LUBEC — This easternmost coastal U.S. town has undeniable appeal for out-of-staters seeking second or retirement homes—access to salt water, a pretty village and affordable prices. But the town’s tax assessors’ agent, Jim Clark, issues a stern warning to would-be buyers: “If you like to shop at the mall and don’t have a hobby you love, this is no place for you.”
Despite his warning and the two hour drive from Bangor, the real estate market in Lubec is keeping up with the rest of the state.
“The median price and volume have been increasing statewide,” said Bart Stevens, president of the Maine Association of Realtors. “We are cautiously optimistic. Washington County is following the trends.”
Stevens has roots in eastern Washington County but now lives near Waterville and is an example of the many who had to go elsewhere to make a living.
“The job market drives young people away,” he said, but notes he has also seen an interest in people moving back to retire.
Al Rummel, co-owner of Due East Real Estate lists over 100 properties in or near Lubec. With its 88 miles of shore frontage there are many waterfront parcels still available and affordable, he said. Unimproved land can be found priced from $10,000 to over $1 million.
The average sale price of homes recently sold in Lubec is $99,000 compared with $178,000 statewide, leading Rumel to conclude that existing houses are the best bargain.
Greg Walston was raised in Lubec and owned the local grocery store for more than a decade before becoming an agent for Due East. The lack of development pressure has been a blessing in some ways, he suggests.
“Not much has changed over the years. Lubec has kept its original charm,” he said of the village area, where very few properties are for sale. The scales have tipped among the older, in-town homes, where 51 percent are now owned by summer residents.
During the recent recession, “the village proper never missed a beat,” said Clark, who has kept a close eye on the property values and trends since he started working for the town eight years ago. But Walston points out that a number of houses built outside of downtown in the mini-boom of the late 1990s have gone to foreclosure.
One draw for new residents is Summer Keys, the music intensive camp for adults now in its 21st year. Each summer, hundreds of students come to town for one or more weeks of instruction and performance. Many faculty members and participants choose to return the following summers and each year, three or four buy property.
“The town recognizes the impact of Summer Keys and is more actively promoting it,” Clark said.
This June, the first International Marathon brought 800 runners and their support teams to Lubec. Rachel Rubeor was in charge of volunteers and said, “With a ground swell of enthusiasm, everyone was on board showing pride: really gussying up the town.”
Downtown businesses were encouraged by the launch of this annual event.
“This year, all the commercial buildings that are available downtown are occupied,” said Walston, but noting “this is a recent occurrence.”
Still, two prominent commercial buildings on the road leading to Lubec remain vacant.
“We need a few more events like the marathon,” said Clark. “There is not enough tourism now to support more businesses.”
But new houses are still being built.
Overlooking the bay on a high bluff just a few minutes walk from downtown, the third of three new houses is under construction on land that was once part of the Lubec’s last sardine factory property. Victor Trafford, who purchased the entire parcel in 2006, has since divided it into independently developed lots, including a wholesale and retail seafood business (designated as a working waterfront property), a 15-unit inn and a restaurant. The three homes will sit side by side, owned individually by Trafford, his sister and a friend from Naples, Fla., Trafford’s winter home.
Lisa Dellwo and Bill Schlesinger are building a new home in North Lubec, because they want a “small footprint.” While once that term referred only to square footage (the couple’s house has under 1,600 square feet of finished space), today “small footprint” can also designate the amount carbon emissions and other waste generated.
Designed by the Maine architectural firm, GO Logic, the couple’s new home will be self-suffient. “Our goal is to have no carbon footprint achieved over an annual basis,” said Schlesinger, who is an environmental engineer specializing in adaptations to climate change.
Coverage of Washington County is made possible by a grant from the Eaton Foundation.