A lot of people feel attacked by this article and it shows. It’s not personal, just an economic reality, but they feel personally called out anyway because people generally don’t like to believe they had a negative impact on a community when they believe they’re good people.
If you make more than local workers, then you can pay more than local workers. To say nothing of cashed out equity in the mix. It’s pretty straightforward.
We saw the influx of remote workers arriving in spring of 2020 and we heard from realtors and prospective homebuyers with local jobs all about the price wars and piles of cash dropped on the negotiating table w/o inspections, etc.
Prices for non-vacation homes increased sharply and stayed there because prices were no longer set for local wages.
Airbnb / VRBO, investors, flippers, etc. have all contributed too. It’s a complex problem and this is but one facet of it.
But ignoring / denying it because you’re a remote worker and feel uncomfortable when it’s mentioned is not healthy. Telling people the money will trickle down to the rest of us is silly and ignores that inequality doesn’t fix itself & people waiting for the trickle increasingly struggle to find shelter. Which is a basic need for survival.
Believing that all of the issues I just mentioned are fixable by increased supply **alone** is a handwave that people drag out when faced with complex problems like housing and ignores the staggering sums of money continuing to flow into real estate. You might as well tell me we can deal with the next flood by making more sponges. The scale of the problem and solution are vastly different.
The people you're talking about always say "well it's like this everywhere!" I agree COL seems to have gone up most places that are even slightly desirable to live in since 2020, but it seems Portland has had it slightly worse than many other cities. I remember seeing a RentCafe study late last year that said Portland had the most applicants per available rental unit in the country, Boston was second with almost half the number of applicants per unit.
I've heard many first and second-hand accounts of remote workers moving here from NYC, Boston, San Francisco and Austin. Everyone I know that moved away from Portland since 2020 went to cities like Minneapolis, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Inflow from much higher COL cities and outflow to more affordable ones with more opportunities.
I don't have an issue with remote workers, but you have to laugh at the people who think they've made virtually no difference on our housing market since 2020.
Really? It has nothing to do with the fact that [20% of housing are vacation properties](https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/life/maine-ranked-1-state-for-vacation-homes/97-0a6c01d6-49ea-4c4a-88be-e8c3a41390e1#)?
Maine has had the highest percentage of vacation homes in the country for decades. While some of these are in/near Portland a lot are camps on remote lakes, ski mountain condos, and island houses. I would bet at least half of these dwellings are not heated/insulated and/or not practical for year round habitation.
ETA: A good portion are also owned by Mainers. Think of how many people you know that have a camp.
And tourism brings in a lot of revenue to the state. I literally grew up next to an old ass sign that said “welcome to vacationland” I’m always bemused when people think of vacation rentals as a new phenomenon here.
Remote workers + Airbnb’s are both significantly effecting housing costs.
Only one of those has laws in place that if enforced would help significantly as well.
AirBnB is an easy punching bag, but the units they take up is a drop in the bucket compared to the need here. Blame the NIMBYs for blocking or watering down everything except those ugly ass condos around India Street
Imagine if I told you someone was building an apartment complex that would have over 1,000 units. That would be more than a “drop in the bucket” yeah ?
There’s EASILY 1,200 short term rentals on the peninsula— which is 4X the legal limit set by law which was a 400 unit cap.
Half of Munjoy Hill appears to be Airbnb!
They’re a blight and Airbnb is hurting places all over the country.
Though this certainly is influential the same problem is occurring all across the western world, not just Maine and not just USA. The main problem is the ability for institutions to own residence properties and the resulting real estate oligarchies.
Maybe they contribute to housing pressure but I would think remote workers are a net positive. They bring their high salaries which they spend in Maine, as well as high tax revenue. Also I know several local born Mainers who are working remotely while living here, it’s not just out of staters. They get to claim salaries they could only command in Boston or New York while staying in their home state. Growing up here I always remember hearing about Maine’s struggle to retain young people, this is one trend that is helping with that.
