When you're looking to purchase the perfect home, you'll want to consider not just the property but the neighborhood too. A bad home location can change a perfect house into a money-losing nightmare. Crime, construction and environmental changes can all have an impact on the future value of your dream home. Here are the top five things to consider when shopping for a new house.

The process of buying each new home may differ on the details, but there are several major milestones you can anticipate every time, such as the first showing, the offer, the home inspection and the loan arrangements. Each milestone passed brings you that much closer to the finish line called home ownership.

Whether you’re selling your home, buying a home for the first time or upgrading to a new home, the process can be daunting. Here are answers to five of the most commonly asked real estate questions.

Thinking about a fresh coat of paint for your house? Not only will it help improve the look of your home, but the colors you choose can help form lasting impressions for a potential buyer. If you plan to keep living in your home for years to come, then it may not matter to anyone but you (and your nearest neighbors) what shade of pink or purple you use to paint the outside of your house. And the colors you choose for the inside may reflect your own personal style--no matter how flashy or dramatic. But if your house is on the market, or could be in a few years, you'll want to reign in your artistic creativity for some more subtle hues.

Heather's story starts the same way all good stories do:

Once upon a time...

in the city of Waterville, a very young Heather Leclair was a new tenant in an apartment building owned by Don and Irene Plourde. She was working dutifully in the cafeteria at Thomas College, dreaming of better jobs to come.

Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate recently held our annual awards event, where we recognized our Central Maine Real Estate Professionals for their dedication and customer service over the past year. On average our real estate professionals serve about 400 customers per year. That’s a lot of homes, and our real estate professionals are there every step of the way, going above and beyond to help you buy or sell your property. Whether it’s shoveling out signs, researching code enforcement, or helping your home look picture-perfect before a showing, Coldwell Banker Plourde’s family of real estate professionals provide top-notch customer service. And our annual awards breakfast is when we get to show our appreciation for their efforts throughout the year.

Waterfront property in Maine is equivalent to “white picket fences” for the rest of the U.S.: it’s shorthand for “perfect”. In the depths of winter, with all the snow we’ve received lately, it may be hard to imagine yourself swimming, boating, or just floating in the sunshine, but all of those things and more can be yours when your home is on the water. However, not all Maine waterfront property is the same. Working with real estate professionals who understand the intricacies of buying waterfront property can help save you a headache. Here are just a few of the things you will want to research and consider before you buy.

So, you're tired of renting and would rather see that monthly payment go toward a home of your own rather than continue to line the pockets of your landlord? Before you sign those mortgage papers, let’s take a hard look at a few things: