Re a house in Old Orchard Beach: In real estate, location is everything. Is this your very favorite place to end up? If so, go check it out now. You can always make a low-ball offer, and leave it to the ghods. In the book
The Bucolic Plague, the Beekman Boys made a very low ball offer for the mansion they fell in love with - and got it. I enjoyed their story, plus the follow-on fact that they, years later, won the Amazing Race on TV and were able to retire the mortgage. I don't know what it takes to add insulation to old stone houses, however.