Real Estate & Elegant Maine Living - The Way Life Should Be

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever walked into a home and immediately felt something—like you could see your life unfolding there? In this episode of Elegant Maine Living , I sit down with Elizabeth Carper, founder of The Styled Home, one of Maine’s leading home staging companies. Elizabeth shares how staging has evolved in Maine, why it plays such a critical role in today’s photo-driven real estate m...

Send us Fan Mail A historic wealth shift is already underway—what it means for women, Maine, and the future of real estate. What does the great wealth transfer look like in real life—and how is it already impacting Maine? In this second half of my conversation with Amelia Dow, CEO and co-founder of Portland Trust Company, we explore the historic shift of wealth between generations and why women ar...

Send us Fan Mail In thie first half of my conversation with Amelia Dow, we explore the human side of wealth—how it’s built, how it’s managed, and how it’s thoughtfully passed from one generation to the next. If you’ve been hearing about the Great Wealth Transfer and wondering what it actually means for your family, your children, or your future in Maine, this episode offers both clarity and perspe...

Send us Fan Mail Moving to Maine Later in Life: Finding Community, Lifestyle, and Real Estate in Scarborough Episode Summary What does it look like to move to Maine later in life and intentionally choose a community that supports both connection and lifestyle? In this second half of Elise’s conversation with Karen Nelson, we explore how Karen and her partner Richard made the thoughtful decision to...

Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to begin a completely new chapter of life—and even find a new home—in Maine later in life? In this episode of Elegant Maine Living , host Elise Kiely sits down with Karen Nelson, a former healthcare executive who spent decades working in Boston’s leading academic medical systems, including Dana Farber and Mass General Brigham systems, before choosing to desi...

Send us Fan Mail In the second half of my conversation with Nanci Boutet, founder and executive director of Special Surfers, we explore how a simple act of generosity grew into one of Maine’s most meaningful community outreach programs. What began in 2003 as a request to take a few children with special needs surfing has become a nationally recognized adaptive surfing nonprofit serving thousands o...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to go hard — in Maine, in cold water, and in life? In this first half of my conversation with Maine surfer and entrepreneur Nanci Boutet , we explore how one woman helped reshape surf culture along the Maine coast and created space for women in a traditionally male-dominated sport. Long before founding Special Surfers, Nanci was an adult beginner who fell in love...

Send us Fan Mail In the first half of this special two-part conversation, I sit down with my friend and client Jane Wellehan , a member of one of Maine’s most storied families, long associated with Lamey Wellehan and Sebago Shoes. This episode begins with the story of a classic Maine family business —one built through hard work, risk-taking, and a deep respect for customers, employees, and communi...

Send us Fan Mail In the second half of my conversation with Jane Wellehan, we turn to a chapter many families will eventually face: selling a parent’s home and a beloved family vacation property while honoring memories, relationships, and legacy . Jane shares her experience of selling her father’s waterfront home in Yarmouth and later, the Pine Point beach house that had been in her family since t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Elegant Maine Living , I’m joined once again by Chris Lynch , Owner and Designated Broker of Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty , for a wide-ranging and thoughtful update on Maine’s real estate market. Together, we take a clear-eyed look at what’s happening nationally and locally—and, more importantly, what it actually means for people making real...

Send us Fan Mail In the second half of this conversation on Elegant Maine Living , Elise Kiely continues her discussion with Sandra Stone —former chair of Maine Angels , founder of C Cove Solutions, and a long-time advocate for entrepreneurship and women in investing. This episode offers a clear, accessible look at how angel investing fits into the life cycle of a company—after friends-and-family...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Elegant Maine Living , Elise Kiely sits down with Sandra Stone —former chair of Maine Angels , founder of C Cove Solutions, and one of the most influential voices in Maine’s entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem. In the first half of this thoughtful and inspiring conversation, Sandra shares her personal journey to Maine, how an unexpected first investment spa...

