Real Estate

Maine’s Housing Market: Where Are Prices Soaring, and Where Can Buyers Find a Break?

Maine’s housing market shows regional divide: South/coast remain competitive, while others cool down.

byAndres Castro

November 3, 2025, 10:10 AM

Aerial view of a seaside neighborhood in Maine, USA, with densely packed houses near the turquoise water.

An aerial perspective of a dense residential community located on the coast of Maine. By MDL.

Executive Summary

This bifurcation is evident in key market indicators, with southern/coastal counties showing low inventory (approx. two months), high median prices (e.g., Cumberland at $580,000), and quick sales (two weeks or less), contrasting sharply with more balanced or slower markets elsewhere.

Sustained demand in southern and coastal Maine is attributed to factors such as higher job opportunities, desirable proximity to beaches, ability to commute to neighboring states, and appeal to retirees seeking closeness to services.

The Trajectory So Far

Maine’s housing market is currently bifurcated, a shift from the uniform price surges and inventory drops experienced statewide during the pandemic, with southern and coastal regions maintaining high prices and fierce competition due to concentrated job opportunities, desirable proximity to beaches, and appeal to retirees seeking services, while central and northern areas are experiencing a cooling and more balanced market.

Assessing Risk and Value

Investors in Maine’s housing market must adopt highly localized strategies, as the significant regional divide between competitive southern/coastal areas and cooling central/northern regions directly impacts risk and value. While southern and coastal markets may offer continued appreciation potential, they present higher entry costs and competition, potentially affecting cap rates; conversely, central and northern areas could offer greater value for money, less competition, and potentially higher rental yields, albeit with possibly slower appreciation. This persistent bifurcation necessitates careful, county-level analysis of inventory, median prices, and days on market to identify targeted opportunities and mitigate location-specific risks for both residential and rental property investments.

Expert Predictions and Forecasts

Real estate agents like Matt Pouliot and Julia Bassett Schwerin anticipate that southern and coastal Maine will continue to experience sustained demand, high prices, and fierce competition due to factors like job opportunities, desirable proximity to beaches, and appeal to retirees.

Conversely, central and northern Maine are expected to continue showing signs of a cooling market, offering a more balanced environment for buyers with higher inventory, lower median prices, and homes remaining on the market for longer periods.

Experts forecast a slow and gradual return to a more balanced statewide market, but emphasize that the significant regional divide in housing conditions will largely persist in the coming months, with highly localized experiences for homebuyers and sellers.

Maine’s housing market is experiencing a significant regional divide, with southern and coastal areas maintaining high prices and fierce competition, while central and northern parts of the state show signs of cooling and a more balanced environment for buyers. Recent data from Maine Listings indicates a stark contrast in property availability and cost, a shift welcomed by prospective buyers in less competitive regions but challenging for those eyeing the state’s more sought-after locales.

This bifurcation represents a notable change from the pandemic era, when home prices surged and inventory plummeted uniformly across Maine. While the statewide housing market has seen an improvement in inventory, the experiences of buyers and sellers vary dramatically depending on their location within the state.

Real estate agents attribute the sustained demand in southern and coastal Maine to several factors, including a higher concentration of job opportunities, desirable proximity to beaches, and the ability for some residents to commute to neighboring states like New Hampshire or Massachusetts. Additionally, these regions appeal to retirees seeking closeness to larger hospitals and service centers, according to Matt Pouliot, broker and owner of Pouliot Real Estate, and Julia Bassett Schwerin, a broker and realtor at Advisors Living Real Estate.

For those determined to buy in competitive southern or coastal areas, agents advise making concessions, having realistic expectations, and considering creative buying strategies. This might include foregoing a large property or exploring multi-family homes to leverage rental income. Schwerin and Pouliot anticipate market conditions will largely persist in the coming months, with a slow and gradual return to a more balanced statewide market.

Housing Market Indicators

Real estate experts utilize several key data sets to assess the health and direction of the housing market, offering insights into inventory levels, median sales prices, and the average time homes spend on the market.

Inventory

Housing inventory, measured by the months it would take for current listings to sell, is a crucial indicator of market balance. A balanced market typically has around six months of inventory. As of last month, Maine had slightly more than three months of inventory, an improvement from the less than two months seen during the peak of the pandemic housing boom.

However, county-level data reveals significant disparities. Washington County boasts a balanced market with over six months of inventory, closely followed by Waldo and Franklin counties, each with more than five months. In contrast, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, York, and Androscoggin counties remain seller’s markets, with approximately two months of inventory.

Median Price

The median sales price of a single-family home in Maine stood at $402,500 last month, according to Maine Listings. This figure, however, masks considerable regional variations driven by demand.

Homes in Cumberland and York counties commanded much higher median prices, at $580,000 and $525,000 respectively. Sagadahoc and Lincoln counties also saw median prices approaching $500,000. On the other end of the spectrum, Aroostook County reported the lowest median property cost at $167,500, with Piscataquis County close behind at $220,000. Other central counties like Somerset, Penobscot, Washington, and Franklin had median prices ranging from $265,000 to $285,000.

Average Days on Market

The average number of days a house remains on the market before selling is another indicator of buyer demand and market competitiveness. In desirable areas, homes are typically snatched up much faster.

Maine Listings data shows that single-family homes in Cumberland, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, and Kennebec counties are on the market for two weeks or less on average. This is an improvement from the summer of 2021, when homes often sold in under a week, and is close to the statewide average of 18 days. Conversely, properties in Washington, Piscataquis, and Somerset counties are moving much more slowly, often remaining on the market for more than 40 days before closing.

Overall, while the statewide market shows signs of a slow return to balance, the experience for homebuyers and sellers in Maine remains highly localized, with distinct conditions persisting between the state’s urban and rural, and coastal and inland regions.