Sequim Homes for Sale

Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate

Chuck Marunde, J.D., Broker, Attorney (Ret.), Serving Sequim for 24 years.

Sequim is a beautiful place to retire with only 16 inches of rain annually, 1/3rd of Seattle.

The 24 Secrets to Buying a Country Home

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Are there really secrets to buying a country home? Yes, there are, at least many which buyers do not know. We are very excited to announce Chuck Marunde’s latest book written and narrated specifically for buyers moving to the country from the city, and of course, Chuck practices in the country known as the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle and particularly in Sequim, Washington. This book is packed full of solid and reliable information that all buyers would love to know before they buy a country home, and now you can take advantage of four decades of real estate experience and 20 years of real estate law experience with this book written by Chuck Marunde, J.D. Chuck is a buyer’s agent, and buyers from around the country have been taking advantage of his massive Internet resources for years, including his many books about buying real estate.

Country Home

You can learn more about this book on Amazon, and you can download the ebook version or listen to the audio version. Both links are available through Amazon at 24 Secrets to Buying a Country Home.

If you’re planning to visit Sequim soon and looking at your country home online, be sure to book your appointment with Chuck Marunde long in advance to be sure he’ll be available.

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The Sequim Real Estate Blog

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The Sequim Real Estate Blog, aka SequimBlog.com or Sequim-Real-Estate-Blog.com, is the largest real estate blog on the entire Olympic Peninsula for buyers. Over 2,200 articles have been written on very specific subjects that buyers wanted addressed over the past dozen years. Actually, since the author has been in Sequim going back 25 years and practiced real estate law for 20 years, retiring in Sequim, these articles address questions that buyers have been asking for over two decades.

But there’s so much more to this Sequim real estate blog. Here’s a video that will show you the amazing resources available through this blog’s home page. You’re going to love these resources, because they are a lifetime of real estate knowledge and experience given to buyers like you absolutely free. How cool is that?

We hope you enjoy the Sequim Real Estate Blog.

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How Do I Sell My Home?

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How to Sell My HomeHow do I sell my home is a question being ask by many homeowners today. The world has changed dramatically over the past decade, and technologies and the Internet have revolutionized the real estate industry. You’ll need a few things to sell your home, and I wouldn’t compromise on these if you want to get the highest price for your home. You’ll only get that if you effectively market to the most qualified buyers. So let’s answer the question, “How do I sell my home?”

You’ll need a real estate professional who is honest, has integrity, is knowledgeable and experienced, and is an expert with modern Internet marketing. He also needs the right tools. What kinds of tools does he need to connect with highly qualified buyers for a home like yours?

Virtual Tour Camera

An outstanding professional digital camera with the best lenses, the best lighting equipment, and the know how to use it. He also needs the best photo editing software. He needs a 3-dimensional virtual tour camera with nine lenses and the servers and software to host these interactive tours. Buyers absolutely love these online interactive virtual tours. 

For especially gorgeous homes, especially homes with water views or beachfront or mountain views, an aerial drone video is essential. So your real estate broker needs all the video equipment to do that. Our broker at iRealty Virtual Brokers is registered as a drone pilot with the FAA, and he is the only local Realtor registered to use drones.

Video DroneAnd then what you need to reach the largest number of qualified buyers is a massive Internet marketing system, meaning thousands of articles, thousands of photos and videos, too. These resources must be optimized for the search engines so buyers can find them. [See the largest local Sequim Real Estate Blog.]

There is only one local real estate brokerage with all these resources and all this expertise–iRealty Virtual Brokers. We do what traditional brokers do to effectively market listings, but we do so much more, it is almost overwhelming. Call us for an in-home presentation. By the way, if you want an online peek at what we do, you can watch our video right now:  

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Pending Sales

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Pending sales in Sequim and Port Angeles are at an all time high, at least as far back as I have tracked this data during this past 10 year recession. We have 125 pending sales, which explains why buyers are having trouble finding their ideal home. In one way of saying it, “There’s no inventory left,” although that would be an exaggeration. There is still inventory, but the inventory for the 3 bedroom, 2 bath single level modern home on a nice piece of property is almost non-existent. If it does appear on the market, it’s gone very quickly.

