Looking at Sequim custom homes is a lot of fun, and this is such a buyer’s market I thought you might enjoy knowing what it was like looking at homes all day in Sequim.  I spent the day with two wonderful clients looking at a filtered selection of Sequim custom homes yesterday.  Looking at homes never gets old for me, and every home is unique.  What I want to share here is my clients’ impressions of homes as we looked at them.  If you are retired or nearing retirement, in your 50′s or 60′s, and you’ve been a professional for an entire career, and you have been married for a long time, have adult children, a stable retirement income, and good credit, you may find that you think a lot like these clients.  So put yourself in the shoes of these clients as we look at homes.

Sequim Custom Homes

Sequim Custom Homes – Older Architecture

I started the day by picking up my clients at the Sequim Quality Inn at 8:30 in the morning.  Then we drove to Sunland to look at several Sequim custom homes.  The first home was listed at $259,000 and was built in 1982.  It had all the prerequisites, like 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, at least 1,800 sq. ft., but the problem with older homes like this is the architecture.  It was popular in the ’70′s and early ’80′s to build dark homes with small windows (and no windows in some rooms), and remember that ever popular dark brown paneling?  Skylights were not in vogue yet.

The next home on the list was sold out from under us.  (Wait, you mean other retirees are buying homes in Sequim like the one we want?  Absolutely!) Continuing with our list of Sequim custom homes, the third home was listed at a little over $260,000, and is 1,700 sq. ft., has a nice practical floor plan, and was well maintained.  The house is a medium level custom home, but the kitchen cabinets were low custom quality.  But at this price, this would be a great buy for someone.

The next home was also an older home, dark in some rooms, but it had a weird floor plan, and we couldn’t figure out what the original thinking was.  You’ll see a lot of variety among Sequim custom homes.  The next home had a small galley style kitchen with an odd little breakfast nook.  At $297,000, it was significantly overpriced when compared with these other homes.  The next home had great curb appeal, and the first floor had a pretty good layout, but the second floor had tiny bedrooms and a narrow hallway.  This home is listed at about $650,000, but my clients and I felt it was overpriced by about $300,000.  (I’m not exaggerating either.) 

The next two homes were nothing special.  Boring floor plans, and unimpressive kitchens, yet they were priced like some of the newer and better homes.  The next home was stunning in every way.  It was the kind of home you walk into and just sigh.  It is priced about $200,000 below the seller’s cost, literally.  This is why builders are having such a hard time.  We spent a lot of time at this home.  But we weren’t done.  We had one more to look at for the day.

The last home was the frosting on the cake.  In a country setting with over an acre and a gorgeous valley view, it is a beautiful high quality custom home with a propane stove, hardwood floors, custom all-wood kitchen cabinets, Internet and speaker wires in every room, an attached garage but also a separate garage with a little apartment above, and a work out room (or office) with carpet and a sound system and a complete bathroom and shower.  But the feature that was the bonus of bonuses is the solar system that provides 70% of the home’s electricity needs.  This home is listed at about $150,000 less than the owner’s cost.  I think my clients found their retirement dream home.  If they don’t buy it, I will.  We really have some great Sequim custom homes at some incredible prices right now.

Sequim Custom Homes – More Shopping

We will spend another day looking at some more homes, but I think my clients are convinced they found “the one.”  We will look at a few more because it is important to know for sure that you have found the right one, and unless you are convinced you have found the right one and that it is a great price, you won’t have the confidence to draft an offer and negotiate your best deal.  Now you know what it is like looking at Sequim custom homes.

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Sequim kitchen designs offered by custom home builders with the best Sequim kitchen cabinet makers and installers of marble kitchen counters, or countertops of equal beauty, are one of the major selling points to any custom home.   Let’s face it, we all go directly to the kitchen.   It’s either a deal maker or a deal breaker.   Or maybe you simply cannot find that “perfect” kitchen, so you are going to have your own custom home built.   Here are a few previews of some gorgeous kitchen designs by our premier custom home builder in the entire Sequim and Port Angeles area, Rick Anderson of Anderson Homes, LLC.

Monty and Patricia talk about their kitchen and home like kids in a toy store.   It is beautiful and very functional.   Everything has it’s place.   Without further ado, here are several more Rick Anderson kitchens for your viewing pleasure.

