How to buy a home you can sell . . . what kind of title is this, and why on earth would you want to buy a home you can sell? So glad you asked. This question is far more important than most people realize. In fact, many people don’t even think about selling when they are buying, but when you buy you definitely want to know that you can sell your home if you ever need to. Let me explain why this article could put $10,000 or even $50,000 in your bank account some years from now.
How to Buy a Home in Sequim
How to Buy a Home You Can Sell
You may be buying your last home, or at least you might phrase it that way as many retirees who move to Sequim do. You might be thinking that you want a home that is your personal idea of the perfect retirement home. That’s all good, so why should the question about how to buy a home even come up? Because the reality is that many retirees don’t live in Sequim the rest of their lives. The number one reason people sell their homes in Sequim is to move closer to their children and grandchildren. That often happens after 4 to 7 years, and that means you really do need to be able to sell your home, should you decide to move.
The other reason people sell their homes in Sequim is because of health reasons or because of the death of a loved one. Don’t you want to be sure that your spouse can sell her home if she needs to should you die first? We can all answer that in the affirmative, but it is amazing how many buyers design and build a home that no one else will want to buy, or they buy a home that is not readily sellable.
How to Buy a Home That is Sellable
You really can buy (or build) a home that is sellable. This morning I showed a couple a home on five acres with an old barn that is still in excellent condition. There is a nice mountain view and this is a great location. The problem is the home. The prior owner, who I suspect is a carpenter or contractor, remodeled an old one bedroom farmhouse. While the quality of his workmanship is unquestionably great, the floor plan today in the remodeled state is a disaster. No retirees want to pay over $500,000 for a one bedroom home that is only 1,000 square feet. While this might be an extreme example, it makes the point. Don’t buy a home with an unusual floor plan that 95% of retirees will never buy.
How to buy a home is a question that I urge you to consider as you search for your Sequim retirement home. You may live here the rest of your life, but many retirees end up trying to sell their homes. Right now there are literally hundreds of Sequim homes on the market that retirees cannot sell, because the homes are so unique they don’t appeal to the vast majority of qualified buyers in this market. What buyers want is not that complicated, but this is why hiring a local full time and experienced real estate agent is a good idea. I’ve written many articles on this blog describing exactly what the majority of buyers are buying in Sequim.
If I can help you resolve the question about how to buy a home in Sequim that you can sell if you need to, just email or call.
Last Updated on June 17, 2019 by Chuck Marunde
Funny you should write about “sellable homes” today because this has been on my mind when looking at Sequim home listings. Personally, I won’t need a big, grand kitchen with all the amenities most want. I won’t be entertaining and will just cook for myself. A smaller galley kitchen will be just fine for my retired lifestyle. A deep soaking tub in the bathroom, with safety bars, is a feature I desire as I have spent a lifetime taking rushed morning showers. If the house has some roses in the yard and is painted pink or other soft colors inside, I will think it was designed with me in mind. Square footage about 1500? Perfect. Water view? Ideal. But my daughter will some day inherit my Sequim home. I highly doubt she will move her family into it and will most likely place it up for sale. For a quick turnover, my Sequim home will need all the desired perks that others want. And that is why I probably won’t buy the home of my dreams. It will need to be yet another compromise. A compromise with a nicer kitchen with numerous cabinets, both showers and tubs in the bathrooms, and neutral flooring. It causes me to wonder: Does anyone ever finally get everything their heart desires when buying their last home?
Editor: Ann, excellent comments. Thank you for your contribution on what are important issues for everyone who moves here and retires. In response to your last question, most don’t get everything on their bucket list, but every once in a while, someone does. Either way, everyone of my buyer clients are so excited to be moving and living here. Sincerely, Chuck Marunde
Selling a home in Sequim is probably like many areas, and it really takes years of hard learned experience to sell a home, to know how to do that these days with Internet marketing and so on. When my husband and I decided to sell our last three homes, we first tried to do it on our own. What a mistake that was. We thought we could. We bought a FSBO package and we ended up having to learn what it takes a professional years to learn. So we finally listed it with a good real estate agent, and we got it sold. The second and third homes, well, we just listed those and actually helped our real estate agent market them, and we had success. Your article is exactly right on. We found out the hard way.