When Hunter and Hayley Arsenault sat down to close on their new home, they signed their names countless times and turned to their infant son, Calder. “Hey, we're doing this for you, buddy.”  

Jan. 17, the Arsenaults were the first family to close on a home in Boothbay Region Housing Trust’s (BRHT) affordable housing development. It’s the first of five anticipated closings for Alexander Way, marking a milestone for the development that broke ground in 2023.  

“It was extremely meaningful and pretty emotional for me to tell you the truth. They were overwhelmed with joy,” said Tyler Tibbetts, the Arsenaults' realtor. From contractors to members of BRHT and the bank, Tibbetts said many who were part of the project came to the closing. “There wasn't a person in that room not smiling when the last piece of paper was signed. It was pretty tremendous.” 

BRHT President Debrah Yale said buyers are picked by lottery, and all but two of the houses have closings in the next four weeks. When BRHT opened the process in November, she said they received over 40 calls in 48 hours. She said there were over 145 inquiries from locals and people from as far as California, Colorado and Arizona.  

Ultimately, there were 20 applications for the homes. Yale said all applicants have local ties, and those who are closing represent a mix of demographics and diversity. “All the applicants that are currently under contract to buy homes, they're thankful and they're grateful and they're excited and they are just happy to know that they will be a permanent resident here in the community,” Yale said.  

Yale said the sale is an important step for BRHT and a town that hasn't had a new development in over three decades. The development is made up of seven three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes, each priced at $287,000. Yale said the price was set by federal and state rules; and the offers couldn't be “a penny over.” She said the price was bound to median income of Lincoln County when the grant was released, around 2021. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and Maine Association of Realtors, the 2021 median household income in Lincoln County was around $62,000 and median home price was $351,000; the latest figures are around $72,000 and $510,000, respectivley. 

Yale said seven homes provide some relief, including the rentals they open up, but she recognizes that regional housing is still a significant concern, and many could not benefit from the development. She said BRHT is working with Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission and other groups for a bigger impact across the county. 

“There is a great need in the peninsula for all types of housing. Seniors, people that have retired or they want to downsize, or (those who) need a single-level home,” she said. “There is (also) the group that we weren't able to reach, and that's people with an even lower pre-qualification for a lending.”  

Tibbetts said he doesn't know the future of affordable housing here, but the experience made him want to get involved. “I can tell you right now that the folks that I met, the spirit of them and their grit, I was like, 'This is an organization I'd love to be a part of in the future because on the consumer side, on the back end of this thing, it was pure gold.'"

Tibbetts also said the price point isn't attainable for everyone and, in other towns, it's people's top dollar. However, he said there is nothing like it in the local market, and the demand is high. He showed houses in the development to seven clients, all who work in the area or want to live here but couldn't afford it.  

“This is a price point that is needed here,” he said. “For (a) brand new (home with) town utilities, walking distance to town, and you're keeping young people here. I mean, they'd swim across the harbor for it.”