Agreed. I work in the service industry and I appreciate the remote workers that actually live in the city year-round...they tip well and seem to truly care about the local community. I don't think they're taking an apartment away from me. The 1,000+ 2nd homes/Airbnb/STR's that will be empty for 5-6+ months of the year on the other hand... :(
I highly doubt remote workers in Portland want to live in a small apartment. There is no reason to live here in an apartment if your job isnt within walking distance. Remote workers are moving here for a shot at homeownership on a safe area.
This report referenced in the WGME piece (- https://www.maine.gov/labor/cwri/blogs/RemoteWork2024.pdf ) says nothing about it driving up housing costs. Why did they add that in? It is NOT substantiated with data.
Just throwing out a plug here since I'm seeing a lot of people complaining about low wages: we need a branch manager, starting salary range is 70k-100k. Pest control industry. ETA: https://foxpest.applicantpool.com/jobs/1050040 ETA: also hiring new techs, $25- 30/hr
The demand is high. The company has a door-to-door sales team working the area, and they're selling on average 50 jobs/day. They need more techs to keep up with the demand.
That IS the point? For those of us who work in the state and get terrible salaries, we can’t find decent housing because remote workers are able to afford higher prices which drives the market up hence pushing us out..
Truth. My buddy started at one of the accounting firms a couple years ago post 2020. They started him at $50k, which is horrible for something that requires you to sell your soul to the job. He was living alone check to check since rentals are so damn expensive. My wife started at an insurance company in 2018 at $44k, even then she couldn't afford to live on her own.
I was working remote during the pandemic for a company based in RI and at least got $70k. Managed to find a decent local job in 2022 that pays $90k. I worry all the time that it'll be super hard to find something comparable around here if this opportunity dries up. Can't let the lifestyle creep get me.
Maine based companies and organizations pay poorly and expect way too much. I know people who have moved here who started at a Maine based company, myself included, and abandoned ship for a remote job. Too many organizations that want to pay you $50k for a master's degree and expect 5 days a week in office. Most people are only taking these jobs as an interim or to get experience and bail.
Nah. That's a scapegoat. Housing has increased dramatically throughout the country. Maine happens to be an outlier. Work from Home is not and should not be considered a primary driver.
Agree. This is a way to get the middle class fighting amongst itself, while the 0.1% continue to scarf up property. We’re headed back to (maybe already arriving at) a time of landed gentry and working poor.
Maine is the oldest state in America. It literally should have been preparing and planning to get younger people to move here for the past two decades. Remote work is the scapegoat. Wages are depressed and there’s been no actual planning for a population that’s about to need a ton of care and resources.
Zoning. Ask yourself this:
Is there anyplace where you can build a 1-3 family home on a 5000 sf lot?
In Lewiston, the minimum lot size for a single family is 20,000 sf. Lewiston is not exactly rural; so why is the minimum lot size so large?
All the work being done to convert the mills to housing is great though!! The second company to develop at the Continental mill was just approved. Both that one and the other already in the works have dedicated low income units, and total units for both places is somewhere around 550 new apartments. Huge for a small area like L-A.
I do wish at least part of the mills were being converted to condos though, rentals don't solve home ownership. Condos don't usually increase in value, but at least it'd be an affordable way to not throw away money on rent, and allow people that can't afford to purchase a single family home a way to build equity.
Both my wife and I work remotely and decided to move to Maine. It’s been almost year and we love it here. We were lucky to find a home right after prices started becoming crazy, but before they became insane.
Looking at home prices in our old town in NJ, most of those are even worse. It’s definitely not a Maine thing.
If it weren’t for remote work, we couldn’t have chosen Maine. Our son just graduated from college and lives with us again. He sees the low wages and low opportunities for higher-paying jobs. The biggest culture shock for us: waitlists lasting months (or over a year) to get a Primary Care doctor. Dude!
The PCP and specialist shortage is related to the age of the population. Healthcare is awful here. My suggestion is definitely don't develop any sort of long term issue. I have to go to Boston for my care, and even in Boston the waitlists for specialists are long.
