Here’s a question: When a pandemic forces you to stay close to home, how do you make the very best of it? Easy! With your own personal binge-a-thon of great Maine-related [...]

Okay, so 2020 has been unusually challenging. But we Mainers are famously creative and resilient, and we know that spreading holiday cheer—even socially-distanced holiday cheer—is absolutely something we can handle. So let’s get to it! Here are 4 great ways for spreading socially-distanced holiday cheer through kind, compassionate acts this [...]

Due to the pandemic, our holiday season will “look different” this year. Many of us won’t be able to travel home for the holidays, and will therefore have to mail gifts to loved ones. Okay, so that’s not great. But ask yourself: Is there a way to “turn this around” and create something very positive and enriching from it? Fortunately, the [...]

When you engage with a business, do you ever wonder what the human part of their backstory is? To shed some light on this, we called Brian Rizzo, owner/broker at Coldwell Banker Rizzo Mattson, Realtors®. Here’s the personal and family story Brian shared with us.

A Remarkable Conversation Between Father and Son

 “The wonderful thing about [...]

As home buying and selling in Maine soars above all expectations, more and more of you are asking us, “What exactly are ‘closing costs’? Who pays them? How can we best prepare for them?”

To help you more easily and clearly understand closing costs, we’ve put together this must-know information and guidance.

Definition of “Closing Costs”

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Buying a house is likely the biggest purchase you will ever make, but you’ve got to live somewhere, right?  While buying a home is a huge expense, it’s also a great investment. So once you’ve bought it, you can manage it in a way that will save you BIG money over time. Here’s [...]

We’ve all heard the old saying: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”—and it’s particularly true regarding your pre-winter home improvement projects. Here in Maine, winter brings great joy to everyone who loves skiing, skating, sledding, snowshoeing and more. But Old Man Winter can also do damage to your house. So we recommend [...]

Over the years, many seniors have asked us excellent questions about home downsizing. Usually their first question is something like: “I’ve enjoyed living in my house, but would LOVE something less expensive and easier to manage, now that I’m older. What do you [...]

It has definitely been one for the “Totally Unexpected Life Benefits” file: While COVID-19 at first was super disruptive as it sent us all to hunker down at home, tens of millions of Americans now ENJOY the incredible opportunity and freedom of working at home. In fact, nearly 40 percent of us are still doing it, with most of us LOVING [...]

Let’s be real: Deciding when to sell your house is never easy—especially in a stranger-than-fiction year like 2020. But if you’re one of those homeowners who’s debating when to put that “For Sale” sign in your front yard, there are 3 compelling reasons why selling NOW makes the most sense. Let’s quickly look at [...]