Elwha River Bridge

The Elwha River Bridge just west of Port Angeles is still under construction, but progress is being made. The old bridge was a landmark and beautiful in its ancient construction, but it had become unsafe and in great need of maintenance.

Click on photo to enlarge.


This bridge spans the Elwha River on the Upper Elwha River Road, which connects Highway 112 and Edgewood Road. For bicyclists or joggers, watch for the day the bridge is completed, because there is a great loop if you park your vehicle at Laird's Corner at the public parking lot, bike or jog down Edgewood, down the Upper Elwha River Road to Highway 112, and back up Highway 112 to Laird's corner. Laird's corner is at the intersection of Highway 101 and Highway 112.

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC and Photo by Chuck Marunde, J.D.

Sequim View Lots 2+ Acres to 9.91 Acres

Sequim Water View Lots in Bell Gates on Bell Hill

Sequim, Washington Has History of Internal Conflicts

Sequim, Washington, a great retirement haven, has a history of internal conflict. This is not necessarily all bad. An active city council, active chamber of commerce, active local businessmen and active citizens will inevitably produce tension in the times in which we live.

Headlines of such conflicts are a regular diet in Sequim:

Sequim City Council Debate Growth
Sequim City Council Hays Sparks Debate
Newcomers Bring Change
The Fight Over Growth in Sequim
Sequim Chamber of Commerce Director Ousted
Text of E-mailed Memo to Chamber
Protester and Chamber President Hash It Out

You can listen to Sequim City Council meetings now on audio by going to Listen to Sequim City Council Meetings.

Why so much conflict? Certainly, Sequim has its share of strong personalities, but we are living in times when politicians at the federal and state levels have created multiple layers of land use laws and regulations that have created a complex web of restrictions on land development, wetlands mitigation, and environmental protections. When it comes to making decisions on housing development, zoning, and a host of land use issues, local politicians are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Retirees have different desires than businessmen. Farmers have different notions of progress than those who would have no new housing developments. There are zero growth proponents, laissez faire growth proponents, and liberals and conservatives.

Within our microcosm of society, there are all kinds of lifestyles and dreams. For some it is owning and flying a small airplane. But for others it is living in the country far from the noise pollution of airplanes. For some it is maintaining our agricultural traditions, but others may want and end to negative impacts of farming (i.e., dairy farming). Some families enjoy recreational activities (boating, dirt biking, motorcycles, four wheelers), but other families feel such activities are offensive or detrimental. Some politicians want to invite new businesses and industry into the area for the benefits of employment and the economic multiplier, but others want to close the gates to further development.

Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a natural consequence of a thriving economy such as ours, something we can be thankful for.

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC

Sequim Real Estate and Port Angeles Real Estate Markets Are Localized

The Sequim real estate market, as well as Port Angeles', is uniquely localized, but that is true of much of the country. National markets, trends, and regional economic variables impact, but do not determine local prices and sales. There is one market that impacts Sequim and Port Angeles home sales more than most, and that is the California market.

If California homeowners are not able to sell their homes, a significant percentage of buyers of homes and land in Sequim and Port Angeles go away. But there are signs of improvement.

"Despite all the dire headlines about the drop in real estate prices, 56 percent of the 292 metropolitan areas surveyed nationwide showed net price appreciation for the past year. . . . Kerry Killinger, CEO of Washington Mutual, said his company is seeing 'a slight improvement over the last month or so' in California -- the single largest and hardest hit segment of the U.S. housing market. 'There's (been) some pickup in demand,' Killinger said. '(We're) watching this very closely (because) this may be indicating a troughing of conditions.' That means that maybe -- just maybe -- the protracted real estate plunge in California is showing hints of finally flattening out." [RealtyTimes online]

In the first four months of this year, 168 homes sold in Sequim and Port Angeles. That's an average of 42 homes sold per month. Sales are down from the banner year of 2005, but buyers are clearly still buying, and that is good news for home sellers. In comparison, the first four months of 2007 had total sales of 200, or 50 homes sold per month. This is by no means a housing crash, certainly not in a small real estate market such as Sequim and Port Angeles.

[Source of data: Olympic Listing Service, homes sold are site built only]
Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC

Sequim Marathon, Running and Jogging

Sequim has many exciting recreational events, including the Northern Olympic Discovery Marathon, an annual running event that draws runners from all over the U.S., and this year from as far away as Sweden.

The Discovery Marathon has a really great website with everything you could want to know, including great maps of the course, and even a Google Earth view. Here's a description from the website.

