Resources for Property Buyers & Owners
of Central Maine Land
Here are some sources of information you will find useful when researching a property to purchase in Maine. Or, as an owner of property, you may need to investigate aspects of your ownership as you make improvements, add buildings, subdivide, and sell property. If you have a suggestion for additional websites you would like to see added, please feel free to email us at info@millstreamrealty.com.
Appraiser Forum https://appraisersforum.com/forums/
Asbestos – Asbestos is a hidden danger that can silently lurk in any home. It can be found in a surprisingly long list of building materials and products that may have been installed years ago or even more recently. Many people think they can just demo the area, perhaps spray it with water to keep the dust down, and move forward with the renovation. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Here is a resource that is informative about the dangers and some good information about dealing with asbestos in the home: https://www.asbestos.com/abatement-guide/ The guide is published by The Mesothelioma Center.
Augusta Maine Tax Assessor Database
Best Colleges in Maine – from Intelligent.com
Best Realty Products – these are recommended products for real estate agents and realty agencies.
Central Maine Power Company – to sign up for residential electric service
China https://www.axisgis.com/ChinaME/
Cities & Towns municipal information, Demographics & Statistics
Fairfield https://www.axisgis.com/fairfieldme/
FEMA Flood Map search https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search
Findagrave.com to research deceased individual obituaries
Flood search database here along with other great information about flood zones and flood insurance: https://firststreet.org/
Flood Smart – FEMA Flood Insurance
Flood Factor – interesting and interactive map for properties flood risk at https://floodfactor.com/
Flood Tools – National Flood Services – Flood Insurance, Flood Maps/Risk
Foreclosure Auctions: Keenan Auction Company
Franklin County, Maine Mountain Summits
Government Auctions: USDA Properties For Sale
Hazardous Waste and closed landfills in Maine
https://www.maine.gov/dep/gis/datamaps/index.html
Home Inspectors in Maine: Here is a link to the International Association of Home Inspectors and the Maine Coalition of Home Inspection Professionals
Homestead Exemption Application (FAQ section, forms to file) – this is the best way to save money on your property taxes for your primary residence in Maine! Eligible for all residents of the Town if you owned a home in Maine for 12 months prior to April 1 and property is your permanent residence.
LAND USE DISTRICTS AND STANDARDS
LUPC (Land Use Planning Commission) – Here is a parcel viewer to see lots in the Unorganized Territories of Maine
Lead Informationhttps://www.epa.gov/lead
Licensed Maine Site Evaluators for designing septic systems in Maine: These links will download a spreadsheet xls file from the state of Maine website to your device:
- List of Practicing Site Evaluators (xls file)
- List of Local Plumbing Inspectors (xlsx file)
- List of Certified System Installers (xlsx file)
- List of Certified Septic System Inspectors (xlsx file)
- List of Approved Products (xlsx file)
LUPC – Land Use Planning Commission (formerly LURC)
Maine Bigger Cities (over 6000 residents)
Maine DEP – Data & Maps, Geographic Information System
Maine Foreclosures – Maine ME Bank Government Foreclosures – Home Foreclosures Maine
Maine Forest Service-Rules and Regulations
Maine free legal advice https://maine.freelegalanswers.org/ and Pine Tree Legal Assistance.
Maine Gas Prices – Find Cheap Gas Prices in Maine
Maine Geoparcel tool: https://maine.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=28e35c8fcf514d2685357b78bdd0b246
Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) including maps and regulations
Maine properties that have had Oil Spills https://www.maine.gov/dep/spills/emergspillresp/index.html
Maine Radon Tracking: https://data.mainepublichealth.gov/tracking/radon-news
Maine Sex Offender Registry http://sor.informe.org/cgi-bin/sor/index.pl
Manufactured Home Certifications https://lvr2.ibts.org/#/LandingPage These certifications are often needed to be able to obtain financing when selling a property that has a used mobile home or double-wide mobile home on it in Maine.
Maine Flood Zone MAPPING GIS, with FLOOD ZONES by Town, search by parcel, owner, address, abutter report
Mill Stream Realty – search for homes, land, camps in Somerset County, Franklin County, Kennebec County
Newspaper Ads: Morning Sentinel
Norridgewock Tax Map AxisGis with parcel outlines, property tax cards and building details
Norridgewock Sportsmen Association – Family Friendly Outdoor Fun, Year Round
Other Towns Maine Tax Assessor Database
Owner financing properties; https://homes.trovit.com/owner-finance-maine
Power Outages in Maine – listed by County, then by Town, Then by Street with details about how many customers on each street are without power (almost real-time).
Prices of heating oil in Maine: MaineOil
Property Tax Assessment Cards (only for certain towns) – assessor’s Database
Public boat launches: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/water_activities/boating/public_boat_launches/index.shtml
Radon in Maine https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/rad/radon/hp-radon.htm
Real Estate Drone Photography, Video/Still shoots, 3D Home Tours with Floorplans: Greg Warren Photography in Freedom, Maine (Central Maine) provides all these services – here is his website with services and pricing. Check out his portfolio for great examples of his fine work!
Search for Fire History on a property: https://homemetry.com/
Septic inspectors search (Maine licensed) http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/plumb/lists/certified-inspectors.xlsx
Septic Plan Search https://www1.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/mecdc/septicplans/start.pl
Site evaluators to design septic systems: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/plumb/lists.htm
Skowhegan Maine Maps including Property Tax Maps
Snowmobile Maps & Clubs http://www.mesnow.com/Map.html
Sold Price: Check this useful method for finding out how much a Maine property sold for even if it was not listed with a Realtor: Real Estate Transfer Tax Declarations back to 2006
Maine Department of Agriculture State of Maine Government Website
State of Maine real estate and housing laws
Summer Camping at Baxter State Park
Topographic & Satellite Maps on Google Earth
VA Funding Fee table for calculating VA Funding fee on a VA mortgage: https://www.benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/documents/docs/funding_fee_table_01012020.pdf
VA Loans Veterans United Home Loans client portal https://my.veteransunited.com/login/
Veteran’s Property Tax Exemption: In the place one resides, qualifications generally are as follows: Be at least 62 years of age on April 1; Served in a Federally Recognized War Period; or be receiving 100% compensation for a disability from the Veteran’s Administration.
Veteran’s Exemption Application
Flowchart of Veteran’s Exemption Qualifications
Veterans Small Business Resource: Digital.com recently published a guide specifically for US Veterans who are in the process of starting or currently own a small business. Recent data points to 1 out 20 business owners being veterans, which speaks to the fact that their unique experience and perspective gives them the ideal skill set needed to successfully take on the challenges of entrepreneurship. Veterans are often able to demonstrate an inspiring style of leadership that is characterized by selflessness, balanced with the discipline to strive for continued growth and progress, and perfectly equipped to remain effective when facing the greatest of setbacks. Most of all, though every entrepreneur will have a different journey, sacrifice will undoubtedly be a part of the success story. Digital.com wants to come alongside and help veterans turn their business aspirations into successful endeavors by making sure they are aware of the unique competitive advantages available to them such as exclusive grants, training resources, and mentoring. You can learn more about it here: https://digital.com/veterans-business/
Waterville Tax Assessor Database, Maps etc
www.topolabs.com Places in Maine – BA
XOME Auction Site https://www.xome.com/auctions/Listing/ListingSearch.aspx?