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Happy Friday!

The highs today will stay in the 70s again, but don’t be fooled by those summerlike temperatures — Greater Bangor and Down East Maine have a chance to see their first frost of the season Saturday night. So take advantage of the warmth while you can.

Another round of showers will move into the state this afternoon, and a brewing storm could bring even more rain and wind next week.

This family bought a Bangor home after 15 years of renting

LaRae and Jordan LaBouff bought their first home in Bangor after moving to the area in 2011. They rented for 15 years until renting became so expensive. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

News about the housing market often feels relentlessly dire, so it’s nice to hear that someone got the home they wanted — and did it without stumbling into financial ruin.

That was the case for LaRae and Jordan LaBouff, who recently took the plunge on homeownership in Bangor after 15 years of renting in the city.

What pushed them over the edge was a realization that monthly mortgage payments might be less than their steadily rising rent. At the same time, they saw asking prices for homes leveling off and more properties coming onto the market.

Once they made the decision, it took just a few weeks to find what they wanted: a 146-year-old house tucked away in the lower portion of Bangor’s Little City neighborhood.

“It looks a little bit like the Anne of Green Gables house on Prince Edward Island,” LaRae LaBouff said. “It just felt like our style.”

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