SRE_1221

VOL. 48, No. 10 

MASSACHUSETTS, MAINE & NEW HAMPSHIRE 

NEW INSIDE: WHAT IS A MODULAR HOME? 

LOWELL - $449,000 

TORREY and ASSOCIATES REAL ESTATE 

33 Dover St., Suite 124, Brockton, MA 02301 • torreyre.com 

NEW LISTING - PAWTUCKETVILLE 

3 BEDROOMS - SALE PENDING 

www.ArakelianRealEstate.com 

295 Boston Road, Billerica, MA 

Office: 978-667-2301 

REAL ESTATE INC. 

Licensed in MA, New Hampshire & Maine 

BILLERICA - COMMERCIAL PROPERTY FOR SALE 

BUILDING AND LAND ONLY - $700,000 

SPRINGFIELD – 2 FAMILY – $150,000 

Attention investors, this 

is a fantastic opportunity! 

2 family, 10 rooms, 6 

bedrooms. Great back 

yard, convenient location 

to all. Just minutes to 

new MGM Springfield 

Casino. This one is a 

winner! Cash sales only. 

This is an as-is, where-is 

condition sale. House in 

need of repair but great 

bones with spacious and 

open floor plans. Offered 

at $150,000 

SEE PAGE 3 FOR DETAILS CALL TODAY! (508) 580-8440 

Your Lending Expert 

781-233-7300 

335 Central Street 

Saugus, MA 01906 

CarpenitoRealEstate.com 

What do you think? 

Refinance for Cash Out 

- Home improvement 

- Purchase a second home 

- Debt consolidation 

Tom Traverse 

Senior Loan Officer/Sales Manager 

30 Log Bridge Road, Bldg 100, Unit #100 

Middleton, MA 01949 

tom.traverse@rate.com 

O: (781) 810-0589 

C: (781) 727-5629 

www.guaranteedrate.com/tomtraverse 

Using funds from a Cash-out Refinance to consolidate debt may result in the debt taking longer 

to pay off as it will be combined with borrower’s mortgage principle amount and will be paid off 

over the full loan term. Contact Guaranteed Rate for more information 

Applicant subject to credit and underwriting approval. Restrictions apply. 

(20111201-894366) 

Tom Traverse NMLS #: 422060 ; MA - MLO422060 • ME - Licensed 

• NH - Licensed NMLS #: 422060 Guaranteed Rate, Inc.; NMLS #2611; For licensing information 

visit nmlsconsumeraccess.org. MA: Mortgage Lender & Mortgage Broker License #MC2611 • 

ME: Supervised Lender License #SLM11302 • NH: Licensed by the New Hampshire Banking 

SAUGUS – UNIQUE AND RARE 11 Unit 

Building sitting on over an acre of land in 

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consists of 3 store fronts and one 

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ONE bedroom units and 3 TWO bedroom 

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street parking, INCREDIBLE opportuni-ty 

for a GREAT investment. $2,600,000 

See our ad on page 16

2 SAY YOU SAW IT IN SUBURBAN December 21, 2021 - February 21, 2022 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Five interior design trends 

to use in your home in 2022 

STATEPOINT 

After learning to live life more remotely 

in 2020 and 2021, it’s time to 

view 2022 as a fresh start. 

To help you adopt a new, balanced 

way of living, FrogTape brand painter’s 

tape and celebrity interior designer, 

Taniya Nayak, are sharing 

five home interior design trends 

meant to inspire spaces that will 

welcome guests, while still incorporating 

the special intimacies that 

may have been rediscovered from 

slowing down. Each trend can be 

utilized for a full home makeover 

or incorporated into little touches to 

freshen up a space. 

1. Embrace. Embrace everything 

that is good in your life and create 

a sense of comfort, warmth and security. 

Nayak recommends cozy textures 

and a palette of mellow coral, 

subtle orange, soft green and creamy 

shades of white and brown to achieve 

this look in spaces like bedrooms or 

family rooms. A simple and stylish 

way to incorporate this into a room 

is to add a coat of paint to a textured 

basket for a pop of color. Then, fill it 

with plenty of plush blankets to complete 

the cozy look and feel. 

2. Rise. Give a fresh perspective to 

your existing space with the ‘Rise’ 

trend. Inspired by the morning light 

peeking through the shades, incorporating 

this trend into your bedroom 

or bathroom is bound to invigorate 

and motivate you. For example, add 

a coat of green paint to your closet 

door for a nice pop of color to an area 

where you start your day. 

No matter where you’re looking 

to add fresh color, you’ll want to 

achieve clean, sharp paint lines. One 

of Nayak’s go-to tools is a premium 

painter’s tape that produces professional-looking 

results, like FrogTape 

brand painter’s tape, which is treated 

with patented PaintBlock Technology, 

to deliver the sharpest lines 

possible. 

3. Gather. Gathering with friends 

and family has been long awaited, so 

set the mood and ambience just the 

way you imagined it. Inspired by the 

depth of conversations with loved 

ones, the ‘Gather’ trend embraces 

rich, dark tones like navy, teal or 

forest green. Incorporate this trend 

by painting the focal point of a room, 

like kitchen cabinets or the living 

room fireplace. Or, add bold, dark 

details with furniture and artwork. 

You can keep it subtle by creating 

custom centerpieces dipped in paint 

and wrapped in twine. 

4. Revive. Revive your home with 

soothing and vibrant shades of pink, 

orange and blue to create a balance 

of motivated yet satisfied. Consider 

adding a vibrant paint color to old, 

PHOTO | STATEPOINT 

worn-down details like a front door, 

nightstand or kitchen table. It might 

feel out of context, or out of character, 

but give it a try. 

“This trend can be described as 

carefree, festive and fun,” said Nayak. 

“Whatever it is that makes you 

happy…go for it!” 

5. Shine. The ‘Shine’ trend is all 

about letting your true self shine. 

Implement this trend in any room 

throughout your home by embracing 

every color of the rainbow and visually 

displaying what’s in your heart. 

Using FrogTape, tape off a custom 

pattern that is uniquely yours and 

paint it whatever color you choose. 

Visit FrogTape.com/Trends for 

more trend information and ideas. 

Creative and easy to achieve, these 

rising trends for 2022 provide inspiration 

to refresh your home’s interior.

December 21, 2021 - February 21, 2022 SAY YOU SAW IT IN SUBURBAN 3 

MASSACHUSETTS 

REAL ESTATE, INC. 

Licensed in MA, New Hampshire & Maine 

295 Boston Road, Billerica, MA 01862 

Office: 978-667-2301 

Fax: 978-667-7779 

www.ArakelianRealEstate.com • sales@ArakelianRealEstate.com 

HOLIDAYS ARE HERE 

LOWELL - $449,900 

NEW LISTING 

3 BEDROOMS 

SALE PENDING 

CHELMSFORD - $1,250,000 

LAND 

UNDER AGREEMENT 

SOLD 

LAWRENCE - $399,900 

CAPE 

3 BEDROOMS 2 BATHS! 

PAWTUCKETVILLE 

Ready to move in! Ranch with attached garage. 

Features: Newly refinished hardwood floors, 

kitchen with custom made breakfast island 

New 2021 hot water tank. Totally fenced yard 

with above ground pool, shed, children's 

playset, basketball set, and a 16x9+/- deck. 

Nearby schools shopping, parks, LGH and UML. 

Property to be sold "as is." 

Developers, builders and investors. GREAT 

opportunity to develop on 9.4 acre site with 

residential/industrial zoning. CALL FOR DETAILS 

Beautiful Mount Vernon neighborhood. 

Newer kitchen w/ stainless steel appliances. 

