Sequim WA is a lot of things, but one of the great attractions for so many retirees to the Sequim WA area is the beauty of the country.  I love the history of the Sequim valley and the surrounding mountains.  Sequim has a rich agricultural and farming history.  In this first photo, an old farmhouse approaching 100 years old still stands proud in the mountains between Sequim and Port Angeles.

Sequim WA Country Homes

Sequim WA Barns

Sequim WA and the surrounding area has several hundred old barns, many of which are falling apart as age catches up with them.  In this photo above, I marveled at the barn in this field as well as the incredible mountains that were the backdrop for this farm.  As I like to say, “If this old barn could talk what stories it would tell.”  I love history, and when you stand in a field looking at one of these old barns, you can’t help but meditate on the family and work history these barns must have seen.  For most farms like this, there have been not just one generation that was raised on the farm and worked it, but two or three generations.

Sequim WA Country Homes

Many newer Sequim WA homes are country style homes or craftsman style homes.  This home is what you might think of as country style architecture that is sturdy looking with large beams and primarily a wooden look.  There are not many contemporary style homes in the area as most people are looking for homes that are considered more consistent with farm country.  Of course, you can buy a small subdivision lot in the city of Sequim and build any home you want if you prefer a low maintenance yard.  Sequim WA is a lot of things, but it surely is a country setting way outside the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan areas.

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The Sequim business climate is good or not so good, depending on which business owner you ask.  Sequim is a great place to own a business, as long as you don’t chose a business with a high failure rate.  My whole life I’ve been watching small business owners invest their life savings to start a business and practice the one technical skill they are so good at.  In this collage of photos I took of Sequim businesses that have failed or buildings that have yet to find a business tenant, you can see the story.  The Sequim business climate is very good for some businesses, but for restaurants and video stores, business is not so good, especially in this recession. 

This Pizza Factory had massive overhead, too much space inside at a high rent per square foot, and too many employees.  They are good people, but their business was forseeably upside down the day it got started.  Another restaurant failed for the exact same reason.  It was a German restaurant in Rock Plaza in Sequim.  Good people.  Well intentioned, and good at cooking their specialties.  But business men they were not.  The best thing a prospective business owner could do is first seek advice from an experienced business consultant.  These folks did not.

Sequim Business Climate is Bad for Some

This Hollywood Video was put out of business by the online digital video companies, like Netflix and RedBox.  Hollywood Video was still operating on an old business model with far too much overhead.  Many businesses are struggling to adapt their bricks-and-mortar business model to the New World of Marketing.  The Sequim business climate is not immune from the dramatic paradigm shifts taking place.

Sequim Business Climate is Good for Others

There are many small business owners who are thriving, even in these challenging times.  Sequim has many successful business owners, and we also have many extraordinarily talented entrepreneurs who are inventors, authors, scientists, engineers, software programmers, biologists, and Internet geniuses.  Many retirees in Sequim have home businesses, and with high speed Internet and technologies, working out of the home has become the new low-overhead business.

Sequim Business Climate – Wise Counsel

The challenge today is not so much the Sequim business climate, because we actually have a stronger and more stable economy than 70% of small American towns today.  The greater challenge for the small business owner is choosing a business that has a high probability of success in a demographic like Sequim.  Many who start small businesses do not know there is more to starting a business than being a good cook or being a good mechanic.  Much more.  Seek wise business counsel before you invest your life savings in a risky business proposition.  You’re welcome to contact me and chat about your business plans.  I was, and still am, an entrepreneur for 37 years, including 20 years as a real estate attorney who also advised business owners, inventors, and joint venturers.  Regardless, do talk with someone who can offer experience and sage advice.

If you chose the right business for Sequim, you can be confident that the Sequim business climate is strong and stable.

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Saying that Sequim WA is beautiful is probably not front page news.  Who doesn’t know that Sequim WA is one of the most beautiful and incredible places to live?  I suppose a lot of people, but I am often surprised by how many people around the country talk about Sequim and about retiring here.

Sequim WA Butterfly

Sequim WA Mountains

Sequim WA Flowers

Sequim WA Night Life

Sequim WA is one of the best kept secrets with mountains to the south, the ocean to the north, a rain shadow that shields us with one-third the rainfall of Seattle, pristine old growth forests in the Olympic Mountains, and every conceivable recreational activity you can think of.  Sequim is off the beaten path, has an extremely low crime rate, one of the best school districts in the entire country, and a peaceful country setting of yesteryear.  Many people feel that the clock has been turned back 20 years when they come to Sequim WA.

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Sequim Washington is growing even in this national recession.  How is that possible?  Sequim is a very healthy little economy.  One of the reasons it is a healthy economy is because Sequim has been a retirement community for decades, and the retirees who move here tend to be conservative financially, and have not refinanced their homes to buy toys and get further in debt.  Retirees have payed off their homes or have lived humble lifestyles within their budgets.  This means we don’t have a lot of foreclosures, and there is a solid financial base for all the related service industries (groceries, medical, dental, automotive, restaurants, recreation, etc.).

