Gorgeous new home in Waldoboro with shared dock and private mooring!

Dock looking over water and moorings
Originally uploaded by ericaebates

167 Deaver Road in Waldoboro is the place to buy right now! As we head into Spring anticipating Summer now is the time to begin your negotiations on that perfect getaway house! This property has beautiful landscaping, a shared dock less than 200 yards away, a mooring, oversized garage perfect for storing your boat, and 2800 square feet!!! The detailed craftsmanship is obvious when you walk in and see the maple floors, chef's kitchen, and brick hearth. Easy to show, and very motivated seller looking to sell before the Summer season. www.swanagency.com

busy busy busy!!

I am happy to say I am really busy lately! Whether this is Spring Fever or what - I am impressed with it!

I had a call on Saturday night to show one of my listings on the following morning - I called my client who was THRILLED to have a showing even with the late notice.

I've had many email inquiries from people that I hadn't heard from in months - which gives me hope! I've also been trying to contact some of my old contacts who have been just casually looking for something to buy. NOW is the greatest time to buy!

Most buyer's I'm dealing with right now are very patient, and most importantly want a deal.

I was looking through listings the other day, and seriously, some things have been on the market for 3 + years! I think these Days On Market numbers are a great bargaining tool for a buyer .

I have a feeling it will continue to pick up as the weather gets warmer.

Summer in and around Mount Desert Island is amazing - and luckily the natural beauty draws many people to the area, a bonus for the real estate industry.

great tapas, extensive wine list and home grown fare!

I am SO thankful for Cleonice Mediterranean Bistro in little Ellsworth, Maine! So many nights Jon and I end up there for either tapas and drinks or a full meal prepared with local ingredients from their own farm Artisana. Usually Jon and I will go in and order our "usual" which is a Stormy Night martini (Gosling's Rum, ginger juice, lime and candied ginger) for me and a Geary's Hampshire Ale for him.

For tapas our faves are their Hummus & Baba Ganouj w/ pita crisps, marinated olives, spicy Htipiti and the Four Season Farm Spinach Salad with Anne Bossi’s Chevre, Smokey Bacon, Hazelnuts & Onions. MMM!!! We often make a meal out of those tapas! Their ingredients are always fresh, local and seasonal. A few of our favorite entrees include: the Chicken Arthur Avenue ( Pan-Seared Organic Chicken Breast with a Sauce of Mushrooms, Leeks, Housemade Pancetta & Imported Marsala. Served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Sautéed Greens) the Paella Cleonice (Native Littleneck Clams, Mussels, Scallops & Maine Shrimp Simmered with Organic Chicken, Spanish Chorizo, & Fresh Vegetables in Saffron- Scented Spanish Montasia Rice) and the Grilled, Grass-Fed, Black Angus Rib-Eye Steak (With Gorgonzola Butter, Hand-Cut 16 Ounce Steak, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Fresh Vegetables) - in fact anything with Gorgonzola Butter makes me smile!!!

Usually we don't go for dessert as were so stuffed - BUT sometimes their chocolate mousse with candied ginger or fresh mint hits the spot. Or sometimes a cordial glass of their homemade limoncello is all one needs after such a satisfying meal. That is why I love living 10 minutes away from this fab bistro!

food, wine, and more

Tomorrow I'll be lucky enough to spend some time with my sister and a few mutual friends. We're hoping to go to a wine tasting at Sawyer's Specialties in Southwest Harbor, and then back to Bar Harbor to have "happy hour" (i LOVE that term!) and then on to my sister's house for dinner - not really a traditional "progressive dinner" but kind of sounds like it may turn into that. I'm so excited to be bringing the cheese plate for my contribution - so I'll probably buy a nice mix from Sawyer's while I'm there tasting wine! I LOVE their truffled Italian cheese, Stilton with mango, and their triple cream brie. Stay tuned on how the tasting goes.

Cupcakes are fun!

Cupcakes are so much fun - and I never make them...for risk of eating them all (since Jon my husband prefers savory than sweet..) but today when I saw this beauty at Morning Glory Bakery - Rodick Street, Bar Harbor - it took a lot of self control ( told you i was working on it) to not devour this....

Social networking to my advantage!

So recently I was introduced (I guess you call it that still in Virtual World), to a local business owner/boat builder on Facebook by one of my "friends" who is the boat builder's brother - this is sounding much more complicated than it is. After "meeting" John on Facebook I thought it would be appropriate to introduce myself to him personally..aka real world, seeing that we both do business in the same area and (hopefully soon) will have the chance to share some clients. Hello! isn't this what "social networking" sites were intended for? I love it! Although, I admit I have also been that girl who looks at some random friend's (Facebook) or colleague's (LinkedIn) profile just for fun. All and all, from what I can see most social networking sites are worth their while and truly can present great connecting tools - that is if you have some self control...which I'm working on.

Erica's Real Estate Listings...check them out!

http://www.ericabates.mainelistings.com/

Easy like Sunday Morning...

The best part about a Sunday morning for me is slowly getting out of bed, grabbing some coffee and sitting down to watch Sunday morning news talk shows. Meet the Press, Wall Street Journal Sunday, and Fox News Sunday are all up there on my list - a newcomer that I have added into the mix is MaineBiz Sunday. A local program that is very informative on the economy in Maine and generally focuses in on a specific industry from week to week. For some reason this feels like a lazy morning each week that I stay in my pjs, finish a few cups of coffee and catch up on news - however, I always get fired up for the upcoming week and jot down thoughts on multiple lists. Come Monday morning I'm focused and ready to run - if I only could get away with staying in my pjs.

MaineBiz site: http://www.mainebiz.biz/

Schoodic Point - Acadia National Park

Where I live...

As winter seems to drag on this time of year, I can't help but think why do I live here?  I could choose anywhere in the world to live and I choose this?  A few minutes pass and I get over it - and laugh at my love/hate, passive/aggressive relationship with the place I call home.  I have lived in a handful of other places over my 27 years - Boston, Colorado, Australia and various places throughout Maine.  Ultimately I chose to come back to Maine and more specific at the moment Trenton aka Trentonia, Maine.  Lucky for me, I am a Realtor whose home base is Bar Harbor, Maine.  A place that millions of people come to every year on vacation!  I love that I see the ocean everyday (something I reallllly missed when living in Colorado).  I love that Acadia National Park is in my backyard.  See - I told you love/hate relationship, but 90% love 10% non-love (maybe not hate, ouch).  I think that might be a case of Spring fever...and I also think that everyone wonders "why do I live here" at a few points throughout their lives.  As a Realtor, the best part of my job is not having to convince others why to live here - the beauty and quality of life speaks for itself.  Plus, many of my favorite things are here: family, lobsters, Acadia, the ocean, blueberries, Cleonice Bistro, skiing, lakes for swimming in...the list goes on.  On that note - the sun is coming out and it is a balmy 48 degree March Saturday - I'm grabbing the dog and going snowshoeing!  

blogging demystified

Here it is - my first web log, little bloggy, tears are coming to my eyes. jk. Ok, blogging before seemed to me a way to find out any and all information - gosh, sometimes even info I never wanted to know about. But, I'm learning that blogging is not only a way to find out any and all info, but also a way to connect with people on a level I never normally would have other than in virtual world - I LOVE IT! stay tuned for more...and btw I'm setting the bar low for my posts, at this point anyway...