So what do you want in a kitchen?   A big thank you to Rick Anderson for his photographs. Sequim kitchen designs by Rick Anderson, with over 400   Sequim custom homes built in Sequim and Port Angeles since 1981.

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If you plan to build your Sequim home soon, you have some serious work to do, not the least of which is finding the best builder.   I hope building your retirement home is a great experience, but it normally is stressful.   One thing for sure, building your retirement home should not be a nightmare scenario, and at the least it should not require that you constantly supervise the project managers and the carpenters on site. That’s the contractor’s job, isn’t it?

Apparently not in most cases. The following is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Joe and Betty hired a home builder who said the right things, had a nice smile, and didn’t smell bad. But most importantly, he was the lowest bidder. Joe and Betty decided he was the right man for the job.

The first sign of trouble was during the dirt work and excavation of the lot to prepare for the foundation of the house. Joe had not even signed the contract, and the equipment was on his lot tearing it up. Once the contract was signed Joe figured it would be fine from that point, but he found out he had to constantly, almost daily be on the job site, because the carpenters kept taking short cuts and not doing things that were part of the house plan.

One day Joe pointed out to the carpenter in charge that he was not building the front porch right. The carpenter said, “You’re always changing things.” To that Joe replied, “I haven’t changed a single thing. You are the one who is not building according to the house plans and my contract requires you build the house according to the architectural plan.”

I later met with the owner when his home was completed, and frankly it was beautiful. I asked him who his builder was and how it went, and he told me his general contractor was never around, and that the general had hired a project manager who had little skill in communicating with people, but more importantly the manager didn’t pay much attention to the house plan. “The only reason this house was finished the way it should be is because I was here every day.”

That’s not a homeowner’s responsibility to supervise construction, but I have heard this from so many people now, I can’t emphasize how much the majority of builders conduct their businesses in this way. Take every short cut possible so long as the homeowner doesn’t catch them. Not a good business model, but it is very common.

A tactic that is used by many home builders who have a model home is to walk the clients through the model home as though that is just what their home will be like. The builder does not explain that the model home has the highest quality materials and workmanship, the best hardwood floors, the more expensive cathedral ceilings, the finest fireplace brick work, custom made kitchen cabinets, marble countertops, custom work throughout the house, the best hardware and the best appliances. And the builder just happens to NOT mention that the client’s home design will have none of this. It’s very much like the old bait and switch tactic that we all dislike. But clients agree to sign a contract based on how beautiful the model home looks. It’s unfortunate because their home will not be anywhere close the model home, but they assume it will be, or should I say the builder leads them to believe it will be.

Where is integrity among home builders? As as matter of fact, there are other home builders with integrity, but it gets interesting, because integrity alone does not determine the best builder.

Among the home builders who do have integrity in every sense of the word, from the representations made in the first meeting and all the way through construction to completion, their business models vary dramatically. What does that mean? It means for the same house plan, one bids $975,000, another bids $850,000, and a third bids $745,000. That’s a huge difference in price for the exact same house. The difference is found in the business models. There’s nothing wrong with a business model that charges more. This is America. But it does point out the need for clients to be discerning.

I endorse Rick Anderson as a custom home builder not because he and I have a relationship, but because in fact he is the best home builder in Sequim and Port Angeles. Hands down. It’s because of his integrity that I strongly endorse him as a homebuilder.   You never have to worry about his project manager taking short cuts on materials or workmanship. Never. You also do not find Rick Anderson at the highest end of bids for the exact same house.

Choose your home builder carefully. You’ll be glad you did.

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Retiring in Sequim or Port Angeles?   Many retirees have not found that perfect floor plan in the existing inventory of homes for sale, so they are considering having their own home built.   What next?

A homeowner can build their own home or act as their own general contractor, but is that a good idea?   Will you save money and get a quality home built the way you want it built?   Why can’t a homeowner simply find out who the best subcontractors are and hire them to do the job?

Playing golf looks pretty easy.   Why can’t a beginner just beat Tiger Woods?   Michael Jordan may be the best basketball player in history, but why can’t anyone tall and athletic go one-on-one with Michael?

