A Nevada couple bought a home in Sequim, and there’s no doubt that they are two of my favorite people in the  whole world.  Having lived in the Nevada desert myself, we had some things in common.  Bob and Dorothy were retired and told me they thought of Sequim as a great midpoint between the hot dry desert of Nevada and the cool green mountains and rivers of Alaska, where they often spent time with family.

I love working for clients from out of the area and representing them as their Buyer’s Agent.  We communicated for several months by email and on the telephone before they arrived, and by the time they got here, we already had filtered through a lot of homes to narrow down the MLS listings to eight good possibilities.

I loved how we communicated by email, because Bob and Dorothy each had some fascinating questions along the way.  For example, one of Bob’s questions was, “This is going to sound like a odd question, but I know Seattle is pretty liberal, but what’s Sequim like?  Liberal, conservative, or what?”  And one of Dorothy’s questions that made me laugh was, “Is there a scrapbook making club in Sequim?”

Bob said he had some things he wanted in their Sequim home, but he was flexible.  He wanted a two car attached garage, and he wanted a shop or at least enough acreage to build a shop for his RV and wood working tools.  His main theme was, “I could live in almost any home, but Dorothy wants a nice kitchen.  She’s got some ideas, and she says she’ll know it when she sees it.”   When Bob said that I looked at Dorothy for her response, and she kind of bobbed her head back and forth with a hint of a smile on her face.

As we walked through each home, we would talk about its features.  Mostly I listened.  Having only seen the online photos and virtual tours (on two of the listings that had tours), Bob would comment that some of the homes didn’t look at all like the photos, and Dorothy was more emotional in her responses.  “This house doesn’t speak to me,” she said about one house.  And about another house she said, “This kitchen doesn’t feel right.  I can’t do this.”

Bob was apparently more left brained than Dorothy, because he would say about a garage, “That’ll work,” or “Not deep enough.”  Brief and to the point.  I guess that was a function of his background as a CEO of a corporation.

About midway through our tour of the eight homes, we did talk about the possibility of them having a home built if they couldn’t find the right location and floor plan, but it was the seventh house that hit the mark.  As soon as we drove up, Bob and Dorothy both started nodding their heads in approval, and when we walked in the front door, they both went silent.  And then they began to examine the house like a fine art museum.

Dorothy slid her hands across the marble countertops in the kitchen as she imagined herself cooking dinner and practically living in the kitchen every day.  I could almost see the gears turning as she quietly moved around the kitchen and dining room and living room.  She told me later she was feeling like she was home and she was just taking it all in.

Bob watched Dorothy and he mechanically went through the other rooms giving his approval for this feature and for that.  We ended up sitting on the large leather sofa in the living room and just relaxing for a few minutes while Bob and especially Dorothy just soaked it up.  Brazilian hardwood in the living room and hallways, a classy tile in the kitchen with marble countertops and custom built cabinets, a grand master bedroom with a walk-in his and hers closet, a bathroom with a large shower with tile and high quality hardware and a large deep tub with jets.  The five acres is level and all irrigated with a commercial underground system.  And a fishing hole within walking distance.  Almost too good to be true.

After some negotiating, and a few contingencies and some due diligence, Bob and Dorothy bought their dream home for $460,000.  Are they happy today, months later?  Absolutely.  You would think they arrived in Heaven already.  Were there some challenges and some stress along the way?  Yes.  But nothing we couldn’t handle together.

I help retired people find the home they expect to live in the rest of their lives.  Their castle.  I love what I do, and I really like my clients, too.  Of course, Sequim is an amazing place to live.

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I live in California where the sun is bright and the flowers bloom,
Where highways are byways, and mudslides and fires consume.
I live in the masses and the overpasses and I promise it’s full to the brim,
Oh, can you imagine how I long for the paradise known as Sequim?

I seek and I search for that perfect little perch,
And I know in my heart, satisfied will be my thirst,
When at last I find my dream home in that one place never grim,
My home, my destiny, my retirement dream, yes it’s Sequim.

Night and day I travel the Internet superhighway,
I look, I long, I sing a song, but where oh where will I stay?
I love the trees, the mountains and the sea, and I love to swim,
So why am I here in California and not in Sequim?

I know that I know that I need a Sequim Buyer’s Agent,
But I wait and I wait, did I say I procrastinate?
Where oh where will I find that ideal buyer’s agent, I’m stuck.
Alas, a Google search of “Sequim Buyer’s Agent” answered–it’s Chuck.

