making necessary home repairs or improvements, to taking that long postponed vacation trip you've always wanted.  More importantly, the home owner will never be required to leave their home until they're ready.  The only caveats are that the home must remain the borrowers primary residence, they must continue to pay their property taxes and insurance and keep their home in good repair.

   If it sounds like a reverse mortgage could enhance the quality of your life I would enjoy having the opportunity to discuss them in more detail with you.

   Rick Newell is a Reverse Mortgage Specialist for Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corp.  Rick has been a banker in the mid coast region of Maine for almost 30 years.  In addition he has been the Pastor of the Newcastle-Alna Baptist Church for the past 17 years. Rick and his wife Debby have lived on the River Road in Newcastle for the past 30 years. You can call Rick at his home office at 207-563-5961 or his cell phone at 207-631-1196.  You can also reach him by email at rnewell@financialfreedom.com .

Autumn in Maine

    Our glorious Sugar Maples are rapidly changing color and the local landscape has been transformed from the lush green of summer to the reds and oranges of fall. Visitors are enjoying the change in the season while sampling all sorts of activities, including our own Damariscotta Oyster Festival and the very funny Annual Pumpkin Regatta (see below). There are many harvest celebrations occurring all over the State, including antique shows and auctions and wonderful Agricultural Fairs.  This is a great time to visit Maine (although you'll miss the black flies).

   The slower pace of autumn allows us all to reflect back on this past vacation season.  We often ask our guests "what was your favorite thing?" but this year we asked our renters to cast actual ballots on the Best of 2007. Here is a brief summary of those votes:

The Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was voted as having The Best Views; it was also voted as The Best Picnic Spot and The Most Romantic Spot.  The Lighthouse tied with Pemaquid Beach as being The Best Place to Spend the Day.

   The Anchor Inn took the most votes in the category of Best Restaurant; just barely beating out Shaw's Fish and Lobster Wharf, another highly mentioned dining spot. The Anchor Inn tied Salt Bay Cafe for Best Chowder. They also tied with Moody's Dinner for Best Kids Menu.

   Red's Eats in Wiscasset and Shaw's Lobster Wharf tied for Best Lobster Roll. Another closely contested race was in the category of The Best Lobster Dinner with Shaw's Lobster Wharf just barely beating out the dueling lobster pounds in round Pond: Muscongus Bay Lobster and Round Pond Lobster.

   Shoppers clearly preferred the Town of Damariscotta to the competitors, Boothbay Harbor and Freeport and gave it the top rating for Best Shopping. Reny's Department Store was the clear favorite in shopping spots - beating out the much more famous LL Bean by a wide margin!

   Honorable Mention goes to King Eiders Pub, The Damariscotta River Grill and The Cupboard Cafe all of which kept showing up on ballots under various categories. Round Top Ice Cream received a number of mentions (when on vacation, why can't an ice cream parlor count as a restaurant?). The Pemaquid Fisherman's Co-Op received votes for their view as well as their lobsters.  Kayaking was a popular way to spend the day and Monhegan Island Trips and the Maine Botanical Gardens received a great number of votes in the My Personal Best category.

      If you didn't get a chance to vote, comment here and let us know what you think. If you missed some of these outstanding spots you can start now to plan your visit for next season.  We are currently updating our rental listings for next season and would love to help you plan your next visit to Mid Coast Maine and the Pemaquid area!

Anita Palsgrove, Rental Manager

Newcastle Square Vacation Rentals

Help for the Second Home Owner

   Another in our occasional series of guest blogs.  Today we hear from a new company offering a service that in the past has been hard to find for second home owners here in the midcoast of Maine.

   Having a weekend getaway or second home here in the the midcoast area can be so much fun!  But having a vacation home can also add to your everyday stresses.  That's why we have created HomeCheckers Midcoast LLC; a company dedicated to managing and caring for properties throughout Lincoln County.

   Have you ever arrived at your vacation home only to discover a myriad of things that need to be done before you can begin to enjoy your stay?  Imagine if you had people checking these things regularly while you are away from your home in Maine, so that you can enjoy your time while you are here.  Remember last April when the area was hit by a Nor'easter storm?  Electricity was out, wires and trees were down, debris was scattered everywhere and even some driveways were washed out.  Wouldn't it have been nice to receive a phone call or an e-mail with digital pictures of your home from someone who has thoroughly checked your property?  In addition, imagine not having to make the calls to arrange for necessary work to be done.  Picture instead arriving in Maine and the trees have already been cut and cleared, electricity restored, all systems working and you only had to make one phone call!  This is exactly what will happen when you work with Ann and Dirk Poole of Homecheckers Midcoast LLC.  They will create an individualized plan to fit your needs and the particular needs of your property here in the Midcoast.

    Ann and Dirk Poole live in Edgecomb with their two daughters and have been successfully running a small business in Lincoln County since 1985. Their business contacts and knowledge of area contractors is extensive.  Whether it be finding the right carpenter or plumber, getting a new dock put in or even helping to find the best place to buy lobsters near you, the Poole's can help.  They can ensure that the people working at your property provide you with honest and quality services and that the job is done and your home ready for you when you are ready for it.

   Call Ann and Dirk today at 207-563-8868 or send an email to HomeCheckers to arrange a personal consultation at your convenience.  Let HomeCheckers open the door to your peace of mind!