Yearly Archives: 2013

Fearing a setback for financially strapped homeowners and for the slowly improving housing market, Attorney General Janet T. Mills is urging Congress to extend tax relief for distressed homeowners into next year.

Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills will be convening her Foreclosure Working Group on Thursday, November 14 at 3 PM in Augusta. The panel consists of members representing homeowners, mediators, counselors, realtors and financial institutions. The Working Group will meet to continue discussing residential foreclosures and what steps can be taken to improve the process

For many Maine homeowners the arrival of chilly temperatures means filling their home heating oil tanks. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is reminding homeowners to reduce the likelihood of a home heating oil tank spill by taking measures to protect the environment and their fuel investment.

Commissioner Anne L. Head from Maine’s Department of Professional and Financial Regulation issued a reminder about the October 31 annual-report filing deadline for fuel dealers who registered earlier this year to offer pre-paid contracts this heating seaso

Contrary to media reports, touring the beautiful areas of Maine is not threatened by the shutdown of our federal government. Acadia National Park may be closed for a short time, but the Bar Harbor and the Downeast region - as well as the rest of the state - is still very much open.

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Municipal Planning Assistance Program announced that it is seeking applications for a new round of coastal grants for FY 2014 totaling $205,000. The grants are administered by the Maine Coastal Program, and are for municipal and regional projects in Maine’s Coastal Zone. The two types of available grants covered by this announcement include: Coastal Communities grant, and Shore and Harbor Planning grants

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded $419,557 in federal grant funding to the State Veterans Home in Scarborough. The grant will help cover renovation costs for the facility's heating and air conditioning systems, rooms, and windows

Today, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee voted to approve seven omnibus bills, which incorporate thirty-four pieces of legislation addressing a number of issues, including the disability claims backlog, foreclosure protections for veterans, research and treatment of tinnitus, advanced appropriations, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) planning and budgeting

Augusta, Maine - July 23, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Janet T. Mills reminds Maine homeowners to be wary of door-to-door sellers using high pressure tactics to sell home repair services, paving jobs and other goods. Maine has three statutes specifically intended to regulate door-to-door sales and to protect consumers from high pressure tactics. In many cases, door-to-sales require a state license and a three day waiting period.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 14, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said today that Maine will get $21.2 million under the Affordable Care Act to help seniors and people with disabilities get longterm care at home.

AUGUSTA - June 4, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The practice of ‘robo-signing’ documents that led to widespread abuses by national mortgage servicing companies led to a landmark $1.5 billion settlement against five of America’s largest firms. About 1,379 Maine residents will begin receiving checks today that average approximately $1,480

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 23, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME) today introduced legislation, cosponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), that would recognize and promote the economic and environmental benefits of biomass thermal energy. TheBiomass Thermal Utilization Act of 2013, or BTU Act, would amend the federal tax code to incentivize biomass energy, as it already does for several other forms of renewable energy. Currently, a host of renewable energy technologies qualify for investment tax credits for capital costs incurred in residential and commercial installations. This legislation seeks to achieve parity between those renewable systems and thermal biomass systems

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 17, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- A workshop to provide landlords with information on the federal Fair Housing Act and the Maine Human Rights Act is scheduled for May 28 simultaneously in Bangor and Presque Isle

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 29, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Two workshops providing landlords with information on the federal Fair Housing Act and the Maine Human Rights Act are scheduled for April in Augusta and Westbrook.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Events rescheduled for Tuesday, March 26 Because of the pending storm, the MaineHousing Board of Commissioners is postponing its Tuesday, March 19 meeting and two scheduled public hearings until Tuesday, March 26.