Winter is a time when Mainers snowsled, snow shoe, cross country and down hill ski. Play pond hockey, watch games on the ice. This weekend in Houlton Maine is the annual winter celebration with free games, bonfires, snowsled light parade thru town, snowsled clubs breakfast, suppers and more. The Moose Is Loose in Houlton Maine. Check out the fun and games for the whole family in Southern Aroostook.  From February 5-7 ride in to Houlton Maine for the three days of fun, games and it's all free. To celebrate winter, one of our favorite four seasons. The family event was started in Loring Air Force Base and when Col Alan Bean mothballed the base as it's command, he became Houlton Maine's town manager. He brought the event with him and it is a habit, tradition growing larger and larger every... 01/31/2010

     Drink your milk...and where are those cows from that made it? Do you know where your milk comes from where you live now? In Houlton Maine, we are lucky to enjoy milk from local cows happy in what they do. The milk products are as fresh as you can get because the dairy milk, butter, cottage cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, egg nog, ice cream is not trucked in to Houlton Maine from three states away. It was in the cow yesterday or this morning when you reach into your dairy case tonight on the way home from work. Skippers was a west coast fish restaurant that used the slogan, "The only fish fresher are still swimming in the sea". That's the way it is with our local milk. You can not get any fresher, or a higher quality standard.      In Houlton Maine we have been spoiled by Houlton F... 01/22/2010

    The Maine Real Estate Information (MREIS) reports 24840 active listings on their server today. The Maine real estate market statistics show 1735 properties have a contract pending, with a buyer and seller waiting for a closing, satisfaction of contingencies like clear title, bank financing, possession. And only about a hundred other possible "sale depends on" to happen to get a clear to close. To turn the pending property sale in to a sold used by appraisers as evidence of what the market is doing as they put together valuation reports that reflect the current Maine real estate market.      Since New Years day, January 1st, 2010 1430 new Maine real estate listings have come on the market. And 365 Maine real estate closings have happened since the beginning of 2010.      Aroostook Co... 01/21/2010

     Why wait until you are sixteen to drive a car? Downhill derby gravity racers where you and your son, daughter, nephew, neighbor study the course, talk about aerodynamics to make the car whiz by the crowd faster. Houton Maine's annual Northern ME race that started in 1996 had the honor for five years of being the largest derby event in the country. The stock, superstock and masters car racing event is held on a specially engineered derby hill designed to prepare racers for the Akron, Ohio Alll American Soap Box Derby Race held in late July each year. I have been past derby race director and lucky enough to have a son Alex and daughter Amanda win the largest local race and head to Akron two times. My job was Mr Goodwrench and 95% is the driver, their focus, consistency. We used to tr... 01/18/2010

Winter is not a time for the blues, blahs or cabin fever.Bust out and enjoy the snowsledding options on over 13,000 miles of groomed trails.  Take a peek at last year's Moosestomper's Weekend celebration. The events of the winter celebration now held in Houlton Maine, was borrowed from a Loring Air Force Base in Limestone ME tradition.  When LAFB commander Alan Bean who mothballed the facility became the Houlton Maine town manager, he resurrected Moosestompers.     Kids hunt, dig, scramble for half dollars in snowpiles in different age classes, play in unique games like human curling, dog sled races.The Millar Civic Center opens the place for free public skating and free prizes.  Free horse sleigh rides, fireworks, bon fires, hockey tournaments, sliding on derby hill and a snowsled ligh... 01/17/2010

Who is this Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers? Where did he come from, how did he get there, what is he all about? Your real estate story. Have you written it or better yet made a career real estate video verbatim without script or copy, off the cuff? Why not? You are in sales and excited about where you live correct? Tell Joe or Jane Surfer what you are passionate about where you live, why they should consider owning Maine real estate here too. In my case in Maine. Here's the real estate dog and pony show in 3 minutes on the dot. Looking forward to hearing your jouney, about your career path too. Houlton Maine is on the Canadian border at the beginning of Intersatate 95 Near Woodstock New Brunswick. US Rt 1, 2, 2A all crossroad and connect here in this town of roughly 10,000 friendly people.... 01/11/2010