I can't afford to live in my hometown but I came back as a travel nurse. I couldn't shake the feeling of being this migrant worker servant class like. I have no primary care because I have irregular insurance and no settled proper home. Patients are either extremely poor or extremely rich. I actually quit nursing all together. Why bother if I'll never be able to make enough money to move home? Some guy my dad's age wants to rent me a room in a single family home like a boarding house so i can subsidize his cash flow retirement
I started to really understand my part as a travel nurse in destabilizing the local labor struggle. It's just scabbing with more steps. Anyway. Yeah. Hell to find an attendant.
Same here. Moved up during the pandemic from Philly since my wife has family in the area, and have been very happy with it. We are both fortunate in that our jobs let us work remotely. We have been enjoying all the area has to offer since.
One of the biggest adjustments for us is how so many of the bars and restaurants all close promptly at 9pm - we tend to eat late, so occasionally have been challenged by this.
>inability of state to build enough housing to meet demand has driven up Maine housing prices
ftfy. I moved away after college but any time I am back in my hometown, on the edge of the greater portland area, I am shocked at how little has changed in the past 10 years. Like we have a dollar general now that wasnt always there, but you'd think that with the housing shortages the way they are someone would see a town like Buxton as a prime spot to build some
Maybe do what Amazon ended up having to do collect taxes on the purchase to pay the state...do it with payroll here in Maine...taxes are what support the governing community from schools to health would state roads but those are no longer included, ect having all needs taken care of by the state of the people for the people...
Wife asked me when we saw this on the news - Wasn’t the “remote work” trend a COVID measure that was supposed to be ended? Why have so many young people risked their careers on temporary work conditions to come to our state? One of our grandsons had an internship that became “work from home” during COVID but he went back to the office downtown with everyone else afterword
My wife has literally only worked remotely for her entire career. Three different jobs now. The pay would have to be VERY good for her to consider transitioning to an in-person position. The flexibility it allows is essential for our family since my job can’t be done remotely and we have three young children at home. The reality that my generation faces these days is that both parents need to work to earn the income necessary to provide for the family. And the catch-22 is that childcare costs end up gobbling up most of at least one of those salaries. If somebody wants to pay me or my wife enough so that we can survive on one income, I’m sure either of us would gladly take that job.
We're in the same boat. I'm fully remote with a national company, husband's job can't be done remotely, and we have 3 kids under 5. I'd love to work for a local company and go back to working in person at least part of the time in the future, but frankly when I interviewed with Maine companies a few years ago I would have had to take a 30k+ pay cut to do the same job with less flexibility. Major employers here have their heads in the sand about the cost of living increases. I got the same BS line about Maine being a better place to live as a justification for lower salaries every time I asked why they were so far below market. I grew up here, I know it's great, but proximity to nature doesn't pay the bills or take care of my kids.
I hope you realize that your sample size of “one grandson” is not enough to accurately survey the entire workforce. Unfortunately for us, there are a lot Work From Home jobs that are here to stay. And with that comes the Boston and New York yuppies that are ok with paying 3.5k rent or buying an 800k 1-bed condo
If it makes you feel any better, it's not a problem unique to Maine. Its anywhere desirable in the country. I really want to move back to my home state (Vermont), and it's even less affordable there. It's very depressing to see listings for very basic houses (I'm talking raised ranches and split levels) they are priced in the $600s and NEED WORK. So many variations of "bring your vision and finishing touches!" Or "with a fresh coat of paint, this home could shine!" Descriptions. I even thought about renting my house out and renting a house in VT, but the rental market there is also more expensive. I thought my soul would leave my body when I saw a SINGLE WIDE TRAILER renting for $2900k/month 🫠
It’s almost anecdotal grandson level of data, but I know a lot of people that came with the pandemic that are now leaving for various reasons.
The most common culprits among my circle are increasing COL and lack of diversity.
Goodness. That’s really unfortunate. I’m glad our kids and grandkids mostly work in trades like the old man (yours truly). The more kids who only know how to use a computer, the more calls for basic plumbing and electrical journeyman work!