Hardwood floors and finished basement. Fenced 

8,400 lot with above-ground pool and oversized 

deck to enjoy summer nights! Route 495 and 

93 nearby. Note: Natural gas furnace, hot water 

tank and kitchen range only 3 years old! 

Call for showing instructions! 

BILLERICA 

NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 

2,500 SQ. FT. - $1,700/MO 

BILLERICA - 

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY FOR SALE 

BUILDING AND LAND ONLY 

$700,000 

BILLERICA 

COMMERCIAL - SPACES TO LEASE 

COVER 

Great location to start your own sub shop. 

All equipment included, franchise possible. 

Drive-thru possible, needs approval. 

NOTE: This listing is not for the sale of the 

existing businesses, they will remain as tenants 

if the buyer is agreeable. Arakelian RE, Inc. 

Affordable Lock and Key and The Vacuum 

Doctor. 26,017 sqft. lot. Located on busy Boston 

Road, Billerica, MA. Building footprint is 2,496 

sqft. Much potential. This is an exclusive listing. 

UNIT 1 - 295 SQ. FT. 

$700/MONTH + UTILITIES 

UNIT 3 - 100 SQ. FT. 

$400/MONTH + UTILITIES


MASSACHUSETTS 

COURTESY PHOTO 

What is a modular home? 

Modular homes are the ultimate 

prefabricated building system. These 

highly customizable, environmentally-friendly 

homes are built almost 

entirely in a factory setting, saving 

both home owners and builders time, 

effort and money. 

Once the main modules of a new 

home are constructed — complete 

with attached walls, floor, ceiling, 

wiring, plumbing and interior fixtures 

— they are transported to the 

home owner’s chosen lot and placed 

on a permanent foundation by a 

crane. Each home is designed and 

constructed to meet all state and 

national building and fire codes, and 

a local builder does the final finish 

work. 

ECO-FRIENDLY 

Modular homes are green by their 

very nature. Assembly in an enclosed 

indoor environment allows them 

to fulfill key components of green 

building certifications, including 

the ICC 700 National Green Building 

Standard. Going modular means 

that material waste is reduced at 

both the factory and the job site. As a 

result, the environmental impact on 

the land and the community where 

the house is being delivered is lessened. 

Modular homes are often more 

tightly built and thus more energy 

efficient, which can result in lower 

heating and cooling costs for the 

home owner. 

FLEXIBLE HOME DESIGN 

While most manufacturers have 

a portfolio of home plans to choose 

from, computer-assisted design 

(CAD) allows limitless design and 

customization possibilities when 

planning a new modular home. Modular 

construction allows for a quick 

turnaround between groundbreaking 

and occupancy. A typical modular 

house can be move-in ready in about 

three months. And more often than 

not, the finished product is indistinguishable 

from a site-built home. 

SAVES MONEY, SAVES TIME 

Designed and constructed to meet 

or exceed local building codes and allowing 

nearly 90 percent of a home 

to be constructed offsite, a highly 

customizable home can be built in 

a controlled factory environment 

while the building site is simultaneously 

being prepped. 

Most work is done in the factory, 

so weather delays, missing materials 

and subcontractor no-shows are 

all but eliminated, saving time and 

money. Building modular homes 

save time and money, allowing the 

builder to focus on generating sales 

and other revenue sources. 

QUALITY CONSTRUCTION 

homes in a factory setting allows 

for more consistent quality due to 

uniform construction processes, 

training techniques and inspections. 

All homes are inspected by 

an independent, third-party home 

inspection agency before leaving the 

factory. Once on site, they are again 

inspected, this time by a local building 

inspector. These homes meet and 

often exceed all requirements of locally 

adopted building and fire codes.


MASSACHUSETTS 

978-853-7104 

www.lbmodular.com 

3D design process helps 

visualize and customize 

your new home 

All prices include delivery and set-up on your foundation 

COLONIALS Starting at $136,250 

CAPES Starting at $99,300 

RANCHES Starting at $88,000


MASSACHUSETTS 

Tips to lower your home’s 

heating bills this winter 

STATEPOINT 

A frosty winter wonderland is fun 

to experience — outside. Inside is 

another story. By keeping your home 

heating system running at peak performance, 

you’ll lower your winter 

utility bills and experience increased 

comfort. 

According to North American Technician 

Excellence (NATE), here’s 

how to stay toasty this winter without 

breaking the bank. 

Get the Right Equipment 

It all starts with the right heating 

equipment. Choosing a furnace with 

an ENERGY STAR logo is important, 

however, it’s also a good idea to 

understand standard efficiency ratings 

so you can easily compare the 

performance of different systems. 

When you need to measure the 

thermal efficiency of your furnace or 

water heater, Annual Fuel Utilization 

Efficiency (AFUE) helps determine 

the actual, annual, average efficiency 

of that piece of equipment. It 

measures the amount of heat delivered 

to your house compared to the 

amount of fuel that you must supply 

to the furnace. The U.S. Department 

of Energy determined that all furnaces 

sold in the U.S. must have a 

minimum AFUE of 78 percent. 

The Heating Seasonal Performance 

Factor (HSPF) is the most 

commonly used measure of the heating 

efficiency of heat pumps. Typically, 

a high-efficiency heat pump pays 

for itself in savings in a few years. 

Take These Steps 

A little DIY can work wonders. Follow 

this checklist for improved efficiency 

of heating equipment: 

• Check heating filters every couple 

weeks and change them at least 

twice in the season, or as directed by 

the manufacturer. 

• Check and maintain insulation. 


Improperly insulated walls, floors, 

attics, basements and crawlspaces 

drain away heat and can also lead to 

moisture imbalance. 

• Check ductwork for insulation 

and leaks. No matter how “state of 

the art” your heating system is, if 

your ductwork is bad, it will diminish 

efficiency. 

• Turn down the thermostat by a 

few degrees and dress more warmly. 

• Clean the furnace area. Don’t 

keep chemicals or cleaning products 

near your heater, and don’t store 

anything next to it that could impede 

ventilation. 

• Keep vents and returns free of 

obstructions. 

• Install a humidifier to make indoor 

air feel warmer. 

Work With Experts 

Be sure all work performed on your 

heating equipment is carried out by 

a trustworthy, NATE-certified technician. 

Even the most efficient system 

can suffer if it’s not properly 

maintained. NATE-certified technicians 

have demonstrated knowledge 

of today’s heating and cooling systems. 

Better installation and service 

means your equipment will run at 

peak efficiency. Visit natex.org for 

additional winter tips and resources, 

and to find a NATE-certified technician 

in your area. 

If you do call in a technician, prep 

for their arrival. You can help your 

technician diagnose a potential 

problem with your heating equipment 

by being prepared to share important 

information, such as the age, 

brand and model of your furnace and 

whether it’s been leaking, making 

unusual noises or emitting odors. 

With a combination high-efficiency 

equipment, a little DIY and the help 

of professional expertise, you can 

stay warm and cozy on-budget, all 

season long.


MASSACHUSETTS 

373 Lincoln Avenue, Saugus, MA 

PetersonRealEstate@hotmail.com 

781-233-4424 

781-233-4511 

LET OUR 60+ YEARS OF 

EXPERIENCE WORK FOR YOU! 

We are OPEN for business and here to assist you. 

SAUGUS 

SOLD 

SAUGUS 

President Benjamin, CFO 

Daniel John and CEO Reed wish everyone 

a happy and healthy holiday season! 

SOLD 

SAUGUS 

SALE PENDING 

LYNNFIELD 

SOLD 

SAUGUS 

SOLD 

SAUGUS 

SAUGUS 

MELROSE 

SOLD 

SOLD 

SOLD


STATEPOINT 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Is it too late to reduce your 

mortgage payment by refinancing? 

