For more than six months, Chris Lavoie has tried to sell a condominium in Portland’s West End, a desirable neighborhood with historic buildings and a short walk from award-winning restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries, breweries and shops.
At 515 square feet, the one-bedroom condo under construction at Onejoy, a 12-unit development off Brackett Street, qualifies as micro-housing — a hot trend among some buyers, particularly young professionals or empty-nesters. The price — $208,700 — is actually lower than what comparable condos have sold for in the neighborhood, even in the same building. And it’s being marketed at a time when the real estate market in Maine’s largest city appears to be firing on all cylinders.
“I can’t get traction on it,” said Lavoie, who created a separate web page for the unit.
Such is the plight of the real estate agent tasked with selling Portland’s first newly built price-restricted housing unit to result from a 2015 affordable housing ordinance.
Avesta Housing is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1972 – © Copyright 2022 – Avesta Housing – All Rights Reserved
Design & Development by NORTHEAST MEDIA COLLECTIVE