I moved to Maine in 2017 and love living here. I have established a successful nonprofit consulting business but will need to leave the state as it is impossible to find decent housing.
I currently rent a house in Camden (on a 10-month lease), but year-round rentals, even in the range of $3,000 to $4,000 per month, are virtually non-existent. Although I have no debt, the mortgage I am approved for (only a quarter of my income) won’t buy a home that isn’t a complete wreck.
I love Maine and don’t want to leave, but I will soon have no choice. It is also perverse to look around my Camden neighborhood and see that half of the homes are vacant for 10 months of the year. It used to be that summer people were viewed as essential to the Maine economy, but is that still the case? Isn’t a thriving workforce our future?
Maine needs to consider a tax on those who own real estate but live away – one that will provide funding for the state to build decent, affordable housing for middle-class workers.
Ariella Nasuti
Camden
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