HOULTON, Maine – No one could have guessed before the COVID-19 pandemic that Maine’s most rural and least populated counties would become the state’s hottest housing markets.
But that is exactly what happened. Aroostook, Washington and Piscataquis counties have seen an influx of new homeowners who are reversing the decades-old drainage of rural Maine. Newcomers are leaving the densest areas of coronavirus in the country and snapping up properties in the less populated areas of the state, taking advantage of lower living costs and market prices compared to where before.
Maine as a whole saw a small increase, approximately 9 percent, in the number of real estate properties sold during the pandemic, and the number of out-of-state buyers increased from 25 to 33 percent over that period. But nowhere has growth been more pronounced and the number of arrivals from outside the state greater than in rural areas of northern Maine.
“Eight out of ten people needed to go to the city to live because that was where the jobs were,” said Andrew Mooers, owner of Mooers Realty in Houlton. “You had no choice. With telecommuting, you have a choice. “
The latest turnaround in the real estate trend in Aroostook County contrasts sharply with the past few decades, when the population has been slowly declining and young people are moving south in search of better education and employment opportunities. It is no longer necessary to live in the city to have access to shopping and entertainment thanks to innovative local internet companies, such as Houlton’s Pioneer Broadband, which offers everything needed to conduct work or school remotely, place product orders and transmit content.
The population decline in Aroostook County has been going on for decades. In 1960, the census listed its population at more than 100,000 people. The population has declined by more than a third since then, with the latest estimate of 2019 at 67,000 people.
But the influx of new owners may reverse this trend. Data from the Maine Multiple Listing Service, which the state’s real estate agents rely on to help make assessments, point to indications that more properties are being sold, less are available and prices are rising.
Five years ago, the average selling price for single-family homes in Aroostook was $ 53,000 and more than 1,000 units were available. In December 2020, the average selling price almost doubled to $ 97,000 and the available single-family units were reduced by about two-thirds, to just over 360 units.
“Certainly, if this trend continues, I think the population will increase,” said Aaron Bolster, president of the Maine Association of Realtors. “It is very new to know whether the data will actually reflect an increase in population or not, but I think there are people staying in Maine.”
“Basically, we reduced inventory and they sell faster than they replenish,” said Mooers. “Which is wonderful for the seller.”
Mark Lipscombe is a new owner who arrived in northern Maine during the pandemic. Originally from Australia, Lipscombe and his wife Nina, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, aspired to live in the area after bumping into her while traveling across the continent.
“A few years ago, we did a circumnavigation of North America,” said Lipscombe, who now lives in Houlton with Nina and her two school-age children. “We went straight through Canada and down North Maine and really loved the area.”
Lipscombe had recently moved from his native Australia to Memphis, with plans to move to northern Maine. But the family’s five-year plan to move north became a five-month plan when the COVID-19 pandemic devastated cities like Memphis.
“We didn’t move here because of COVID, but it accelerated our move,” he said. “But it’s all coming together and we really love it here.”
The Lipscombes started County Micro, an IT consulting firm, in their new home, a red Victorian-style home located on Houlton’s main street.
“People have been really amazing and welcoming,” said Mark Lipscombe. “We opened businesses here doing managed IT and we had a really incredible reception.”
The influx of new people to Aroostook County also meant more work for contractors hired to repair the houses. Electricians, plumbers and other construction workers have heard from some people who come from other states.
“It is not 100% out of state, but it is very close,” said David Harbison, owner of Harbison Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning in Houlton, and has worked on several houses purchased by the new owners.
Harbison said he saw people from Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, but also from states like California, Washington and Idaho.
“Some people have roots here and want to go home,” said Brian Nightingale, a contracted electrician who has worked in several homes. “Some people are just happy to leave where they were.”
The wide open area and good soil quality that make it ideal for agriculture also attract people to rural areas like Aroostook. Already an area known for its potato production, many people are buying land and agricultural properties for the “table cultivation” experience.
“From an out-of-state perspective, people love the fact that the soil is so rich,” said Bolster. “This was a great influential sales resource for The County.”
Many of the people Harbison saw moving to Aroostook tend to be older, but not quite in retirement age, although he has seen some young people who can work in remote jobs or get new jobs in the County, he said.
“Most of the people we talk to are mostly from congested areas where they come from and want to leave,” said Harbison. “Most of these areas are growing enormously in population, and some of them are criminal activities that they are trying to escape from.”
Nightingale and Harbison said they have noticed a slow flow of people moving from other states in recent years, but the pandemic has rapidly accelerated the number of people arriving.
The types of homes that people are buying also vary. Some are buying large houses, like the Victorian-style house of the Lipscombes, while others buy large tracts of land to take advantage of the low prices. Nightingale said he knew a couple from Florida who bought a house on East Grand Lake in the East.
What is not known is whether the new residents will stay or are simply here to face the pandemic. Those coming from warmer states like California and Texas may find Aroostook’s long winter, which begins in November and runs through April, a difficult adjustment. The pandemic has also finally hit Aroostook, with more than 1,000 cases reported since December.
But even the increased activity of COVID-19 has not prevented people from moving to rural Maine, although the timing is different for some of them. Harbison said some of his younger customers are waiting for the hottest spring months before they move out.
Mark Lipscombe said the success of his business here has led him to convince another of his business partners, who is from California, to move to buy a house on Houlton’s Madigan Street.
“For what we do with IT things, the city has really great things,” he said. “It has an incredible internet. It has cheap utilities. It looks like a good place to settle and do business. “