Experts say that with mortgage 

rates beginning to rise, refinancing 

your home now might be your last 

best chance to lower your monthly 

mortgage payment, as rates remain 

near all-time lows. 

Those who refinanced early in 

2021 have already reaped the benefits. 

Borrowers who refinanced their 

30-year fixed rate mortgage into another 

30-year fixed rate mortgage 

during the first half of 2021 saved 

over $2,800 in mortgage payments 

on principal and interest annually, 

according to a recent Freddie Mac 

research report. 

But mortgage rates are rising. Indeed, 

in October 2021, the 30-year 

fixed-rate mortgage, which is the 

most common type of mortgage, rose 

to its highest point since April, surpassing 

3.0 percent. Freddie Mac 

forecasts that mortgage rates will 

continue to rise, averaging 3.5 percent 

for the 30-year fixed in 2022. 

That’s up from an average of 3.0 percent 

in 2021. 

So is it time to refinance your home 

loan? To help you make an informed 

decision, Freddie Mac is offering answers 

to commonly asked questions 

about the refinancing process: 

• What does refinancing mean? 

When you refinance your mortgage, 

you’re applying for a new mortgage 

to replace your current one, which 

will result in a new rate, term and 

monthly payment. The most common 

type of refinance is a no cashout 

refinance, in which you’re refinancing 

the remaining balance on 

your mortgage. 

• When should I consider refinancing? 

Generally speaking, refinances 

make the most financial sense when 

average interest rates are at least 

half a percentage point lower than 

the interest rate on your current 

mortgage. Another reason to consider 

refinancing is if your financial 

situation has improved, allowing you 

to secure a loan with a shorter term 

and own your home sooner. Finally, 

if you currently have an adjustable-rate 

mortgage (ARM) and it’s 

adjusting upward, you may wish to 

convert to a fixed-rate mortgage that 

provides you with the security of 

consistent payments. 

• Is refinancing free? Although refinancing 

your mortgage could save 

you money both in the long- and 

short-term, it isn’t free. For the most 

part, refinancing costs are similar to 

what you paid when you purchased 

your home, including a loan origination 

fee. There are required services 

involved, such as appraisals, and 

state and local fees that can vary 

significantly based on where you 

live. The average cost to refinance is 

almost $5,000, so you should carefully 

consider how long you plan to stay 

in your home to ensure the savings 

to outweigh the costs. 

• Who should handle my refinance? 

You don’t have to use your current 


lender to refinance your loan. In 

fact, it’s in your best interest to shop 

around and compare multiple lenders’ 

loan estimates in search of the 

best terms and cost. It may take 

more time, but even a difference as 

small as one-quarter of a percentage 

point can save you thousands of dollars 

over the life of your home loan. 

The good news? Rates are often negotiable. 

In other words, you can ask 

lenders to match the rate quoted by 

another lender. 

There may be no time like the 

present to lock in the lowest possible 

rate and receive the highest monthly 

savings. To get a sense of what refinancing 

could save you, access Freddie 

Mac’s refinance calculator, along 

with additional homebuying and 

refinancing resources, at myhome. 

freddiemac.com. 

As with any big financial endeavor, 

you’ll want to do your homework, 

look carefully at your short- and 

long-term goals, and work closely 

with your lender to do a cost-benefit 

analysis.


NEW HAMPSHIRE 

DOUBLE WIDES NEW 14 WIDES 

List Price: $67,995 

$63,995 


$89,995 

56' 2 Bed 

64' 2 Bed, 2 Bath 

List Price:$113,995 

$109,995 $124,995 

40' 3 Bed, 

2 Bath 


$118,995 

48' 3 Bed, 

2 Bath 


$71,995 

68' 2 Bed, 2 Bath 

BUY NOW WHILE 

PRICES ARE LOW! 


48' 3 Bed, 

2 Bath 

Homes From COLONY, 

NEW ERA, & TITAN 

MODULARS 

$141,995 

2 Bedroom 

$134,995 

3 Bedroom (Base Price) 

$191,995 

1,900 sq. ft. 2 Story 

1st Floor Master Bedroom


Jeff Ostrowski 

BANKRATE.COM 

Inflation hit 6.8 percent in November, 

its loftiest level since the 

long-ago era of Reaganomics and 

America’s war on inflation. If prices 

continue to soar, mortgage rates will 

head higher, too. But there’s a silver 

lining to this cloud for borrowers as 

well. 

Today’s combination of low mortgage 

rates and high inflation is exceedingly 

rare. So one of those conditions 

is likely to end soon — and 

if prices remain elevated, economists 

say, mortgage rates will rise. 

“Inflation tends to push up mortgage 

rates, so I anticipate that we’ll 

head into the new year with higher 

rates than we ended 2021 with,” says 

Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist 

at Haus.com. 

Last week’s inflation reading of 

6.8 percent was the highest point in 

39 years, and there’s little relief in 

sight. Consumer prices are poised 

to continue climbing, says Frank 

Nothaft, chief economist at real estate 

data firm CoreLogic. 

And that means mortgage rates 

are all but sure to rise. “We’re going 

to see continued upward pressure on 

rates,” Nothaft says. 

As the annual rate of inflation 

topped 4 percent in the spring and 

then 5 percent this summer, the Federal 

Reserve labeled the phenomenon 

“transitory.” 

Central bankers’ early analysis 

went something like this: The world 

economy slammed on the brakes in 

March 2020. Consumers stopped 

eating out, traveling and engaging 

in other typical spending patterns, 

creating a period of deflation. At the 

same time, the federal government 

filled consumers’ bank accounts with 

stimulus money, setting the stage for 

a spike in prices once pandemic lockdowns 

eased. 

As economic activity returned to 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 

Inflation is back in a big way: What that 

means for borrowers and mortgages 

normal, the thinking went, prices 

would inevitably spike. After all, 

annual inflation is simply a comparison 

to prices a year earlier. And 

consumers this year are spending 

much more than a year ago. But once 

consumers spent themselves out, the 

transitory argument went, everything 

would return to normal. 

That’s not what’s happening, 

though. Shortages remain for all 

manner of goods, including cars, appliances 

and building materials. The 

Fed no longer describes inflation as 

temporary. 

CoreLogic’s Nothaft views inflation 

as a threat to historically low mortgage 

rates, and he sees signs that inflation 

will be with us for a while. Yes, 

it’s possible that supply chain issues 

will finally ease, slowing price growth 

for cars, lumber and other items. But 

those goods are only part of the inflation 

index. The federal measure of 

consumer prices also includes housing 

and health care — and neither of 

FILE PHOTO | TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE 

A real estate sign is seen in front of a house for sale in West Los 

Angeles. Two years and a pandemic later, interest rates for mortgages 

may be rising soon. 

those items will see prices fall when 

auto production returns to normal 

and port backups end. 

“That makes it very, very hard to 

get inflation back down to the Fed’s 2 

percent target,” Nothaft says. 

For now, the unusual combination 

of high inflation and low mortgage 

rates makes borrowing more attractive. 

That’s because if long-term 

rates don’t rise as prices rise, the 

“real” cost of repaying today’s mortgage 

grows cheaper over time. 

To put it simply, inflation is generally 

good news for borrowers, especially 

those with mortgages. You 

get to repay the loan in ever-cheaper 

dollars, which eases the cost of borrowing. 

The inflation picture matters for 

mortgage rates because it might force 

the Fed’s hand. If inflation remains 

elevated, the Fed would be compelled 

to raise interest rates in 2022. Indeed, 

on Wednesday, it projected three interest 

rate hikes next year.


NEW HAMPSHIRE 

REALTOR ® - ASSOCIATE BROKER 

603-723-0521 

Teamner.com 

martel.remax@yahoo.com 

232 Glen Avenue | Berlin, NH 03570 | 752-0003 

LLC 

Berlin, NH 

Well maintained and cared for Raised Ranch style home situated in a nice, quiet location. Enjoy the privacy of the back yard and relax on the deck. 

