Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 7 S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 9 Portland high on real estate investors' list e Portland area seems to be on the minds of many potential home buy- ers from outside Maine. e metro area ranked No. 6 among markets whose properties attracted the high- est share of views by out-of-state visitors to realtor.com, according to a news release. In Portland-South Portland, 51.9% of viewership was from outside Maine, the realtor.com data show. e real estate website compared listing visits during the year's second quarter in the country's 100 largest metro areas. e Portland- South Portland area was the only one in the Northeast to crack the top 10. e most common origins of visitors to Portland area proper- ties were Boston, New York and Worcester, Mass., representing 37.1%, 12.8% and 3.3% of non-Maine viewer- ship respectively. e median price of properties viewed by out-of-state home shoppers was $346,334, while the median home price of listings vis- ited by Maine viewers was $325,000, according to realtor.com. Charleston- North Charleston, S.C., drew the most attention from beyond state limits, with 59.8% viewership. HUD awards $4.6M for affordable housing e U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $4.6 million to support affordable housing throughout Cumberland County. e funding came from HUD's Community Development Block Grant program, Emergency Solutions Grants program and HOME program, according to a news release. Cumberland County will receive $1.5 million through the Community Development Block Grant program; Portland will receive $1.9 million through the Community Development Block Grant program, $160,873 through the Emergency Solutions Grants program, and $1 million through the HOME pro- gram. e Community Development Block Grant program provides annual grants to state and local government to develop urban communities by provid- ing housing and a suitable living envi- ronment and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons. S O U T H E R N Ellsworth startups have a big year A year ago, Mainebiz Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber profiled startups at Ellsworth's Union River Center for Innovation. Since then, one of the firms, GenoTyping Center of America has expanded to a site in Waterville. A second company mentioned, Pro31 Cleaning Services, now has 30 employees and is already out- growing its new headquarters in Southwest Harbor. SP ONSORED BY FUN FACT A year ago, WEX Inc. had not yet moved into its new headquarters on Portland's waterfront. Another company that will soon have a neighboring headquarters, Covetrus, was only in the early stages of a merger with Henry Schein Inc.'s Animal Health business. Together, WEX and Covetrus represent more than $5 billion in annual sales. South Portland | Augusta Enjoy the personal service of a regional firm with the depth of experience of a national firm. With Wipfli, you gain the valuable insights and support you need to achieve your goals. Go Beyond the Ordinary at wipfli.com/maine LOCAL ROOTS. GLOBAL REACH. • Tax, audit and accounting • Cybersecurity and risk advisory • Business advisory solutions • Technology software solutions N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N Maine Audubon in Falmouth awarded $13,000 in grants to Portland Public Schools teachers through the Foundation for Portland Public Schools. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to the Maine Medical Center in Portland to support the health care needs of asylum seekers.

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