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Homes and Land in Sunny Sequim, Washington

Homes and Land in Sunny Sequim, Washington

Sequim's No.1 Buyer's Agent Where Knowledge & Experience Count.

(360) 775-5424
Email: ChuckMarunde@gmail.com

iRealty Virtual Brokers, aka Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate
125 Olympic Ranch Ln, Sequim, WA 98382

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Buy a Home in Sequim Sight Unseen?

by Chuck Marunde / Saturday, 08 April 2017 / Published in Buyer's Agent, Sequim Home For Sale

The idea of buying a home sight unseen is most likely not your first choice. Normally, I would not recommend buying a home until you’ve walked through it and around it yourself. But the Sequim real estate market is a strong seller’s market with a very low inventory, and demand far exceeds supply. Buyers from around the United States are watching the Sequim real estate market closely, and this means by the time you arrive in Sequim, the home you saw in the MLS and planned to see is probably sold.

Sight Unseen

Buy a Home Sight Unseen

I’ve helped nearly a dozen clients purchase homes sight unseen. As a buyer you will have to rely on your buyer’s agent to do everything you would do and a lot more. I just sold a home sight unseen this week to a couple from New York. Here’s how we did it.

For months my clients searched the local listings using the best Sequim MLS site, which includes every home for sale in Sequim and Port Angeles and the entire county. I recommend this site because it is much more accurate than Zillow, and in this market, you need accurate information on homes. As my clients planned their trip to Sequim, they saved their favorites. Unfortunately the homes on their short list were all selling before they could get here.

They were under a lot of stress, because they had already sold their own home in New York, and the closing date was coming soon. They had to be out of that home, and would be driving to Sequim with a big moving truck full of everything they owned, but they had no place to live, and every home they liked was selling before they could even see it.

Buying Sight Unseen

Here’s what I did. When they found a home in the MLS that looked good, they called me to discuss it. I told them everything about the area around the home, the views in that location, well or septic issues in the area, wetlands issues, and highway traffic noise. We looked at Google Satellite while I described the area. Then I previewed the home and called them back to walk them through every room in the house and all around the house. I described what they would see, including details like lighting in various rooms, light switches that don’t work, the quality of the trim and paint, the size of the kitchen pantry, the heating system, the condition of the roof, and much more.

Since I already had spent time with my clients on the phone and looking at listings they liked, I learned exactly what they wanted and their personal preferences for their ideal home. So when I previewed a home, I was able to describe the positives and negatives based on my client’s own thinking process. But I also shared everything, including every negative about the property and the area. They had to know everything before even thinking about making an offer sight unseen.

Weeks went by, and homes kept getting filtered out. Then one morning my client called to tell me a new home showed up in the MLS (they had set up daily email alerts on Sequim-Homes.com). I went through the same process with them I had on the other homes, and I went and previewed it. 

This home was exactly what they had been hoping for, and it was gorgeous. After debriefing them on the phone on everything about the area and my own preview of the home, I shared with them the results of my CMA (comparative market analysis). Before I drafted an offer, I wanted them to be confident of the true fair market value of this home, especially if they were about to buy a Sequim home sight unseen.

Since the market is so hot, the best homes in the best areas sell quickly. There are many buyers watching the Sequim MLS intensely for the ideal home to show up. I told my clients when they do find the ideal home, they should submit an offer immediately, or someone else would. 

Some Realtors will not draft an offer sight unseen. They feel uncomfortable with the liabilities, but because what I do is very thorough, my clients know exactly what they are getting into. I also include a home inspection addendum with time for my clients to come and see the home before they make a final decision. In other words, my clients always have a back door to terminate, although not one client has ever terminated. Every single client has said almost the same words when they arrive and see the home for the first time, “It’s everything I hoped it would be.” 

Once we had mutual acceptance on price and terms, we went into the “due diligence” period prior to closing. That’s when I also step in to attend the home inspection, the well inspection, and the septic inspection. Since these buyers were unable to be here for the inspections, I step in their shoes and do everything they would do if they were here.

In this market, I think it’s critical that you have a buyer’s agent who can do all this for you. Otherwise, you may miss out on your ideal home, and what will you do if you have no place to live? Clients are hiring me months and sometimes years before they intend to buy a home, so please make sure you are on my schedule by registering on Sequim-Homes.com or emailing me at ChuckMarunde@gmail.com or calling me at 360-775-5424.

By the time my clients get to closing, everything is done right, and buying a home sight unseen for my clients may be the only way they were able to purchase this perfect home, sight unseen.

Possibly Related Posts:

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  • How Does a Buyers Agent Work?
  • Sequim Real Estate Market
  • Exclusive Buyer’s Agent – The Most Experienced in the Northwest

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About Chuck Marunde

After practicing real estate law for 20 years in Washington, Chuck opened iRealty Virtual Brokers covering the Sequim and the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. Chuck is the author of numerous magazine and Internet articles with a primary focus on real estate. He is also the author of over a dozen books, mostly about Sequim real estate. Chuck is a photographer, videographer, and Registered FAA Drone Pilot. Chuck has combined his love for real estate and technology to create a growing Internet presence in his market, and enjoys building his websites and blogs, including SequimBlog.com and Sequim4Sale.com and LuxuryWaterViewHomes.com. Chuck has degrees in Economics, Law, and Education.

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Chuck E. Marunde, J.D.

Sequim Buyer's Agent
(Atty Ret.)
Founder and Broker of
Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate dba iRealty Virtual Brokers
125 Olympic Ranch Ln,
Sequim, WA 98382
(360) 775-5424
ChuckMarunde@gmail.com

Blog Articles by Date

From Los Angeles

It's rare, but once in awhile life provides the perfect collaborator for an important endeavor such as buying your new home. For me that person was Chuck Marunde. His two decade background as a Real Estate Attorney, his prolific career as an author of articles and books on Real Estate and his forthright and moral character made choosing Chuck a no-brainer. Chuck is dedicated, thorough, incredible at the negotiating table, knowledgeable about all local laws & regs but, most importantly, Chuck loves what he does. And what he does is find his client the perfect property. Chuck isn't about making the sale, he's about making the sale that is OPTIMUM for his CLIENT and this makes Chuck a rare bird indeed. I love my new home in Sequim and I am indebted to Chuck for making it happen. Kevin E.

From Seattle

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chuck over the past three years in selling my parent's estate. It was a tough time to sell during the housing recession, but Chuck always kept things on the positive side. With his real estate law background, he offers sound, practical advice. He helps you along with the process using discussions and reason, rather than opinions and speculations. If Chuck doesn’t know the answers, he will get them for you. In several instances, Chuck took the initiative to meet with county officials to get up-to-date facts about zoning and regulations. I was always impressed with his company’s tech savvy communi-cations and internet presence: weekly email updates, blogs, videos, links, Linked-in networking, etc. He is truly pioneering the future of buying & selling real estate. Brian M.

From California

"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 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" Andy R.

Intro by Chuck Marunde

From Florida

We do our homework for the task at hand and we look for and expect to enlist partners that do the same. It was our good fortune to select Chuck Marunde of Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate to represent us as a buyer's broker in our search for a home in the Sequim/Port Angeles area. Chuck's site is all encompassing and super fast compared to many others, he knows the market at every conceivable level and his guidance through the process of selecting and purchasing a home is priceless - above and beyond that of anyone with whom we have ever worked. Add to all this his 20 year background in real estate law and you have discovered a superb asset in the adventure of purchasing a home. Greg and Marilyn

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