Sequim Real Estate in Sequim, Washington

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Archive for the ‘Sequim Real Estate and Port Angeles Real Estate’ Category

Port Hadlock

Port Hadlock is a short and very pleasant drive from Sequim.  Port Hadlock is of interest to retirees moving to Sequim for two reasons.  First, every once in a while one of my clients cannot find their ideal home in Sequim, and so we extend our search to Port Townsend, Port Ludlow, and Port Hadlock.  All three have stunning water views and marinas and a similar country character.  But Sequim remains the number one retirement destination on the Olympic Peninsula.  Fortunately, I am a member of two MLSs, including the NWMLS MLS which allows me to show houses in these other areas and open the lockboxes.  (Not all Sequim agents are members of the NWMLS.)  Here is a photo I took this weekend of the Port Hadlock Marina.  I wish I could share the fresh breeze that brought in that indescribable salt water smell fishermen love so much.  What a gorgeous day it was to be exploring Port Hadlock!

Port Hadlock Marina

Port Hadlock

Port Hadlock Wooden Boatbuilding

Port Hadlock is home to the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding.  Here’s a photo I could not resist taking.  As I stood looking at this wooden boat under construction with hand held tools to carve and sand and press the wood together, I couldn’t help but feel like I had been transported back to an earlier time when building wooden boats was a major industry.  The good news is that this ancient art is still alive and well in Port Hadlock.

Port Hadlock Wooden Boatbuilding

Port Hadlock – Fireside Restaurant

I was in Port Hadlock to show a home to a couple, and I spent the rest of the day exploring.  Of course, I got hungry around the noon hour, and as I continued my drive around the bay, I found myself at the Fireside Restaurant near the Port Lundlow Marina.  The restaurant is in the Resort at Port Ludlow, and what a classy resort.  The Fireside Restaurant has a great menu, but the Marina Chop Salad I had was the tastiest salad I believe I have ever had in my life!  As I sat enjoying my lunch and an incredible cup of gourmet coffee, I took some notes.  You can imagine that as an author of several books and thousands of articles on real estate, I always carry a notebook and pen with me.  These pleasant surroundings are ideal for creative thinking.  Of course, this is also an ideal environment for good conversation or a romantic dinner.

port-hadlock-fireside-restaurant

Port Hadlock Real Estate

You can add Port Hadlock to your real estate search online with my Port Hadlock MLS search.  (Select the city Port Hadlock for your search.)  But if you find your ideal retirement home in Sequim, you’ll love the option of a Saturday afternoon drive to Port Townsend, or Port Ludlow, or Port Hadlock.

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Many of my clients who are moving to Sequim have asked how to change insurance agents and whether they should.  So to get the answer right, I sat down with insurance expert and agent Matt Elwood of Port Angeles. 

Tips for Transferring Your Insurance Coverage

InsuranceWhen considering a change in insurance agents, there are several important things to remember.  These apply if you are moving from a different state, a different insurance company, or you just want to go through a different agent in the company you are currently with.  If you follow these tips, it will make the transition much smoother.

First of all, contact your new agent before your current policy expires.  A lapse of even one day can drastically impact your new rates and might even prevent you from being able to have a new policy.  This is especially true for car insurance.

It is also helpful to have your current insurance policy in front of you, so you know what coverages you have.  It makes it easier to get an accurate quote if you know what you need and want.

Insurance Premiums Will Change

Keep in mind that if you’re moving from another state to Washington, your insurance will probably be different.  Even if you stay with the same company.  Every state is different regarding premiums and discounts.  There are also certain coverages that differ from state to state, and required state minimums also vary.

If you are staying in the same state and with the same insurance company, it is generally very easy to switch agents.  It usually only requires a phone call.  If you are relocating to the Olympic Peninsula area and need a new insurance agent, you may call Matt Elwood of Elwood Benefits at 360-452-9200 for any questions you may have.  Matt is a Sequim Insurance Agent and Port Angeles Insurance Agent.

