Staff illustration by Ben McCanna and Zack Aldrich This is the first in an ongoing series exploring the state’s housing crisis. Nick Mascetta and his partner started looking to buy a house soon after they moved back to Maine. This spring, nearly two years later, they were still looking.
The options were grim: Gamble on a run-down fixer-upper they might be able to afford. Or overpay. “We’ve made two offers on places, both over asking.
We didn’t get either one,” said Mascetta, a tax professional who grew up in Cumberland but lived in San Diego for 20 years after college – exactly the type of Mainer the state wants to lure back to fight “brain drain.” The first offer, Mascetta admits, was not aggressive. The second was $80,000 above list price , just four hours after the house hit the market.
They didn’t even get a chance to negotiate. “So, that was pretty wild,” Mascetta said. “I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
” Nick Mascetta of Cumberland returned home to Maine from California in 2022 and started looking for a house for his family. Two years later, he was still looking. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer Stories like his have become increasingly common in Maine, and many have it far worse.
They are paying more than half their wages on rent or a mortgage, or living an hour or more from their jobs. Some get side hustles. Some get roommates.
Some become homeless. Many can’t see a path to putting down roots and know they may have to leave. Maine’s prol.