**Maine
Building permits/total housing units: **0.14%
**Decline in building permits (2005-2011): **-77.09% (11th largest)
**Building permits 2011 YTD: **1,000
**Total housing units: **721,830
Maine has seen one of the largest decreases in building permits in the past six years. This is not surprising as home sales in general declined substantially. Home sales for June 2011 decreased 21.39% from June 2010, according to the Maine Association of Realtors. The state’s median sales price also decreased 1.37% over this same period. According to numbers from the Census Bureau, Maine has the highest vacancy rate in the country, reaching 22.8% in 2010. However, this number also includes empty vacation houses.
It’s only the beginning. Baby Boomers are downsizing and out of the market. The glut will continue to grow for years.
Times are so hard in most areas that the local builder and realtor associations have been forced to cut their payroll and layoff hundreds of state legislators.
Jim, after 45 years in the Building Industry, I never thought it would become like this and find myself in a Naval Ship Yard to maintain.
My Father told me when I was a kid that I would see something similar to what he saw in the depression years.
This is as close to what he saw as I want to get.
To old now to seek a long term Employment anywheres. No one wants you at 60 years old. No matter how much you know.
I wish all the luck for my kids and the kids coming up to fix what my generation has screwed up. 
Change.
With no hope?
I don’t think the change was for the better Joe. No one wants to work today unless it has a joy stick or screen with buttons. :)
Time to move Marcel.
That is the beauty of having 50 states.
I’m sure somewhere, somebody, can use your talents.
Hard to leave a place called Home Mike. Even Dorothy wanted to go back to Kansas. :mrgreen:
Believe me I understand.
If we didn’t have most of our family here, we would move.
Marcel,
I hear you my friend same here, the worst I’ve seen it in my 43 years in this business it is terrible, to think the working man as become a endangered species. This world is a disaster to think we worked so hard to end up like this.
Everything runs in cycles. If you can hang in long enough for it to change back to better times, you’ll be fine. However, who knows when it will change again, but rest assured it will change (for the better). I’m firm in my belief that this time next year we will all be in better times.
Oh don’t be sissies you two. Give away all your crap and move to a place that has a better economy. You’ll feel like a teenager. It’s so much fun!
If you want to come out here and look around you can stay with me, I have a very nice guest room with it’s own full bath.
That offer goes out to any InterNACHI member, even if you just want to come out for a vacation.
I won’t be able to spend much time entertaining you, but hey, the price for the room is right.
I am already giving it away Nick through the housing market values dropping daily and my Mutual funds going down daily. I got nothing else to give away. :)
Come visit out here. My guest room is all yours.
That is a very generous offer Nick, Thank you for that. :)
It stands for any member. Even if you just want to come out for fun. My guest room is all yours.
Colorado has always been a place I wanted to visit Nick, but next year, my Time Share will be used to bring the Family and grandkids to Disney World.
In two years, I might just use my time share to go to Colorado and visit Inachi.
Hope some of the Members take you up on the offer Nick.
Hope the economy is treating you good in your area more so than here. :)
Wow, nice offer, sounds like fun, I just have a few more things to load up on my new truck 
Fantastic Please keep us posted how your Vacation goes should be extremely interesting …
Love it … Roy