"The North Olympic Discovery Marathon and Half-Marathon are run on a unique point-to-point course that incorporates the Olympic Discovery Trail - with stunning views of the Olympic Mountains and a five mile finishing stretch along the shores of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The race is a USATF sanctioned event that is a Boston Marathon qualifier and will be chip timed. The rails to trails course is a wide, mixed, hard surface trail."

As a runner, I can appreciate how well organized this running event is. If you're within driving distance, you'll want to come and join the competitors, and bring your family and friends, because there are great spectator activities everyone will enjoy.

Courtesy SequimRealEstateNews.com

Washington - Our Senior Population

Sequim and Port Angeles have long been magnets for retirees, and it's no surprise that our senior population is increasing. This is true around the State of Washington. The following interesting data is from a report published by the Washington Center for Real Estate Research.

The age distribution of our population is changing: the elderly segment of the population is increasing. This is due to two factors: increasing longevity and the aging of a large population cohort (e.g., the baby boom and baby boom echo). A person born in 1905 had a life expectancy at birth of 48.7 years (47.3 for men and 50.2 for women). A person who was aged 70 in 2005 would have already outlived the average at birth life expectancy of 61.7 years (59.9 men and 63.9 for women); and a person born in 2000 has a life expectancy of 77.0 years (74.3 for men and 79.7 for women).

Click on graphic for enlarged view.


Not only are people living longer, but for certain age groups, there are actually more of them. In the post World War II period (1946-1954) the US experienced a large increase in the birthrate, known as the “Baby Boom.” This group is now aged 50-60 and will entering retirement soon. There was drop-off in birth rates after 1954, but a large number of babies were still born in the 1955-1964 period, these individuals now aged 42-51 represent the trailing edge of the baby-boom2. When the baby-boomers began to have children, this created another spike in birthrates beginning in the 1980’s known as the baby-boom echo.

The result of these age demographics is that the estimated median age in Washington state is 36.7 years (±0.2 Years) compared with the United States estimate of 36.4 years (±0.2). The number residents of Washington State over 65 is growing rapidly. U.S. Census figures indicate a 15.1 percent increase between 1990 and 2000 compared with 12.0 percent nationwide. The Western region of the country generally saw the most rapid growth in the senior population. The state of Washington had the 20th most rapid percentage growth during the 1990s, but only 12 states actually added more seniors during the decade.

[Source: Washington Center for Real Estate Research, Housing Washington's Seniors]

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC

Port Angeles 3 Story Water View + Mountain View

Port Angeles WA Water View Home for Sale at Freshwater Bay

Search the MLS - Not All Brokers Are Members of the MLS

A majority of buyers now start their home search with an Internet MLS search for Sequim and Port Angeles properties. This is true all over the United States.

Did you know that not all real estate brokers and not all agents are necessarily members of your local MLS (multiple listing service), wherever you may live in the U.S.? What does it mean if a broker is not? Let's consider the implications.

Most people know that the MLS is where real estate agents post their listings. This is the first step in marketing a property. Putting the listing in the MLS gives other agents who are members of the MLS the ability to view the details of that listing and share the listing with their potential buyer clients. All of this exposes the listed property to more potential buyers.

So why wouldn't a broker be a member of a local MLS? There are three logical reasons. First, it is too expensive. That is not likely, since it is not an expensive service. In fact, it is the least expensive marketing an agent will ever do. The second possible reason is that the broker has a better marketing plan. That could be, but this also not likely, since the best marketing plan would include first listing it in the local MLS. The third possible reason would be that the broker's membership was suspended or revoked by the local MLS board. If that is what happened, we don't even want to discuss going further with that broker. Anyone who list with such a broker either does not know about the suspension or revocation or they are on Ritalin.

For the consumer, there are several more important considerations in deciding to list with a non-MLS participating broker.

1. What is the broker's plan to market your property? Does he or she even have a plan?
2. How are the listings exposed to the rest of the world, or are they at all?
3. Does the broker depend almost entirely on just hanging poor photos of your listing in the window at his or her office? How many buyers will that expose your property to?
   
4. Is the broker's effort at marketing focused only on local buyers in a limited marketing effort, or is there any national exposure to the many out-of-state buyers?
   
5. With no exposure to all the other local brokers and agents, how does the broker intend to expose your listing to all potential buyers, or even many of them? Most buyers will be working through other agents, right?
   
6. What is the broker's relationship with other local agents? Good? Bad? Non-existent?
   
7. If the broker is not part of the local broker network, understand that it is highly unlikely that other local agents will ever tell their clients about the broker's listings. Why should they, they don't get paid.
8. A non-MLS broker will not have an IDX (public) search capacity from their website and your listing won't show up in other agents' websites through their IDX public property search tool.
   