     When you consider a mortgage on a home costing $329,900, whether the interest rate is a quarter percent either way is a big deal. But in Northern Maine when the mortgage you are shopping for is $32,900, whether the rate is a quarter percent higher or lower is not as critical as a banker thinks. For Houlton Maine financial options, there are six primary banks and a credit union on the local level. And at local Rotary meetings or about town, when you run in to a banker, they seem excited if the rate is an eighth of a percent lower than another bank. I explain that that slight difference alone does not cause a home mortgage borrower exodus from other bank lobbies to the fellow or lady with the "my rates lower than your banks" chant.      The closing costs charged, the turn around time... 12/29/2009

Hockey players of all ages, all part of the Houlton Maine hockey program showed up. The December 26th alumni hockey games in the Shiretown were fun to watch.    Many of these players have skated together from the time they were five years old.     Most of the games in New Brunswick Canada when they were on the Southern Aroostook Minor Hockey Association teams. And then as a Houlton Hodgdon Blackhawks. Old time hockey reunion and entertaining action for the crowd of Houlton Maine fans, friends and family. Small town proud of the boys that made the program what it is, caused it to grow and were part of the spark of Northern Maine hockey. Here are a few images to capture the event. Just like old Maine high school hockey times with reliving past games not forgotten as Novices, Atoms, Peewee... 12/28/2009

     My Aunt Ruth had no children yet had hundreds. She was a music teacher that could get a melody, a tune out of kids that could not carry one even it had handles.       Aunt Ruth ran a 35 horse riding camp called Camp Little Ponderosa started back when Bonanza was ripping up the TV ratings on television and when you saw the Marlboro Man high in the saddle with both his lungs. Lots of New York, New Jersey doctors and lawyers sent their kids..usually daughters north to Houlton Maine for the summer at Camp Little Ponderosa horse riding summer camp.      I remember my Aunt Ruth having a special candy around Christmas that she gave to all of the neices, nephews. She called it barley candy but I don't think barley or grain had much to do with the production. She would have peanut brittle, ... 12/18/2009

    Local Maine cemeteries.As a kid in Houlton Maine, my three older brothers and I grew up knowing we were part of a larger family. We learned about our uncles, great aunts, great great great grandparents from our journies growing up with visits to the local cemeteries in Houlton and Hodgdon Maine in my case.My mom was a Benn from Hodgdon Maine. We sometimes got a double header by driving to check out the Mooers side of the family, and then after a stop at the local ice cream dairy bar, we would be slurping, enjoying some cold on a hot day as we headed to cemetery number two.The trips were not an everyday occurrence but more than once a year on Memorial Day. My dad was a world war two veteran, so seeing the section of Evergreen Cemetery with the US flags and veteran markers hit home.My... 12/17/2009

     Over the years real estate brokers get in and out of some pretty special property. High end homes, land with one of a kind waterfront features or a view / setting that will make your jaw drop, your eyes to nearly pop out of your head. The memorable listings, real estate sales can include the expensive properties but also ones that made an impression that did not have so many zero places in the price tag. One older lady I was lucky enough to list and sell a 1974 mobile home for had that kind of home. It was spotless, had lots of plants, walls of images of grandchild, brothers, sisters, parents and the obvious holidays many were taken at. It was plainly apprarent this owner was "rich" in family that surrounded her. The many kids' artwork, sports schedules arranged on the refrigerator... 11/30/2009

Real time..what is happening in small communities like Houlton Maine in Southern Aroostook County. The 54th Rotary Auction in Houlton Maine has over $52,000 worth of item to bid on over a three night period. The auctioneering starts at 6pm and winds down at 10:30pm each night. Here is the run down for this years auction on the Houlton Maine Rotary site.      Each year the Houlton ME Rotary Club designates certain projects to be the major beneficiaries of the Auction. This year's major project beneficiaries are: Little League Field of Dreams Project! SAMHA Southern Aroostook Minor Hockey Association Auction Proceeds will also benefit the: Houlton Community Arts Center Seat Campaign Houlton Rotary Club Youth Exchange Program Dollars for Scholars (SAD 29, SAD 70, SACHS, East Grand) Cary Li... 11/24/2009