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Washington’s Real Estate Market and Economy

The cooler housing market has sent Washington’s economy, once one of the strongest in the nation, on a road to real estate deflation in the majority of markets, but not all. In western Washington, along the I-5 corridor home prices are deflating. While in a few isolated communities on the east side of the state, markets remain somewhat stable.

With one of the strongest statewide economies in the country, Washington is better off than most. In Seattle, homes coming on the market for sale are adding to an over abundance of inventory. A handful of commercial projects downtown have been put on hold or cancelled, further indicating the area’s growth has slowed from the boom.

Local Washington Markets at a Glance
City Forecast
Seattle − 5.7%
Bellingham − 6.3%
Tacoma − 6.9%
Spokane 4.4%
Tri-Cities 2.0%
Yakima 4.1%

This chart shows the percentage change this year in real estate prices.   The northern Olympic Peninsula has been one of the strong western markets.   We have increased inventory, and some reduction in average sales price, but still prices have been fairly stable.

Source and full article view:   Housing Predictor

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For Realtors It WAS All About Listings

port angeles listingsThere was a time (decades), when real estate agents were taught all across the U.S. that the business is all about listings.   Listings, listings, listings.   Agents were told that’s where the money is.   Get listings, because even while you’re on vacation, your homes can be selling and you’ll be making money.

That time is over.   An agent could have many listings, especially in the worse markets, such as Las Vegas, and not make a single dollar.   Some agents have not sold anything this calendar year!

Real estate ownership is still “the thing,” but for agents listings are no longer the ultimate answer to success.   The key to success for agents today is qualified buyers.

Connecting with qualified buyers is the great challenge of the day for real estate agents and for FSBO’s who are trying to sell their own homes. This is where it gets interesting, because few agents and few FSBO’s have a solid understanding of the technology, marketing, and tools necessary to connect with buyers.

We have entered a new age of marketing and the old rules are rapidly fading into the history of “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”   The fascinating thing about the dramatic changes in the way buyers and sellers are connecting is that there has not been a clearly demarcated point in time, nor has there been a definitive event.   It would seem that these powerful changes for the transfer of billions of dollars in real estate has snuck up on us.

I would suggest that “the thing” today is effective marketing, and that is happening most powerfully today right in people’s homes at their computers.   Searching the Internet for real estate anywhere in the country is private, non-confrontational, easy, free, and instantaneous.   Is it really a surprise consumers would move   en masse in this direction?

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Western Washington Real Estate Market Strong

Sequim ConstructionTwo pieces of news struck me lately as significant news that the Western Washington Real Estate Market of Seattle and all the way through Sequim and Port Angeles is strong, certainly compared to most of the rest of the country.   Here are the stories.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer wrote an article entitled, “When it comes to new jobs, Seattle is the leading cybercity,” dated June 24, 2008.   “The Seattle area added the greatest number of high-tech jobs in 2006, outpacing Boston, San Fransisco and more than 50 other U.S. cities, according to the Cybercities report from the American Electronics Association.” Seattle’s tech wrok force is not 127,700 strong, which makes it the ninth biggest city for tech workers.

The other news with very strong implications for the real estate business is from the “New Project News, Washington State Construction News.”   The publication reports the following construction news:

