How to buy a home you can sell . . . what kind of title is this, and why on earth would you want to buy a home you can sell?  So glad you asked.  This question is far more important than most people realize.  In fact, many people don’t even think about selling when they are buying, but when you buy you definitely want to know that you can sell your home if you ever need to.  Let me explain why this article could put $10,000 or even $50,000 in your bank account some years from now.

How to Buy a Home in Sequim

How to Buy a Home You Can Sell

You may be buying your last home, or at least you might phrase it that way as many retirees who move to Sequim do.  You might be thinking that you want a home that is your personal idea of the perfect retirement home.  That’s all good, so why should the question about how to buy a home even come up?  Because the reality is that many retirees don’t live in Sequim the rest of their lives.  The number one reason people sell their homes in Sequim is to move closer to their children and grandchildren.  That often happens after 4 to 7 years, and that means you really do need to be able to sell your home, should you decide to move.

The other reason people sell their homes in Sequim is because of health reasons or because of the death of a loved one.  Don’t you want to be sure that your spouse can sell her home if she needs to should you die first?  We can all answer that in the affirmative, but it is amazing how many buyers design and build a home that no one else will want to buy, or they buy a home that is not readily sellable.

How to Buy a Home That is Sellable

You really can buy (or build) a home that is sellable.   This morning I showed a couple a home on five acres with an old barn that is still in excellent condition.  There is a nice mountain view and this is a great location.  The problem is the home.  The prior owner, who I suspect is a carpenter or contractor, remodeled an old one bedroom farmhouse.  While the quality of his workmanship is unquestionably great, the floor plan today in the remodeled state is a disaster.  No retirees want to pay over $500,000 for a one bedroom home that is only 1,000 square feet.  While this might be an extreme example, it makes the point.  Don’t buy a home with an unusual floor plan that 95% of retirees will never buy.

How to buy a home is a question that I urge you to consider as you search for your Sequim retirement home.  You may live here the rest of your life, but many retirees end up trying to sell their homes.  Right now there are literally hundreds of Sequim homes on the market that retirees cannot sell, because the homes are so unique they don’t appeal to the vast majority of qualified buyers in this market.  What buyers want is not that complicated, but this is why hiring a local full time and experienced real estate agent is a good idea.  I’ve written many articles on this blog describing exactly what the majority of buyers are buying in Sequim.

If I can help you resolve the question about how to buy a home in Sequim that you can sell if you need to, just email or call.

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This Sequim log home is precisely midway between Sequim and Port Angeles off Blue Mountain Road.

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Nearly everyone uses high speed Internet now in their homes.  In fact, buyers of homes and land are now asking their Realtor, “Does this property have high speed Internet access?”  This morning as a buyer’s agent I drafted an offer on a five acre parcel in Sequim with a stunning panoramic view of the Olympic mountains.  In an addendum my client ask me to include this language:

Buyer shall have as part of the feasibility study, an opportunity to confirm that parcel xx currently has Internet available through either cable (WAVE Broadband), or DSL through telephone lines.

In years past buyers of either homes or land never gave this a thought, but we are living in the Internet age, and the Internet has become a vital research and communication tool.  The Internet is important to almost everyone for research on products or services, and it is often the quickest way to order and receive a product not easily found on a local store shelf.  Consumers are shopping for the best prices, too, and the Internet is very friendly to consumers.  And buyers are definitely using the Internet to search for homes and land.

In the Sequim and Port Angeles areas you have some options, depending on where the real estate is located.  WAVE Broadband has installed cable in many areas here, which can include not only high speed Internet but also T.V. and even telephone.  Where you don’t have WAVE cable installed, you most likely will have high speed DSL Internet over a regular telephone line with Qwest.

One way to find out if WAVE has installed cable on a vacant lot is to look for their cable box.  It is typically located adjacent to the large electrical box, which is usually on the corner of a lot.  It is a light green colored container about two and a half feet tall and about nine inches in diameter.  These boxes are not labeled.  It doesn’t say WAVE or cable.  But inside the box is a cable about 5/8″ in diameter coming out of the ground and connected to a little junction box with standard cable threaded connections.

