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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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Who is the Best Home Builder in Sequim and Port Angeles?

by Chuck Marunde / Saturday, 15 March 2008 / Published in Custom Homes
Who is the best home builder in Sequim? Who is the best home builder in Port Angeles? Who builds the best new homes or the best custom homes?

If you are planning to hire a home builder and have your dream home built, or maybe it’s to be your retirement home, what are the most important considerations? Here’s what the vast majority of people want.

First, most people want the highest quality home, and second, they want it for the least cost per square foot. Clearly, these two goals are in direct conflict.

Here’s what most people don’t know and may never know, and I share this as an insider who has practiced in real estate sales and law for almost 30 years, including as an adviser to builders and contractors:

  1. There is a vast difference in the quality of homes built from contractor to contractor.
  2. Advertisements of low construction costs based on the cost per square foot is a Trap for the Unwary homeowner.
As a real estate lawyer, I saw many clients who had been planning for years to build their dream homes or their retirement homes. These clients, who were good people, successful people, and intelligent people, hired their builders based primarily on one factor: cost per square foot. The reason these clients were seeing an attorney is because of two main problems: their homes were not being built with the quality materials and workmanship they expected, and there were so many surprise extras that the cost per square foot originally quoted in the advertisement that brought them to the builder was almost doubled.

How does this happen?

Initially the homeowner talks to the builder about his incredibly low cost per square foot advertisement, and as he goes over what they want, and as they have several more meetings, the homeowners come to accept the fact that they will have to pay probably $20 to $30 more per square foot than the advertised rate in order to get the home they want. So they sign a contract, and then what?

THERE IS A VAST DIFFERENCE IN THE
QUALITY OF HOME CONSTRUCTION
The above average couple who plans to have a new home built are simply not knowledgeable about construction standards, the difference in the quality of materials that a builder chooses at his discretion, the shortcuts that some builders take to make more profit at the expense of the homeowner, the “little” things that a builder can leave out of the contract discussion and then, as though they were unexpected later during construction, suddenly require $5,500 more for drainage permits and work, $3,200 for a couple of additional windows that should really have been in the original design, $4,750 for a change in the flooring materials, $7,200 for kitchen cabinet upgrades, $2,100 for appliance upgrades, and on and on. The homeowners did not think the builder was going to use the cheapest generic brand appliances, but he was. The homeowner thinks these are unexpected surprises for the builder, too, but the builder has “been there, done that.” There are few surprises for an experienced home builder. The only one who gets surprised is the homeowner, who has to somehow come up with a lot more money than they planned in their budget.

This is how the homeowner gets sucked into a contract, and ends up paying as much or more than what they would have paid another builder who gives honest quotes up front and builds a true quality custom home.

True story. Two homes were built adjacent to each other, one by a quality home builder and the other by the discounter. The quality home builder had the home completed in five months, and the homeowners moved in very pleased with the quality and the guaranteed contract price. The discounter next door did not complete that home for over a year, and those poor homeowners were kicking themselves for hiring the lowest bidder, because in the end it cost them more money, more time, and a lot of stress. What’s interesting is that they originally talked with the quality builder, but his bid was higher than the one they hired.

Who are you going to hire as a builder? The lowest bidder or the best builder in Sequim or Port Angeles? Realize that ultimately the best builder may actually be the lowest bidder per square foot, but it won’t sound that way when you are being sold by a discounter. I recommend getting some inside help on how to do your due diligence in selecting a builder. You will be very glad you did.

Who is the best home builder in Sequim or in Port Angeles? I know some good builders, some great builders, and . . . well, some who have had unhappy clients. Email or call me, and we can talk about what kind of home you want to build and what kind of builder you would like to work with. I’ll help match you up if I can.

Chuck Marunde, J.D.
chuckmarunde@gmail.com
360-775-5424

Possibly Related Posts:

  • Port Angeles Custom Home Quality
  • Home Builders – The Lowest Bidder
  • Building a New Home – Free Service Offered

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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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