Chuck Marunde, J.D.
Sequim Buyer’s Agent
Sequim-Real-Estate-Blog.com
chuckmarunde@gmail.com
360-775-5424

An early photograph, much earlier.

Call or email me today.

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I love being a Sequim Exclusive Buyer’s Agent.   Today was another busy day, but it was a good busy.   This morning I wrote and submitted an offer on a lot for clients intending to build their retirement home.   Tomorrow we will know whether the seller accepts, rejects, or counters.   I represented my clients as their Sequim Exclusive Buyer’s Agent.

I followed up on some post-closing paperwork on two houses I sold and that closed last week.   One sold for $449,000 and the other for $425,000.   I have to say that my clients in both cases are incredible people and a tremendous pleasure to work with.   There were many many details involved for both of those transactions, but all went smoothly all the way through closing.   (I’m a detail person and having been an attorney helps to make sure all the T’s are crossed and all the I’s are dotted.”)

I also touched base with another party, because I submitted an offer two weeks ago on a house that is a short sale for just under $325,000, and we are still waiting impatiently for the bank on the east coast to render their written approval of the price.   The bank will suffer a significant loss on that transaction.   Short sales are a pain, because we have to deal with banks that move slower than snails.

And last, I did a walk through for some out of state clients on their purchase of a nice home in Sequim that closes tomorrow.   This is a gorgeous custom home with a back yard that would make any Master Gardener salivate, or at least want to get their hands dirty.   It sold for exactly $325,000.

All things considered, it was another beautiful day in Paradise for this Sequim Exclusive Buyer’s Agent.

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I just realized that not everyone knows how I can represent them as a buyer’s agent.   Of course, I can represent a buyer who finds a home for sale in the MLS listed by another agent, and I cost my client nothing, since the seller pays the real estate commissions.

And I can represent a buyer who is purchasing a home in a foreclosure or in a short sale.

I can also represent a buyer as a consultant if they already have a contract signed and they are unrepresented.

In all of these cases, I cost my client absolutely nothing.   You’ve got to love that.   You get an experienced Realtor with 20 years of real estate law practice to boot.   And free!

I hope I have the privilege of working with you.

Chuck Marunde, J.D.
Realtor/Broker
chuckmarunde@gmail.com
360-775-5424

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Are you buying Sequim real estate?   More and more consumers are becoming aware of the potential and obvious conflict of interest when a Realtor represents both the seller and the buyer in the same transaction.   Is it legal?   Yes.   Can it be done?   Yes.   Is it a good idea in most cases?   No.

A recent lawsuit over the inherent conflict in dual agency was filed in Massachusetts by Josef Blumenfeld against his agent and the broker.

“The lawsuit contends that Mrs. Fabrizio violated the letter and spirit of the Dual Agency Agreement,” explained Mr. Blumenfeld. “Both the buyer and the seller of the house we bought in Natick were represented by Hunneman brokers. Under Massachusetts law G.L. Ch. 93A, Hunneman is obligated to treat both parties equally, not advancing the cause of one client to the detriment of the other. It is my contention that Mrs. Fabrizio saw the seller of the house that my wife and I wanted to purchase as a more valuable long-term client, and did all she could to ingratiate herself to him, forcing us to bear additional economic harm and expense.”

Enough said today on this subject.   Buying a home in Sequim or Port Angeles?   I would love to represent you as your exclusive buyer’s agent.   Twenty years as a real estate lawyer and now a broker, I will bring what you need to the table to negotiate the best price and terms.   Email me or call me at 360-775-5424.   I’m Sequim Buyer’s Agent Chuck Marunde.

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Finding and working with a Sequim or Port Angeles Realtor is the first most important goal a buyer has.   Wouldn’t you like to know from an insider’s perspective how a buyer could make the most of working with a Realtor?   It’s not quite what most people assume it is.   So here’s a little tip for buyers from California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas (and elsewhere) who are planning to buy a home or land in Sequim or Port Angeles.

Finding a great Realtor certainly involves some due diligence on your part, and you can do so much research on the Internet now. That can help narrow down the short list of Realtors you may want to work with.   But I want to share something with you that you may never have read before.

If there is one thing that Realtors really wish they could convey to buyers from out of state, what would that one thing be?   A good way to answer this is with a real life example.   The following is part of an email I received from a client I’ve been communicating with for months via email.   We were about to meet after she scheduled an appointment.

