As a kid, Maine Halloween trick or treating, what a concept I thought with glee.

Going up to total strangers houses with your cousins, ringing the bell after hopping up the front porch stairs and the light comes on. An older lady or gentlemen look a fake surprise or fright and everyone screams "Trick or Treat"! Other goblins up and down the street are moving like the plague from house to house as most front porch lights are on. As an adult, can still remember the houses where the best treats were. And before the Facebook, Myspace, Twitter social networking, word spread on which home owners took this Halloween concept seriously and went all out. Kids spread the word on homes, neighbors to put on the must visit list before curfew and the ones not worth door knocking, that ate in to house to house production, collection. It was more than candy quantity...it was quality of treats, the experience you went thru to get something plopped worth keeping in to the open sack.

     Had a fellow in from Arkansas that remembers a local home town home owner giving out silver dollars..and this was in the late 1960's when silver dollars would buy more than a happy meal. I remember the Chamberlain sisters who would invite you in to their big federal style Court Street, Houlton ME home and fresh, hot donuts..usually chocolate and molasses were waiting with hot cider.

That stop was a highlight of the door to door candy or cavity campaign but getting out of the place took some effort as everyone had to remove their masks, let the ladies know who your dad and mom were and socialize a little before eating, drinking and running to the next neighborhood home.

That stop did eat into production but the donuts were addictive. The home was a definite must stop and on the top three of places to visit. I knew of some kids carrying another mask, disguise that would double back and try to hit the same candy bank again.

     I remember a stop with my own 4 kids on Commonwealth Ave Houlton Maine, where three families joined forces and dooryards. It was like Disney land in Southern Aroostook County. A big Army tent was set up with blacklights, and zombies roaming the premises, in jerky motions indicated they may have been to the other side and come back for unfinished business, to haunt little kids with costumes, pillow cases full of various forms of sugar. There was a fellow in an open coffin, and a BOO hollers as the kids got closer to see if that was a real, sleeping or dead person in that final resting place. Snakes hooked to a pulley with piano wire or fishing line danced in the trees operated by an old geezer with a chain saw in his lap on the front porch. Lots to see and everyone pretty quiet as the kids went thru the "stations" weaving in to get a glimpse, grab a treat and then pick up production in the door to door frenzy.

Another neighborhood with a kid in a tuxedo, white gloves, spats and a nylon over his head making mime like robot, Michael Jackson moon walk motions. Saying nothing and just in the neighborhood we were marauding. Getting curious, who is this guy glances as kids steered a wide path around, not sure how to take his presence and out of place attire, look. He has since gone on to work in a circus, juggling, high wire acts, and carnival like with his skills honed with the Halloween opportunity to entertain, amuse in Houlton Maine. Another home owner worked at Nabisco and that home's candy bowl had oversized treats like you get in the movie theatre. There was always a line, take a number, have a seat or stand in line reaching in for a treat from the treasure chest to sample, munch on to keep your energy up.

     I personally like the home where there was a small orange, black and white bag with the blackened witch on a broom outline in the moon lit sky that was filled with a variety of treats. My personal favorite in the trading the next day in someones living room with other short door bell ringers? Paydays. I was not a sweet tooth or obsessed with candy as a kid because of the sound of a high speed dentist drill in the back of my head, a fear from my mom who like most folks, was not sending the dentist a Christmas card or looking forward to the six month check up. But paydays, Nestle Crunch that were a close top three treats and enjoyed in the potato field breaks each fall were always involved in a trade. The peanut butter chocolate anything rounded out the top three and the first treats to download, cast off and just be rid of? The popcorn balls that were dryer than a desert, maybe left over from a decade before that got tossed into the bag but almost rejected by this goblin.

Small, tiny apples that were brown from bruises, or early frost and had black blight spots were not traded..they were tossed immediately. I remember one drunk apartment owner who called my trick or treat posse into the home and in to the kitchen, opening up the cupboards and saying help yourself...forgot to buy candy. Somehow reaching for a can of Dinty Moore beef stew or baked beans seemed not right. Giving him, Mr Hammered from a thirty pack some popcorn balls, apples if they had not already been jettisoned to "re-gift" or "re-treat" seemed appropriate and Robin Hood like. Kids have a sense of honor, rules of the game and fairness at the earlier age. when they are under 44 inches tall and can not go on all of life's rides.

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers - Maine, It's Safe To Trick Or Treat Here, Live Here.

 

    

Activerain's Bob Stewart threw down the challenge gauntlet searcing for examples of how we use the treasure chest of blog posts to do further good in our day to day real estate operation.

There are many ways we take the trip back in to the blog post inventory and assemble a series of them to ricochet email correspondence back to the sender. We have a connection with a past client and these "what is going on in the area newsy blog posts" bee-lined to their inbox help us stay connected. For past happy buyers who decide to sell, or have friends to refer. For sellers to keep us in their mind. We start a relationship that eventually with these emails with blog attachments push them off the fence, eventually.