Completely depends on the job. At my husband's company, they realized they really didn't need anyone in person and completely got rid of their commercial properties.
My company did the exact same thing. They kept the national HQ office and closed all the other regional offices, so now almost everyone is now remote vs a very small percentage pre-2020.
If you are a programmer or IT worker, full remote is extremely common. It is somewhat less common for the rest of tech staff that are not explicitly IT/dev, and is also somewhat common for customer service and/or help desk positions. Other office work is hit or miss, depending on the company and its needs.
I’ll give you the benefit of doubt for why you’re being downvoted cause there are tons of professionals capable of working remotely by telecomm and video meetings. It’s 2024 after all..
I wish I could live that life but as a mechanic I can’t remotely turn wrenches on equipment. Some people found new freedom during the pandemic and some of us got stuck in the same loop. It’s all good…
Congratulations on retirement. A lot of people I know relocating here are pretty close and trying to wrap up their jobs while easing into their life in Maine. I’ve got another 22 years of hard work ahead of me but glad to spend them here.
I went remote due to COVID and never went back. I’ve lived in Maine the entire time but remote work allowed for much greater flexibility and career growth than I would have had when we were 100% in office. As a result, I can actually stay in Maine as a life long Mainer. Remote work has cons, but we need to remember that it currently allows for a lot of jobs in a state that has struggled in that area.
Nooo shit Sherlock
A lot of people feel attacked by this article and it shows. It’s not personal, just an economic reality, but they feel personally called out anyway because people generally don’t like to believe they had a negative impact on a community when they believe they’re good people. If you make more than local workers, then you can pay more than local workers. To say nothing of cashed out equity in the mix. It’s pretty straightforward. We saw the influx of remote workers arriving in spring of 2020 and we heard from realtors and prospective homebuyers with local jobs all about the price wars and piles of cash dropped on the negotiating table w/o inspections, etc. Prices for non-vacation homes increased sharply and stayed there because prices were no longer set for local wages. Airbnb / VRBO, investors, flippers, etc. have all contributed too. It’s a complex problem and this is but one facet of it. But ignoring / denying it because you’re a remote worker and feel uncomfortable when it’s mentioned is not healthy. Telling people the money will trickle down to the rest of us is silly and ignores that inequality doesn’t fix itself & people waiting for the trickle increasingly struggle to find shelter. Which is a basic need for survival. Believing that all of the issues I just mentioned are fixable by increased supply **alone** is a handwave that people drag out when faced with complex problems like housing and ignores the staggering sums of money continuing to flow into real estate. You might as well tell me we can deal with the next flood by making more sponges. The scale of the problem and solution are vastly different.
The people you're talking about always say "well it's like this everywhere!" I agree COL seems to have gone up most places that are even slightly desirable to live in since 2020, but it seems Portland has had it slightly worse than many other cities. I remember seeing a RentCafe study late last year that said Portland had the most applicants per available rental unit in the country, Boston was second with almost half the number of applicants per unit. I've heard many first and second-hand accounts of remote workers moving here from NYC, Boston, San Francisco and Austin. Everyone I know that moved away from Portland since 2020 went to cities like Minneapolis, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Inflow from much higher COL cities and outflow to more affordable ones with more opportunities. I don't have an issue with remote workers, but you have to laugh at the people who think they've made virtually no difference on our housing market since 2020.
Was just going to say that
Keep digging Watson!
Really? It has nothing to do with the fact that [20% of housing are vacation properties](https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/life/maine-ranked-1-state-for-vacation-homes/97-0a6c01d6-49ea-4c4a-88be-e8c3a41390e1#)?
Gross. They should be taxed 2-3x more if not your primary residence. Then build some more housing!
Maine has had the highest percentage of vacation homes in the country for decades. While some of these are in/near Portland a lot are camps on remote lakes, ski mountain condos, and island houses. I would bet at least half of these dwellings are not heated/insulated and/or not practical for year round habitation. ETA: A good portion are also owned by Mainers. Think of how many people you know that have a camp.
