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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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How Much Will My House Cost?

by / Tuesday, 17 November 2009 / Published in Building a Home

sequim-contractorsHow much will my house cost?  This is an excellent question, unless you are asking someone who has no idea what kind of house you want.  Yet this is a common question that people will ask a home builder.  The question asked by the super majority of people who plan to build a home is this question, “How much do you charge per square foot?”  What’s fascinating about this question is that the person asking it has not told the builder anything about what kind of home he wants.  Here’s how I put this question in perspective.

1.  Imagine going to Costco and pausing at the front door where you show the entry clerk your membership card, and ask the clerk this question, “How much will my groceries cost me today?”

2.  Or imagine going to your favorite restaurant and as soon as the waitress or maitre d’ comes to your table with the menu, you ask, “How much will our check be tonight?”

3.  Or suppose you have an annual checkup with your doctor, and immediately upon entering the doctor’s office you ask the receptionist, “How much will the good doctor be billing me today?”

Of course, the answers to all of these questions starts out, “That depends . . .”  It depends on what groceries you buy, what you order off the menu, and what health needs your body has.

So why would a person’s very first question to a Sequim home builder or a Port Angeles home builder be, “How much will my home cost per square foot?”

The average person wants to believe that he/she can find a home builder who will build their home for less than anyone else, a lot less.  After doing some research and talking to a few general contractors, it will be apparent that there is a huge difference between the highest bidder and the lowest bidder.  Here’s where the average person makes a massive mistake.

They assume the lower bidder is telling them everything they need to know about cost and that the quality of materials used will be the same as the higher bidder.  They also assume the lower bidder will not surprise them by increasing the cost throughout the construction process.  There are a thousand games contractors can play, so integrity and absolute honesty on the part of a builder are critical, but understand a builder with integrity and honesty is the exception, not the rule.

Right now I’m aware of another victim homeowner who hired the lowest bidder, and what a nightmare it is.  They are so stressed out, and they are so far over budget already, they are worried about having enough money to complete their home.  How would you like to retire and find yourself in the biggest nightmare of your life?  This is a story that keeps repeating itself again and again every month (or every day) in Washington.  Like sheep to the slaughter, consumers keep hiring these home builders masquerading as  honest contractors.  Clients have been telling me for years, “He seemed so nice.

What is the answer?  The answer is doing your due diligence to find and hire a builder who is absolutely honest, and who prepares a detailed specifications manual so you can compare apples-to-apples with competing contractors.  But if you’re not an expert on these subjects, and no one is unless they’ve been a builder or built many homes and have a substantial understanding of materials, construction, and costs, get help from someone who knows how to walk you through this process.  This does not cost you anything.  Let me say that again.  Doing your due diligence does not cost you anything.

But not doing your due diligence could cost you a small fortune.  When you meet your contractor, don’t ask, “How much do you charge per square foot?”  Tell your builder exactly what you want in a home, answer his questions, get a detailed spec manual, and then start comparing bids.  And take the lower bids back to the builder who was higher and who you perceived to be honest.  Ask him to do a professional and specific apples v. apples comparison.  Again, this will cost you nothing, but could save you a fortune.

And finally, let me share something that so many homeowners have learned from the school of hard knocks.  “The lowest bidder may actually end up being the highest bidder by the time your home is completed.”

Possibly Related Posts:

  • Home Defects Haunt Buyers
  • Should I Buy a Brand New Home or a Used Home?
  • Compare Buying an Existing Home to Building a Home
  • Clallam County Septic Regulations
  • Is Theft Insurance Necessary When Building a Home?

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4 Comments to “ How Much Will My House Cost?”

  1. Cary NC Homes for Sale says :Reply
    November 17, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    To take your analogy another step further:

    Person A: How much does a box of 100 sweaters cost?
    Person B: It depends on the material, manufacturer, and shipping preference.

    Person A: I need 20 pizzas for my party. Who’s the cheapest supplier?
    Person B: It depends on what kind of crust you want, how many toppings you need, and how quickly you need them.

    As with anything, a rough estimate is always a rough estimate. It’s all in the details. Letting your customer know that builders don’t always consider all the details in their estimates is important.

  2. Chuck Marunde says :Reply
    November 17, 2009 at 6:03 pm

    Cary, excellent analogies.

  3. Ben Nicolas says :Reply
    April 5, 2013 at 8:04 am

    Determining the cost of a house is really hard so I just hire an agency to do the job for me. Nevertheless I make follow ups all the time and make sure that every cost they give is justifiable.

  4. What is my home worth in Surprise Arizona says :Reply
    May 26, 2018 at 11:50 am

    Thanks for finally talking about How Much Will My House Cost? Loved it!

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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.

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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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