     But probably the two top ways we use the AR library is targeted at relocation and retirement prospective buyers. They are folks that many have never been to this area of Northern Maine before so they have questions. Lots. Just like you would if you were considering a life changing move to a place eight states away that you had no previous experience. We get a visit, get their email and then start slowly launching old blog posts about the topics they need answers on. To get them to move, buy, relocate here. These blog posts help us deepen the relationship. We give them something other than just real estate information. Local information they are starved, thirsty for. It's the connection these past and current blog posts help us maintain with a mailing list to share them without being a pest, not too frequently sent. Slow drip. Careful email mortaring...with the blogs attached to the emails that hit the areas they are most interested in..the schools, health care, crime, etc. That's why you need to know your customer..what they want, what they are worried about and give them what they ask for. Hit those areas with blog posts about those areas. Written especially for them (but used with others like them). Think of a blog post that you send out to hundreds of folks from your email end of the chain. Not just readers, followers from finding it on line on their own.

     For starters most real estate websites are set up, and then dust mounts. Oh sure, they have an idx/mls stream for new listings, price changes and the office staff tinkers on the real estate listing section.

But other then a Happy Halloween or a opening image change once in awhile, the site is cold, static, and not up to the minute. Blog posts are real time, like Twitter tweets. Right now, or at least what it is like in your area today, or this season.

So we do new round up new, crank out these type of current today local blog posts where we attach them to a new, never been here before emailer or calls that we ping information to so they become acclimated, knowledgeable about our home town. You'll see this blog post has video embed of a local activity..Maine youth picking potatoes to earn their winter coat, their ipods. Southern Maine real estate brokers along the coast could have the same kids learn work ethic video piece with blueberry raking, fishing for lobster, digging for clams to taylor make the presentation to their area of the state. Not cookie cutter fit the entire state but localism, tons of good stuff..the copy, images, video of the local area you crafted. And no mention of selling real estate, just the tag on the end that this guy or gal is a real estate broker for future reference.

     So when we get asked the number one question, what is your weather like in winter or the other three seasons, we start out the intial response email with the polite thank you for contacting our office and your interest in Maine. And we send property attachments loaded with more details than they see on the idx or realtor.com, plus indicate all four seasons are fun for recreation, etc. And we also send a teaser line with in winter if that was there big concern, worry that we ski, snowsled, play hockey with our kids at an arena or on a frozen lake under the bright sunshine and we do not hibernate in the winter. And to read more here with a link insertion. Or sometimes, we know the other end of the fiber optics cables has been bombarded with real estate images..the inside, outside and lots of copy, video, images of the property. But what about the area...is there away to just slide in some local Maine eye candy..nothing heavy, just a ten second eyeball scan to reinforce they are going to like it here?

     This blog post is one of many we draw from that is a simple extra from 2008 to drop in the real estate bag before it gets taken out to the customer's car so to speak. Like a grocery store stuffs a flyer in the bag to get them to come back. To be different than other stores. To build a connection, a relationship, reaching out with something extra. You got the customer considering your area in to the AR site. And low and behold, they can search other Maine topics and bump in to you again from other posts. They find you have already been there for them, crafting and hammering out other informative blog posts on the area you serve. When you have approaching 1200 blog posts, there should be lots to draw from. You write many knowing where you chamber of commerce "holes" are and beef up the shelves by writing, posting, stocking those shelves.

     We have blog posts to send along to real estate sellers sitting on the fence about listing. We have a slow drip campaign to nudge this audience and creative, simple blog posts like this and get them reading, keeping you in their thoughts to turn to as the agent / broker to pick. This post and a slew of others with the same "bent" or slant get tucked in to an email about "Mr Seller, have you thought any more about listing your waterfront cottage that is not getting much use anymore...we are here to help.

     Short and sweet and with this type of blog post to get them in to the blog to see you use this vehicle a lot to hit new relocating, retiring propsects. To educate folks about the area, to find buyers, to market property.

     Other examples of using blog posts to reinforce your emails, to post on your site as a reference resource are ones we write with helpful links to Houlton Maine area schools, events their kids will enjoy (this one is a good follow up for someone that was here months ago, but as an easy watch this easy video. You hope they can see themselves, their families living here, doing this or that activity.) During the intial visit of someone toying with the idea of relocation, retirement here, we follow up later with an email that could have a few new listings like they wanted, and if you noted they are a rotarian, tack this along as what they will be doing for service club work in retirement here. Make them feel like they already live here. Show them what they don't see because they don't live here now..the stuff CNN, ESPN don't cover but you do on the local level. Hometown, simple, down to earth.

     And lastly, this is my favorite way to "show" the new real estate buyer who is a stranger to these parts what the area is like. Instead of making him read and a few images of the area, a few helpful links, video gets rolled in. Embed many local community videos, something for everyone in a buffet fashion and all they do on the other end is push play, sit back and they hear, see, get a feel for what the local Houlton Maine area is all about. Who is the person selling the real estate, reporting and keeping the prospect up to day with emails with attachments to these helpful blog posts..do a three minute video to tell them in your own words, so they can meet you. They want to know about churches, local banks, Maine moose season , the new Maine co2, smoke fire detector law beef up, which school system will my kids go to, so give it to them with a blog attachement of the videos in your emails. You don't have to rewrite these same FAQ answers over and over, attach the well written, link, image, video laddened blog posts to do it for you and save boat loads of time. You write them to reuse them and that drives lots of traffic to the Activerain blog beehive.

