Naples, ME

Driving south from the Naples causeway on Rte 114 in Naples, Maine you'll soon pass the Naples Country Club and Golf Course and , bearing left, you'll travel along the west shore of Brandy Pond. For the next mile or so, before you get to the Sebago Lake State Park entrance, you can find some of the nicest summer vacation homes around.

When most people think of a summer vacation home in Maine they think of sparkling, clear water, a nice flat lot with sandy beach swimming, a dock for a boat, open views of the water from a screened-in porch, a golden, natural pine-paneled interior, and a fireplace to help take the chill off on cool summer evenings. Such a place currently exists - and it's for sale!

Just a mile from Rte. 302 and the Naples Causeway you'll find this tidy, white clapboarded camp with adjacent bunkhouse just waiting for new owners to make some memories here. With plenty of lawn area surrounding it, three bedrooms and that bunkhouse for sleeping, there's plenty of room to have the whole family here to enjoy the clean water and beauty of Brandy Pond. Indoors or out, this property is situated for maximum enjoyment.

Brandy Pond is all about water recreation whether it's swimming, water skiing, wakeboarding, canoeing, or kayaking. If you lack some of the toys, there are three marinas on this pond who would be glad to rent or sell you whatever you may need to best enjoy this marvelous body of water. And don't be mislead by the word "pond" - Brandy Pond is 740 acres in size, larger than many so-called lakes in the area.

When (and if) you tire of beach and boating head for the Naples Golf Course - within walking distance! A few steps farther find Steamboat Landing mini-golf - fun for the whole family. At the Causeway you'll find retaurants and shops, seaplane rides and jetski rentals - or just walk along the sidewalk and enjoy the view down Long Lake. Of course, no visit to Naples is complete without a ride on the Songo River Queen sternwheel riverboat.

So, the location is great, the amenities superb, and the property is just what so many desire in a Maine vacation home by the lake. Priced at $399,900, it may well hit a sweet spot in your wallet as well as your heart! This is one property that will make a sound investment as well as a great vacation home you can enjoy for many years to come.

For more information or to set up a showing just call Jon Whitney at Mr. Lakefront Keller Williams at 207-671-7595 or email him at jon@mrlakefront.net.

The Sebago Lakes Region Area and especially Naples, Maine, is getting ready for a blues infusion. The 5th Annual Maine Blues Festival will take place on the shores of Long Lake and Brandy Pond on Fathers Day weekend. Mike McClellan says, "Over 40 bands, over 20 locations, all throughout beautiful Naples, Maine." The event showcases talented Maine bands performing simultaneously on multiple stages throughout town.

The fun starts on Friday, June 18th at 7 p.m with a Warm-Up Party at seven different venues from the Freedom Cafe to the Songo River Queen II to Point Sebago Resort.

Saturday is Maine Blues Festival Day. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the festival and can be purchased at Bray's Brewpub and Eatery, Bullmoose Music Stores and mainebluesfestival.com. Online ticket sales end at midnight on June 15.

This year's entertainment kicks off at noon on the Naples Village Green with a performance by longtime blues jam host, Luther James, who will offer his own "distinctive brand of ‘slow burn' electric blues."

It's a family-friendly event and most venues are within walking distance of one another. Free shuttle buses will run throughout the weekend.

Festival headliners include The Delta Knights, Poke Chop and Other White Meats, The Sensations, Jimmy and the Soul Cats, Dave Mello, Trailer Trash, I.C. Waters, Bonnie Edwards and the Practical Cats, Paradise Alley, Gate Street Blues and Deja Blue. An All-Star Blues Jam hosted by New Blue Revue will last from 9 p.m. till closing at Bray's Brewpub and Eatery.

Fathers Day Sunday means a Cool Down Party from 11-5 at four venues, including two blues cruises aboard the Songo River Queen II. Blues artists will also perform at Freedom Cafe, Bray's Brewpub and Eatery and the American Legion Post #155. And some lucky person will win a Fender Stratocaster Guitar donated by Buckdancers Choice and signed by the artists.

Check the Web site for more details. Then come to Naples to usher in the summer season with a mix of Chicago blues, East Coast blues, jazz, swing and R & B. And while you are here, be sure to make time to explore the Sebago Lakes Area and take a look at lakefront property.

Search for lakefront properties in Naples, Maine

If you haven't kept up with the situation in our Maine Lakes News Digest, a blatant shoreland zoning violation has taken place on Long Lake in Naples.