9. Does the broker have many other agents who will help market your property, or is the broker a loner?
10. A non-MLS broker may try to entice customers with discounted commission rates. One question here. Would you pay a discounted price for a burnt steak, a rotten potato, and freezer burnt vegetables? What's a discount if you don't get the service, can't sell your home, or don't get the best price?
11. Last question. What is the broker's relationship with past clients? I don't mean just 2 or 3, I mean many of them. Anyone can end up with a few happy clients, but what about dozens or 100's of clients? Are there a lot of burned bridges? Don't you want to know?
    

When it comes to hiring a real estate agent, do your due diligence. There's no such thing as a free lunch, but there is such a thing as getting a broker who wants to list your property but is not even in the MLS.

Your logical goal when selling your home is to get the highest possible price in the least amount of time. I recommend choosing your real estate agent carefully. It's a very important decision for you.

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC

Sequim Rain Shadow - A Technical Explanation

Ever wonder why Sequim residents refer to their area as the "banana belt"? They can thank the Olympic Rain Shadow. The Olympic Mountains act as a wall that protects the northeastern Olympic Peninsula and San Juan Islands from the bulk of the rain that moves into the Pacific Northwest.

The dominant airflow during rainy days around here is from the southwest. As that air runs into the southwestern face of the Olympics, the mountains push the air upward.

As the air lifts, it condenses and squeezes out its moisture -- think of it as the mountains acting like a sponge soaking up and then squeezing out the rain. That's the reason there are vast rain forests on the southwestern side of the Olympics. They receive over 200 inches of rain a year.

On the flip side, once the air reaches the Olympic Summit, now it's pretty much lost its moisture. As it goes over the top of the mountains and comes down the northeastern slopes, it sinks. And just like rising air condenses, sinking air dries out as it encounters warmer air near the surface. So you already have semi-dry air becoming even drier.

And, of course, Sequim sits on the northeast side of the Olympics, so they are almost always in this dry slot -- although the shadow affects Port Townsend and the San Juan Islands as well. Sequim only gets about 18 inches of rain a year. Meanwhile, just 90 miles to the west, Forks receives over 120 inches of rain a year.

Check out this map of state annual rainfall totals. You can see how dry it is around the Sequim area, and how wet it is on the southwest side of the Olympics.

One interesting statistic: Port Angeles receives about 27 inches of rain a year. However, for each mile you go west of that city, you pick up an extra inch of annual rainfall.

Not Just For Sequim

But the Olympics just don't cast their rain shadow over Sequim. In cases where the wind pattern is more westerly, the shadow will then be over the Seattle Metro area. That's why Seattle only receives about 37 inches of rain a year -- there are plenty of rainy days where Seattle gets less than others as we get the benefit of the rain shadow. If the Olympics weren't there, Seattle would probably get closer to 50-60 inches of rain a year.

Cascade Rain Shadow

And of course, almost all of Eastern Washington is in the Cascade Rain Shadow. The physics are the same -- the Cascades squeeze out most of the moisture and leave very little to make it over to Eastern Washington. That's why it's so dry over there. Meanwhile, rainfall totals pick up once again as you head into the western Cascade foothills.

Source: KOMO TV

Port Angeles 3 Story Incredible Water View

How to Search the Sequim MLS or Port Angeles MLS

You can search over 1,500 Sequim MLS listings and Port Angeles MLS Listings from my website at: Search MLS Listings.

There's a short audio on how to use the MLS search to find what you are looking for. If you are unable to find exactly what you are looking for, do not assume it doesn't exist, as the audio explains. The local MLS input data sheet has many check boxes, and not all agents complete all the "include" or "exclude" sections. It's easier for agents to use the "comments" or "remarks" section to describe something unique or special about the property.

Sometimes people run into trouble when they try to listen to an audio on their Internet browser, whether it is Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. The solution is to check the options in your browser, and make sure that the default setting for listening to ".mp3's" is the audio program you use on your computer (i.e. Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc.).

If you have any difficulty or can't find the home or land you are looking for, email me at chuckmarunde@gmail.com or simply call me at 360-775-5424.

P.S. I will be glad to help you with any technology problems you're having on this. Come on now, when was the last time a Realtor offered help with your tech issues?

Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center SARC

Sequim is proud of its Recreation Center known as SARC. It's a great place to get some cardio exercise, do a little weightlifting, play some basketball or racketball, swim in the pool, or relax in the jacuzzi or steam room.

When my own children were young, we spent a lot of time in the pool, including the kittie pool. When my daughter was about 3 years old, she was walking toward me on the little shelf that you sit on, and with the water boiling, she did not know their was a drop off. She stepped off and disappeared. Of course, I immediately lifted her up, but it was like one of those funny home videos that just made us laugh. One minute she was there looking at me expectantly, and the next moment she was out of site. If I was surprised, she was really surprised. Too funny!

