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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

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125 Olympic Ranch Ln, Sequim, WA 98382

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Finding a Home Builder and Building Your Retirement Home

by Chuck Marunde / Thursday, 05 January 2012 / Published in Home Builders

Home BuilderDealing with a home builder and building your retirement home can be stressful, and there are a few traps for the unwary.  I received a call this week from a client who owns a gorgeous high bluff water front lot on Bainbridge Island.  She and her husband are near retirement, and they found a home builder on the Island and began making plans to build their dream home.  This home will be the fulfillment of a long term plan they have had for many years to build their financial security for their retirement years and then to build their ultimate home and live happily ever after.  That’s the plan for most of us, right?

Home Builder Nightmare

Unfortunately, as they began striking up conversations with people on the Island, they learned their home builder had a trail of bad relationships, unpaid subcontractors, and a questionable history as a home builder.  And then they found out that their house was to be the last home the builder intended to build.  He was planning to move overseas.  I’ve said it before, and I’m compelled to say it again, “Truth is stranger than fiction.  You simply can’t make this stuff up!”

Unfortunately, they had advanced the builder $6,500.  Fortunately, they had not signed a contract yet, and so they would only lose the $6,500.  They can ask for it back, of course, but they’ll never see a dollar of that money.  There’s no doubt about that.  I practiced real estate law for 20 years, and I’ve seen this same scenario many times.  The attorney’s fees to chase the money would exceed any recovery, but typically the builder has already spent the money anyway.  This is an example of a case when it is a good time to cut one’s losses and chalk it up to an expensive education.

Finding a Good Home Builder

Finding a good builder is something I’ve written about extensively.  I’ve written about the exact scenario above and other similar nightmares, and I’ve described precisely how to avoid these traps for the unwary and how to find and identify the best home builder.  Here are some of those articles.  These articles were written with 20 plus years of experience of hearing from hundreds of clients, each of whom had trouble working with a home builder.  You could say that the lessons in these articles, and the other articles on this blog about building and working with contractors, cost many people hundreds of thousands of dollars from the school of hard knocks.  Why not take advantage of the lessons they paid for, and from which you can now benefit at . . . let’s see, how much?  Oh, absolutely free on this real estate blog.

  • Sequim Home Builder: Price Guarantee
  • Sequim Home Builder Does it Again
  • Who Should I Hire First – Architect or Builder?
  • Your Sequim Home Builder and Quality
  • Home Builder Needs Adult Supervision – True Story

Home Builder Works With Architect

You might wonder how the client in the story above found that builder.  Their architect gave that builder a high recommendation.  Turns out there may be a cozy relationship between the two.  Great.  I wrote a very important article about the danger of hiring an architect first, and it is a very real problem.  Read the article above about “Who Should I Hire First – Architect or Builder?”  If you read that article, you’ll see a very ugly comment from an architect who tells me how out to lunch I am.  Since the client above just lived through the exact scenario I described in that article,  I would say I may be wet, but if I am it is just a little dampness.  [P.S. I have nothing against the architectural profession, just against dishonest or unethical individuals.  Every profession has a few of those.]

If you are planning to hire a Sequim home builder, I recommend you talk to Rick Anderson of Anderson Homes, LLC.  He is, in fact, a man of integrity, not to mention a really great custom home builder.

Possibly Related Posts:

  • Sequim Home Builder: Choosing The Best
  • What is a Walk Through Prior to Closing?
  • Sequim Home Builder
  • Who Should I Hire First – Architect or Builder?
  • Sequim Home Builder: Price Guarantee

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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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