Some Links

If any of these links do not work, please let me know! These are some of the more important and “static” links of interest. If you are looking for some specific information or help try the “search” option since I’ll be posting a number of links.

Maine Choice Realty is the agency I’m affiliated with and this site is where you’ll find lots of listings and general real estate information. Buyers say they love this site because it’s “simple” and “user friendly!”

The Arthur Gary School of Real Estate is the place to check out for information about licensing courses and continuing education. You can also find more complete information at the Maine Real Estate Commission Site. The Commission site is also a great place to learn about licensing… and to check up on the licensee you are working with!

I also work with the Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative… because the market is limited there are also limited real estate licensing courses, but I also occasionally offer more general programs such as sales and influencing. And speaking of sales… you owe it to yourself to check out friend and colleague Jack Falvey’s Making the Numbers… you can subscribe to a free service that will deliver a short tip every day that will make you think and “get you going!”

Trulia.com is like Zillow.com which offers satellite views and the estimated values of each home. (I would be a bit skeptical of values short of data and analysis by a qualfied person.) Trulia’s heat maps show how hot or cold an area is based on prcies, sales and popularity amont users.

Maps.Google.com and Maps.Live.com offer bird’s eye views, even 360 in some cases, that offer a virtual perspective of available homes.

Walkscore.com is interesting site that rates any address based on the walking distance to nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, coffee shops,, etc.

SchoolMatters.com is a Standard and Poor’s company and offers offers an objective rating of schools and school districts by region, including test scores and demographics. Great Schools.net offers similar info and rates on private schools.

HUD.gov is the official website for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This site lists HUD homes and provides great information for home buyers, including financing options and home buying programs availablebe through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

Homeloans.va.gov provides housing information about government home loan programs specifically for veterans.

I know a lot of people think Mortgage Brokers (and real estate brokers!) are on a par with used car salesmen, but there are some good ones. I’d greatly prefer discussing your specific needs and helping you find the right lender, but if you are shopping around visit WeShopRates.com and look for Tom Drew and check out Ron Taplin at Alpine Mortgage or Darlene James at Bangor Savings Bank.

For information about the area…

A good place to start is The DailyME website… including the blog written by Judy Wilbur Craig. While the site is based in Dexter, a number of links will encourage exploring… For the Dover Foxcroft (Southern Piscataquis County) area, start at the SPC Chamber of Commerce site. (This site is undergoing a total makeover as this is written.) You’ll also find some great links from the Maine Choice Realty site… go to the town of interest and look at the top of the page.

If you’re looking for a place to stay while you are looking for real estate, check out the Trebor Mansion in Guilford… lots of character here!