Buying a home is certainly a huge decision. With the current state of the real estate market in much of the country and especially here in Maine that choice to buy has become more difficult than in years past.

Now as a perspective buyer you will be faced with many challenges, the market pricing has skyrocketed, cash purchases from well heeled buyers from out of state, and more.

If you are a first time home buyer and new to the process, it really makes sense to get educated about the buying process, what you need to do in terms of securing financing, and even what may be out there for grants.

An overall strategy is more important than ever. Luckily, you can educate yourself with programs through agencies like Penquis who offers 1st time home buyers courses a few times each month, it's even virtual.

MaineStream Finance, which is a subsidiary of Penquis can get you started in the right direction. CLICK HERE to learn more about their live stream instructor classes, or they offer a home based self paced online program.


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LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

The 100 Best Places to Live on the East Coast

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