  1. 118 unit Capital Hill area mixed use apartment-retail-office development receives conditional DNS go ahead
  2. 42 story mixed use residential-office-retail development slated for 601 Fourth Ave in Seattle
  3. 5,000 home unit Yelm residential-commercial development progressing
  4. 8-unit residential townhouse project proposed for W. Seattle
  5. 134,000 s.f. 6 story N. Westlake Ave-South Lake Union area office retail project gets conditional DNS approval
  6. 176 unit N. Seattle area residential senior development progressing
  7. 20,200 s.f. Seattle area Magnolia-Interbay area office space change of use and expansion project subject of revised application
  8. 4,900 s.f. Isaaquah area commercial office development receives mitigated DNS approval
  9. 133 unit 8 story lower Queen Anne area mixed use residential-retail development in early phase
  10. 17,300 s.f. Olympia area light-manufacturing addition receives MDNS approval
  11. 40 story 366 unit mixed use retail-residential development slated for 1823 Minor Ave. gets conditional DNS approval
  12. 12,000 s.f. W. Seattle area mixed use -retail apt development continuing in design review stage
  13. 4 story Kirkland arae office-retail project receives DNS approval
  14. 4 story Renton area apt office development slated for use by Veterans nearing DNS approval
  15. 84 unit 7 story Belltown area residential retail project in the works
  16. 40,000 s.f. 3 story W. Bremerton area commercial-residential development nearing DNS approval
  17. 41,800 s.f. Rochester area Industrial process-fabrication facility development receives mitigated DNS approval
  18. 30 unit 4 story mixed use residential retail project proposed for Beacon Hill
  19. 27 lot Othello area residential subdivision project gets mitigated DNS approval
  20. 263,500 s.f. UW Campus medical center facilities expansion in the works
  21. and there is another 20 to 30 more just like this.

The point is the real estate market is far from dead here, and economic activity in the real estate business is anticipating growth and more growth.   This is all good.   The Northwest continues to be one of the strongest real estate markets and economies in the nation.   Yes housing sales have taken a hit, but 100′s of millions of dollars are getting pumped into the real estate market by major plays in the real estate industry.   You can bet they’ve done their demographic and economic studies before risking so much of their own money.   We have a bright future.   We just need to be patient and remember, “This too shall pass.”

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Internet Real Estate Search

People everywhere are using the Internet to search for real estate. The National Association of Realtors’ survey indicated 84% of all home buyers start their search on the Internet. Now there is more proof of the growing reliance on the Internet for all things.

Internet usage in the US has reached an estimated 178 million, or 79 percent of the entire adult population, according to a recent survey conducted among 2,062 adults by Harris Interactive over the course of July through October.

Harris first began tracking Internet usage in 1995. Then, only nine percent of the population went online. However, the numbers have been steadily increasing year after year from 57 percent in 2000, 66 percent in 2002, 74 percent in 2005, and 77 percent last year. The amount of time people are spending online has also increased. The average number of hours per week that people are spending online rose to 11 hours, up from 9 hours in 2006 and 8 hours in 2005.

But perhaps most notable was the increase in people who use an alternative location besides work or home to get online, up from 22 percent in 2006 to 31 percent today – which could be, to a certain extent, attributable to the proliferation of web-enabled mobile devices. You can read the rest of the survey results here.

If you are buying or selling real estate, this logically means you would be well advised to connect with a Realtor who has a substantial Internet presence. Right? Here’s what I would look for: Competence, trustworthiness, experience, and a large Internet presence (not just a Static Internet Brochure masquerading as a website). Check out FreeRealEstateLaw.com plus this site, Sequim-Port-Angeles.blogspot.com, plus SequimPortAngeles.com plus ActiveRain plus Seattle Post Intelligencer Real Estate Blog plus Ezine Real Estate Articles and more that I chose not to reveal here, because some of my marketing is top secret and not to be revealed to my competition. I’m here to help. Email me. Buying? Selling? Tell me about it. Maybe I can help.

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Contact Chuck Marunde

Phone: 360-775-5424
Email:  ChuckMarunde@gmail.com

Search This Blog (1,000+ articles):

A Message From Chuck Marunde

Sequim Real Estate Market Reports

From Southern CA to Sequim

My husband and I went to Sequim intending to interview several Realtors to find one to help us locate and buy a home in Sequim. We knew we wanted someone we could trust and who would have our best interests in mind. Since we would be handling the transaction from S. California this was very important to us. We met Chuck and looked no further. We felt a connection right away and spent some time looking at homes together so Chuck could get a feel for what we wanted. Well, we left Sequim having made an offer on a home which the owner accepted. Chuck has helped us through the purchase process. We are positive it would not have gone so smoothly without his help. We give him 4 thumbs up. Cathie and Wally