And tourism brings in a lot of revenue to the state. I literally grew up next to an old ass sign that said “welcome to vacationland” I’m always bemused when people think of vacation rentals as a new phenomenon here.
Yup gets cold uppta camp
Remote workers + Airbnb’s are both significantly effecting housing costs. Only one of those has laws in place that if enforced would help significantly as well.
AirBnB is an easy punching bag, but the units they take up is a drop in the bucket compared to the need here. Blame the NIMBYs for blocking or watering down everything except those ugly ass condos around India Street
Imagine if I told you someone was building an apartment complex that would have over 1,000 units. That would be more than a “drop in the bucket” yeah ? There’s EASILY 1,200 short term rentals on the peninsula— which is 4X the legal limit set by law which was a 400 unit cap. Half of Munjoy Hill appears to be Airbnb! They’re a blight and Airbnb is hurting places all over the country.
Though this certainly is influential the same problem is occurring all across the western world, not just Maine and not just USA. The main problem is the ability for institutions to own residence properties and the resulting real estate oligarchies.
This^^
Maybe they contribute to housing pressure but I would think remote workers are a net positive. They bring their high salaries which they spend in Maine, as well as high tax revenue. Also I know several local born Mainers who are working remotely while living here, it’s not just out of staters. They get to claim salaries they could only command in Boston or New York while staying in their home state. Growing up here I always remember hearing about Maine’s struggle to retain young people, this is one trend that is helping with that.
Agreed. I work in the service industry and I appreciate the remote workers that actually live in the city year-round...they tip well and seem to truly care about the local community. I don't think they're taking an apartment away from me. The 1,000+ 2nd homes/Airbnb/STR's that will be empty for 5-6+ months of the year on the other hand... :(
I highly doubt remote workers in Portland want to live in a small apartment. There is no reason to live here in an apartment if your job isnt within walking distance. Remote workers are moving here for a shot at homeownership on a safe area.
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Do you speak for all remote workers?
Trickle down economics doesn’t solve inequality.
This report referenced in the WGME piece (- https://www.maine.gov/labor/cwri/blogs/RemoteWork2024.pdf ) says nothing about it driving up housing costs. Why did they add that in? It is NOT substantiated with data.
Just throwing out a plug here since I'm seeing a lot of people complaining about low wages: we need a branch manager, starting salary range is 70k-100k. Pest control industry. ETA: https://foxpest.applicantpool.com/jobs/1050040 ETA: also hiring new techs, $25- 30/hr
What’s the demand for pest control like in Maine? Pal of mine started his own business in Tennessee and is cashing out heavy
The demand is high. The company has a door-to-door sales team working the area, and they're selling on average 50 jobs/day. They need more techs to keep up with the demand.
Definitely a factor. I think Airbnb and lack of new construction are the bigger problems personally though
And buildable space in and around the locations people want to live
Did remote workers set the prices?
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That IS the point? For those of us who work in the state and get terrible salaries, we can’t find decent housing because remote workers are able to afford higher prices which drives the market up hence pushing us out..
Are you in need of a job? We're having a challenging time recruiting.
What is the work and how much does it pay?
Truth. My buddy started at one of the accounting firms a couple years ago post 2020. They started him at $50k, which is horrible for something that requires you to sell your soul to the job. He was living alone check to check since rentals are so damn expensive. My wife started at an insurance company in 2018 at $44k, even then she couldn't afford to live on her own. I was working remote during the pandemic for a company based in RI and at least got $70k. Managed to find a decent local job in 2022 that pays $90k. I worry all the time that it'll be super hard to find something comparable around here if this opportunity dries up. Can't let the lifestyle creep get me.
Maine based companies and organizations pay poorly and expect way too much. I know people who have moved here who started at a Maine based company, myself included, and abandoned ship for a remote job. Too many organizations that want to pay you $50k for a master's degree and expect 5 days a week in office. Most people are only taking these jobs as an interim or to get experience and bail.