Great yard for entertaining, pets, play, gardening and more! A full basement that wouldn’t take much to finish into more living space. Garage 

under with direct access to the basement. Basement also has a work bench area and wood stove. Large kitchen, open concept dining area and 

living room with pellet stove. 3 bedrooms and full bath round out the first floor. Private drilled well, 3 year old life time asphalt shingles, vinyl 

replacement windows and more. Access to the ATV trails and snowmobile trails! The owners love the privacy of living on a dead end street. 

MLS 4889284 $220,000 

Berlin, NH 

Well maintained and cared for multi family building located in the center of downtown and situated on Main Street. 2 one bedroom apartments 

on the 2nd floor, both are occupied, and the tenants are long term and pay for their own heat! There are two spacious 1st floor retail/office 

spaces currently, or you can easily convert the two spaces to one HUGE 1st floor space for your business or turn into apartments or into one 

very large apartment! One space is currently occupied at $900 a month. The other space will be available shortly for rent or you can use for your 

own business! Both 1st floor spaces have currently been renovated and have restrooms and one has a three quarter bath. Full basement. Newer 

furnace and hot water maker, vinyl siding/brick and updated electrical. Super location in the heart of downtown with high visibility. Opportunity is 

Knocking! 2nd floor apartments: $425 and $400 a month. Use one of the apartments for yourself and let the tenants pay your mortgage and utilities! 

MLS 4839740 $139,000


By Gene Balk 

THE SEATTLE TIMES 

Seattle is famously a city of booms 

and busts, going all the way back 

to its first boom, the Klondike Gold 

Rush. But over the past 100 years, 

one thing remained constant: The 

suburbs of King County grew at a 

faster rate than the city of Seattle. 

Now, with the release of data from 

the 2020 census, the suburbs’ long 

run is officially over. 

From 2010 to 2020, Seattle’s population 

grew by an incredible 21 

percent, outpacing the 16 percent 

growth of surrounding King County. 

It’s quite a turnaround. 

Census data shows that starting in 

1910, decade by decade, the population 

growth of the surrounding county 

exceeded that of the city. Even when 

the city was booming, like it did in the 

postwar period, the county boomed 

more. And when the city’s population 

was stagnant, like it was during the 

Great Depression, or shrinking, as 

it did during the Boeing Bust of the 

1970s, the suburbs still registered 

impressive double-digit growth. 

But the 2010s, which has been called 

the “Decade of the City,” was different. 

Both millennials and empty-nesters 

flocked to urban areas, drawn by the 

appeal of walkable neighborhoods and 

urban living. Seattle could be the poster 

child for this trend, with the blossoming 

(and gentrification) of many of 

its urban neighborhoods. 

Contributing to the city’s revival 

was explosive job growth in this period, 

led by Amazon, which moved its 

headquarters to downtown’s South 

Lake Union neighborhood in 2010. 

Over the course of the decade, Seattle’s 

population grew by nearly 

130,000, hitting 737,000. The 21 percent 

growth rate marks the city’s fastest 

decade of growth since the 1940s, 

when the population increased by 

27 percent — and it should be noted 

that some of the growth in the 1940s 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 

Seattle ended decade with faster growth 

than suburbs, reversing a 100-year trend 

was due to the city annexing areas 

that are now part of North Seattle. 

None of the 2010s population growth 

came via annexation. 

To be sure, for surrounding King 

County, the 2010s were still a period 

of growth. Its 16 percent population 

increase exceeded the 13 percent 

growth of the previous decade. In 

the 2010s, the King County suburbs 

gained about 210,000 residents, hitting 

roughly 1.5 million. 

That said, when you compare the 

2010s with the suburban growth 

rates of the 20th century, it’s clear 

that things have slowed down dramatically. 

For example, in the 1960s, 

King County outside of Seattle grew 

by more than 60 percent, and in the 

1940s, the population nearly doubled. 

Some areas of the county grew a lot 

faster than others in the 2010s. I divided 

suburban King County into seven 

areas so we could see the various 

patterns of growth across the county, 


A general view of the Seattle Space Needle and downtown skyline 

with Mount Rainier in the background in Seattle, Washington. 

and compare them with Seattle. 

Interestingly, none of these seven areas 

grew as fast as Seattle in the 2010s. 

The fastest suburban growth happened 

on the Eastside, where the 

population increased by 112,000, or 

about 18 percent. The Snoqualmie 

Valley, which is the sparsely populated 

and more rural area to the east, 

grew nearly as fast, at 16 percent. 

The slowest growth was on Vashon 

Island, at just 4 percent. 

Policy likely plays a role in the 

slower rates of growth in the suburbs 

in recent decades. The Growth 

Management Act, which was adopted 

by the state Legislature in 1990, 

regulates development in order to 

curtail urban sprawl and protect 

environmentally sensitive lands in 

fast-growing areas. And since the act 

went into effect, a greater share of 

new residential building permits are 

for development in the county’s larger 

cities rather than in rural areas.


MAINE 

Fears of a 

pandemicinspired 

foreclosure 

crisis have not 

come to pass, 

thanks in large 

part to large 

equity gains. 

FILE PHOTO | TRIBUNE 

NEWS SERVICE 

There’s still no sign of a 

home foreclosure flood 

By Steve Brown 

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS 

Fears that there would be a flurry 

of home foreclosures with the end of 

moratoriums haven’t played out. 

Yes, the number of foreclosure filings 

is higher than a year ago when 

federal pandemic programs halted 

most home forced sales by lenders. 

But home foreclosures around the 

country remain low. 

Nationwide, only 19,479 U.S. properties 

were filed for foreclosure last 

month, according to a new report by 

Attom Data Solutions. 

“After an initial surge following the 

end of the government’s moratorium, 

it appears that foreclosure activity 

may be slowing down as we move 

towards the end of the year,” Rick 

Sharga, with Attom Data said in 

the report. “Despite concerns about 

a pandemic-driven wave of defaults, 

mortgage delinquency rates and 

foreclosure starts have continued to 

decline due to government and industry 

programs, and a recovering 

U.S. economy.” 

With housing values across the 

U.S. at record levels, most homeowners 

who are threatened with foreclosure 

can sell their properties to cover 

the debt. That’s why most housing 

analysts were skeptical of early 

predictions that the COVID-19 pandemic 

would result in flood of home 

foreclosures. 

While some investors had hope 

there would be a surge in distressed 

properties they could purchase, very 

few foreclosed houses have entered 

the marketplace. 

In November, nationwide there 

were only 2,292 completed foreclosure 

sales. New York City led with 

664 home foreclosure starts. 

Houston was fourth in the country 

with 384 foreclosure filings. 

A chief reason home foreclosures 

remain so low is the large amount 

of equity most homeowners have in 

their properties. In the third quarter 

of this year, U.S. homeowners had a 

whopping $3.2 trillion in residential 

equity — up by more than 30 percent 

from mid-2020, according to Core- 

Logic. 

That works out to an average equity 

gain of $56,700 per borrower since 

the third quarter of 2020. 

“Not only have equity gains helped 

homeowners more seamlessly transition 

out of forbearance and avoid 

a distressed sale, but they’ve also 

enabled many to continue building 

their wealth,” Frank Martell, president 

and CEO of CoreLogic, said in 

a statement. 

In the third quarter, only a paltry 

1.3 percent of homeowners with a 

loan owned more than their property 

is worth.


By Carla Fried 

RATE.COM 

You don’t need a Ph.D. in housing 

economics to understand that a low 

supply of homes for sale is behind 

the astounding 20 percent rise in 

home prices over the past 12 months. 

