Dana Moos

The Portland Press Herald did a piece yesterday that in part read "Maine is where Americans want to be; they just don't know it...The American Dream circa 2009 are places where you can imagine yourself with a stuffed garage - filled with skis, kayaks, soccer equipment, hiking boots and boating equipment. It's a place where spectacular natural scenery is visible from medium-density residential neighborhoods. It is a place that is car-dependent and spread out but at the same time a place with a strong cultural identity, a place with at least the promise of friendlier neighborhoods, slower lifestyles and service-sector employment. These dream places, Brooks (New York Times columnist) contends, are where Americans can have it all: the machine and the garden. Sounds a lot like Maine to me - at least from May through October...."

The article goes on to talk about the summers in Maine and not having to live in one place all the time and having the option of career and seasonal mobility. And I wanted to point out by my winter photos that we do not have constant grey skies! So how does this relate to the homes at VOE? Beautifully. Because the project is both a year round community as well as a summer destination with a rental management option for the vacation home buyer. It's the best of both worlds for me (who loves Maine year round) and snowbirds alike.

This is a "branded calendar" created by Marti Garaughty - a very talented AR member with amazing graphics! He's not only a blog artist but an artist with beautiful paintings with great movement.

I am trying to think of a great sort of tag line to use with this graphic in an email blast...If anyone has any great ideas on how best to utilize this, I'd love to hear it!

You think you might have a pretty good idea what type of inn or B&B is ideal for you. However, coming from experience, I can tell you that if you keep an open mind, your options will be much greater and results possibly much more successful.

If there exists the perfect property, it's often rare to find. But don't let that concern you. What you need to focus on is each aspect of innkeeping and its importance to you:

• Owner's Quarters (size, space, location, privacy)
• Number of guest rooms (fewer could make for a "hobby" B&B, more rooms greatly affect the business and income) which leads to the next point...
• Is this a hobby or a required source of income for you? Or somewhere in the middle?
  
• Location of the property - do you prefer land and space in a secluded or rural setting? Or in-town? Understand that there are benefits to each, in the right location
• Is the property in a primary, secondary destination or a pass-through town? Again, there are benefits to all.
• Does the property offer options to expand into other revenue streams if you so desired? Space for retail, selling tote bags embroidered with the inn's logo, etc.
• Do you have a crazy desire to run a restaurant (like me) where you could offer guests dinner in your lovely, intimate dining room? What about a beautiful weekend brunch, for guests as well as the public? Does the property have the space to convert to restaurant, a commercial kitchen or space for it? Parking? If open to the public, would the town benefit from it?
• Can you convert the property to your style? Many times buyers are afraid to do this or don't have the vision, but there are ways of accomplishing this successfully to suit you and your guests
• Don't let properties without all private baths deter you. Look at it as an opportunity to enhance the property and maybe combine two rooms to create a suite at a higher price. Depending on the setup, modification may not be that difficult or expensive.
  
• Seasonal vs. year-round properties: Seasonal meaning you can operate your inn during the 6 month period common to the area, or would you prefer a more steady income stream over 12 months? There are pros and cons to each side (like many, I assumed after leaving the corporate world and not wanting to manage people, I wanted a property small enough for me and my husband to run with only housekeeping staff. So we worked furiously every day without a break, and took 6 months off. It's like a light switch without a dimmer - completely ON or completely OFF! WORK HARD, PLAY HARD. And we loved it. But that's not for everyone. Maybe having a year-round property has the potential to bring in more revenue, allows you to hire employees looking for annual work, not summer work (even if it's not 40 hours per week) and maybe you're able to take a day or two off every week.
• Enjoyment. Ask yourself: Will I enjoy the use of the property?

When considering the price of listings on the market, talk with the agent about the options of each property. I have several properties at the moment that are well priced, several that have a very realistic potential to increase revenue substantially, some that will immediately provide a good income and some that have fantastic owners quarters (the latter of the two will naturally be higher priced) and even a few with a combination of them all. Some properties in the higher range will have a very strong revenue which affords staff and therefore allows the owner to take more time off than a lower priced property. Weigh what matters to you most. But realize that you might have to compromise here or there.

When considering price range, just be concerned with having the cash down payment. If a property is performing, the banks will often be willing to lend more and risk more since the revenue is there from the start.

An experienced agent should be able to help you understand the benefits and the potential of each property, with eyes wide open.

Wouldn't this be a fun way to welcome a client to their new property by some hand dipped chocolate strawberries? And on the plate "Welcome to your new home" or "welcome new innkeepers"!!!!!! It's an inexpensive but very thoughtful gift. Melt the chocolate wafers (you can buy them in containers from the grocery store ready to melt). and pour into a clear plastic squeeze bottle. When cooled down to warm, not hot, so it will set up when you begin to write (and not run), then decorate away.

This plate was from my inn (we always offered them for birthdays, honeymoons and anniversaries)...

I think there are a lot of people out there (myself included) who did a lot of surfing and dreaming but were scared to actually take that leap. Our webstats show a lot of traffic, especially on Mondays, since chances are, life changing decisions often happen on weekends!

So, here's the loaded question - what are you waiting for? Maybe you're uncertain about how to invest your money? Or about the future of your money? Or about the future of your job? Let me preface this by saying that I am not an economist. But historically and generally speaking, real estate has been a more stable long term investment...domestic tourism in general doesn't drastically change, particularly in popular tourist destinations...it's certainly a buyer's market at the moment...you're tired of the corporate life...you want to be in control of your own destiny...you enjoy various degrees of entertaining...of course, in Maine, where you're surrounded by natural beauty...so who wouldn't want a job where every day is gratifying? Okay, do you see where I am going with this? Innkeeping is a job, investment, home and lifestyle wrapped in one...

What are your thoughts? I'd love your comments...