After a hard day, come and relax at SARC. Enjoy the positive ions in the air and the great conversation in the hot tub. Look for me. I'm the bald guy.

See the SARC website.

Local Sequim Writer Thrives on Internet

Port Angeles and Sequim Real Estate Broker Chuck Marunde is known by many in the area as a real estate attorney (ret.) and now as a Broker/Owner of Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC. What most people don't know is that he has been operating below the radar for many years as an accomplished author.

Chuck has a very large Internet presence through many websites and blogs that he created and hosts, starting with his first website in 1995, which won national awards for being "content-rich." Chuck has published 100's of articles on the Internet. His articles are nationally syndicated and have been published online with Reuters, the Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal. Chuck sits on the panel of real estate experts for the Seattle PI Blog, for eZineArticles.com, and is affiliated with a number of other online organizations.

He also is a freelancer for Ultimate Grappling Magazine, Pacific Northwest Home Owner Magazine, and he is the editor of the online version of Topix news for the cities of Sequim and Port Angeles, Washington.

Chuck first started writing in Alaska in the early 1980's, and when he isn't showing houses or solving complex real estate issues, he is writing. "I love to write, and real estate is what I know best, so I write about real estate."

Chuck practiced real estate law for 20 years, and because of his love for real estate, he says, "I couldn't stay away from the transactions end of real estate. I love helping people buy and sell. I've handled almost every angle of real estate, from buying and selling to investing, foreclosures, short sales, real estate partnerships and joint ventures, to business development and marketing and sales.

Some of Chuck's work can be found at:

http://PortAngelesRealEstateNews.com
http://SequimPortAngeles.com
http://FreeRealEstateLaw.com
http://activerain.com/blogs/chuckmarunde
http://activerain.com/chuckmarunde
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/realestate/
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Chuck_Marunde
http://www.sequimportangelesrealestate.com/

Author, technology guru, Internet expert, lawyer, Realtor, marketing expert and salesman Chuck Marunde is no longer operating under the radar. The Internet is a powerful tool, even for the purpose of bringing Chuck into the radar zone, where he can be found by buyers and sellers. "I love helping people solve their real estate problems, and right now the biggest challenge people have is selling their homes or land in a slow market. In my opinion, now is a good time to buy, and it's a good time to sell if you handle the pricing and negotiating with wisdom."

Chuck raised his family in Sequim, including his oldest son, Jesse Marunde, who was Internationally famous as a professional strongman. Jesse came in second at the World's Strongest Man Contest in Chengdu, China a few years ago. Chuck's middle son, Bristol Marunde, continues the Marunde tradition in athletics by competing as a professional mixed martial arts fighter. Reflecting on Bristol's career choice, Chuck said, "Fighting in the cage is just another form of negotiating, although it is much more assertive than the kind of negotiating I do in real estate."

Sequim Real Estate News

Sequim real estate news - you've found it! Looking for Sequim market news, legal solutions, interesting issues, photos, articles about local events or recreation, want to ask questions or comment? Here is a vignette of what you will find here:

