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V O L . X X V I I I N O. I X M AY 2 , 2 0 2 2 30 R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / E N G I N E E R I N G e number of Airbnb listings in in Maine reached 20,000 in October, up from 12,500 in 2019. The Portland market Portland has 700 total units registered as short-term rentals. Of those, 208 are owner-occupied, 386 are non-owner-occupied. Another 22 are tenant-occupied on the main- land and 84 are island rentals. "ere has always been a very large summer rental market," says Chris Lynch, owner of Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty in Portland. "Right now, I don't see an increase in people buying investment properties to rent. at's in large part because some cities and towns have regulated short-term rentals and sev- eral are talking about it." Short-term vs. long-term e short-term rentals may also be affecting a longtime staple of Maine's economy, the long-term renters, including rentals occupied by year- round workers. "Plenty of people do it just because they can, and they maybe don't need the money as badly as someone needs a long-term rental," says Scott Horty, owner of Camden Real Estate Co. "e people who need to work can't find rentals, so then businesses can't find people to work. It has a cascad- ing effect." Small town efforts and tiny home options B y J e s s i c a H a l l Rockland has been chipping away at the affordable housing crisis bit by bit with zoning changes and efforts to make it easier for developers to build in the city. Auburn, Bath, Belfast and Camden all have been making changes to encour- age development and more housing options. A grassroots group from the midcoast is forming a regional land trust to tackle workforce housing. "We're still at the early stages of tackling this housing problem. We have years of work into it and while we've seen some progress, I don't feel we're that far along yet," says Nate Davis of the Rockland City Council. "But we all need to keep chipping away at the problem." e passage of the affordable hous- ing legislation will give municipalities grants and technical assistance they Portland, ME | 207.773.7100 | dunhamgroup.com Supporting a Client's Growth with the Right Property Patrick Ducas and Sam LeGeyt Finding the right space for Ducas in Maine's competitive industrial market required the strong relationships and in-depth market knowledge that LeGeyt and the industrial team at The Dunham Group are known for. The opportunity for Ducas to build exactly what he needed at The Downs — with space for his business and two other tenants — was a worthwhile risk. LeGeyt locked down tenants within six months of Ducas breaking ground. Patrick Ducas was looking for a new space for his growing business, Ducas Construction, so he turned to a broker he trusted, Sam LeGeyt. SITE TO SUCCESS. S E B A G O T E C H N I C S . C O M Everything we do is shaping. From land and relationships to careers and communities. We exist to do this work together, with our team, our clients, and with our community. We are all shaping Maine, together. PROUD TO BE 100% EMPLOYEE-OWNED CREATIVE ENGINEERING COLLECTIVE MAINE'S F O C U S » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 2 8

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