Sell Your Commercial Property In Androscoggin County, ME

Who rents in Androscoggin County

Renters head 15,088 of the 46,953 occupied households in Androscoggin County, a 32.1% share in the 2020-2024 ACS. Owners hold the remaining 31,865 households. Lewiston alone accounts for 7,863 renter households, 52.1% of the Androscoggin County total, while Auburn adds another 4,224, or 28.0%.

Lewiston's renter share of its own households reaches 48.8%, well above the Androscoggin County rate. Auburn's renter share is 40.9%. Both cities run tighter rental vacancy than many New England metros, and 14.9% of Androscoggin County housing units sit in 5+ unit buildings, concentrated mostly inside Lewiston and Auburn city limits. Androscoggin County's median year-built figure of 1969 points to an older housing stock overall, while Lewiston's multifamily buildings date closer to 1957, reflecting the city's mill-era apartment construction.

Rents, growth and affordability

Median gross rent in Androscoggin County rose 31.0%, from $771 to $1,010, between the 2015-2019 and 2020-2024 surveys. Median household income climbed faster, up 26.8% to $67,873, narrowing the affordability gap only slightly. Population grew 5.4% to 113,423 residents, adding 5,821 people.

Renter households fell 7.3% even as rent and income rose, a sign that some renters in Androscoggin County became buyers or left the rental market. Units in 5+ unit buildings grew just 1.0%, adding 78 units, which helps explain why rental vacancy sits at only 1.6%. Employment rose 3.4% to 56,430 workers over the same comparison period.

HUD's FY2027 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Androscoggin County towns is $1,677, effective October 1, 2026, well above the county's $1,010 median gross rent. Rent burden affects 51.4% of Androscoggin County renters, who pay 30% or more of income toward gross rent.

City-by-city comparison

Lewiston and Auburn anchor the Androscoggin County rental market and sit just across the Androscoggin River from each other. Lewiston posts the higher renter share and apartment density; Auburn runs a slightly higher median rent but a smaller 5+ unit stock.

Lewiston's median gross rent of $986 runs below the Androscoggin County figure of $1,010, while Auburn's $1,041 runs above it. Lewiston's 29.6% share of units in 5+ buildings nearly doubles Auburn's 15.9%, reflecting Lewiston's denser mill-town housing stock. Both cities post rental vacancy under 2%, tighter than many comparable Maine markets.

Property taxes and assessment in Androscoggin County

Maine assesses commercial and rental real estate at just value under 36 M.R.S. Section 701-A, recognizing only legally permissible present land-use alternatives for the parcel. Each Androscoggin County municipality, including Lewiston and Auburn, runs its own assessing office and sets its own mill rate, so the rate on a specific apartment building depends on which town it sits in.

A sale in Androscoggin County can also trigger Maine's real estate transfer tax of $2.20 per $500 of value under 36 M.R.S. Section 4641-A, split evenly between buyer and seller, with an added $3.80 per $500 above $1,000,000. Maine caps residential security deposits at two months' rent under 14 M.R.S. Section 6032, and landlords must return deposits within 30 days of a written lease ending, which buyers will want reflected in your tenant files. Pull the current assessed value and mill rate from the relevant town's assessor before you price an apartment building here.

What this means if you sell in Androscoggin County

When you sell commercial property in Androscoggin County, ME, you sell into a tight rental market. Renters hold 32.1% of households, rental vacancy sits at 1.6%, and rent has climbed 31.0% since the 2015-2019 survey. Buyers will test your rent roll against that same scarcity, especially in Lewiston, where 29.6% of units already sit in 5+ unit buildings.

Taxes come next. Each Androscoggin County town sets its own mill rate under Maine's just-value standard, and a sale can trigger the state's $2.20-per-$500 transfer tax. Maine's rent control picture is not settled at the state level, so check local ordinances for the property's specific town before you set terms.

As a multifamily buyer in Androscoggin County, we review 5+ unit buildings across Lewiston, Auburn and surrounding towns as they stand today. Send a current rent roll, a T-12 and the latest tax bill, and we will price the building on those numbers.