But in some markets it’s not just 

that there are a lot of households 

bidding against each other. In some 

cities, renters and potential trader-uppers 

are increasingly competing 

against investors. 

Housing data firm CoreLogic reports 

that investors — ranging from 

mom-and-pops that own up to 10 rental 

properties, to the biggest of Wall 

Street players hoovering up thousands 

of homes — accounted for one in 

four purchases in the second quarter 

of 2021. At the start of the pandemic, 

investors accounted for fewer than 

one in seven home purchases. 

Where you’re most likely to be bidding 

against investors 

In Memphis and Atlanta, nearly 

one in three home purchases in the 

second quarter was made by an investor. 

Not only do investors mean 

more competition, they typically 

have deeper pockets. Investors often 

can shut down a bidding war by coming 

to the table with an all-cash offer. 

In Memphis, the median home sale 

price is below $100,000. That may 

seem downright affordable against 

the backdrop of the recent national 

average sale price of $352,000. But 

for locals, the market seems to be 

running away from them. The average 

price per square foot in Memphis 

has increased 24 percent to nearly 

$90 in the past 12 months. For the record, 

wages in Memphis haven’t kept 

up. In the 12 months to April, average 

private-sector wages rose 5.5 percent. 

In Atlanta, the median home price 

for sold homes is under $240,000 and 

the median monthly rent is $1,037. 

That’s a mismatch for cash-strapped 

first-time homebuyers. To land at a 

MAINE 

Wall Street vs. individual homebuyers 

— where it’s most competitive 


The $36 trillion U.S. housing market is just another asset class 

for fund managers to chase. 

monthly mortgage payment near that 

median rent would require landing a 

house for less than $160,000 (assuming 

a 10 percent down payment) . 

According to CoreLogic, the top 10 

places where investors have an overly 

large footprint also include the Texas 

markets of Beaumont, Brownsville, 

El Paso, Lubbock and McAllen, as 

well as Phoenix and Salt Lake City. 

Homebuyers in the Hartford, Connecticut, 

area are the least likely to 

have to go up against investors, according 

to CoreLogic. Still, the average 

price per square foot in the Hartford 

market is up 16 percent over the 

past 12 months. 

When might investor demand slow 

down? 

Low bond yields are a big reason 

investors are descending on the single-family 

home market. You’re not 

the only one frustrated by the measly 

yield on the core bond fund in your 

401(k) or IRA, or the infinitesimally 

small yield on most bank accounts. 

Investors looking to earn a fairly 

steady income stream (be it your nextdoor 

neighbor who owns two rental 

properties, or Wall St. biggies, including 

BlackRock and Blackstone) have 

a ripe target in the housing market. 

None of the hottest investor markets 

in CoreLogic’s analysis are in highpriced 

areas. Instead, investors seem 

most eager to scoop up more moderately 

priced homes and then rent 

them out. You want to live in a home. 

Investors want to create a quasi-bond 

out of the same home, that at some 

point can also be unloaded at a profit. 

While small investors have always 

been part of the residential home 

market, Wall Street first became a 

factor in the wake of the financial 

crisis, scooping up foreclosed homes 

at low prices (and without the significant 

cost of real estate brokerage 

fees in many cases because the homes 

were held by their lenders). That was 

a bet that paid off in both rising values 

for their underlying portfolio on 

top of rental income. What’s happening 

now is just a new chapter in investor 

demand.


MAINE 

beangroup 

Bringing People Home. 

323 North Street, Saco, ME 04072 

207-282-5000 

www.beangroup.com 

CASCO - 15 acres Martha Road 

SEBAGO LAKE waterfront in peaceful Kettle Cove. There is no 

other lot available on Sebago Lake with 900' of level waterfront 

access! Possibility of 3 residential lots! 15.84 acres of fields & 

woods. Great spot for your new home or cottage. The point 

offers a fun spot for picnicing, playing, swimming, boating & 

fishing. Existing dock, just bring your boat & enjoy. Includes 

boat launch site also. Beautiful! Check this out! Call/Text Jane 

Frankland 207-229-6261 

MLS #1507762 

$650,000 

WATERBORO - 221 Main St 

Wonderful location for your home & in-home business! Currently 

used as a Beauty Salon & one non-family member employee is 

allowed. First floor is the business area, 2nd floor is a 3 BR home 

with some cathedral ceilings, lg living room, kitchen w/dining 

area & laundry. Attached garage & lots of parking on both sides 

of the home. Huge backyard & just minutes to shopping! Call/ 

Text Jane Frankland 207-229-6261 

MLS #1506735 

$570,000 

HOLLIS - 25 acres Killock Pond Rd 

Nicely wooded 25 acres with over 470 feet of paved road 

frontage. Just off Route 35 and minutes to Swimming, Fishing, 

Trails & Shopping. Nice spot for your new home with the 

possibility of a daylight walkout basement. Lots of options here, 

come and take a look! Call/Text Jane Frankland 207-229-6261 

MLS #1492679 

$119,000 

BALDWIN - Lot 4 Sand Pond Rd 

Nice 2.142 acre lot on Sand Pond Road and is just steps to the 

Town Beach and Boat Launch on Sand Pond. Great place for 

your new home! 40 minutes to the Maine Mall and 50 minutes 

to North Conway, NH. Come and check this out! Call/Text Jane 

Frankland 207-229-6261 

MLS #1495454 

$48,900


By Amber Randall 

SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL 

As rents continue to climb in many 

places around the country, with no 

signs of slowing down, renters are 

wondering if they have leverage to 

negotiate with landlords when it 

comes time to renew their lease. 

It turns out that there are a few 

ways to try and knock down a rent 

increase. However, experts warn 

that negotiating rent is tricky when 

the market favors landlords, as it 

does currently. 

“Tenants are in a tough spot right 

now,” said Jon Mann of The Jills Zeder 

Group with Coldwell Banker Realty 

in Miami Beach, Fla. 

One factor in the astronomical rent 

hikes is that landlords had to negotiate 

renters into their spaces with 

lower prices during the pandemic, 

he said. Now, as the housing market 

has taken off with an influx of newcomers 

and low inventory, landlords 

are able to raise rents — many spaces 

are seeing multiple offers. 

Overall median rent for apartments 

in South Florida tell the story. 

In Palm Beach County the overall 

median rent is $2,135, a 33 percent 

increase from the year before. In 

Broward County, the overall median 

rent is $1,832, a 25 percent increase. 

For Miami-Dade County, overall median 

rent is $1,782, a 27 percent increase. 

Adam Docktor, a real estate agent 

with Compass in Fort Lauderdale, 

Florida, conducted a survey of six 

property managers in Fort Lauderdale, 

and found that most buildings 

probably won’t negotiate with renters. 

Demand is just too high. 

“Some buildings were allowing negotiating 

up until mid-summer. Now 

they can barely keep an apartment 

on the market for more than a couple 

of days” said one property manager. 

MAINE 

Landlords are raising rents. 

When they do, can you negotiate? 


Negotiating rent is tricky when the market favors landlords. 

“Unfortunately, with the loss some 

of the communities have had during 

the pandemic, the investors are attempting 

to get some of that back,” 

they added. “As of today, negotiations 

are either very limited or a thing of 

the past.” 

There are a few things a renter 

can try when it comes to a rental increase, 

according to lawyer Joseph 

Hughes with The Law Office of Joseph 

Hughes in Fort Lauderdale. It 

many be easier to negotiate with a 

smaller, private landlord than one 

that’s corporate-owned. 

Strategies he suggests include offering 

to paying some of the rent up 

front, or even committing to a longer 

lease period than a year. 

