News

CORE brokers sale of 14,000 s/f Grace Venue for $1.43 million

By NEREJ CORE negotiated the sale of Grace, a historic church and event venue located at 15 Chestnut St. The $1.43 million transaction closed on January 27, 2026. The buyer, Jedi Temple LLC, was represented by Josh Soley and Frank Carr of CORE. The seller was Boodilly, LLC. The sale was conducted through an auction process, with the winning bid coming in below the property’s appraised value. “We’re excited to help bring Grace into its next chapter,” said Soley, president of CORE. “This is one of Portland’s most distinctive historic structures, and it’s a place many people remember fondly from when it was active and full of life. Tanner will be an excellent steward of the property, and we’re thrilled to see it poised for a new era.” View the full article here.

March 13, 2026

Church-turned-event-venue buyer sees ‘beautiful building that needed a little bit of love’

By Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz The buyer of a church-turned-event-venue in downtown Portland has an eye toward increasing its visibility for weddings and other gatherings. Jedi Temple LLC bought 15 Chestnut St., adjacent to Portland City Hall, from Boodilly LLC for $1.43 million. The buyer was represented by Josh Soley and Frank Carr of CORE. The sale was conducted through an auction process conducted by Tranzon Auction Properties. “This is one of Portland’s most distinctive historic structures, and it’s a place many people remember fondly from when it was active and full of life,” said Josh Soley, CORE’s president. View the full article here.

March 9, 2026

CORE Builds a Brokerage Powerhouse with Five New Hires

CORE, the largest integrated commercial real estate firm in Northern New England, is pleased to announce the expansion of its brokerage team with the addition of five new brokers. This fall it welcomes Brady Saunders, Clay Hardy, Seamus Henry, Bennett Joseph, and Roan Hopkins to its sales and leasing team. “We’re building a dominant organization,” said Josh Soley, President of CORE. “We’ve been expanding across divisions in 2025 with new hires in our operations and management team in January and again in the summer, and now a focus on strengthening our brokerage organization.” “We have some of the most intelligent brokers in the industry,” he continued. “And we’re focused on developing a new generation of brokers, by bringing in new talent and investing in their growth.” Two of CORE’s newest hires originally joined the organization as interns. Seamus Henry first interned at CORE in the summer of 2023 and is now a licensed Associate Broker. “The atmosphere that CORE offers as an employer really brings you the motivation you need to work well,” said Seamus. “It’s a tough industry where it can be hard to succeed, but CORE has provided me with the tools and the people to help me develop from intern to associate broker.” Roan Hopkins is another new talent in the making. He is in the final stages of completing his real estate license while balancing a full academic load at Bates College. “The culture at CORE is genuinely collaborative,” said Roan. “Senior brokers share time, playbooks, and feedback, which accelerates learning. Also, the firm is execution-oriented: hands-on exposure to valuations, LOIs, and live pitches has made my development both fast and practical.”

October 31, 2025

Day of Porta & Co. and Soley of CORE broker $5.25 million sale of 17,600 s/f to North Yarmouth Academy

By NEREJ CORE, one of the largest integrated commercial real estate firms in Northern New England, and Porta & Company, a commercial real estate brokerage firm based in Portland, together negotiated the sale of 350 U.S. Rte. One. This 17,600 s/f commercial building was sold to North Yarmouth Academy (NYA) by 103 LLC for $5.25 million. Charles Day, partner, at Porta & Company represented the buyer, and Josh Soley, president, of CORE represented the seller. The deal, which closed May 20, 2025, was the result of an off-market listing. NYA plans to redevelop the property to expand student and faculty housing adjacent to their campus. Read the full article.

June 6, 2025

North Yarmouth Academy buys nearby building to expand boarding program

By Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz North Yarmouth Academy said it would expand student housing into a 17,600-square-foot commercial building it recently acquired for $5.25 million. The private school bought 350 U.S. Route 1 in Yarmouth from 103 LLC. Charles W. Day at Porta & Co. represented the buyer and Josh Soley of CORE represented the seller. The deal, which closed May 20, was the result of an off-market listing. North Yarmouth Academy plans to redevelop the property, which is less than a mile from its 148 Main St. campus, to expand student and faculty housing. The initiative is expected to allow the academy to attract students from around the country and the world and to develop new programs. Read the full article here.

June 4, 2025

$5.5M commercial real estate deal is one of Kennebunk’s largest

By Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz The $5.5 million acquisition of the Lafayette Center — a former mill turned office building in downtown Kennebunk — is one of the largest commercial real estate purchases in the town’s history, according to a news release. Tenants in the building include Tom’s of Maine, Kennebunk Resort Collection, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Duffy’s Tavern & Grill and Saltwater Home Interior Design. White Bark Property Management LLC bought the Lafayette Center at 2 Storer St. from Kesslen Mill LLC. David Jones and Thomas Gadbois of F.O. Bailey Real Estate represented the buyer and Josh Soley and Andre Rosignol of CORE represented the seller. For the seller, said Soley, the time was right to “simplify life.” The seller had owned the center for about five years, during which time all of the condos in the building were aggregated to put the property together as a whole. The seller also performed major improvements, including the facade and windows. Read the full article here.

May 15, 2025