Sequim Washington Big Box Stores

Sequim Washington Demographics

Perhaps the biggest proof that Sequim Washington has a strong economic base and a promising future comes from all the big box stores that have been moving in and building in Sequim.  You know that before big box stores ever consider buying prime real estate in any community, they do extensive demographic studies.  It is not the neighboring towns on the Olympic Peninsula that are attracting all these big box companies–it is Sequim.

The latest big box stores who love Sequim’s retired population and the future of Sequim Washington include Ross Dress for Less and the Grocery Outlet.  There is a good list of big box stores who love Sequim’s demographics, including Costco, Home Depot, Petco, Starbucks, WalMart, Office Depot, and a number of restaurant chains.

Sequim Washington Real Estate

Why is it important to retirees that the big box stores have been building in Sequim?  Because the demographic studies they perform independently are all saying the same thing–that Sequim is a strong community with a very solid demographic base of financially stable retirees.  These studies show a stable real estate market, even though prices have been discounted in this market.  It is primarily the strength of the future economy and future real estate market that these demographic studies have examined, and the indicators are all good.

This is one of the reasons I have said that buying a home in Sequim Washington is a good move and a good investment.  While most of us would concur that the real estate market may not begin to recover for a couple of years or more, when it does, Sequim will be one of the strongest economies in the country.  That doesn’t mean houses will appreciate rapidly, because they won’t.  The appreciation will be slow, perhaps 3% a year, but of all regional real estate markets, Sequim Washington has a market with a great economic base and solid indicators for future growth.

Of course, another huge factor (which I’m sure is part of the big box studies) is that retirees continue to move to Sequim and buy homes, and have been doing so every single month during the entire recession, and that has picked up dramatically recently.  Sequim Washington is a strong economy and a stable real estate market, which is good news for retirees.

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In Sequim WA the sun is out beautifully today after what seems like a long winter of rainy, cloudy and overcast skies.  Some of our locals reflected on what this summer sunshine means.

From a septic inspector:  “I feel like a cave troll coming out of dark places into the light.”

From an appraiser:  “My appraisals should be a little higher now that I can see the houses.”

From a home inspector:  “Thank God it’s drying out.  Now I won’t have to wear hip boots under the houses.”

From a well inspector:  “Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”

From a Realtor:  “Halellujah, the recession is over.”

From a roofer:  “Darn.  I’m probably the only one who prays for cool and cloudy weather.”

From a sheetrock crew:  “Now we won’t have to try to cover the framers crooked walls that got wet and warped.  Oops!  Am I supposed to say that?”

From a local politician:  “Sunshine is like Prosac for my constituents, and they’ll go along with almost anything I do.”

From a pastor:  “Hmm.  When the sun comes out in July, the sheep tend to go off to play, and my congregation shrinks (and so does the tithing).”

From a park ranger in the Olympic National Park:  “Love the sunshine, but it also means we prepare for the hippies from Seattle who get lost in the park when they’re stoned.”

From a home builder:  “Does this mean people will start building houses again?”

Welcome to Sequim WA in July.

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You can compare the Sequim cost of living with the cost of living in your area.  This is a great tool, and many of my clients who decide to retire in Sequim use this online comparison website to help them decide where to retire.  Sequim is not the cheapest place in the country to live by any means, but it is one of the most stable and affordable communities.  Sequim is in high demand among retirees, and there is good reason.  When the quality of life, services, and beautiful properties are compared, Sequim comes out ahead, and now you can compare the cost of living with other areas easily with this site.

Sequim Cost of Living

Sequim Cost of Living

You can go to the Sequim Cost of Living Comparisons and find out how it compares to your area.  For example, comparing San Fransisco with Sequim, you can see in the results above that Sequim is 52% cheaper than San Francisco, and housing is the biggest factor.  Housing is 75% cheaper in Sequim.

Housing is not cheap in Sequim–it’s just that in some areas of California, housing is still grossly overpriced.  With all the talk of the housing recession, there are many areas of California where a basic three bedroom, two bath home is still one million dollars!  The same home in Sequim might be $250,000.  That’s 75% less than San Fransisco.

Sequim Cost of Living Retirement Factor

Retirees are calculating the cost of living, including housing and utilities, because they know that 10% or 20% or 50% in savings in the cost of living will add up over the years that they are retired.  I have clients in southern California who used this tool to narrow their focus and ultimately decide on Sequim.  They said they considered northern California, but the cost of housing and the general cost of living was still so much higher than Sequim.  But for them it was the implications of the cost of living for their quality of life.  Because the Sequim cost of living is so much lower, it will allow them to travel more and spend time doing the things they love.

With the Sequim cost of living so much less than so many areas of the country, and with the cost of housing less than most areas, the final deciding factor for many retirees is the quality of life in Sequim.  The weather, i.e. the Rain Shadow, the short two hour drive to Seattle, the retiree community of volunteer activities, the extraordinary recreational opportunities, the fishing, boating, biking, hiking in the Olympic National Park, and so on, has created what has been published in many magazines with a title like this, “Sequim, One of the 10 Best Places to Retire.”

Compare the Sequim cost of living with your area.

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