July 18, 2025

PLANNING & ZONING RESOURCE: ADVOCATING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE

DATE: Thursday, September 18, 2025

LOCATION: Augusta Armory, Augusta (Western Avenue)

TIME: 8:30am Registration; Course 9am - 5pm (includes morning coffee & lunch)

COST: $25/person (approved by the MREC for 6 hours of Maine CE credits)

Instructor & Course Sponsor: EJ Demers of Real Estate Institute of New England

Approved by the Maine Real Estate Commission for 6 hours of continuing education credit and also fulfills NAR’s ABR designation elective requirements for current or future ABR designees for a period of 3 years. To learn more and register:

REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAX GRADUATED RATE EFFECTIVE 11/1/25:

The graduated real estate transfer tax rate as proposed in L.D. 1082 was folded into the State of Maine budget and passed in June in the final days of the 132^nd Legislature. The increase will apply to properties with sales prices exceeding $1 million. The rate will be as follows:

·       $2.20/$500 up to $1 million*

·       $6/$500 for any amount over $1 million*

*The tax imposed 1/2 on the grantor and 1/2 on the grantee* (36 MRS 4641-C, sub-§22)

Upon implementation, there will be an exemption for the real estate transfer tax for buyers/sellers using MaineHousing’s first time homebuyer programs.

More information will be forthcoming from Maine Revenue Services, lenders, closing and settlement agents, Registers of Deeds and Maine Housing. As we receive information, we’ll share. 

LOCAL REALTOR® OF THE YEAR ANNOUNCED: 

Congratulations to the following who was recently announced as a 2025 local REALTOR® of the Year:

-Lincoln County Council of the Mountains to Shore Board of REALTORS®: Clint Miller (Newcastle Realty; Damariscotta)

REMINDER TO IDENTIFY YOURSELF:

- Identify your REALTOR® and professional status in all contacts with other REALTORS®, on the telephone (call, text, and voicemail) and electronically (email) by stating your name and your agency affiliation, as a courtesy and for safety reasons.



-When showing a property, always ring the doorbell or knock – and announce yourself loudly before entering. Knock and announce yourself loudly before entering any closed room; again, for courtesy and for your own safety

ARE YOU SERVING LOCALLY?

Please let MAR know if you’re serving in your local government. Town Councilor? Mayor? On the Planning Board? Selectperson? School Board Director? Appeals Board? Road Commissioner? Other? Send your info to: Claire

BE CAUTIOUS – COURTESY LEADS:

REALTORS® are receiving “courtesy leads”, “profile leads”, or leads “from the app” from major real estate portals. Many of these “leads” are potential fraudulent sellers. As a reminder, follow the instructions below and do your due diligence to verify information about the listing property and the property’s legitimate owner.

INVESTIGATE ALL LEADS:

Use your Forewarn app (a NO-COST member benefit provided by Maine Listings).

• Conduct a reverse lookup of the telephone number in FOREWARN and if it comes back with anything other than the expected person – investigate further. 
• Conduct a reverse name search in FOREWARN and call the number(s) provided to confirm the person’s identity and whether they did indeed contact you to list the property. 

In addition, you should verify information about the listing property and owner with the town/municipal tax records and the registry of deeds. 

For prospective sellers who are not physically located near you/the property, ask them to Zoom, Google Meet, Facetime with you for a first meeting – and ask them to show their identification on the screen. While scammers may also have fraudulent identification, they are likely to be unwilling to show their face on a screen. You can use a phrase like, “it’s our office protocol for new customers and clients”. If they’re unwilling, likely a red flag. It is not enough to receive identification via email since scammers are using fake passports and/or drivers licenses.

Recently we have been notified that 665 Tool Street in Biddeford and 182 and 192 Sandbar Road in Windham are NOT for sale by their lawful owners.

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