Mainebiz

V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 A P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 2 4 From the Editor E ven with fear over how the economy would respond to inflation, higher interest rates and labor shortages, the pace for the people in the real estate and construction fields has not slowed down in the past few years. Tony DiSotto, KeyBank's market president for Maine and Vermont, told me recently that he's tell- ing clients to be realistic about interest rates, advis- ing that they'll be "higher for longer" than we might expect. We all need to get used to that. And yet buildings are still going up. Plans are still being made. e housing market in Maine is still tightly wound, with too little inventory for an abundance of potential buyers and renters. e median sales price for a home in Maine has barely budged, staying at around $354,000. Potential buyers are still entering bidding wars for the best houses. On the flip side, Realtors are feeling the competition from other brokers. As Senior Writer Renee Cordes writes in our cover story, real estate professionals like Yulia Glasgow of Maine Real Estate Co. are increasingly turning to social media to build a following — and court potential clients. "For Glasgow and many of her peers, social media isn't just a hobby or creative outlet, it's an essential tool to stand out and generate leads in a competitive industry," Renee writes. "Whether they're posting new listings or closings or more per- sonal things like snapshots of pets, babies and vaca- tions, real estate agents in Maine and elsewhere are using media to promote their brand, stay connected to clients and find new ones." ey're also keeping tabs on what their peers and rivals are up to. Elsewhere in the issue, Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber checks in on the progress of a welcome center for Acadia National Park. See "New builds" on Page 20. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Real estate agents in Maine and elsewhere are using social media to promote their brand, stay connected to clients and find new ones. Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Get all the news every day at Mainebiz.biz or by signing up for the Daily Report and Real Estate Insider newsletters. Here is the top Mainebiz content from March 25 to April 8: 1. Do you support the proposed Gorham Connector, as it's currently planned, linking the town with the Maine Turnpike? (Poll question) 2. Vermont construction firm, bullish on southern Maine market, opens Portland office 3. Amid housing crunch, Maine hotelier opens 84-bed dorm for seasonal workers in Bar Harbor 4. Deer Isle restaurant ranks No. 2 among best in US, says Food & Wine; Portland is a top 10 city 5. Congress approves $42M for upgrades at 11 Maine hospitals 6. New manager of a downtown Freeport shopping center looks to increase visibility 7. Linda Bean, a Maine business icon in her own right, dies at 82 8. Cianbro brings its construction management group under A/Z brand 9. At Brunswick Landing, STARC plans to build new plant 10. New ownership at the Good Table adds zest to Cape Elizabeth eatery's comfort- food roots P ROV I D E D P H O T O / M A I N E T U R N P I K E A U T H O R I T Y 1 bernsteinshur.com Quality lasts. From your friends at Bernstein Shur. Congratulations to our client, Wright-Ryan, on celebrating its 40th anniversary. No slowing down for real estate and construction industries

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