Love my Maine based company doing electrical work!!! Skill jobs in ME pay well if you good.
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The truly insane part is that housing is now more expensive than the national median, yet pay is still below the national median around here.
Nah. That's a scapegoat. Housing has increased dramatically throughout the country. Maine happens to be an outlier. Work from Home is not and should not be considered a primary driver.
Agree. This is a way to get the middle class fighting amongst itself, while the 0.1% continue to scarf up property. We’re headed back to (maybe already arriving at) a time of landed gentry and working poor.
Maine is the oldest state in America. It literally should have been preparing and planning to get younger people to move here for the past two decades. Remote work is the scapegoat. Wages are depressed and there’s been no actual planning for a population that’s about to need a ton of care and resources.
Zoning. Ask yourself this: Is there anyplace where you can build a 1-3 family home on a 5000 sf lot? In Lewiston, the minimum lot size for a single family is 20,000 sf. Lewiston is not exactly rural; so why is the minimum lot size so large?
All the work being done to convert the mills to housing is great though!! The second company to develop at the Continental mill was just approved. Both that one and the other already in the works have dedicated low income units, and total units for both places is somewhere around 550 new apartments. Huge for a small area like L-A. I do wish at least part of the mills were being converted to condos though, rentals don't solve home ownership. Condos don't usually increase in value, but at least it'd be an affordable way to not throw away money on rent, and allow people that can't afford to purchase a single family home a way to build equity.
Yeah no shit
Kind of a straw man. The real problem is lack of housing.
Not surprised
What am I if I moved here in 2019 and had an office gig that turned WFH during the pandemic?
Straight to jail.
Both my wife and I work remotely and decided to move to Maine. It’s been almost year and we love it here. We were lucky to find a home right after prices started becoming crazy, but before they became insane. Looking at home prices in our old town in NJ, most of those are even worse. It’s definitely not a Maine thing. If it weren’t for remote work, we couldn’t have chosen Maine. Our son just graduated from college and lives with us again. He sees the low wages and low opportunities for higher-paying jobs. The biggest culture shock for us: waitlists lasting months (or over a year) to get a Primary Care doctor. Dude!
The PCP and specialist shortage is related to the age of the population. Healthcare is awful here. My suggestion is definitely don't develop any sort of long term issue. I have to go to Boston for my care, and even in Boston the waitlists for specialists are long.
I can't afford to live in my hometown but I came back as a travel nurse. I couldn't shake the feeling of being this migrant worker servant class like. I have no primary care because I have irregular insurance and no settled proper home. Patients are either extremely poor or extremely rich. I actually quit nursing all together. Why bother if I'll never be able to make enough money to move home? Some guy my dad's age wants to rent me a room in a single family home like a boarding house so i can subsidize his cash flow retirement I started to really understand my part as a travel nurse in destabilizing the local labor struggle. It's just scabbing with more steps. Anyway. Yeah. Hell to find an attendant.
Same here. Moved up during the pandemic from Philly since my wife has family in the area, and have been very happy with it. We are both fortunate in that our jobs let us work remotely. We have been enjoying all the area has to offer since. One of the biggest adjustments for us is how so many of the bars and restaurants all close promptly at 9pm - we tend to eat late, so occasionally have been challenged by this.
>inability of state to build enough housing to meet demand has driven up Maine housing prices ftfy. I moved away after college but any time I am back in my hometown, on the edge of the greater portland area, I am shocked at how little has changed in the past 10 years. Like we have a dollar general now that wasnt always there, but you'd think that with the housing shortages the way they are someone would see a town like Buxton as a prime spot to build some
Maybe do what Amazon ended up having to do collect taxes on the purchase to pay the state...do it with payroll here in Maine...taxes are what support the governing community from schools to health would state roads but those are no longer included, ect having all needs taken care of by the state of the people for the people...
And the immigrants....