“They (renters) could point out that 

they are good tenants who have never 

been late with rent. That might 

be a negotiation conversation,” added 

lawyer Jeffrey Lampert in West 

Palm Beach. “Otherwise there is 

nothing a tenant can do to force a 

landlord to not increase rent.” 

There aren’t many protections for 

renters in South Florida. The state 

has no rent control laws to cap how 

much a landlord can raise rent in a 

given year, leaving renters with few 

options. 

Local governments can’t do much 

to force landlords to not raise rents, 

as they are banned from putting 

in any sort of price controls, unless 

they can prove that there is housing 

emergency. 

A few states in the country do have 

a limit on how much rent can increase 

in a given year. Landlords in 

California can’t raise rents by more 

than 10 percent or by 5 percent plus 

the increase in the cost of living, or 

whichever one is less.


MAINE 

We’re REALTORS 

Real Estate 

Is Our Life! 

158 Main Street, Route 26 

South Paris, Maine 04281 

“Busy as 

Bees to 

Residential - Commercial - Waterfront - Land & Farms 

Please.” 

207-743-9303 www.bizrealty .net e-mail: biz@bizrealty.net 

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy holiday! 

T 

123 

Livermore Falls ME $239,000 

MLS#1515077 

Well maintained three bedroom ranch with spacious kitchen and lots of cabinets. Plenty of room for 

family and friends to gather. Great natural light in the living room. Beautiful hardwood floors. Bedroom 

or office with a new deck to backyard. New one car detached garage as well as the one car attached 

garage that enters into the mudroom. Full basement, additional lot includes two concrete pads with 

potential for expansion, with town amenities. 

West Paris ME $159,900 

MLS#1516403 

Excellent income opportunity. 1925 Masonic Hall has two 

two bedroom apartments on the first floor and has been 

recently renovated to add a third one bedroom unit on 

the second story. First story apartments each have their 

own access to basement storage areas. 

Paris ME $550,000 

MLS#1460960 

Location. Busy RT. 26, great visibility. 1.25 acres. Two buildings, many options. Live in one, run your business out of the other, rent the house for extra income. 

Currently used as a florist. Open concept offers many different uses for the building. medical, offices, daycare, classrooms, retail. Plenty of parking. Great 

investment property. 

Oxford, ME $490,000 

MLS#1508625 

Prime commercial location for investors. Great 

exposure on RT.26 & RT. 121. Six commercial 

first floor units and four residential one bedroom 

units on second floor. Locate your business in the 

recently remodeled commercial unit and continue 

to receive rent from nine occupied units. 

JUST REDUCED 

Norway ME $79,200 

MLS#1512910 

Rare opportunity for a parcel of land in the lovely town of Norway Maine. 2.37 open acres abutting Witt 

Swamp Preserve with two driveways electricity, well, septic, a charming log sided shed, and Spectrum 

high speed internet. A site is also prepped for a 24’ x32’ +/- slab to be poured. Perfect spot for hiking 

and hunting, amidst several ski areas for winter recreation and lakes for summertime fun and relaxation. 

Located minutes from Main St. for downtown shopping, dining and entertainment. With plenty of sky to 

admire the stars at night and bask in both sunrise and sunset from your own property. 

SEE ALL OUR LISTINGS 

207-743-9303 www.bizrealty .net e-mail: biz@bizrealty.net


By Cynthia Henry 

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER 

MAINE 

Pets are increasingly influencing 

their owners’ housing decisions 

Hannah Wood, a work-from-home 

product manager for a health-care 

company, would like to relocate to 

Philadelphia to live near her mother, 

but she’s struggling to find a place 

that will welcome her roommate, 

Lea, a 55-pound mixed breed dog. 

Wood initially had hoped to buy a 

house, but the current competitive 

market has her searching for a rental, 

and landlords often limit the size 

and breed of dog. 

“Many only accept dogs up to 15 

or 20 pounds, which excludes like 60 

percent of all breeds,” she said. “It’s 

been a struggle to find a place without 

a lot of restrictions.” 

Pets are increasingly affecting their 

owners’ real estate choices, whether 

it’s the neighborhood they choose, the 

home they buy or rent, or how they 

arrange and decorate their space. A 

2020 Realtor.com survey found that a 

majority of pet owners consider their 

animals’ needs before making a home 

purchase. Of the 2,000 survey participants, 

61 percent were dog owners, 45 

percent owned cats, 12 percent fish 

and 9 percent birds. 

About half of U.S. households have 

pets, according to the census bureau, 

and in 2020, owners spent on average 

$1,201 on dogs and $687 on cats, 

according to Statistica, a provider of 

consumer and market data. 

Pet owners tend to buy larger homes 

with more bedrooms, Zillow reported 

in October. Buyers with at least one 

pet are more likely to choose a home 

larger than 3,000 square feet, and 

about a third purchased a home with 

four bedrooms or more, compared to a 

quarter of buyers without pets. 

“For me and many people in my 

generation, (my dog) is my child, 

where I spend my time and money,” 

said Wood, who’s 42 and single. “It’s 

time for real estate companies to understand 

it’s how we live.” 

What pet owners want 

An ideal home for Wood — who 

would like to move to Philadelphia 

by January — would be a mid-rise or 

smaller building with adjacent green 

space, a nearby park, and a space to 

wash Lea after a muddy walk. 

Wood has lived in several very 

pet-friendly cities, including Portland, 

Ore., where dog biscuits were available 

at her building’s front desk, and 

her current home, Saratoga Springs, 

N.Y., where “dogs are allowed everywhere 

— restaurants, the post office.” 

“I literally just saw someone walking 

a cat in a baby carriage,” she said. 

Philadelphia, with 23.62 percent 

of rentals classified as pet-friendly, 

ranked 28th in a “Lets for Pets” list of 

50 U.S. cities compiled in October by 

All About Cats, which offers expertise 

on feline behavior and health. 

New York was first with 66.45 percent 

welcoming rentals. 


Christopher Hsieh walks his dog Petunia at Clark Park in Philadelphia. 

Sidewalks and proximity to parks are two amenities 

that pet owners seek when they decide where to live. 

In West Philadelphia, competition 

is fierce in old Victorians for ground 

level apartments with easy access to 

fenced-in yards, said Lindsay Johnston 

with Common Ground Realtors 

in University City, where “a dog is 

very much a part of the social life.” 

He sees the same dog owners walking 

the same loop every day, morning 

and evening. They also take advantage 

of the park and designated dog 

parks nearby. 

Before buying or renting, pet owners 

should check for homeowner association 

or building restrictions on number 

or type of pets and whether they 

need to be spayed or neutered. Beyond 

enough space for their pet, the National 

Association of Realtors says owners 

often seek a fenced yard; sidewalks; 

easy-to-clean, durable flooring; mud 

room/wash area; dog door; animal 

pool/outdoor water feature; or a cat 

litter closet.


MAINE 

Cell: (207)-332-7544 

KingRealEstate.com 

WELLS MAINE 

Why buy seasonal when you can own this 3 bedroom 2 bath home on the east side of route one? Less than a mile from gorgeous 

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$380,000 

PRICE REDUCTION 

HEBRON MAINE 

This is a BANK OWNED property. Private 2.9 acre lot wit a contemporary cottage and a detached two car garage. Home has 

been vacant for a while and utilities are off. Home was built in 2003 so it is not a tear down! It does, however, need a bit of 

 

of wooded areas right outside your door. No utilities are on. 

$175,000 

UNDER CONSTRUCTION 

OLD ORCHARD BEACH MAINE 

 

counters and dining room area, living room off front door, three bedrooms including spacious master bedroom with double 

 

 

$394,900


By Tanza Loudenback 

RATE.COM 

MAINE 

Tanza Loudenback: Homebuyers, don’t 

swallow a ‘bidding war’ story without data 

Shopping for a home these days, it’s 

easy to get caught up in what seems 

like a buying frenzy. Real estate 

agents, friends and headlines will tell 

you that bidding wars are rampant, 

pre-emptive all-cash offers are the 

order of the day, and that paying hundreds 

of thousands of dollars above 

the asking price is not only normal 

but often required if you want to snag 

a home before prices rise still further. 