First, apologies for canceling our last meeting. . . . I did end up in Port Angeles after all but only briefly.   I was able to meet up with another Realtor (only time for one) at [broker name deleted] who showed me a few properties.   She was very nice but I don’t think I will choose her as a buyer’s agent and am looking forward to meeting you and I will call you and set up an appointment.   I don’t mean to seem fickle, but I’m looking for an agent who will help us negotiate prices.

Perhaps just reading this email already broadcasts to you what concerns me.   This person and I have been emailing for months.   I’ve been responding promptly to her questions, and we’ve had some great exchanges.   She’s had an opportunity to review my blogs and websites, and she is aware of my experience, which includes 30 years in real estate, 20 of which was as a real estate lawyer, and now a full time Realtor and Broker.   I’ve negotiated hundreds of transactions.   She knows all of this.   So when I got her email, I was not surprised, but I was disappointed.   She clearly knew she was being fickle as she mentioned it herself.

Imagine someone making an appointment with a dentist after talking with him for months, canceling the day before by phone, and emailing the following day saying, “Sorry I had to cancel our appointment, but I had something come up.   I did get a chance to come to town briefly, and I met with a dentist just down the street from you.   I don’t think I’ll hire him either.   I’m looking for a good dentist.   I’ll call to reschedule our appointment.”   Or try the same line with an auto mechanic or your Chiropractor or any professional.   It will not go over well.

Selecting a Realtor is an important task, your first most important task in finding and buying your next home.   Do your due diligence by reviewing their online resumes of course, and interview them on the phone or in person if you have the opportunity.   That’s all good.   But don’t play one against another in such a way that shows disrespect.   A Realtor deserves to be treated like a professional.   Due your due diligence, and then hire one.   Respect the others by calling them and telling them you chose another Realtor and thank them for their time.   Hire one and work with that Realtor, and be committed to working with that Realtor.

This is the key to a successful and happy relationship with your Realtor from the beginning all the way through closing.   Believe me, as a Realtor I certainly will pour out my heart and soul for every client who makes a commitment to work exclusively with me as a buyer’s agent.   I don’t ask for much in return, but I do ask for loyalty and commitment.   That’s a two way street.

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Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC has uploaded gigabytes of real estate information for you all at absolutely no cost and no registration requirements.   Another Sequim video courtesy of Realtor Chuck Marunde.

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The way real estate is bought and sold is dramatically changing, and new business models are evolving in the brokerage business.   A hybrid is developing.   There are many reasons this is true, but  some of the reasons are related to how buyers find and purchase real estate and how buyers are represented.

Joel Stern found out the hard way about dual agency and the conflict that cost him a lot of stress and a wheel barrel of money.   The following is from an article that was published in the International Real Estate Digest by Pat Rioux.   I emailed with Joel about this, and there’s no question that this is a nightmare scenario you do not want to go through.

He only found out two weeks after his offer was accepted that she [his agent] was actually working for the seller on the home he chose to purchase. That is when his brother, a commercial real estate broker with over 40 years’ experience, reviewed his purchase contract and alerted Joel to the fact that Thomas had signed the disclosure form as the seller’s agent.

Joel thought he had a buyer’s agent but he then came to understand how he was initially told to bid $50k over asking price, paid $16K over asking price on a home listed by his buyer’s agent boss, put a $34K deposit in escrow that he cannot get back and waived his contingency to sell his own home first which was listed by his buyer’s agent boss.

For Joel, the cavalier attitude of the regulators, the industry, the media and consumer groups only aggravates his feelings about the lawsuit. He feels betrayed by what he perceives as a “wall of apathy” and thinks the real estate agents ignore or flout “rules regarding timely and accurate disclosure of their status thus depriving clients of honest and competent representation.”

Joel should not be expected to know about agency relationships and the need for an explanation of the agents’ roles in his transaction. The disclosure form must be provided by the agents. That is the law. The burden is on the agents to discuss the issue with consumers. Perhaps a lawsuit could have been avoided if Joel had been provided the necessary disclosures about the agent’s role in his real estate transaction.

I believe this is about   much more than just a written disclosure, although that certainly would have put Joel on notice.   I think a buyer needs his own agent, representing his interests and not the interests of the seller.   I strongly recommend all buyers find an agent they can trust to represent their interests.     Dual agency is a conflict, in my humble opinion.   Remember, too, experience in an agent does count.