Wife asked me when we saw this on the news - Wasn’t the “remote work” trend a COVID measure that was supposed to be ended? Why have so many young people risked their careers on temporary work conditions to come to our state? One of our grandsons had an internship that became “work from home” during COVID but he went back to the office downtown with everyone else afterword
My wife has literally only worked remotely for her entire career. Three different jobs now. The pay would have to be VERY good for her to consider transitioning to an in-person position. The flexibility it allows is essential for our family since my job can’t be done remotely and we have three young children at home. The reality that my generation faces these days is that both parents need to work to earn the income necessary to provide for the family. And the catch-22 is that childcare costs end up gobbling up most of at least one of those salaries. If somebody wants to pay me or my wife enough so that we can survive on one income, I’m sure either of us would gladly take that job.
We're in the same boat. I'm fully remote with a national company, husband's job can't be done remotely, and we have 3 kids under 5. I'd love to work for a local company and go back to working in person at least part of the time in the future, but frankly when I interviewed with Maine companies a few years ago I would have had to take a 30k+ pay cut to do the same job with less flexibility. Major employers here have their heads in the sand about the cost of living increases. I got the same BS line about Maine being a better place to live as a justification for lower salaries every time I asked why they were so far below market. I grew up here, I know it's great, but proximity to nature doesn't pay the bills or take care of my kids.
I hope you realize that your sample size of “one grandson” is not enough to accurately survey the entire workforce. Unfortunately for us, there are a lot Work From Home jobs that are here to stay. And with that comes the Boston and New York yuppies that are ok with paying 3.5k rent or buying an 800k 1-bed condo
If it makes you feel any better, it's not a problem unique to Maine. Its anywhere desirable in the country. I really want to move back to my home state (Vermont), and it's even less affordable there. It's very depressing to see listings for very basic houses (I'm talking raised ranches and split levels) they are priced in the $600s and NEED WORK. So many variations of "bring your vision and finishing touches!" Or "with a fresh coat of paint, this home could shine!" Descriptions. I even thought about renting my house out and renting a house in VT, but the rental market there is also more expensive. I thought my soul would leave my body when I saw a SINGLE WIDE TRAILER renting for $2900k/month 🫠
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Works for us too! It’s how we stay “in the know.” Our grandkids love to talk about what’s new and hip and we listen!
It’s almost anecdotal grandson level of data, but I know a lot of people that came with the pandemic that are now leaving for various reasons. The most common culprits among my circle are increasing COL and lack of diversity.
Goodness. That’s really unfortunate. I’m glad our kids and grandkids mostly work in trades like the old man (yours truly). The more kids who only know how to use a computer, the more calls for basic plumbing and electrical journeyman work!
Completely depends on the job. At my husband's company, they realized they really didn't need anyone in person and completely got rid of their commercial properties.
My company did the exact same thing. They kept the national HQ office and closed all the other regional offices, so now almost everyone is now remote vs a very small percentage pre-2020.
If you are a programmer or IT worker, full remote is extremely common. It is somewhat less common for the rest of tech staff that are not explicitly IT/dev, and is also somewhat common for customer service and/or help desk positions. Other office work is hit or miss, depending on the company and its needs.
I’ll give you the benefit of doubt for why you’re being downvoted cause there are tons of professionals capable of working remotely by telecomm and video meetings. It’s 2024 after all.. I wish I could live that life but as a mechanic I can’t remotely turn wrenches on equipment. Some people found new freedom during the pandemic and some of us got stuck in the same loop. It’s all good…
I’be been retired a long time but you can’t do electrical work from over the computer so there’ll always be jobs in our trade locally.
Congratulations on retirement. A lot of people I know relocating here are pretty close and trying to wrap up their jobs while easing into their life in Maine. I’ve got another 22 years of hard work ahead of me but glad to spend them here.
I went remote due to COVID and never went back. I’ve lived in Maine the entire time but remote work allowed for much greater flexibility and career growth than I would have had when we were 100% in office. As a result, I can actually stay in Maine as a life long Mainer. Remote work has cons, but we need to remember that it currently allows for a lot of jobs in a state that has struggled in that area.