Take a deep breath. In San Francisco, 

perhaps the most competitive 

market, yes, 71.2 percent of homes 

sold for above the asking price in September. 

But only 8.3 percent above 

the asking price, on average. On a 

median sale price of $1.525 million, 

that’s $127,000. That’s a lot, but it’s 

not hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

So, before swinging for the fences 

with a big above-ask bid, ask your 

real estate agent for recent comps 

that prove the need to do so and study 

recent sales on Zillow and Redfin. 

Remember, the home bidding process 

is opaque, meaning the buyer 

is at a big information disadvantage. 

Nobody has to — or likely will 

— show you other offers on a home 

you’re vying for. Don’t get talked into 

bidding against yourself. 

Redfin says that in April, 74 percent 

of home offers written by its 

agents faced competitive bids. By 

September, according to Redfin’s 

analysis, 59 percent of sales were 

competitive. Put another way, on 41 

percent of deals there was but a single 

bidder. Being that party should 

accord one some negotiating power. 

A look at Redfin’s metro-level housing 

data for all home sales in September 

(not just those represented by Redfin 

agents) shows where buyers can expect 

to face the most competition and where 

they won’t • and may even be able to 

snag a deal. Pay close attention to the 

sale price vs. the list price. 


A home for sale in Los Angeles. Even in competitive markets, 

average sales aren’t hugely above the ask. 

More competitive markets 

• In San Francisco , 71.2 percent of 

homes sold above list price. 

Average home sold for 8.3 percent 

above list price 

Median sale price: ~$1.525 million 

• In Riverside, California, 61.9 percent 

of homes sold above list price. 



Median sale price: ~$505,000 

• In Los Angeles, 60.8 percent of 





• In Boston, 60.3 percent of homes 

sold above list price. 




• In Seattle, 56 percent of homes 





Less competitive markets 

Among the 20 most-populous metros, 

in these five markets in September 

only around one-third or less of 

homes here sold above asking. The 

average sale in all five was below ask. 

• In Miami, 19.5 percent of homes 

sold above list. 

Average home sold 2.9 percent below 

list price 


• In New York, 27.7 percent of 

homes sold above list. 


list price 


• In Philadelphia, 33 percent of 

homes sold above list. 


list price 


• In Houston, 34.4 percent of 



list price 


• In Chicago, 35.7 percent of homes 



list price 

Median sale price: ~$290,000


MAINE 

Roger Whitehouse 

Sally Arsenault 

Diane Paterson 

John Freeman 

Rick Nelson 

152 River Road, Mexico, ME 04257 

207-369-0100 

www.riversiderealty.org 

From our house to yours, 

we wish you the Happiest of Holidays! 

NEW! 

Rumford - M/U 

The owners have taken great pride in the care 

of this building. Code requiremnts have been 

met, this 4 unit building is in great condition with 

original hardwood floors, kitchen cabinets, and 

beautiful woodwork. Each unit has 2 bedrooms, 

1 bath and laundry hook-ups. The front and 

back entrances are neat and clean plus there is 

off street paring at the rear of the property. Call 

today to view this amazing multi-unit! 

#2183 MLS#1515218 $193,000 

Mexico - Commercial 

MOTIVATED SELLER 

(Price drastically reduced!) 

Commercial building with 6075 sf of retail space 

(3375sf of the first floor) and a full basement 

garage for 2 vehicles! Ceiling height of 16 feet 

+- property sits on 3 lots totaling .33 acres with 

245’ of road frontage right on busy Route 2 and 

Main street with exceptional high traffic count. 

#2131 MLS#1476961 $150,200 

Rumford - Commercial (Seller invites an offer!) 

Exceptional 2nd floor office complex with 8-9 

rooms and 3-4 bathrooms totaling 3312 sf of 

office space. The unit has handicap accessibility 

with a chair escalator. High Traffic count being 

in the heart of down town shopping! 

#2136 MLS#1478679 $125,118 

Dixfield - Commercial 

Great investment opportunity 

located in the center of town. This 

spacious building provides many 

opportunities with 2 large rental 

areas in the front of the building. 

There is a large storage area for 

each unit! One unit has a half bath 

and the other unit has 2 half baths. 

#2151 MLS#1494117 $110,000 

Rumford - Commercial 

Nicely redecorated 2nd floor office 

condo has been a dental office for 

many years and offers 9 rooms. It 

has a receptionist/waiting room, 

5 offices, 2 lab areas, 2 half baths. 

Located in a quiet area of the town 

near a hospital and medical offices. 

The roof was redone in 2019 and 

a complete new driveway in 2020. 

The dental practice offers high-end 

equipment which is negotiable. 

#2160 MLS#1502433 $168,500 

Rumford - Commercial 

Turn Key Pizza Business. Well 

established business for 36 years 

The Rumford House of Pizza! Sale 

includes all equipment! First floor 

has open floor plan with a half bath 

for the public. Total square foot is 

1800 with approximately 900 for 

seating. Then there are 3 unoccupied 

apartments which owner has 

chosen not to rent for 25 years. 

#2169 MLS#1506959 $185,000 

Roxbury - Commercial 

1991 gambrel styles building 

has much to offer. Currently a 

convenient store/restaurant 

with an apartment on the 2nd 

floor. Included with the sale land, 

buildings there on, store/restaurant 

equipment and contents. Building 

has 3,458 square feet total and has 

many possible uses! 

#2174 MLS#1512153 $259,000 

LAND, LAND, LAND, LAND, LAND, 

LAND, LAND, LAND, 

Rumford 

#1944 MLS#1147763 $15,500 

.28 Acres 

Carthage 

#1990 MLS#1364046 $158,100 

186 Acres 

Rumford 

#2030 MLS#1417857 $55,000 

Motivated 

2.45 Acres 

Roxbury - Residential (2 camps) 

Relax on the porch and enjoy beautiful mountain 

and water views of Ellis/Roxbury Pond. This 

cottage offers kitchen, dining area, living room, 

office/den, first floor bath and bedroom, laundry 

room, a spacious bedroom with a sitting area 

and full bath on the second floor plus a 2-car 

garage with a workshop and loft for storage. 

Also included is a 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath guest 

cottage with an enclosed porch to relax and enjoy 

the views, large kitchen and living room, 1st 

floor bedroom and 1.5 baths plus a huge open 

bedroom space on the second floor. 

#2162 MLS#1503545 $381,000 

Rumford 

#1964 MLS#1354252 $172,000 

256 Acres 

Dixfield 

#1984 MLS#1361820 $25,500 

5 Acres 

Wilton 

#1989 MLS#1364027 $225,250 

265 Acres 

Sumner 

#2006 MLS#1375609 $33,814 

.52 Acres 

Andover 

#2012 MLS#1377719 $15,000 

1. Acres 

Mexico 

#2018 MLS#1417228 $25,000 

1.5 Acres 

Roxbury 

#2038 MLS#1419364 $250,000 

266 Acres 

Byron 

#2070MLS#1434425 $49,979 

1.3 Acres 

Mexico 

#2184 MLS#1516336 $70,000 

12.5 Acres


By Andrew Khouri 

LOS ANGELES TIMES 

Southern California’s cutthroat 

housing market has cooled in recent 

months, with some home shoppers • 

tired of losing bidding wars • putting 

their search on hold. Price drops 

became more common. 

But the slowdown is minor. For potential 

buyers, the message from the 

market, and Realtors, is not entirely 

reassuring: Expect slightly less pain. 