Peter Lowell, executive director of Lakes Environmental Association, explained it to me this way in a recent e-mail: "Early this spring, over 120 feet of shoreline on John Chase's property on Long Lake was clear cut, stumped and leveled. The lot was previously undeveloped and fully forested with a mix of large evergreen and hardwood trees. After being alerted, the local Code Enforcement Officer [of Naples] and the Maine DEP staff walked the site with the landowner. A plan was then developed by the landowner to re-vegetate the property with three foot hemlocks, six foot deciduous trees and a mix of shrub species all under 18 inches in height. The plan also calls for all the shrubs to be cut back 1/3 in height at the time of planting. The hemlocks are also primarily on the side of the cleared area, leaving a fairly open view of the water."

Storm water runoff is the main way in which phosphorus enters the lake. Phosphorus makes algae grow, reducing the clarity of the water, causing an unpleasant appearance and depleting the oxygen supply sufficient to maintaining a healthy fishery. Directing runoff into a vegetated area to slowly percolate into the lake allows natural factors to remove the phosphate.

Healthy buffers are our last defense in the effort to preserve water quality. These riparian buffers are vegetated zones of land rather than green golf-course like lawns adjacent to the water. The buffer acts as a filter by absorbing water that is often laden with pollutants, sediments and nutrients that are harmful to the lake. Vegetation also helps control erosion.

According to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's Web site "In order to maintain water quality, protect wildlife, and to preserve the natural beauty of shoreland areas, it is important to maintain naturally vegetated shoreland areas. Studies have shown that the removal of natural vegetation and the subsequent conversion of the land to unvegetated surfaces, lawns, or other uniform vegetative cover fails to adequately protect water quality, mostly due to phosphorus and nitrogen runoff (nutrient runoff). An increase in the concentration of phosphorus within a lake of just 1 part per billion can result in a noticeable decrease in water quality."

The situation on Long Lake goes beyond the immediate shoreland buffer. The unstablized area beyond the 100-foot setback area will also impact the buffer's effectiveness. It will take three to five years at least for any tree canopy and ground cover to become fully established and stabilized on this property.

Is the plan to mitigate this violation appropriate? Look at the photo above. Will the forest be re-established? Not for a long, long time.

The Naples Shoreland Zoning Ordinance contains the following: "All new construction and development shall be designed to minimize storm water runoff from the site in excess of the natural predevelopment conditions. Where possible, existing natural runoff control features, such as berms, swales, terraces and wooded areas, shall be retained in order to reduce runoff and encourage infiltrations of storm waters."

Under "Clearing or Removal of Vegetation for Activities Other Than Timber Harvesting," the Ordinance states: "Selective cutting of trees within the buffer strip is allowed provided that a well distributed stand of trees and other natural vegetation is maintained." And further on: "In order to protect water quality and wildlife habitat, existing vegetation under three (3) feet in height and other ground cover, including leaf litter and the forest duff layer, shall not be cut, covered, or removed, except to provide for a footpath."

The Naples Selectboard needs to sign off on a mitigation plan and consent agreement. Peter Lowell says they have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the current replanting plan. The DEP and Lakes Environmental Association is working with them in an effort to rectify this and achieve the goals set forth in the DEP's guidelines, state law and the Naples Shoreland Zoning Ordinance. These groups are seriously committed to protecting water quality.

Apparently, the current owner either is uninformed, ignorant or careless about good lakefront land stewardship. Respecting the lake and protecting the value of your lakefront property is an investment.

Natural beauty and clean, clear waters are a commodity in Maine. When you purchase lakefront property, you should have a consultant well versed and familiar with the Maine DEP and town regulations assist you in determining what you can and cannot remove from your lot. Think of the long-term viability of your plan. Think about protecting and improving the water quality of your lake and its watershed for the benefit of all.

Search for lakefront properties on Long Lake

Back in 2003 I met with an elderly gentleman who purchased his lakefront camp (or what folks from Massachusetts call a "cottage"), back in 1962. He was a former IBM salesman - a pretty big deal in the 1960s.

He purchased his Sebago Lake summer home for $12,000. Now 41 years later he was selling. Although lovingly maintaining the home for 40 years, he had made no major repairs, improvements or expansion to the humble structure. We listed the home for $549,900 and it sold for $529,900.

