Houlton area attracting new people, realtors say

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HOULTON – It has been a long time since anything close to a real estate boom has occurred in Aroostook County.

But in the last six months, realtors in Houlton have seen an increased number of people moving into the area. Part of it is because of stepped up security along the U.S.-Canadian border. For others, it’s their own personal security.

“In Aroostook County, historically, every 10 years, we lost 10 percent of our population,” said Andy Mooers, a Houlton realtor, who said that trend seems to be reversing in the Houlton area.

He said he has had his best summer for sales in 23 years.

Houlton is home to the sector headquarters of the U.S. Border Patrol. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Customs Service also have large operations here.

Though exact figures are not available, all of those agencies have seen an increase in staffing since the terrorist attacks.

Some of the new residents are looking for a safer place to live.

“They’re scared of the cities,” said Paula Gendron, executive director of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce. “They want to take their family and get somewhere safe.”

Gendron took over the Chamber early last November. Since then, she said she has received at least one call a day with a request for information about the area.

A big attraction is the price of homes. People moving from large metropolitan areas are selling homes for $200,000 to $300,000 or more.

Realtors report that it’s easier now to sell larger, more expensive homes that previously took longer to market. Homes that might sell for $100,000 to $150,000 are being snapped up, especially if they have more land with them or water frontage.

In Houlton, the average home has a valuation of about $50,000.

Lisa Collett, office manager for First Choice Real Estate in Houlton, said that in some cases, people can buy a home in The County and have no mortgage because of what they got for the house they sold.

Low interest rates also are making it more affordable for people to buy, she said, adding that Internet listings also make it easier for people to look for property.

Mooers and Collett said the weak stock market furthermore has prompted people to look to real estate as a more secure investment.

“They want something that’s not going to go away,” Mooers said.

Gendron said people she has spoken to have said that services in the area, including Houlton Regional Hospital and the town’s location along Interstate 95 have been factors in their choosing to relocate to the area.

School officials have reported increases in enrollment, reversing a trend that has been going on for years.

In SAD 29 in Houlton, enrollment is up from 1,323 at the end of June to 1,341 this week.

SAD 70 in Hodgdon has 11 more students at its high school and eight new pupils at the elementary school, most of whom are with families reassigned to the area for federal jobs.

Further to the south, CSD 9 in Dyer Brook reported that 11 pupils are new to the district.

Other parts of the County are seeing a different situation.

In Fort Fairfield, where there is a port of entry and a Border Patrol station, Gary Sirois of Grant Realty said Houlton’s good fortune has not been seen there.

“Most communities up this way are having a problem with out migration,” he said. “It’s been a slow summer up here.”

In Fort Kent, Lou Albert of St. John Valley Realty Co. said that while there is a real estate boom in the Valley, most of it is from local people upgrading or retirees returning.

Mooers isn’t surprised by the new interest in northern Maine, which he said is more like what southern Maine used to be like 25 years ago.

“This has always been underlying,” he said. “[Sept. 11] just brought it the surface.

“I think this is the last frontier,” he said.