“You are not seeing 20 offers on a 

property, you are maybe seeing four,” 

said Meegan Bevere, a Los Angeles-area 

agent with Berkshire Hathaway 

HomeServices. “It’s still not easy.” 

In October, home prices in the 

six-county Southern California region 

rose 14 percent from a year earlier to 

a record-high median of $690,000, according 

to data from real estate firm 

DQNews. Sales declined 6.6 percent, 

the first drop since June 2020. 

Selma Hepp, an economist with 

CoreLogic, said the report is in line 

with expectations of a slowing but still 

competitive market. Last month’s 14 

percent pop is slightly higher than 

September’s year-over-year increase 

in the median home price, but • in 

the wider view • it’s lower than the 

20 percent range of earlier this year. 

Home prices were rising faster than 

they had for years for a variety of factors: 

low inventory, record-low mortgage 

rates and an influx of millennials 

into the market. The pandemic has 

also driven more people — those with 

more disposable income — to seek out 

more space, and first-time buyers left 

pricey city rentals in search of a house. 

Many economists predict price increases 

will get smaller from here on 

out. People simply don’t earn enough 

to consistently pay so much more for 

housing, they argue, particularly as 

mortgage rates are expected to rise. 

“We were expecting at some point 

this buyer frenzy is going to cool off. 

MAINE 

‘It’s still not easy’: SoCal homebuying 

frenzy cools — a bit 

We are seeing that now,” Hepp said, 

citing the decline in sales as one supporting 

data point. 

A sustained decline in sales often 

precedes a drop in home prices, but 

few experts currently expect that to 

happen. Hepp said the sales decline 

in October is more a reflection of how 

busy the market was this time last 

year than of a collapse in demand. 

Although price drops are more common 

now, most homes still sell above 

their list price, according to data from 

Redfin. And to be successful, many 

buyers still find they must waive contingencies 

that would let them back 

out of a deal if a house needs repairs, 

or if the appraisal comes in low. 

“If I told first-time buyers all the 

stuff they have to do to get a house, 

they are not going to believe me,” 

said Bevere, the L.A.-area agent. 

Come September 2022, CoreLogic 

expects L.A. County home prices will 

have risen 1.6 percent from September 

2021, while San Diego County 


In October, home prices in the six-county Southern California 

region rose 14 percent from a year earlier to a record-high median 

of $690,000, according to data from real estate firm DQNews. 

will have seen a 6.5 percent increase. 

Forecasting is a fraught business, 

of course. And for now, prices across 

Southern California are rising much 

faster than what CoreLogic predicts 

will come next year. 

• In Los Angeles County, the median 

home price rose 10.5 percent from 

a year earlier to $790,000, while 

sales fell 0.9 percent. 

• In Orange County, the median 

home price rose 15.7 percent to 

$920,000, while sales fell 13.6 percent. 

• In Riverside County, the median 


$535,000, while sales fell 6 percent. 

• In San Bernardino County, the median 



• In San Diego County, the median 



• In Ventura County, the median 


$725,000, while sales fell 6.5 percent.


MAINE 

EXIT KEY REAL ESTATE 

WE HAVE THE CORNER ON THE LAKEFRONT! 

20 Emery Mills Road Shapleigh, MAINE 04076 

207-636-2222 

www.exitkeyrealestate.com 

During this year of uncertainty, all of 

us at EXIT Key Real Estate wish to 

say, “THANK YOU” to all of our clients 

and customers – to those who placed 

their faith and trust in us to help them 

navigate through the process of buying 

and selling their homes or cottages. 

To those who are considering selling 

– please contact us, as we have many 

qualified buyers just waiting for new 

properties to become available. 

SOLD! 

Acton, ME 

MLS 1503228 $595,000 

You will love this delightful 2-story Ranch giving you 1,296 sq. ft. of 

living space on Beautiful Balch Lake. The home boasts an amazing 

150 ft of water frontage! An open concept kitchen and living area 

reveal a wall of glass overlooking pristine Balch Lake. The partially 

finished basement allows for additional sleeping space, and a walk 

out slider to the patio provides more fantastic lake views. 

WE NEED 

LISTINGS 

Qualified 

buyers 

waiting! 

UNDER CONTRACT 

Wakefield, ME 

MLS 1516136 $254,900 

With almost all of the tough work out of the way, this charming 

get-away ‘cabin in the woods’ awaits your finishing touches. 

If you are just starting out or dreaming about retirement, this 

may be just the right home for you. Located on more than two 

acres on a quiet country road on the outskirts of Wakefield, this 

2-bedroom home has lots of charm. Tucked back from the road, 

enjoy nature all around you from the screened porch or sit in the 

living room with cathedral ceiling and cozy up to the wonderful 

wood stove for auxiliary heat and ambiance. 

LAKEFRONT 

BUILDING LOT 

Shapleigh, ME 

MLS 1509804 $389,000 

Over 220 feet of direct Square Pond water frontage comes with this1.66 acre building lot., This 

offers a great opportunity to build your dream house on the lake, enjoying all four seasons 

on one of the most popular lakes in the southern Maine lakes region. Close to mountains and 

beaches of Maine and New Hampshire. Facing south-southwest with long views of the lake. 

Boating, kayaking, fishing, swimming all await you from your very own 225 feet of shoreline. 

SOLD! 

Kennebunkport, ME 

MLS 1513888 $605,000 

Located in the charming village of Kennebunkport, this property is an amazing opportunity for the 

discerning buyer to build a home in an upscale subdivision bordering Turbots Creek. This idyllic 

lot is situated on EBS Cove, a very desirable neighborhood that is meticulously landscaped and 

all within close proximity to town or the shops and restaurants of Kennebunkport village. Property 

also comes with deeded rights to a saltwater inlet where you can kayak or canoe all the way to 

the ocean. Within a convenient drive to the Maine Turnpike, and less than two hours from Boston.


MASSACHUSETTS 

#1 Listing and Selling 

Office in Saugus 

781-233-7300 

335 Central Street 

Saugus, MA 01906 

CarpenitoRealEstate.com 

Carpenito Real Estate 

would like to wish your Family 

a Happy and Blessed Holiday 

Season and a Happy, Healthy 

and Prosperous New Year! 

Stay well and Stay safe. 

MALDEN – Well maintained 4 room, 2 bedroom 

Cape Cod style home, fireplace livingroom, hardwood 

flooring, three season porch, vintage details, 

replacement windows, walk-up attic, finished 

lower level, attached garage, fenced, corner lot. 

$499,900 

LYNN 1st AD – 6 room Ranch offers 3 

bedrooms, granite kitchen with ceramic tile 

flooring, open concept, fireplace living room, 

deck, updated roof, gas heat and central air, 

level yard, located on dead-end street. 

$419,900 

SAUGUS – 7 room, 3 bedroom Garrison 

Colonial offers 2 full baths, sunroom, kit w/center 

island, finished lower level offers family rm and 

second kitchen updated roof, easy access to all 

major Routes and shopping. $489,900 

REVERE – PRIME BROADWAY location 

and visibility offers this great Retail condo 

store front with many possibilities. Located on 

bus line, within walking distance of neighborhoods. 

Great opportunity to invest and build 

your business. $600,000 

EVERETT – Well established Auto Body/ 

Auto Repair shop, 6 bays, 3 offices, 2 half bath, 

ample parking, many possibilities, close to all 

major routes, public transportation and Encore 

Casino. $2,000,000 

SAUGUS 1st AD – Ranch style home offers 

8+ rooms, 3+ bedrms, 2 full baths, fireplace 

living room, hardwood flooring, 1 st floor familyrm, 

deck, finished lower level offers au-pair 

suite, garage, side street $579,000

SRE_1221

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