FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — With the goal of growing the local population and improving housing options, the Fort Fairfield Quality of Place Council has saved a third home and put it on the market.
“There are a lot of homes for sale in town, but most require a lot of work,” said Phil Christensen, president of the Quality of Place Council.
Over the last several years, the volunteer citizen group has acquired and renovated three homes in Fort Fairfield, most recently a 900-square-foot, 1940 single family home that’s now selling for $58,500.
Those and other homes that are unoccupied can represent an opportunity for rehabilitation if they’re fixed up in-time, Christensen said.
“Old homes have good bones and can be saved, but left much longer they can’t be.”
The Fort Fairfield Quality of Place Council rehabilitated this home on Columbia Avenue near downtown Fort Fairfield, and it is now on the market for $58,500. (Courtesy of Fort Fairfield Quality of Place Council)
In the case of the latest home, Aroostook Savings and Loan donated the home to the group because it was unsellable in its former state, said Christensen, who oversaw the renovations.
“The home was structurally sound. It had a modern concrete basement. It now looks like a brand new home.”
The renovation included replacement of the floors, ceilings, walls and heat and water systems, electrical rewiring, renovations of all the rooms, and a rebuilt entryway connecting to an attached garage.
The home, located at 7 Columbia Avenue, is close to downtown Fort Fairfield and local schools, and could be a good option for a range of people, said Steve Towle, a member of the Quality of Place Council who is helping to sell the home.
“This property represents a perfect opportunity for a young family to stop paying rent and start generating equity, or for an older couple looking to downsize and have less maintenance to worry about,” Towle said.
Christensen said the group initially wanted to improve local housing options by building new, small homes on undeveloped lots. But they ended up concluding that it was more affordable to renovate existing homes — mostly due to the cost of construction labor and building materials, Christensen said.
“We thought we would construct new homes on lots in the $110,000 range,” he said. “We found out you can’t do it. By the time you buy the lot and construct a modest starter home, you couldn’t do it at the price. It’s hard to get under $125,000 for even a three bedroom ranch.”
The two other homes the group renovated sold for $85,000 and $130,000, he added.
The homebuying program is one of several initiatives the Quality of Place Council is working on, Christensen said. Two other programs include a safety awareness initiative on sharing roadways with Amish buggies, and the Fort Kids First program, a college saving initiative that piggybacks on the Maine state college saving program.