Pending Sales

Pending Sales and Price Increases

Here’s what this means. Prices are finally starting to go up significantly. This past 12 months we have seen increased sales and upward pressure on prices as homes were selling at full list prices, and some were selling for slightly above. But now we are seeing homes selling for more than previously established Fair Market Value (FMV). In other words, supply and demand is now dramatically effecting the sales price and sales numbers, so we now have more pending sales than ever before.

Many buyers are feeling desperate, because they can’t find what they want. If and when they find something that they decide would be a workable compromise, the list price is often higher than they feel it’s true FMV is. Here’s a real life example.

I showed a couple a home that had been on the market for over 700 days. In other words, it is a home that no one has wanted in two years on the market. It has been vacant the entire time, and it appears the seller has been doing virtually no maintenance. It’s an older home, and the floor plan is not all that attractive. There are some other features of the property that are attractive, but this is definitely a home that retirees moving to Sequim did not find appealing. The seller kept the price way too high, and it was clearly overpriced the entire time. This is the classic example of a very stubborn seller who refuses to acknowledge the laws of supply and demand by setting the price artificially high and just sitting on it despite the fact that so many buyers had walked away from it over such a long time period.

Pending Sales Push Offers

In my opinion, and the opinion of my buyer clients, this property had a FMV of $275,000 to $285,000. I show and sell a lot of homes, and the comps indicated a value in that range. But the seller had it listed for much more, $345,000. There was just no way that the home was worth that much. There were no comps supporting that, and far too much work was needed on the home. The entire kitchen needed a major upgrade. Some of the basement rooms were rather odd.

My clients decided to make an offer of $285,000, and after some counteroffers back and forth, they came up substantially more than they felt was justified to $315,000. They couldn’t find another suitable home in the inventory, and so they were willing to pay $15,000 to $20,000 more than it was worth. But the seller would not come below $335,000, which was way more than this old house was worth.

While my clients were considering whether they should walk away forever or pay even more, the home went under contract and became one of our statistical pending transactions. We don’t know the sales price yet, because that doesn’t become public information until it has closed, but it would appear this home sold for $335,000 or something close to that. This means this home sold for about $50,000 more than it’s historical FMV. Of course, once pending sales actually close, they become the new standard and establish FMV.

That is positive proof that prices are suddenly going up when you add that to the 125 pending sales we have right now. I have buyers who cannot even find a suitable home in the inventory. It is my opinion that supply and demand is finally catching up with Sequim, and now we have proof with all the pending sales.

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How to Select a Real Estate Agent

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When it’s time to select a real estate agent, do you know exactly how to do that? I’ve heard many reasons that explain why people select a real estate agent the way they do. Here are some of the most common reasons:

“I hired the first agent I talked to. Yea, I called a phone number off a sign, and some agent answered the phone, and that’s who I hired.”

“I was searching the MLS, and I saw an agent’s photo in the right margin on Zillow. They returned my call, and I hired her.”

“I got a call from a FSBO ad I ran on Craigslist, and it was an agent who wanted to list my home, so I listed my home with him.”

“My brother’s wife’s brother is a real estate agent, so I hired him.”

Select a Real Estate Agent

Select a Real Estate Intelligently

Notice what is missing in how each of these people decided to select a real estate agent. Not one did any due diligence on their agent before their hired them. They did not use relevant interview questions. They just hired any Tom, Jane, or Susan.

If you were going to invest $300,000 with an investment adviser, you wouldn’t just hire the first guy you called and give him your life savings. Neither should you trust any Tom, Jane, or Susan with your life savings when you buy a house. When it’s time to select a real estate agent, you have some research to do.