There are many more reasons we are seeing new business models evolving for real estate brokers.   We’ll discuss more of these reasons and how consumers, especially buyers, are the main beneficiaries.

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You’re on your computer in California, or maybe you’re in Arizona or Nevada right now looking at homes on the MLS in Sequim or Port Angeles.   “Darn it,” you say to your spousal unit.   “There are no photos of the back of the house or the rec room or the garage or shop in this MLS listing either.”   As your beloved multi-tasks from the kitchen, you hear this soft response, “Well, honey, we’ll just have to wait ’till we get there to see the rest of the house.”

I have good news for you.   You don’t have to wait until you get here to see more of that house or the property.   Email me or call me, and I’ll go take some additional photos for you.   I find that clients really appreciate being able to narrow down their search as long as they are fully informed, and that includes good photos of the whole house and property.

I love photography, so I try to capture good photos for my own clients, but let’s face it, most Realtors are not trained in photography or the use of software and the Internet to edit and upload good photos.   A look through the MLS and the photographs that are posted will quickly demonstrate that point.

I’m here as your Sequim Buyer’s Agent or your Port Angeles Buyer’s Agent to help you filter through the available homes in the inventory, so when you get here you don’t have to waste your valuable time looking at homes that simply don’t match your criteria.   Want more photos?   Let me know.   I’ll be glad to help.

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Yesterday I showed houses to a client from California.   We had a great day.   The sun was shining brightly without a cloud in the sky in Sequim and Port Angeles, and I always have fun looking at houses with my clients.   We toured eight houses.   For those hunting for a home here, this might be especially entertaining.

Of course my client had been using my online MLS search, and he had narrowed his search from 800 homes to less than a dozen with specific parameters, such as three bedrooms, his geographic preference, 1,800 square feet or more, and the price not to exceed $270,000, but the age of the house and the condition of the house were not limited in our MLS search by my client’s choice.

We started with the older homes as a matter of convenience in mapping out our driving route.   The first home was built in the 1920’s, and just trying to figure out where the original kitchen was located and how many additions there had been in the past 80 years was itself quite entertaining.   Once we got through the spider webs in the old slab garage, we played the game of guessing when concrete floors were added and how old the decomposing wiring actually was.   Price:   North of $230,000

The second house was built in 1913.   Touring this house was like going back in time before WWI.   Walking across the floors was an exercise in maintaining balance, since one side of the living room must have been two or three inches higher than the opposite corner.   The windows of that era were small, which meant the house did not get a lot of natural sunlight.   Staircases were narrow and steep.   I cautioned my 12-year old daughter, who came along for the fun, against bumping her head on the way down the basement stairs (and she’s only 4′9″).   Closets and the crawl space “were scary” according to my daughter.   Price:   Above $170,000

The third house was built in 1964, and like the others, was vacant.   The 1960’s were an interesting time in architecture:   dark brown panelling, small kitchens, cheap fixtures, square rooms and narrow hallways.   On top of that, the driveway was so steep, it made me nervous thinking about my car rolling down and into the living room of the house across the street.   According to my daughter, “the bathroom sinks were gross.”   Price:   Over $200,000

The fourth house was tucked in the trees and we almost didn’t see the sign.   We felt a bit uneasy walking down the walkway, which obviously had not been maintained since 1942.   But that wasn’t our greatest excitement with this house.   As soon as we entered, we immediately began to feel nauseous.   Have you ever walked into a home with the strong pungent odor of cat urine?   No sale.   Price:   Over $160,000   (Good luck selling this one!)

The fifth, sixth, and seventh houses are too boring to write about here.

The eighth house was a 1970’s style with add-ons and a makeshift apartment.   There were rooms and doors in odd places.   Apparently for someone this was the ideal home.   That someone would not be my client.   My daughter had no opinion at all on this home.   That concerned me.

At long last we arrived at a brand new home.   It was a spec home built by a builder who had kept building long after the recession started.   Everyone wondered what he was doing, building houses like it was 2005, but he had a line of credit at his bank, so he kept building.

It was a relief to walk through a home with a modern floor plan with the fresh smell of new wood and carpet.   While this home was what I would call “mid-level” quality in materials and construction, it was definitely much easier to imagine this one as home, rolling on the floors with the kids and dog, or relaxing in the bath tub off the master bedroom.   Finally, my daughter gave her nod of approaval.   How did my client feel?   This could be home.   Price:   South of $270,000.

Have you had any good entertainment lately?   Tour anyone?

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