Send us Fan Mail In the second half of my conversation with Jill McGowan , founder of Jill McGowan and creator of The Great White Shirt , we move beyond origin stories and into the heart of what it takes to sustain a values-driven business over decades. Jill and I talk candidly about resilience—how setbacks are often as frequent as successes, and how her instinct has always been to focus on soluti...

Send us Fan Mail In this special bonus episode of Elegant Maine Living , I wanted to pause and gather something meaningful from the many conversations I have had over the past months with extraordinary guests across Maine. Throughout the podcast, I have had the privilege of speaking with community leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, nonprofit founders, outdoorspeople, creatives, and five remarkable y...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Elegant Maine Living , I sit down with Jill McGowan , founder of Jill McGowan and creator of The Great White Shirt . Jill is a Maine-based fashion entrepreneur whose work has quietly—and enduringly—redefined what timeless, well-made clothing for women can be. Jill shares how her path was anything but linear. After studying languages and international affairs and...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary In this month’s market update, I take you through what I am seeing nationally, regionally, and here in Maine—and what these trends may mean for all of us as we head into 2026. Instead of charts and long economic analysis, I offer a clear, narrative look at the shifts underway: why buyers remain cautious despite relatively stable interest rates, why home prices cont...

Send us Fan Mail In the second half of my conversation with Nicola Manganello , founder and principal designer of Maine's Nicola’s Home , we move from her early creative evolution into the heart of her current work: sustaining inspiration, building and leading a high-performing team, and navigating the complex process of designing high-end homes that are meant to be lived in, loved, and gathe...

Send us Fan Mail In the first half of my conversation with Nicola Manganello , founder and principal designer of Nicola’s Home in Yarmouth, Maine, we explore the remarkable path that took her from a small retail shop on Marina Road to one of Maine’s most respected full-service design-build firms. Nicola reflects on her early years growing up in a deeply entrepreneurial family—her father built Olym...

Send us Fan Mail In the second half of my conversation with Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, founder of Hearts of Pine, we explore the deeper story of how Maine’s first professional soccer club became a symbol of connection, identity, and shared purpose throughout the state. Gabe reflects on how Hearts of Pine continues to be built “from the inside out,” grounded in community input, Maine values, and a belie...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Elegant Maine Living , I sit down with Gabe Hoffman-Johnson , founder of Hearts of Pine , Maine’s first professional soccer club. Gabe shares the remarkable five-year journey—part vision, part endurance, and part community movement—that brought professional soccer to Portland. From a childhood shaped by both the game of soccer and a deep commitment to social imp...

Send us Fan Mail In this second half of my conversation with Chris Lynch , Founder and Designated Broker of Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty , we go beyond the headlines to discuss the real forces shaping Maine’s high-end real estate market today. We explore how cash and generational wealth transfers are driving demand, the enduring truth of Chris’s “three-legged stool” —price, con...

Send us Fan Mail Phrase of the Day: “Multiple truths can coexist.” In this episode, I am joined once again by Chris Lynch , Founder, Owner, and Designated Broker of Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty . Chris first appeared on Elegant Maine Living in Episodes 5 and 6, Leading in Luxury , and returns to share his perspective on Maine’s real estate market—where trends arrive last, if at...

Send us Fan Mail In this special and heartfelt episode of Elegant Maine Living , I sit down with five remarkable young women from Poland Regional High School who recently graduated after completing the three-year leadership curriculum through the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute . For the past three years, my co-mentor Timi Carter and I have had the privilege of guiding these students—Au...

Send us Fan Mail In this second half of my conversation with Chris DiMillo, owner of DiMillo’s Yacht Sales, we dive deeper into how he expanded his family’s Maine waterfront legacy — growing the yacht brokerage business beyond Portland to Long Island, New York and the eastern shore of Maryland — all while maintaining a culture grounded in hospitality, service, and relationships. Chris shares his i...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Elegant Maine Living , I sit down with my friend and client, Chris DiMillo , whose family name is synonymous with Portland’s waterfront. The word of the day is DiMillo —because that single name tells a story of hard work, family, entrepreneurship, and Maine grit. Chris shares his father’s remarkable journey—growing up on Munjoy Hill, leaving school at age 12 to...