If you follow me on Instagram you may know that we are possibly following my husband’s job when it moves to the Bangor area of Maine. My condition was that I could have an small alpaca farm as part of the move. I was underestimating the difficulties of this housing market when I made it a requirement.
We have been looking since August and have only seen a handful that I would have seriously considered as contenders. Those have sold within a week, including one which was in a multiple bidder situation before we could even make the 3-hour drive to see the house. We have been looking at a 45-minute radius from his job. Which should be a wide area, but it’s still hard to find places in such rural towns and townships.
What we want
Our requirements should be simple:
- Minimum 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom house that does not need renovation
- A garage type space for my husband’s classic car
- Space for my home office
- High speed internet (I work remotely full time)
- Decent school district
- Land for animals and hobby farming
What I have quickly learned is the number of obstacles that exist to farming (despite Maine having Right to Farm legislation, I don’t want to get into a battle with neighbors). I’ve even reduced my requirements to a place that is at least amenable to my beloved chickens. Even that is a challenge.
Some issues we have found
I’ve run into many issues as we explore properties in a wide variety of Northern Maine towns.
- Spectacular house but not enough land
- Subdivision of land! On the records the property seems perfect, but the sellers are only selling the house with a couple acres and keeping the rest of the land for themselves. Occasionally the rest of the land will be used for a subdivision.
- Land Use covenants – a town with a spectacular school would allow me no more than 6 chickens (no roosters) if I had less than 5 acres.
- Restriction on deeds including no chickens (on a property surrounded by a farm), no outbuildings beyond a garage, gardens must be pleasing to the eye.
- A remarkable difference between the rating of schools in rural towns versus towns in more developped areas. The best bet seems to be finding a rural town that sends kids to a town with better schools.
Is it a societal problem?
In short, I’m a little discouraged by how our society has established itself as valuing esthetics instead of using the land. When subdivisions require a minimum of 3 acres for development, I wish towns would factor that putting restrictions on chickens and the ability to farm reduces our abilities to be self-reliant as a region. Once a farm has been converted to a sea of upscale homes with perfectly manicured lawns, it generally does not return to an area with good food production values.
I’m fortunate, my spouse and I both have professional careers that allow us to consider higher-priced parcels. I cannot imagine how someone who plans to make farming a full-time career can afford their own land and become profitable. I have been impressed with the Maine Farmland Trust, which protects farmland and partners with full-time farmers. But we are a long way away from when a farmer could own all that farmland itself.
Fingers crossed that I will find a place soon because searching for a home has been mentally draining. Let’s hope the housing market opens up a little as we find our new normal and that if we do find a home my husband’s company addresses his concerns.