• Accessory Dwelling Units (1)
• Adverse Possession (1)
• Alaska v. Sequim/P.A. (3)
• Asbestors (1)
• Asset Protection (2)
• Attitude in Selling (1)
• Bed and Breakfast (1)
• Bristol Marunde (1)
• Builders and Contractors (1)
• Building a Home (2)
• Buying Land (1)
• Buying Real Estate in Port Angeles and Sequim (2)
• California and Sequim/PA Real Estate (1)
• Clallam County Fair (1)
• Clallam County Property Taxes (1)
• Contractor (2)
• Covenants (1)
• Custom Homes (2)
• Dairy Farms (1)
• Divorce and Real Estate (4)
• Elwha River Dam (1)
• Elwha River Pics (2)
• Environmental Issues (1)
• Escrow and RE Closings (1)
• Estate Planning (1)
• Excise Tax Fraud (1)
• Finding an Agent (3)
• Foreclosures (5)
• FSBO (5)
• Green Homes (1)
• Green Houses (1)
• Green Real Estate (1)
• Hiring Agents (1)
• Home Appraisal (1)
• Home Security (1)
• Homes and Land (1)
• Homes for Rent (1)
• Homes for Sale Sequim and Port Angeles (1)
• Internet and Real Estate (1)
• Investing (1)
• Jesse Marunde (2)
• Judgments on Real Estate (1)
• Listing Price (4)
• Lot Sales in Port Angeles and Sequim (2)
• Luxury Homes For Sale (1)
• Luxury Homes For Sale in Port Angeles (1)
• Mold and Mildew (1)
• Mortgage Fraud (1)
• Mortgages and Truth (1)
• Negotiating The Best Price (2)
• Neighbor From Hell (1)
• New Construction (1)
• New Homes in Sequim (1)
• Novel Ideas for Your Home (1)
• Olympic National Park (4)
• On Being Thankful (1)
• Open Houses (1)
• Port Angeles (2)
• Port Angeles and Sequim Real Estate (6)
• Port Angeles and Sequim Real Estate Prices (7)
• Port Angeles Home For Sale (1)
• Port Angeles MLS (1)
• Port Angeles Real Estate (7)
• Port Angeles Real Estate Prices (1)
• Port Angeles Recreation (1)
• Port Angeles Water View (1)
• Port Angeles Waterfront (1)
• Port of Port Angeles (1)
• Private Wells (1)
• Probate (1)
• Professional Incompetence (3)
• Real Estate Agents (4)
• Real Estate Investing (2)
• Real Estate v. Stock Market (2)
• Security Gates (1)
• Seller Misrepresentation (3)
• Selling a Business (1)
• Selling Real Estate in Sequim and Port Angeles (1)
• Selling Your Home (2)
• Sequim (1)
• Sequim and Port Angeles Home Sales (1)
• Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate Brokers (2)
• Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate Podcasts (1)
• Sequim and Port Angeles Water View Properties (1)
• Sequim FSBO (1)
• Sequim Future (1)
• Sequim Golf (1)
• Sequim Home For Sale (1)
• Sequim Homes Sold (1)
• Sequim Lots For Sale (1)
• Sequim MLS (1)
• Sequim Real Estate (11)
• Sequim Real Estate Agents (1)
• Sequim Real Estate and Port Angeles Real Estate (4)
• Sequim Real Estate Prices (2)
• Strongman (1)
• Taxes (1)
• The Market (1)
• Title Insurance (1)
• Traps for the Unwary (9)
• Wetlands (1)

SequimRealEstateNews.com = your #1 most content-rich news site.

Sequim - Close The Gates

What is the future of Sequim? What is the vision for Sequim? Will Sequim have a robust economic plan for the future, with the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce facilitating a powerful mission statement?

A recent letter from Ron and Susie Chapman to the Sequim Gazette raised this argument:

"We moved from Juneau, Alaska, because the place we called home for over 30 years also 'had a dream' that envisioned cruise ships and the wealth they would bring to our town. . . . The last four years saw the number of tourists climb, some days there were over 10,000 tourists. The local people were run out of all our favorite places by helicopters, a never-ending line of smelly diesel buses and guided tour vans. . . . All the small grocery, clothing shops and restaurants that were once open year-round were bought up by big companies . . . It was really a sad sight; a once vital part of the community was gone because a few 'had a dream.'"

Interesting letter from the Chapmans. I think we can appreciate their point, but I do think that one of our great challenges is thinking clearly about challenging issues of the day, like the future vision of Sequim or Port Angeles. I think if we sat down with the Chapmans, they would agree with what I am thinking, but their letter does seem a bit lopsided without considering a more balanced and articulate argument. Here's what I'm talking about.

The rapid growth that they spoke of and that they did not like has many facets.

First, if I had a nice retirement pension (or a large state salary and benefits, which is largely what Juneau is as the capital) and moved into a quiet little peaceful community, and it grew as the Chapmans describe, I too would be disappointed. But I have learned there is much more to the world than my small universe. There are others to consider, and the world does not revolve around me. I learned that the hard way, the school of hard knocks as they say. But I sympathize with the Chapmans. Still they were able to pick up and move to Sequim, which is not exactly table scraps for most of us. Living in Sequim is not what I would consider punishment or banishment from Juneau, Alaska. (I lived in Tok, Alaska. Imagine that!)

Second, while the Chapmans have colored such growth in the most negative light, many hard working businessmen who support their families by catering to tourism and to all the related and effected service industries, have been abundantly blessed a 1,000 times over financially. And this blessing occurred while many in the world and in this great country are going bankrupt and their families are often torn apart in the ensuing chaos. Many are losing their homes to foreclosures. Would those of us who are caught up in such growth choose rather to curse the prosperity and end the blessings for those less fortunate?

Third, the Chapmans argument is part of a much older argument that is made in small beautiful towns across America. It has been repeated in Sequim 1,000's of times. "Close the gate and lock it! We don't want any more people here!" But we do not have that choice. I would say, "When you have your own planet, you can make the rules. Until then, we must let people come."

