Description

Episode Title: Maine Moves Differently

Host: Elise Kiely, Global Real Estate Advisor with Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty
Duration: ~20 minutes
Air Date: September 2025

💬 Episode Summary:

In this month’s market update, Elise Kiely reads between the lines—and the headlines—to explain why Maine moves differently. While national real estate trends point to cautious buyers, rising inventory, and flat pricing, Maine’s story is one of steady appreciation, lifestyle-driven decisions, and generational ownership.

From basketball courts in basements and Mahjong lounges in dining rooms to off-market, multi-million dollar coastal homes passed down for generations, this episode explores the nuance behind Maine’s real estate market today—and what it means for buyers and sellers heading into the fall and winter of 2025.

📌 What You’ll Learn:

🏠 National Market Overview:

• National median sales price: $422,400 — flat YoY
• Inventory: 1.55 million homes on the market — highest since 2020
• Buyer behavior: More leverage, more cancellations, builders offering concessions
• Lock-in effect: Homeowners with sub-3% rates are staying put
• Lifestyle shifts: Renovations reflect how people live today (hello, basement hoops & Mahjong)
• Policy watch: Trump proposal to eliminate capital gains tax on primary home sales—mostly benefits high-equity markets

🌲 Maine Market Highlights:

• Statewide sales up 5% YoY; median price ~$420K (also up 5%)
• Inventory climbs to 5,400 units — most since October 2020
• Cumberland County: Sales up 14%; median price $600K+
• Lincoln County: Sales up 24%; median price up 12% to ~$507K
• York County: Sales up 13%; median price ~$550K
• Portland property revaluation: Median assessed values up 43%
• Yarmouth: Six-month moratorium on development due to sewer capacity limits

🌊 Signature Maine Properties & Generational Ownership:

• These properties often stay in families for decades—when they do sell, it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity
• Recent examples of off-market sales:
  • Curtis Road, Yarmouth: Waterfront, held by one family for decades, sold privately for $3.1M+
  • Town Landing, Falmouth: Waterfront with mooring views, sold off-market for $3.05M
  • New listing: 1 & 2 Tenth Street, Scarborough — beachfront property offered at $3.9M, owned by only two families since the 1950s

🧾 Maine Tax Alert:

• Effective Nov 1, 2025: Transfer tax more than doubles on the portion of any sale above $1 million

Connect with Elise

🌐 Website & Listings: Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty
📸 Follow Elise on Social Media:

• Instagram: @elisekielyrealestate
• Facebook: Elise Kiely Real Estate
• LinkedIn: Elise Kiely

Have Questions or Topic Suggestions, e-mail Elise at

• Elise@EliseKiely.com
  

Subscribe, share with a friend, and join Elise every other week to discover what makes Maine not just beautiful—but beautifully lived.

Please remember this podcast is for entertainment and educational purposes only and does not create an attorney client or real estate advisor client relationship. Please reach out to me directly if I can assist you in your real estate journey.