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Homes and Land in Sunny Sequim, Washington

Homes and Land in Sunny Sequim, Washington

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Email: ChuckMarunde@gmail.com

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125 Olympic Ranch Ln, Sequim, WA 98382

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Buying an Older Home

by Chuck Marunde / Tuesday, 20 November 2018 / Published in Buying Real Estate in Port Angeles and Sequim, Home Inspections

Buying an older home could be a great idea, especially an older home that was built well and retained its classic architecture. Or you might love an older home that was remodeled and is practically like a brand new home. An older home might be especially appealing because of it’s ideal location and water view or mountain view. But buying an older home does have its own unique challenges, and that’s what this article is about. This is a true story.

Older Home

Buying an Older Home

I represented the buyers on this older home, which was built in 1924 and completely remodeled recently and listed for sale. The owner did a wonderful job remodeling, and the home itself was clearly well built in 1924. It is not only structurally sound, it has no indications of any serious problems with the basement or the foundation or the walls or attic. In the Port Angeles area, houses built in the early 1900s were largely built with locally milled timber, and they were using good hardwood and large beams. So buying this older home made sense because it had such good bones.

Here’s where it got challenging. The home inspector found a long list of items that you would not expect to find in a home that is a total remodel. It appeared to be practically a brand new home. Three windows were defective, although they had been installed as new windows in the remodel. A contractor had started to replace insulation in the crawl space, but didn’t complete the job and left a pile of old insulation in the crawl space. A massive hornets nest was hanging in the crawl space, and while it appeared to be vacant, you would expect that it would have been removed. The attic had the old “vermiculate” insulation from 1924, but that is now recognized as being a potential health hazard, like asbestos. The current owner who did the remodel did not recognize this, and honestly, most people would not, but the home inspector did not miss it.

Where new roof gutters had been installed on the outside of the house, a large hole was not plugged, which would allow birds access to the attic. And there were a number of other small items, but they were items that you would not expect to have to repair if you are buying a home that was “completely remodeled.” How did the owner or contractors miss these dozen or so repairs? I think the simple answer is that many of these were started but not completed. Have you ever known someone who is good at starting projects but has trouble finishing them well? A lot of people have trouble finishing something they start, and a lot of people take short cuts or don’t care about doing the best work that they can do. 

So how did we handle this? The buyer asked me to use the Form 35R (the home inspection response form) to ask the seller to repair most of the items. There was a lot of negotiating and going back and forth. It got a bit contentious when the seller’s glass vendor claimed two of the windows were not defective, although they clearly were. The home inspector stated they were defective and another glass company said they were obviously defective. They came defective from the factory with problems between the glass panes. My buyer insisted they be replaced or that she receive a credit for their replacement. Ultimately, we got through all the repairs, and the seller and the listing agent are to be commended for working with me through all these issues over a period of weeks and being nice and professional. Things could have gotten dicy and were it not for the seller’s willingness to work with us, the transaction might have died. Frankly, many of the issues were we dealing with are unique to an older home.

There wasn’t really any way to proactively head off these issues, but it is important to know how to work through them intelligently and diplomatically. This gorgeous little home just closed a few days ago, and my buyers are so happy! I’m happy for them, especially because Thanksgiving is in two days, and they can celebrate in their new home.

Buying an older home can have its own unique challenges.

Possibly Related Posts:

  • Gorgeous Home on 5 Private Acres with Mountain View
  • Terminating Based on the Home Inspection
  • Negotiating in Sequim
  • How Much Due Diligence Can I Do Before I Submit An Offer?
  • Beautiful Home, Modern Kitchen, Halfway Between Sequim & Port Angeles

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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

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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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