Fourth, the Chapmans, in fact, had the freedom of choice to stay in Juneau, or to move to Sequim. Frankly, I'm glad they came to Sequim. This is a wonderful community, much better in a thousand ways than cold, land-locked Juneau. But most of all I'm glad such good people decided to join our community.

Fifth, the Chapmans argument that someone who "had a dream" was foundationally responsible for the incredible economic growth that Juneau has seen is probably not a very good argument. Economic growth did not happen because someone like Martin Luther King had a dream. Having dreams or visions come in all sizes and shapes, and alone such dreams do nothing. The kind of economic growth that occurred was the result of 100's of residents and business owners vigorously working to accomplish something very big. It was no accident such growth occurred, and it took a lot of hard work by many people over a long period of time. It cannot be dismissed by a simple statement that it was caused by someone who "had a dream."

Sixth, the Chapmans are assuming that such growth is bad. But are there others who would say, "We are so grateful for the growth that we have and the millions of dollars that are pumped into our little economy every summer, and thank God we all started talking years ago about how to attract more people to our beautiful city."

I guess my point is that simple statements often are really much more of a very personal reflection on one person's lifestyle preferences, and so we ought to be careful when we throw a blanket of powerful reasoning on top of grand concepts held by others. A microcosm does not give us all the relevant data to build a macro-economic model. Examples of what has happened in other cities, such as Juneau, is instructive, but by no means the end of the subject. It is nothing more than one example of how some are negatively impacted by economic growth, seasonal or not.

But, I think the Chapmans would agree with me. Their letter to the editor was limited by space. They did not have the opportunity to discourse at length as I have here.

Chuck Marunde, J.D.
Broker/Owner
Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC
618 South Peabody St., Suite I
Port Angeles, WA 98362
(360) 775-5424
chuckmarunde@gmail.com
SequimPortAngeles.com

Attitude is Everything

My son, Bristol Marunde, is a professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is dedicated, has incredible self-discipline, and he knows he has to have the attitude of a champion.

It has been said that attitude is everything. Platitudes are often of little value, but they also can remind me of inspiring truths.

I think attitude is everything. It's fundamental to operating a real estate brokerage. It's important in having positive relationships, in making new friends, and in relating to family. Life is all about relationships, so a positive attitude is vital to a healthy and happy life.

As a lawyer I saw negative attitudes all the time, not so much in my own clients, but in opposing parties and their lawyers. In real estate sales and as a Realtor now, I see negative attitudes.

Here's where negative thinking in real estate sales can be self-destructive. For buyers and sellers it can hinder a person's ability to see clearly on issues of price, effective vs. ineffective marketing, market variables, understanding comps, negotiating the best price, and managing conflict.

But here's where it gets interesting to me, and I'm talking about the behind the scenes "stuff" in real estate sales. Agents who are negative, have a critical spirit, or have other attitude issues, are not nearly as effective and successful as they could be for their clients. There is a night and day difference between people with negative and positive attitudes.

In sales of any kind, this is absolutely critical. People don't like to be around people with deep issues of bitterness, unforgiveness, selfishness, jealousy, and anger. These are self-destructive, but we get very good as masking such secret sins, and putting on our best face to sell to the public.

On the other hand, a person who is emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually healthy will be a delight to be around, and this person is much more likely to be a success for his clients in real estate. A happy salesman is a much more powerful saleman. People love to be around someone who is truly happy. People may not articulate such things, but they don't have to. The subconscious is constantly collecting such information.

I love to be around positive people. So do buyers. So do sellers. Who doesn't?

[The photo above is Bristol Marunde, professional mixed martial arts fighter, aka cagefighter. Just another of 1,000's of photos this proud father has taken of him over the years. This was a recent fight in Shelton, Washington. P.S. His next fight in June 7th at the Emerald Queens Casino in Fife, Washington.]

Wetlands - A Losing Battle

Saving wetlands is a losing battle! First, one must ask if the environmental fervor to save wetlands is based on real science. Second, if that question can be answered in the affirmative, the next question is, "can we save wetlands?" Third, if both of those questions can be answered in the affirmative, then one must ask, "how can we go about saving wetlands in a way that is cost effective, or is there another tactic in the bigger picture that makes scientific and economic sense in our ecosystem?"

Let's face it, there has been little proof that all the laws, rules, and regulations designating and governing wetlands around our nation has been effective. The Seattle Times, certainly a liberal newspaper that zealously promotes wetlands and environmental protection, shed some serious light on what a dismal failure the federal and state and county governments have been in protecting our designated wetlands.