What’s so hard about building a house?   It’s not exactly an athletic event.   The answer is much longer than we have space here.   I want to touch on three significant reasons to hire a GOOD general contractor.

Many retirees have been planning their dream home for years, and have looked at hundreds of house plans, options, materials, and compared costs.   You can purchase a nice floor plan, or you can hire an architect to design a beautiful home.   I’ve worked with both architects and builders, and here are some thoughts worth considering.

1.   The first issue is cost.   A good general contractor who builds quality custom homes brings a wealth of experience to the table in design and the selection of materials.   He can look at a floor plan and suggest ways to make the refinements you want for your perfect home, and he can also help you select materials that might be much less expensive than your first choice while achieving the desired quality result.   This is important, because architects are not typically tuned into the cost of materials as builders are who do this work every day.   An architect is focused on his design, and he understandably has a lot of pride in his work, but he is not necessarily designing with the goal of saving you every dollar he can on materials or the design itself.

2.   The second issue is quality.   A good general contractor maintains quality control during the entire construction phase of your home, and that includes quality control over the materials used and the quality of work of the subcontractors and their employees.   Without a lifetime of experience doing just that, you would be well advised not to attempt to be your own project supervisor.   Without a trained eye, you won’t know what to watch for.   One other thought on this issue.   Some assume that the county or city building department will be supervising to watch for code compliance and quality, but that is definitely not their job, and they won’t do it.   Code compliance is important, but they have checklists on the code and the quality or lack thereof of the construction or the materials is not within their authority or interest.

3.   The third issue is honesty and fairness.   A general contractor who has built many homes will have a discount contract with the lumber company and other suppliers, and an honest builder will tell you about these discounts and even pass them on to you.   These discounts can amount to 10% or 15% off retail you will pay directly if you act as your own general.   I should add here that if you do act as you own general and hire subcontractors, there are subs who will take advantage of you, and you will pay much more to that sub or subs than your general contractor would have paid.

There is one builder I highly recommend in Sequim and Port Angeles.   He has built homes here since 1981, has an incredible customer satisfaction rate (the highest), does get volume discounts, and knows how to pass savings on to you and keep design costs down.   His name is Rick Anderson and he does have a website at Anderson Homes, LLC.

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Since this is a buyer’s market, it’s not a great time to be selling your home, but if you own a lot, and you are planning to have your home built in the near future, this is a good time to start the process of selecting a builder and planning your home.

Most people plan to finance the construction and long term mortgage of their home, and this is why it is a good time to get started.   Interest rates are at historical lows, and most experts are saying that interest rates are headed upward in the months ahead.

At an interest rate just 1.0% above the current rate of 6.52% on a 30 year fixed, your mortgage payment on a $300,000 loan would increase by $200 per month.   You would pay $72,000 more in total interest on your loan than you would at today’s interest rate.   At an interest rate 2.0% above the current rate, your mortgage payment on a $300,000 loan would increase by $400 per month, and you would pay $168,000 more in total interest on your loan than you would at today’s interest rate.

It’s a good to build your home.   It’s a good time to get a loan to build your home.   Procrastinate, you and it may cost you in the long term.

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You’re going to hire a home builder to build your next home.   Should you hire a small builder or a large builder?   There’s much more to this question than meets the eye, and this short article addresses assumptions that good people often make.   By the way, for purposes of Sequim and Port Angeles, I’m considering a small builder as most people do, a contractor who builds one to six or seven (plus or minus) houses per year.   There are a number of contractors who build one to four houses each year.

Can a small builder provide greater personal service or quality?   Not necessarily.   The reality is that many small builders:

1. do not have the skills offered by specialized subcontractors hired by a larger builder;
2. do not have a good bookkeeping system and good financial management;
3. do not have the financial strength or security of a larger builder;
4. do not have good project management;
5. do not get the substantial quantity discounts of larger builders on materials; and
6. do not have well oiled systems in place to handle construction from beginning to end.

Having practiced real estate law for 20 years, I repeatedly saw these issues come up with small builders.     These are real issues that are true more often than not.   Consider each of these important issues, and you can imagine how much they can impact the quality of your home, the cost per square foot and the timeline.

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