PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 22, 2021
Between November 2020 and January, the number of units sold in Maine was nearly 30% higher than the same period a year ago, before most people had heard of COVID. Prices increased by nearly 20%. The numbers are even higher in some especially hot areas. This can be a good trend for Maine. Families moving to Maine, buying houses, paying taxes, sending children to school will build communities. But home prices are already too high for many Maine wage earners. Waiting for the free market to find equilibrium won’t solve their problem. It will take intervention on the state and local levels to create land-use and closely related transportation policies that make housing affordable for everyone who wants to live here, including those who are here already.