"Time and again, efforts to re-create nature by replacing wetlands fail, if the effort is made at all. The science is relatively new and evolving, and wetlands replacements are often allowed to be afterthoughts for developers. . . . Even the state's highest environmental officials concede the system is broken. . . . 'We are kidding ourselves; the emperor has no clothes,' said Thomas Hruby, a senior ecologist at the Ecology Department. 'We are deluding ourselves, hoping there is a silver bullet out there that will allow us to have our growth and not have the impacts. It's a state of denial.'"

The cost of protecting wetlands is in the billions nationwide, and the scientific community still cannot agree on the state of our progress, or lack thereof. This cost cannot be calculated, but it hits all of us in two ways.

First, when privately owned land is designated as wetlands (even when no one can see signs of water, or the hole was dug with a shovel and the hole later has standing water in it), the owners, who are often widows or senior citizens, cannot sell their land for the fair market value it would have in the real estate market for its highest and best use. This cost alone has stolen millions and millions of dollars out of the pockets of hard working middle class Americans.

Second, the actual cost of protecting wetlands through the extensive and complicated engineering that is required is beyond comprehension for most of us. There are 10's of thousands of massive wetlands protection projects around the country costing millions of dollars with negligible results.

The Port of Seattle has already spent $62,000,000 to replace wetlands filled in for a third runway at Sea-Tac. The Army Corps of Engineers scientist said, "the jury is still out" on the success of some of the mitigation. Not to get picky here, but have all you taxpayers signed up for this expense voluntarily?

The truth is, protecting wetlands with extreme fervor may actually be a black hole for taxpayers. We pay, government spends. What many people find so disturbing is that there is little proof that all our tax dollars are doing anything to save the environment.

On the beautiful Northern Olympic Peninsula, and in Sunny Sequim, Washington and it's sister city, Port Angeles, thousands of acres have been designated as wetlands at a tremendous cost to private landowners, and with wheel barrels of tax dollars. Are we really saving the environment? If we held court, and had a civil jury where the burden of proof was the lowest standard, "by a preponderance of the evidence," I am afraid the case for wetlands protection would be dismissed.

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC

[Quotes from the Seattle Times, Saving Wetlands: A Broken Promise, May 12, 2008, page A1]

Sequim Real Estate

Sequim real estate is still a keen attraction for out-of-state buyers. Sequim is definitely in a rain shadow, and it is a "best kept secret." I raised my own family in Sequim. No doubt about it; Sequim is a quiet and peaceful haven in the Northwest.

Many are planning to retire in Sequim. That makes sense. Who wants to live where you have to fight traffic jams, as the good folks do in southern California? And then there's the crime rate and the cost of housing.

Is there a place on earth where the heavens open up and the sun shines through, where crime is rare, the people are friendly, and where real estate is still reasonably priced? Yes, that would be Sequim.

So, for all of you who have an interest in looking at real estate in Sequim, I'll make it easy and give you this link to search over 1,500 local MLS listings.

Search Sequim MLS Listings

For more detailed information about the Sequim area, schools, weather, and insider information for buyers, view SequimPortAngeles.com. To keep up automatically with the local real estate market, subscribe to the weekly Sequim Real Estate Newsletter in the subscribe button in the right column.

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC and Chuck Marunde, J.D.

Sequim & Port Angeles Rentals

Sequim homes for rent and Port Angeles homes for rent: how to find a rental on the Internet.

There are four primary Internet resources that you can use to search for rental homes:

1. Action Properties (Rental Management Company)
2. Landmark (Rental Management Company)
3. The Peninsula Daily Homes for Rent
4. The Sequim Gazette Homes for Rent

Rent is higher in Sequim than in Port Angeles, just as home and land prices tend to be higher in Sequim.

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC

Olympic National Park West of Port Angeles

The Olympic National Park is near Port Angeles, and has beautiful hiking trails. This is a photo I took many miles in the mountains. It was serene and a peace of heaven. If you love nature, if you love hiking, if you love the outdoors, you'll love the Olympic National Park.


Did you know that the Olympic National Park protects the largest unmanaged herd of Roosevelt elk in the world? Want to see more? Go to Olympic National Park photos and hiking trails.

Sequim FSBO - For Sale By Owner - Part 1

What does it take to sell your own home in Sequim? How do you market your home in this economy? What techniques are best for selling? How do you get the highest price?

I think of selling your house as a six part process: 1.) knowing the local real estate market, 2.) figuring out the FMV and determining a realistic sales price, 3.) developing an effective advertising plan, 4.) negotiating diplomatically but firmly to arrive at a price that pushes your buyer as far as they are willing to go, 5.) drafting the legal contracts as well as drafting unambiguous language that gets the property sold without legal problems, and 6.) avoiding the many traps for the unwary.