From Georgia to Sequim

My husband and I were interested in relocating from Georgia to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, and while we were staying at an Inn in Port Angeles, Washington, the Innkeepers gave us the name of Chuck Marunde as a contact for helping us with our real estate needs. Upon meeting Chuck we hit it off and immediately became friends and felt a real sense of trust in Chuck handling our wants and needs as far as real estate goes. We gave him, for lack of a better word, "unrealistic" demands in this unstable economy, and by the next morning Chuck had a list of properties that would fit those "demands". Chuck was able to help us not only find a home and property that suited our needs as a large family, but he went above and beyond what he needed to do to ensure that our offer was presented (and accepted) in a timely fashion. In the past 25 years of dealing in real estate, Chuck is, without a doubt, the most prompt, reliable, trustworthy, and friendly professional we have ever done business with! We will always use Chuck from here on out for all our real estate needs. Larry and April Leach Sequim, Washington

From California to Sequim

"Selling a house remotely is not an easy task especially in this market. But Chuck sold our house and made the transaction effortless. The people that he found were perfect, too, and that makes us very happy. Now the weight of having to sell our house is off our shoulders and we can finally feel settled and enjoy our new location. Chuck is our HERO!" Phil and Janet

Why Chuck Marunde?

Andy Romano is a successful motion picture character actor with over 40 years in "the Biz." Mr. Romano has a home in beautiful Santa Barbara, California, but he chooses to live most of the time here in Sequim, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula in the great Pacific Northwest. Why? In his own words, "Because it's even more beautiful and surrounded by more beauty in this incredibly peaceful and quiet place. With respect to real estate agents or brokers, well my friend Chuck Marunde, owner of Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate, is hands down the best there is." Andy Romano

Client Testimony

"I’ve known Chuck Marunde for several years. My wife and I bought and sold one house through his services, and now have another listed through him for sale. Whether Chuck was representing us as the buyer or seller, I am confident he always had our best interests at heart. He helped us set or negotiate a reasonable price, and made sure there was a clear and open line of communication. He responded rapidly to email and phone calls and always knew the best person to contact for the various services involved in a transaction. I have worked with quite a few real estate agents and Chuck is right at the top of my list of good ones. Actually, Chuck is first and foremost just a good person, and he carries his personal honesty and integrity over into his profession. He has the greatest depth of experience in real estate of any agent or broker I have known. His years of practicing real estate law prior to becoming a broker are evident in the meticulous care he takes with the process and documentation. I am impressed by the way Chuck has integrated internet services into his real estate business. He probably knows more about this process than any other realtor in the country. In this tight market it is important to use every possible means to spread the word about available properties…to reach the few people who might be interested in a particular property." Steve L.

Glad for Atty Experience

“When Chuck told me I not only got a Realtor with decades of experience, but I also got his knowledge and experience as a real estate attorney for 20 years totally free, I couldn’t believe it. But it was true, and I strongly recommend Chuck to anyone dealing with real estate.” Susan

Buyer’s Agent

"We contacted Chuck to be our buyer’s agent for our purchase of a home in the Sequim area. Throughout the entire process he was enjoyable to work with, and we found him to be exceptionally knowledgeable, thorough and diligent on our behalf. He was in constant contact and always readily available and responsive by phone and email. We were buying from out of state and unable to cover the various steps in the process, so we really appreciated Chuck’s willingness to personally handle what we needed to have done. He coordinated and attended the various inspections, followed up on our numerous questions and requests relating to the sale (including measuring rooms and sending photos), and even conducted the final walk through of the property for us. We particularly valued his advice on a number of different issues that arose – and that he handled for us – during the transaction. In short, we were very impressed with Chuck and would recommend him highly to anyone who is considering purchasing (or selling) in the Sequim area." Ed and Sharlene

Financial Planner Endorsement

“Chuck Marunde’s level of expertise in real estate investment is amazing. His knowledge, experience and legal training have given me a dramatic advantage in real estate investing. He works hard to stay on the cutting edge of real estate marketing, sound advice and value-added service for his clients.” Kirk Wald, Financial Planner