I want to share some steps you can take to make sure you do hire the right agent, but first I think you deserve to know my credentials for being qualified to share this information. I started in real estate 40 years ago, and I practiced real estate law for 20 years. In between I served as a JAG in the USAF for four years. I retired from law practice in 2005, and I built the largest virtual brokerage of any individual agent in the Northwest outside of Seattle.

I’ve written thousands of articles to help buyers. I’ve built an online marketing system to help buyers find their perfect home. I’ve written many real estate books for buyers, one for sellers, and one for Realtors. I definitely know what to look for in a Realtor. I wish all buyers and all sellers knew, but since they do not, my effort to help includes articles like this one.

Select a Real Estate Agent with Interview Checklist

You can download a copy of my Real Estate Agent Interview Checklist. It includes 22 questions to ask your prospective agent. The questions will get you thinking about the kinds of issues you want covered in your agent.

Why pay so much attention to how you select a real estate agent? Lawyers make a living off of other people’s mistakes and by suing Realtors. The last thing you need when you buy a home is a major legal nightmare. But even if you don’t get into litigation, if you hire an inexperienced agent, you could overpay for a home, and I’ve seen that. A buyer paid $825,000 for a home that was only worth $650,000. I personally watched that happen, although I did not represent either the buyer or seller. There was nothing I could legally or ethically do to save the buyer.

An inexperienced agent may not keep you out of trouble during the due diligence. There are many inspections, and there are many traps for the unwary. There are addendums, and special legal phrases you may need to protect yourself. I cannot overemphasize the importance of hiring the right agent.

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Winter in Sequim

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Winter in Sequim is sometimes overcast, sometimes rainy, rarely is there snow, but one thing we can say about winter in Sequim that is a blessing is that we don’t get these horrendous blizzards on the east coast, or the floods or the tornadoes or hurricanes. We are lucky. Yesterday as I looked out my back deck, I was looking at green fields and mountains, and it was so warm in my house, I had to leave the door to the back deck open for a while.

Winter in Sequim

Winter in Sequim

Temperatures yesterday were in the mid fifties. The sun was out. It was gorgeous. This is winter in Sequim. Not bad. New York is shut down because of a massive snow storm. Washington D.C. is too. From a Sequim perspective, it seems like New York has nightmare weather every winter to various degrees of severity.

Winter in Sequim and Looking at Homes

Even though it is this is winter in Sequim, we still have many buyers arriving to look at homes, and they are buying. It’s been an unusually busy November, December, and January.

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Sequim Business Property for Sale

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This Sequim business property sits in a great business location. There are very few corner lots at a busy intersection right in the path of expansion and growth like this property. This aerial video puts this business location in perspective. The intersection is Sequim-Dungeness Way and the Old Olympic Highway, two of the busiest roads in all of Clallam County.

Sequim Business Property in Great Location

Notice from the high aerial view what is located near and around this Sequim business property. These are all very good business neighbors. This Sequim business property is within the Sequim City boundary, but is is halfway between Sequim and the bluffs to the north, which is where so much growth is happening. That means this location is very likely to see increasing traffic and increasing residential and commercial growth.

Sequim Business Property Uses

What kind of business uses could you have on this property? It is zoned C-I(NC). It currently is used for a business called Peninsula Nurseries, which will be sold separately. Permitted uses include alcoholic beverage sales (packaged), bakeries, barbers and beauty shops, churches, convenience stores, day care centers, dry cleaners and laundries, hardware stores, nursery, professional offices, agencies, pharmacy, photographic studios, and more. The property also has water rights with private well.

You can learn more about this 1880 home and this Sequim business property at this Sequim MLS site: Sequim Business Property.

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Horse Ranch for Sale

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Are you looking for a small horse ranch? You will see more than one horse ranch from Port Townsend to Sequim to Port Angeles, but a horse ranch for sale is hard to find for the discerning horse owner. This is one horse ranch with an ideal property and ideal horse setup. Here is an aerial video of this horse ranch.

