Just the Facts: April Sales Down -- Prices Up.

The Maine Association of Realtors reports home sales were 12.2% lower in April 2007 than last year. The median sales price for the 921 Maine homes sold in April reached $201,000, an increase of 5.79% from April 2006's median sales price of $190,000. The median sales price indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half for less. Nationwide, April's sales were down 11.2% compared to last year. According to the National Association of Realtors, the national median existing single-family home pricers dipped 0.9% to $220,500 in April. In the regional Northeast, sales were down 8.8% and the median existing single-family home price was $283,600, down 0.6%.

How to Talk Yankee

Visitors, traveling the back roads of Maine, stopping at a country store, or a farm stand or a yard sale, quickly pick up on the fact that Mainers have their own lingo. They use words not heard in other states and use pronunciations that are unique and sometimes difficult to understand. It is not only remarkable that these localisms have survived, but that they are delivered with unusual brevity and a dry humor that's hard to grasp at first.

From "ayuh" (yes) to "daow" (emphatic no), for those interested in learning more about the language of Maine, we would refer you to "How to Talk Yankee" by Gerald Lewis. See our Publications section.