Of course, if you are buying  a home, it probably already has Internet and you can see that immediately, but with vacant land, unless there is a neighbor who already built a home and can tell you what their high speed Internet service is, you may have to do some due diligence, and maybe even include a clause like the one I drafted above in your offer.  Let’s face it, if you’re buying a lot in Sequim or Port Angeles, it would be a major disappointment if you bought the land and built a house but found out the only Internet you could get would be dial-up.  Eghad!  We all need high speed Internet.  Right?

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Location is everything when it comes to homes and land.  At least that’s what I learned in real estate long ago.  You’ve heard the cliche, “What are the three most important things in real estate?  Location, location, and location.”  It must be true because my buyer clients almost all tell me the very first consideration is location.  They want a nice location, a nice piece of property, and then they want their dream home on that location.

Clients know when the location is bad.  In the few minutes we are driving up to a home, they immediately have feelings that are positive and warm, or negative and uncomfortable.  The location is either great or good, or it is unforgivable.

A Chicago home that would be a remarkable find except for the location.

You could have the most incredible home on this side of the Mississippi (and since we are west of Seattle a couple of hours, that would include a lot of homes), but if you have an unforgiving location, no buyer will want it.

True story.  A man with more money than “cents” decided to build the ultimate luxury home and sell it.  He put a price tag on it that was so far beyond the local market that it shocked even the Realtors who handle expensive homes in the area.  After a couple of years the home was still on the market with no interested buyers, never got any offers, and a foreclosure looming on the horizon.

What happened?  Location, location, location.  He picked such a poor location for this mansion of a custom home that no one in that price range would apparently consider actually living there.  For that price a buyer could build or buy a gorgeous one-of-a-kind custom home on a mountain top with a panoramic view of International waters and the lights of Victoria shining from Canada at night.

The owner justified the high price with vociferous arguments about the costs he incurred to build it, and he explained how a professional appraiser came from the big city and published a 42 page color glossy masterpiece proving its value.  He could talk for hours about this feature or that feature and how extraordinary it is, and about dozens of little expensive features that most people find interesting but would not pay for.  He was truly caught up in what a masterpiece he had created, and he did not comprehend why the world wasn’t beating a path to his door with blank checks.

Buyers don’t care how convinced the owner is that his home is Shangri-La.  They might like the architecture and the custom features, but if they do NOT like the location, they are gone.  The reality is that consumers are in charge of their buying decisions, and a fundamental economic concept rules in this market–supply and demand.

In Sequim and Port Angeles location is everything when it comes to homes and land.  If buyers love the home and hate the location, there will be no sale.  End of story.

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Port Angeles homes and land appeal to so many retirees because of the serene and peaceful country setting on the Olympic Peninsula away from traffic nightmares and high crime rates of the great metropolises   The Port Angeles countryside, the open fields, the grazing cattle, the mountain views, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the mild climate all make this an ideal place to live with “quality of lifestyle.” I know.   I live and work here and have since 1994.

In this photo taken between Port Angeles and Sequim, we are looking to the south to the Olympic Mountains and behind this photographer to the north is the Strait of Juan de Fuca with its stunning panoramic water views.   The Olympic Peninsula has evolved over the past 100 years from an agricultural economy, hence the fields and grazing cattle seen throughout our county.   There’s something peaceful about grazing cows, horses, and sheep.

If you’re considering retiring to the Port Angeles or Sequim areas and you’d like to see more photos and available homes and land for sale, you can easily search the entire MLS here for Port Angeles Homes and Land or Sequim Homes and Land.

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Buying land in Sequim or Port Angeles is something that really begs for local professional help. This is true especially if you have been living in another state or outside our area. There are unique traps for the unwary in different parts of the country when it comes to buying vacant land. I’ve included a link above to my due diligence checklist for your perusal. These are some of the issues to watch for.

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