Enjoyable Experience

"Our experience in working with Chuck Marunde was very enjoyable, he is a knowledgeable, dedicated professional who knows the real estate market extremely well. The thing we like most about Chuck is that he is a realist, he is very well versed in what is going on in the current volatile market and he understands "true value" in the market. Chuck is a honest and loyal leader in his field who really goes the extra mile to please the customer at every level. Having the legal background is a real bonus when it comes to negotiating a real estate transaction, Chuck is the guy you want in your corner when you come to the buying table." Sara and Ken

From Arizona

"We are ex-Washington residents who currently live in Arizona. We had been searching the Puget Sound area four years for a waterfront property to build a retirement home when we first contacted Chuck Marunde through his website. We had made multiple trips to various areas but most of the Realtors we contacted simply sent us an email, provided no follow up and did next to nothing to help us locate a property. On our first trip to Port Angeles, after connecting with Chuck, we purchased our dream property. We now own a high bank waterfront lot overlooking the Straight of Jaun de Fuca, and are excited to become part of the Peninsula community." Paul and Linda

I’m Coming to Sequim

"Chuck, I visit your site just about every day to see what is going on in Sequim. Although I have never been there, it is on my short list for a retirement home in 2014, when I turn 66. (Save me a house!). I do hope you are still in business then so you can help me find a little house for me and my cats with a view of some water. :-)" Ruth

From New Mexico to Sequim

Over a year ago, during a visit to the Olympic Game Farm, we developed what we eventually called the “Sequim Syndrome.” We live in New Mexico and decided Sequim was where we wanted to live in retirement. On our second visit to Sequim, we met with Chuck and asked him to help us. Chuck's web site provides such amazing search capabilities. Chuck's site also contains a 1000 blog postings and a real estate video series detailing buying real estate in Sequim. We bought Chuck's book about Sequim real estate and set out to follow his advice carrying on an ongoing email and phone conversation with Chuck. Doing our due diligence “Marunde style” and using his MLS search site, we came up with about 50 homes that met our needs. We narrowed the list down to 15 properties that best met our needs. We came back to Sequim a third time with our list in hand, and Chuck spent two days with us showing us all the homes on our list. Not only did Chuck help us find that dream home, he spent time to educate us about the quality of construction, fair market values of various properties, home layouts, and the joys of Sequim living. We had a great time as we traveled from house to house. By mid afternoon of the second day, my wife said we had found “the house.” Chuck helped us draft our offer and sent our offer to the seller's agent. It turned out there was a second offer made on the property at the same time. Chuck's help to make a clean offer paid off. At breakfast two days later, we got a call from Chuck saying our offer had been accepted by the sellers. We are now back home in New Mexico. Chuck attends every inspection on our behalf, updating us at every turn by email and phone. Our dream home is becoming a reality because of Chuck and because we were smart enough to follow his advice. We absolutely would NOT have been able to do this without Chuck Marunde's expertise and enthusiasm. We recommend Chuck to everyone planning a move to Sequim, Port Angeles, or anywhere on the Olympic Peninsula. Chuck is a gold mine of information and expertise for home buyers everywhere, not just on the Olympic Peninsula. Larry and Shirley

From California

During the months of February and March 2012, Chuck showed my wife and I over two dozen homes from Port Angeles to Port Townsend. We found Chuck to be very helpful, friendly and courteous. With Chuck there is no pressure; It is all about finding the best home for the buyer. As a Buyer's Agent, Chuck will give you his honest opinion of a property, including a fair market price. In one instance Chuck wrote up an offer for us which was accepted. Chuck was very helpful arranging for home and well inspections which involved multiple trips to the property. Unfortunately, escrow failed to close when, during the home inspection process, it was determined that a septic system repair was needed which the seller was unwilling/unable to make. We will continue to work with Chuck as there is no better Buyer's Agent on the North Olympic Peninsula. Bert and Sally

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