    On the way home from a trip downstate in Maine, as a kid I remember in the winter when we were driving a little slower during falling snow stories about my dad's service in World War Two.     It was not that Dad did not talk about the war...it just seemed the stories were told more while driving back from some where to pass the time or on porches on summer evenings, depending on the audience.     My Dad served in the 15th Army - Air Force as it was called at the time. In the 882nd bombardment wing and his job? He wanted to be a pilot of a bomber but they had plenty of those so due to being pretty wiry and skinny, he was able to squeeze into the rear of a B-24 bomber to run the two rear 50mm machine guns.Think of sitting, jammed in the rear of a four engine noisy plane, that smelled ... 11/10/2009

     It's no secret that for a smaller Northern Maine school, Houlton Maine's jr and sr high schools excel statewide in music. Over 64% of the Houlton Maine junior high school students are active in 12 music ensembles. Over 42% of the high school student enrollment make the music program state reknown.  Houlton Maine is the home of five state championship high school show choirs and has hosted several state music competitions. The Houlton Maine junior high show choir is a two time state champion and award winning bands, choruses, jazz bands, jazz choirs perform year round in local presentations, state level programs and in out of state music festivals.      Currently, a new Houlton Community Arts Center is being built and the Houlton Maine jr / sr high school auditorium is being totally... 11/09/2009

     As a kid, Maine Halloween trick or treating, what a concept I thought with glee. Going up to total strangers houses with your cousins, ringing the bell after hopping up the front porch stairs and the light comes on. An older lady or gentlemen look a fake surprise or fright and everyone screams "Trick or Treat"! Other goblins up and down the street are moving like the plague from house to house as most front porch lights are on. As an adult, can still remember the houses where the best treats were. And before the Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter social networking, word spread on which home owners took this Halloween concept seriously and went all out. Kids spread the word on homes, neighbors to put on the must visit list before curfew and the ones not worth door knocking, that... 10/31/2009

     Activerain's Bob Stewart threw down the challenge gauntlet searcing for examples of how we use the treasure chest of blog posts to do further good in our day to day real estate operation. There are many ways we take the trip back in to the blog post inventory and assemble a series of them to ricochet email correspondence back to the sender. We have a connection with a past client and these "what is going on in the area newsy blog posts" bee-lined to their inbox help us stay connected. For past happy buyers who decide to sell, or have friends to refer. For sellers to keep us in their mind. We start a relationship that eventually with these emails with blog attachments push them off the fence, eventually.      But probably the two top ways we use the AR library is targeted at relocat... 10/30/2009

In Maine, we are very fortunate to have super medical facilities in place, staffed by folks who want a friendly, crime free, pollution free area to raise a famly in. So unless you need a brain transplant, or plan to upgrade all your major organs with loaners, Maine health care in the Houlton Maine area is superb. The same goes with local Houlton ME banking, financing institutions. So we don't have to scramble out of town to catch an attractive loan program, or a local professional that understands the ins and outs, the mechanics. I just got back from a Maine Association of REALTOR state convention at the Samoset in Rockland ME. The many southern Maine loan orginators and mortgage brokers who have hospitality suites after classes wonder how to get more of Northern Maine's bank buying cus... 10/12/2009

     In buying real estate, folks look at the purse, decide if the price tag matches the size of that purse or wallet. But just as important as the cost, the looks, the features involves a move to a brand new unknown area. The hospital if mom is coming and has a heart condition is a big concern. The local public library I have had real estate buyers say is their judge, barometer for how stellar an area is. The schools for a quality education are another area the relocating real estate buyer is very keen to know more about. All schools, hospitals, libraries are not the same quality, possessing the same level of excellence or reputation as the ones they are leaving behind. So part of our blog posts about the Houlton Maine area delve into the big three.      Videos that show the excellent ... 10/10/2009

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     You work for say homeland security, for border patrol, customs, immigration or some new department in between and are assigned to head to Houlton Maine. Houlton is on the Canadian border of the New Brunswick province and has been beefed up secuirty wise considerably since 9/11. So you own a home back where you are coming from, have it rented and want to rent until it sells in Houlton.      Easy as pie right? Not really. Not so fast, need to have a little talk, show you the financial reasons why it's like musical chairs..with not enough empty chairs when the tunes stop, everyone scrambles. A typical home if you can find one rents for $450 to $600 on average with you the renter picking up all the utilities, lawn care, snow plowing. By the time you heat the place, you start thinking w... 09/17/2009