Horse Ranch For Sale

You can learn more about this horse ranch, including more photos, property details, and a 3D Virtual Tour of the inside of the home by going to Horse Ranch, and you can look at every horse ranch for sale in the Sequim and Port Angeles are by going to Horse Properties. By the way, you may have noticed that no broker in the Sequim and Port Angeles area is doing these kinds of high quality aerial videos and extraordinary three dimensional virtual tours, except one–iRealty Virtual Brokers and its owner/broker Chuck Marunde. Why? Chuck says, “I think buyers want reality. They need to know exactly what a property looks like outside, and for a property like this horse ranch, there’s no better representation than an aerial video. And buyers also want to know exactly what the inside of a home looks like and where all the rooms are, and the 3D virtual tour gives them the reality of walking through the home online just as though they were there in person. Clients love this kind of reality.” Hence the name, iRealty Virtual Brokers.

Horse Ranch

Clallam County is farm and animal country and has been for well over a century. For those with a little acreage out of town, horses, cows, sheep, goats, and even chickens are common. One of the reasons Sequim appeals to so many people retiring is because it is a very peaceful community far from the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life. Are you a horse owner in the market for a horse ranch? Email chuckmarunde@gmail.com and let Chuck know exactly what you are looking for in a horse ranch.

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Why Some Sequim Homes Sell Fast

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Some Sequim homes sell fast and others do not. What’s the difference between them? I’m a guy who doesn’t jump to conclusions, but after seeing the same pattern over a long period of time, like years, I say to myself, “Hey Chuck, there’s a pattern here.” And so homes that sell quickly and homes that do not have revealed a pattern.

Sequim Homes

Sequim Homes Sell When They Sell

In a large metropolitan market there will be hundreds of homes selling every week, and it is easy to accurately predict how long a home will be on the market, how many buyers are arriving per week, and you can use sales statistics to make pretty good predictions. But in a small market, like Sequim, Washington, the inventory is very small, and the number of buyers arriving to look at homes and buy is also a small number. The number of buyers who come from week to week varies, and you cannot make accurate predictions about DOM (days on market) or how much a home should sell for.

Sequim Homes and Retirees

The truth is, retirees will retire when they retire, and then they make a trip to see some Sequim homes. The date on which a home is listed has no relation to when a retired couple arrive in Sequim to see similar homes. The ideal buyer for a particular home might arrive the same day a home goes on the market, or a month later, or 8 months later. In a small market with few buyers, you cannot draw definitive conclusions about a home just because it sold in 4 days, or just because it has been on the market for 6 months. There may be nothing wrong with the home. The right buyer may simply not have arrived yet.

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About iRealty Virtual Brokers

iRealty Virtual Brokers reaches out to buyers around the United States with thousands of online articles, MLS sites, apps, real estate books, videos, and much more specifically to help buyers find all the answers to their questions. Call or email one of our Agents for the kind of professional help you want and expect from your Sequim Real Estate Agent.


iRealty Virtual Brokers
dba Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate
125 Olympic Ranch Ln, Sequim, WA 98382
360-775-5424

7 Myths of Selling Your Home
Sequim Real Estate A Buyers Guide

Your Sequim & Port Angeles Realtors

Call Chuck Marunde at 360-775-5424.
Call Daniel Binswanger at 360-979-5312

Sequim Real Estate Blog

The 24 Secrets to Buying a Country Home

Are there really secrets to buying a country home? Yes, there are, at least many which buyers do not know. We are very excited to announce Chuck Marunde’s latest book written and narrated specifically for buyers moving to the country from the city, and of course, Chuck practices in the country known as the Olympic […]

The Sequim Real Estate Blog

The Sequim Real Estate Blog, aka SequimBlog.com or Sequim-Real-Estate-Blog.com, is the largest real estate blog on the entire Olympic Peninsula for buyers. Over 2,200 articles have been written on very specific subjects that buyers wanted addressed over the past dozen years. Actually, since the author has been in Sequim going back 25 years and practiced […]

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