I asked him what he thought of his investment. He told me that he enjoyed 40 fabulous Maine summers and, added jokingly, earned a half million for his trouble.

He described to me the history of his investment. He said that although the trend was always up, the path was cyclical or one of peaks and plateaus. The property would go through a 5-7 year period of rapid appreciation, what he called peaking, and then level off or plateau for 5-7 years. Then it would once again start a peaking cycle. The last peaking cycle was the period from 1998 to 2005. The present plateau cycle began in late July, 2005 and here we are, 5 years later in late April, 2010, probably closing in on the end of a plateau period.

You may be wondering why I would write about my experience with the IBMer, now, seven years later. Only to illustrate how markets move in cycles and that buyers and sellers sometimes need a longer view to keep a proper perspective.

This week I received a phone call from a buyer of lakefront property. He inquired why a new listing had disappeared from my website. I told him that it was under contract and no longer available.

He was stunned. He said he had been looking for just the right place for over 2 years and that the place was not only perfect but priced right. I asked him why he didn't make an offer. He said that he felt there was no rush to do so and that if he waited the price might go down.

Folks, we may be nearing the end of a plateau. Lakefront buyers have had it great for the last five years but, as we know, all good things eventually come to an end. The end of the greatest buyers' market we have seen in our lifetimes may be near.

So, dear lakefront buyers, if you see something that you like and it's priced right, buy it.

By the way, the property that the buyer missed out on because he was waiting for the price to go down? It was on the market for a week and sold for cash at the asking price. True story.

Great boating opportunities await on Brandy Pond in the Sebago Lakes Region. Located in Naples, Maine, Brandy Pond is the middle of three interlocking lakes that cover more than 35,000 acres and has long been the link between Long Lake and Sebago Lake. The pond, at 733 acres with a maximum depth of 44 feet and an average depth of 16 feet, was originally called the Bay of Naples.

Search for lakefront properties on Brandy Pond in Naples

Today, lakefront property owners will find three full service marinas on the Brandy Pond: Causeway Marina, Moose Landing Marina and Naples Marina. Boat rentals, slips and gas are available at these marinas. Or you might enjoy a seaplane ride from North Country Scenic Rides, located on the Causeway. If you are looking for seaplane flight instruction, turn to Naples Seaplane Service, tucked into a cove on the pond.

A different mode of transportation on the pond, the Songo River Queen II, a replica Mississippi paddle wheel boat, travels from Long Lake to Brandy Pond and down the Songo River to the lock a couple of times a day during the summer season. Kent Uicker, owner of the Songo River Queen II wrote to me, "This upcoming year will be the last year for the Songo River/Lock cruises on the Songo River Queen II. After that, beginning with the 2011 season, the SRQ II will be permanently docked on the Long Lake side of the bridge and [will] be doing public cruises and private charters on Long Lake exclusively." This is because a new fixed bridge, high enough for regular boat traffic, will be installed by the state.

If you prefer to paddle your own boat, kayaks are rented and sold at Sebago Kayak Company, on the Causeway.
This rather small pond is dotted with cozy cottages and year-round homes. Unlike the busier Sebago Lake, Brandy Pond is fairly calm. A harbormaster enforces boating safety. Activities including water-skiing and fishing are prevalent. Anglers are known to hook landlocked salmon, brook trout and brown trout, as well as bass, perch, pickerel and more.

On the Causeway, you'll find places to dine including the Tiki Bar and Grill, Rick's Cafe and Freedom Cafe. Or you might walk up to Bray's Brew Pub for a Brandy Pond Blonde Ale. Golfers will enjoy playing a round of golf at the Naples Golf and Country Club, which overlooks the pond.

Just imagine tucking yourself into the pines that surround Brandy Pond and enjoying the sunset views across the lake. Leave your car in the driveway and take your boat to town, where you can tie up at the pier and walk to the restaurants, shops and other conveniences.

Chute River, the area's shortest river, connects Long Lake to Brandy Pond. The river flows under the swing bridge on the Naples Causeway. Access from Brandy Pond to Sebago Lake is through the historic Songo Lock and Songo River. The Songo Lock was built on the river about 1830 to allow passage of boats from Harrison to Sebago and on to Portland via the Oxford-Cumberland Canal. This was the primary commercial and recreational travel route during Maine's early development. Though one can no longer travel via boat to Portland, the connection to the two larger lakes still gives boaters an opportunity to explore more than 35 miles of shoreline.