Maine, It's Just More Fun Here.

    

When you live in Aroostook County Maine, outdoor winter Maine recreation is a big deal.

Yesterday I slowed the Jeep as I passed Tidd's Sport Center, eyeing a row of multi colored snow machines..of "pre-owned"snowmobiles, and across the road, a ME potato farming operation was moving slowly across a field, harvesting gold spuds to store for the winter. 

     To live in Aroostook County, in the Houlton Maine area means winter is not a time of hibernation. Just one of the four seasons and for many, the one we like the most.

     Snow skiing, snow sledding, ice fishing, playing hockey with your kids on a lake on a sunny day, skating at a local arena friday nights.

     Maine is four seasons and winter is just one of them.

Light snow today so we think of the farmer in this image taken yesterday..and wonder if he has many more acres left to dig.

     Not going to dig our our Christmas decorations yet but hint of white stuff makes us think about snowsled trails, down hill and cross country skiing. I will have folks in Florida think it must be expensive to heat an Aroostook County home and I ask them one question. What is your monthly electric bill. A fellow from Tampa this week said roughly $450 a month...wow. That is expensive and when you heat with wood in Northern Maine, five cords of wood is pretty inexpensive heat. And you often cut, split and stack it with your family yourself from a family woodlot.

Not heating with wood now, but did for years back during the last oil embargo. It's a nice kind of heat. Gives you an inner glow, a good feeling to have a cellar full of wood for the furnace, for the fireplace. That feeling that everyone is going to be warm as toast this winter. Let it snow, I'm ready but just not trotting to the attic tonight to bring down the Christmas decorations yet. Let's get Halloween behind us first!

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers - Maine, If You Are Cold Winters, You Are Not Dressed Right.

    

Selling Maine real estate can be like a geography lesson at the same time.

A ME land buyer from Colchester Englandwants to own some property in "Vacationland". He and his wife have some Florida property and want to cover the corners..land some land in Maine. Maybe the corner of Washington state is the next target to buy. He told me Colchester England was the oldest recorded town in the Commonwealth, that was an extension of the Roman Empire, and the capitol of England before London. Relax class..there will not be a test, or surprise quiz on any of this.

The point is your real market is not the immediate area..it is worldwide. So your write ups, your videos, podcasts should have bits and pieces of the area weaved in to them. Don't assume everyone knows your area.

And in the process of telling them about the area in your copy, on camera and with your imagery...you brand yourself as the local expert for real estate, and for any questions about the local area you serve. The place you are excited about living, working, playing in.

     History lesson is over for today (bell ringing, books being folded shut, chairs squealing as they get pushed back and scramble to next class starts). This English land buyerwho made two offers today, who has seen the videos, full splash propaganda on acreage said the prices are sooo much lower and properties so much larger here in Northern Maine. Have had other European land buyers exclaim the same observation as they kick real estate tires on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Also, a three acre rolling lawn around a typical Maine farm would never be seen in England many report. That land is precious, would be growing vegetable and fruit to eat by the property owner. With  Aroostook County's 11 people per square mile (NJ is 1000, AK is 1), we have space, wildlife infested woods, unspoiled beauty and room to roam. That's what the overpopulated world is thirsty, hungry for. That's why local Maine community videois imperative to put Aroostook County on the map, to showcase the area, not just the property.

Maine, It's Serious Fun To Live Here. Find Your Piece Of Maine, Land, Farms, Lake Camps, Woods Cabins.

    

Northern Maine is relatively young.

In the case of Houlton Maine, Joseph Houlton cruised in just after the turn of the century in the early 1800's. The towns around Houlton are all pretty much square..6 miles by 6 miles with a exception of New Limerick, Ludlow and Cary Plantation which are 3 miles by 6 miles. Unlike southern Maine which is much older and different shaped as the large tracts became smaller out parcels as folks developed the area, northern Maine is square, very logical and straight forward in the layout of the local real estate. Houlton Maine to the east, is right on the Canadian border with New Brunswick, the gateway to the Atlantic provinces.

    

Bordering Houlton Maine on the north is Littleton, on the west New Limerick and Ludlow and to the south, Hodgdon.

The Houlton Maine school district of SAD 29 serves Houlton, Littleton, Monticello and Hammond Plantation. The population of Houlton is roughly 6700 and the bedroom communities around it have much smaller populations. The major shopping and industrial sector for Southern Aroostook County is in Houlton, the county seat. Aroostook County is the largest of Maine's 16 counties. For more on the Houlton Maine area. For local videos of the region. The Houlton region is served by HRH for medical services. Local youth help the Maine potato farmer harvest the crop, learning work ethic and earning money to help their family budgets at the same time.

ME Real Estate Broker Andrew Mooers - Maine, It's Not This Nice Everywhere Is It?

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