Maine

Well, you'd have easy access to a lot of heroin...

Rumford is one of those mill towns that is trying to rebuild itself around not being as dependent on the paper industry, but they're struggling to do it. Incomes in the town are down, on average, as is employement because of downsizing at the mill that's still running. Parts of town are sketchy/empty/abandoned, but there are some nice areas as well. And if you buy a place out of town it's really a non-issue.

 

big decisions …
in my life's adventures I learned to follow what makes me happy , 40 years ago I moved from the philly area to close to the Pocono mountains, I needed elbow room and loved the outdoors could not stand the metropolitan/suburbs cap,gave up big $$, never looked back best decision I have ever made

 

How do you think you will feel about the job you have now in 5 years ?

 

Just no..... Rumford would be a place to rent out of until being able to get my own place which would likely be more towards the Oxford/Paris area. Good to know though, have never really heard much about it before.

That is exactly what I could see this move as. The biggest/main concern is the money but, A. Money isn't everything B. Money =/ Happiness C.

I won't be here; plain and simple. The issue is making a career change, which is also a pay ceiling change. Engineer currently and starting not to enjoy the documentation/design side as much as the hands up building side. So jumping to a Mechanic position would get me outdoors and working with my hands but it's a drastic flip from engineering, salary and day-day.

 

That is a big 180. don't burn your bridges and go for it. You can always go back..

 

It's because of the dent in the economy. Lots of people out of work & bored, blowing what little spare $$ they have on drugs. Heroin's cheap, so...
Personally I don't get it, but I've never been tempted to experiment with drugs either.

Don't get me wrong, though. Rumford's in a beautiful area, and if you don't live downtown you don't have to deal with it, lol.

 

Yes it is and that's what most focus on. That was my thinking is that I can always go back to engineering if I need to.

Good to know; may explain why the rent I found is so cheap near the town

 

Well, that and you're talking about a totally different rent scale than in MA.

 

Pay is less but so is the cost of living. That is not to say that it is cheap but lots of people move from MA to ME and do well in regards to selling their home in MA and getting a similar sized home with a lot more property in ME for a lot less money. Maine is a pretty safe place to live and depending on where you want to live and work, you can find engineering jobs if you are so inclined. Maine is a very diverse state in terms of terrain and outdoor opportunities. Why the Rumford area?

 

Oh yeah I knew that. It's amazing the difference.

Yeah I could easily see how most make out well in that move. I'm a renter still so I don't get the benefit of selling property to help the move. The potential job is at Sunday River and Rumford has the closest rental options that I can find online; I'm sure there are more available but those would probably be by word of mouth to know someone is renting it out. So I'm not set on Rumford or staying there but it would at least get me in and settled for a bit. Definitely engineering options along the 95 corridor but, where I end up will probably be guided by where the job is located.

 

There are lots of people in the Sunday River area that do not live in area and sometimes you can find a good gig where you are getting a nice place at a reduced rent and you are "managing" the place in the owners absence. But those deals usually do not show themselves until you have spent a little time in the area, people become acquainted with you and some trust is established.

 

Manager there mentioned that a lot of things are found through word of mouth; which is the tough part about not being local.

 

True, but it wouldn't be that bad to rent for a year until you find the "right" place. Nothing wrong with that at all.

 

That would be the plan so I can make sure I'd enjoy the job before buying property. I just don't want to deal with another move; had a lot of bad timing with these choice but shit happens

 

Alright would anyone be able to do a huge favor for me and help save me 8 hours of driving tonight?

I'm looking at a place just outside of Rumford (629 Hillside Ave, Rumford, ME) and want to get an idea of the area it's in. Safe? Would my GF feel comfortable working from home in the area? The owner is away on business so you couldn't get in anyways but, looking that everything looks sound I don't want to rent out a shithole. He said it hasn't been lived in so looking at the pictures he sent it looks like it just need some TLC. So as long as the structure looks good it could work.

I know this could be asking a lot if no one is really in the area but I'll make it worth your effort.
@Noelie84 I know you said you were ~hour away; know any one else further into that corner?

 

I wouldn't be able to get up into that area before dark if I went today. Maybe on Sunday? That way I could video it and you could get a feel for the neighborhood.

Edit- Looking at it on Google Maps unless the neighbors are rowdy it should be pretty quiet. Not sure about having that garage butted right up against it, though. Probably just something somebody uses for storage, looks like.

 

I appreciate the offere but sadly I don't have until Sunday. I wouldn't get up there till after dark but I'm planning on just flipping on the high beams and walking around with a flashlight. Then I'd be seeing the area at its worst, maybe?

That's been my thoughts but no one believes me.

 

Gotcha.
I have a buddy that lives in Dixfield. Let me text him and get his opinion on the area you're looking at.

 

That would be great. I'm starting to try and mentally prepare for a lot of driving tonight just to see it and creep around

 

A couple quick thoughts since I am not close to the area. Give a call to the local police and see if they have an opinion about the area. You could also try calling a couple local real estate agents to see what they think. From Google street view it looks pretty tame. Surrounding houses are in good shape with some newer construction. The property you are looking at would probably require a couple roofs to be shoveled (garage and breezeway). Whatever business is next door is hard to tell since there is no sign outside of it but it does not look like it is run down.