Buying a home in Maine

Maine's effective property-tax rate is about 0.903%of a home's value per year, about the same as the U.S. average of 0.888%. On a $500,000 home that's roughly $4,515 a year.

Full Maine property-tax guide →

Maine involves an attorney at closing, and Maine levies a real-estate transfer/deed tax of about 0.44% — customarily split-paid. $2.20/$500, uniform, split ½/½; +$3.80/$500 surcharge on value over $1M (eff. 2025-11-01). 36 M.R.S. §4641-A. On a $400,000 home, estimated closing costs run about $9,332–$13,432 on top of your down payment.

Full Maine closing-costs guide →

Maine runs a housing finance agency with first-time-buyer help: down-payment assistance, below-market first mortgages, and mortgage tax credits.

See first-time buyer programs in Maine →

What you can afford depends on your income, debts, and down payment, not just the home price. Maine's property taxes above feed straight into the monthly payment lenders measure against your income.

Enter your numbers once and see your real affordability range, debt-to-income, and rent-vs-buy break-even for Maine:

Home Buying Steps walks you through the whole process, from checking if you're ready to getting pre-approved to closing day, one clear step at a time, tailored to Maine where the rules differ.

• 1. Are you ready? — budget, credit, rent vs. buy
• 2. Get your finances in order — pre-approval
• 5. Making an offer — earnest money & contingencies
• 10. Closing day — every cost, line by line