MEREDA Board of Directors votes to join the No on 1 campaign organized to defeat the referendum

This fall, Maine voters will face yet another ill-conceived citizen-initiated referendum that would establish a new tax to fund a home health care initiative.   

The proposed referendum would: 

* Impose a massive tax increase in the form of a payroll tax on Maine families and Maine businesses. 

* Increase taxes collected in Maine by over $300 million annually. 

* Undermine existing programs for home care services. The services will be made available to anyone, even millionaires. The benefit will go to the well-off who may more easily navigate the system, threatening to leave behind those truly in need. 

* Create a privatized board to spend these additional public resources with no public accountability. 

* Allow for turning over names of individuals receiving care to organizations that represent individuals who provide care, such as labor unions, for advocacy and Board election campaign purposes, in violation of federal privacy laws.

Citing the proposed referendum as very poorly designed policy, at its June meeting the MEREDA Board of Directors voted to join the No on 1 campaign organized to defeat the referendum. The No on 1 campaign, whose slogan is “Stop the Scam,” is working with dozens of businesses, trade associations and non-profit organizations, including the trade association that represents home care workers, to defeat this referendum. You can read the legislation to be voted upon here.

Facebook: Stop The Scam Maine

Twitter: @stopthescammaine

Instagram: @stopthescammaine

Website: https://stopthescammaine.com

MEREDA Index: Real estate activity reaches record in first quarter

The MEREDA Index, a quarterly measure of real estate activity in Maine, reached a new record through the first quarter of 2018, driven primarily by rising prices in the residential and commercial markets

The index, a composite measurement of residential and commercial transactions plus new construction, is 100.4. That represents a 2.4% increase since the third quarter of 2017 and 4% over the 12 months since the first quarter of 2017.

The latest index was announced at the Maine Real Estate & Development Association’s spring meeting on May 16. The index is a composite of nine seasonally adjusted measures reflecting new development and transactions involving existing properties and covering the commercial and residential markets statewide.

MPBN Maine Calling – Real Estate in Maine

Real estate is Maine’s number two driver of GDP (behind only healthcare). Maine has one of the highest home ownership rates in the nation. But many of those homes are energy-inefficient, very old, and expensive to maintain. Plus, there is still a shortage of real estate agents in our area. What does this mean about Maine’s transformation in the next 10 or 20 years?

Guests:  Paul Peck, board president of MEREDA, real estate developer, attorney

Erin Cooperrider, Development Director with Community Housing of Maine and Principal with The New Height Group

Brit Vitalius, president and designated broker for the Vitalius Real Estate group and president of the Southern Maine Landlord Association

Developments around waterfront, downtown buoy Bangor real estate market

The Greater Bangor market for industrial, office and retail real estate is growing at a stable pace, with some exceptions.

Vacancies at the Bangor Mall, Kmart, the former Verizon call center and former University of Maine System building are dampening some of the growth figures, as is a shortage of industrial space, according to Bev Uhlenhake, a broker at Epstein Commercial Real Estate in Bangor.

Brunswick Landing drives midcoast real estate activity

In 2017, Brunswick Landing continues to show strong growth in the Bath-Brunswick-Topsham region.

The former Navy base houses 100 businesses that have created 1,500-plus jobs. More than 1 million square feet of available space is being used, according to Steve Levesque, executive director of the Midcoast Regional Development Authority, the agency that oversees Brunswick Landing development

NIMBY vs. YIMBY debate continues to guide development

Maine’s real estate industry continues to look for ways to turn NIMBY into YIMBY — “not in my back yard” to “yes in my back yard” — as it continues to connect with the Legislature in 2018.

Andrea Cianchette Maker, a partner at Pierce Atwood, outlined the Maine Real Estate & Development Association’s legislative agenda for the year. She made her comments Thursday at MEREDA’s annual forecast conference, which was attended by 900 people at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

MEREDA conference highlights demand, but lack of inventory

Vacancy rates are at or near historic lows in some areas, but the rents landlords are charging do not yet justify the cost of new construction. That’s one of the takeaway themes of the annual Maine Real Estate & Development forecast conference, which attracted 900 people to the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland on Thursday.

MEREDA Index: State’s real estate activity hits 10-year high

The MEREDA Index, a quarterly measure of real estate activity in Maine, hit a 10-year peak through the third quarter of 2017, reaching 96 overall in a composite measurement covering new development, transactions involving existing properties, residential and commercial development.

Southern Maine’s real estate market still riding high, experts say

Southern Maine’s real estate market is riding high on the strength of rising home values, booming tourism, a tight market for industrial properties and renewed interest in office construction.

That was the consensus among presenters at the 2018 Maine Real Estate and Development Association forecasting conference, held Thursday in Portland. The event drew a record 900 professionals and 100 exhibitors who came to discuss trends and factors affecting sales, leasing and construction in Maine’s industrial, office, residential, retail and hospitality sectors.