The Maine Home Show continues today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston. The ticket price is $5 for adults, children 17 and under get in free with an adult.

For more information: http://www.mainehomeshow.com

LEWISTON — How to save energy while heating a home, how much a new, 10-horsepower snowblower costs and how to buy and rehab an abandoned house were among the questions home show goers asked Saturday.

During the first day of a two-day Maine Home Show at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee, some 65 vendors answered questions about products and services, including custom window treatments, granite countertops, landscaping with stones and energy-efficient homes.

Joey Parent of Lewiston came looking to save on home-heating costs. He was interested in an outdoor wood furnace to heat his home. “Over a period of time, it would save me,” Parent said.

Rebecca Roy of Auburn, who owns property in Buckfield and is planning to build an energy-efficient home, had a list of vendors to check out.

“I’m looking at insulation, seamless gutters, green energy,” she said. Roy said her house will be built on a southern exposure to get the most use of solar panels and minimize energy costs.

Tiffany Ramsdell of Fayette said she was browsing, looking at appliances and new windows. “I’m getting a lot of ideas,” she said.

At the show’s entrance, Paul Lapointe of Lapointe’s in Lewiston stood behind an array of snowblowers.

“People are getting reminded they have to prepare for winter when they see all these snowblowers,” he said. People asked about prices, warranties and financing, he said.

The snowblower buying season began early this year, Lapointe said.

“On the hottest days in August, we were selling snowblowers,” he said. That’s because last winter was severe and he sold out of everything, new and used. “The demand’s been really high this year on snowblowers that are 8- and 10-horsepower.”

Garnett Johnston of Hammond Lumber said his business is selling to those building new homes and those tackling smaller projects, such as new windows and doors or adding a deck or garage.

Jon Mercier of Maine Source Homes of Poland said his company was talking to customers about modular homes that are energy efficient and come with things such as insulated foundations.

Brendan Fontaine of Reliant Mortgage of Auburn and Auburn contractor Matthew Fournier gave a workshop on how to buy an abandoned or foreclosed home, rehabilitate it and have a property worth more than what was invested.

The number of foreclosed homes in Maine is far smaller than places like California, Nevada and Florida, Fournier said.

Still, there’s a big inventory — “more than ever before” — of abandoned homes in Lewiston-Auburn, Fontaine said. Citing one example, he talked about a home worth $100,000 that was bought for $50,000 and needed $35,000 in improvements. In a case like that, “you have instant equity,” Fontaine said.

His workshop, which will be repeated today at 11 a.m., offers suggestions on how to find those homes and financing.

Home show organizer Travis Dow said Saturday’s show saw a steady flow of traffic with some lull periods. “We’ve had some people who have gotten three or four new accounts or jobs from being here,” he said.

There hasn’t been a home show in Lewiston-Auburn for several years. Dow is considering making it an annual event.

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