Sierra Michie and the Center’s Real Estate Portfolio

The Northern Forest Center’s rural housing work has evolved from rehabilitating a handful of homes in Millinocket starting in 2018 into a regional initiative spanning four states. Today, the Center oversees 40 residential and commercial units in operation, with more than 26 additional homes under construction, all designed to address critical housing shortages and support vibrant rural communities. The Center’s real estate asset manager, Sierra Michie, helps oversee the day-to-day management of in-service sites. In this Q&A, Sierra explains her role and how she helps tenants feel at home.

As the real estate asset manager, what is your role in the Northern Forest Center?

I primarily oversee the portfolio of in-service properties owned by entities under the umbrella of the Northern Forest Center, which currently includes three multi-unit buildings and one mixed-use property in Millinocket, Maine; one mixed–use building in Lancaster, New Hampshire; and one mixed-use property in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
What aspects of the property portfolio do you manage?

I am closely involved in day-to-day operational management, including coordinating with building managers and vendors, ensuring rents are paid on time, overseeing unit turnovers, listing and advertising available units, and monitoring the financial performance of each building. I work to ensure properties remain within budget while maintaining safety, tenant quality of life, and overall comfort.

I also look for opportunities to provide an enhanced level of service that goes beyond what is typically expected from a landlord. Operationally, I help ensure that property managers follow established processes, standards, and expectations, while continually identifying ways to improve efficiency. These improvements support a better tenant experience and help reduce costs, creating more opportunity to keep rents attainable. The role requires balancing tenant satisfaction and care with sound business decision-making and responsible budget management.
Can you share a time or two that you were able to offer an enhanced level of service for tenants?

At 560 Railroad St., a nine-unit apartment building with two commercial spaces on the bottom floor, I was asked by two of the tenants if they could plant and take care of the flower gardens that are in the front of the building. Both ladies were previous homeowners and missed gardening in the spring and throughout the summer. Although we typically had a landscape company do this work, I worked out an arrangement with the two tenants so they could tend the gardens in front of the buildings for a small stipend from the Center. The gardens came out beautiful, and I am excited for the next time I visit the property to see how they have bloomed.

Also at 560 Railroad St., one of the tenants, Catamount Arts, was running into a recurring issue with the door locks. Catamount Arts has artists in residence who cycle through about every month, and it took a lot of time and management for Catamount Arts to consistently assist with lockouts, lost keys, jammed keys and new artists’ late-night arrivals. I found a solution by having the lock on the apartment door changed to an electronic keypad, which allowed access to any new artists arriving off a red-eye flight without a staff member present, and Catamount Arts staff members no longer have to stop what they were doing to help an artist who may have accidentally locked themselves out of the apartment.
What do you think the Center does differently in the housing it provides?

Working in housing development and redevelopment is challenging and requires creativity, problem–solving, and perseverance. The Center takes an entrepreneurial approach to addressing the need for housing supply in rural communities by pursuing complex projects in places where others may not see opportunity or may be hesitant to take on projects of that scale. The markets where the Center is building and redeveloping are often places where quality rental housing is limited, private builders may be reluctant to invest, and affordable housing options are typically restricted to income–based units. As a result, there is often a gap in the market for attainable apartments that are professionally managed, built sustainably, and maintained at a level of quality that tenants value.
What do you hope tenants experience when they live in a Northern Forest Center property?

I hope tenants experience a place that feels comfortable, safe, and well cared for. We want the day-to-day aspects of living in our buildings to feel as convenient and straightforward as possible, whether that means having easy processes for paying rent, knowing maintenance requests will be addressed promptly, or feeling confident that their building is being managed with their well-being in mind. We also try to be flexible and responsive when we can; if there is something reasonable we can do to improve a tenant’s experience or help meet them where they are, we make every effort to do so. Beyond the practical aspects, I also hope tenants find a welcoming sense of community in our buildings and feel that they are part of a place where people are respected, supported, and proud to live.
What is coming up that you’re excited about?

The nine-unit apartment building currently under construction on Park Street in Tupper Lake is on schedule to be completed by Labor Day, with full occupancy planned for the fall. I’m beginning to line up the property management operations and will be meeting with prospective property managers who can support that role. With a new building, the work doesn’t end once construction is finished. There are often lingering post-construction items and unforeseen obstacles to navigate that are unique to the building, but each of those challenges becomes a learning opportunity that can improve the quality and longevity of the building, as well as the experience for tenants. I’m excited to bring nine more units under my wing and begin building relationships with the tenants, the community, and the vendors who will help make the building’s operation successful.

New Apartment, New Chapter

Sharon and Seabury Lyon started a new chapter of their lives when they moved into the Center's newly renovated Gehring House. Read more: The Lyons share their experience living in Bethel, Maine.

Staff Contact

Sierra Michie

Real Estate Asset Manager

Cell: 603-833-9576

As the real estate asset manager, what is your role in the Northern Forest Center?

What aspects of the property portfolio do you manage?

Can you share a time or two that you were able to offer an enhanced level of service for tenants?

What do you think the Center does differently in the housing it provides?

What do you hope tenants experience when they live in a Northern Forest Center property?

What is coming up that you’re excited about?

New Apartment, New Chapter

Staff Contact

Sierra Michie

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