Today's Coverage: 1.) Knowing the local real estate market.

Buyers sometimes come from outside our area, and if they are from an area where real estate is priced substantially higher, they might over pay for a property. The reality is that buyers are getting very well educated these days, and they are learning to negotiate hard. The Internet has become a very powerful tool educating both buyers and sellers, evidenced by you reading this.

Buyers are able to view many homes on the Internet and compare features and prices. By the time a buyer looks at your home, they have looked at hundreds of homes on the Internet, and physically viewed a dozen or more homes in your market. The better you know the market, the better you will be prepared to negotiate the sale.

Knowing the market involves knowing several critical components to getting your house sold. It will be helpful to know:

1. the fair market values of comparable houses;
2. the differences between those comps and your house in great detail;
3. how and why you have adjusted the comp prices to arrive at your price;
4. the shortcomings or negatives of your home--objectively;
5. considering all of this, how your home looks on the market to prospective buyers;
6. how to stage your home;
7. the market timing or the "when" of selling your home.

WHEN you put your home on the market is a very important decision. First, the market might be in a correction mode, so it could be the worst time. Second, the season or time of the year can be disadvantageous. Third, annual events often create the best and the not-so-good times to put a house on the market, like school starting at the end of August. There are many things that effect timing decisions. You will want to be aware of these, because wrong timing can mean the house does not sell within a reasonable period of time, or it could mean you take a substantial cut on the price. Ouch!

You would also benefit from having a written comprehensive plan. Do you know what you are going to do, and do you know when you are going to do it between now and closing? Chaos is not in your best interest when it comes to selling your home with so much money at stake. Write a good and thorough plan, including the contact information of key professionals you will involve, such as the title company, the escrow officer, inspector, loan officer, and so on. It's what you don't know that can come back to bite you. It has been said that we learn best by making mistakes, but it would be a disaster if you had to loose a lot of your money just to learn something about selling real estate. It is the intention of this series to help you avoid that kind of nightmare and to successfully sell your own home. If after studying everything you can get your hands on, you decide your want a Realtor, that is still your option, but at least you would be making a fully informed decision.

Realize that the success of a FSBO is not so much in doing something extraordinarily good: the key is not making any major mistakes. Kind of sounds like a military career, doesn't it? It means covering all the bases, and not falling into traps for the unwary. This is why a comprehensive plan is so important. It is your road map to success. Without the map, you may not end up at closing with the net proceeds you hoped to get. And then who wants to close a transaction, and later get sued because your paperwork opens you to legal liability.

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC
Chuck Marunde, J.D. Owner/Broker/Realtor

Should I Reduce My Price To Sell My Home?

When a home is on the market for a long time and it still has not sold, a homeowner might legitimately ask his agent, or himself if he is a FSBO (for sale by owner), do I need to reduce my price? Have I overpriced my home?

In my experience, whenever the DOM (days on market) exceed 90 days, and especially when the DOM approaches 200, the first question everyone focuses on is the price. "Oh, it must be priced too high. Let's drop it and try to get some attention that way."

An overpriced listing is like death to a serious home seller, but sometimes the reason a home hasn't sold has nothing to do with the current price. Elsewhere, I've written about the danger of overpricing, and that should be a consideration, but there is a huge factor that may be far more important in "getting attention" from prospective buyers.

How well is your home being marketed? Is your marketing plan reaching buyers (wherever they may be) in this price range and for your area and for the floor plan and features of your home? If your marketing is ineffective, the price is not why your home has not sold. It's because buyers are not even aware of your home.

Anyone who reads my blog articles knows that one of my pet peeves is ineffective marketing of homes. So many FSBO's and so many practicing real estate agents think that simply putting a house in the MLS and in some local newspaper ads is all there is to this marketing business. Some think they have the secret key, because they've placed a few haphazard ads on the Internet. There's so much more to marketing and placement. There's so much more to knowing how to reach prospects on the Internet.

Why does a marketing expert like Jay Abraham get paid as much as $1 million dollars to draft one letter for major retailers? Because they can make an extra $200 million dollars in sales. Well, why not save all that money and simply pay a Boeing engineer to write a letter, or a retired sporting goods store owner, or a waitress? Because they don't know how. Period. It doesn't matter if they think they know, they don't. That's why Jay Abraham can charge so much. Because he produces results.

A homeowner may think they know about marketing. A real estate agent might present themselves as an expert who can sell someones's home. If they are wrong and don't know, who pays the price? The homeowner who is stuck with a house that hasn't sold. A Boeing engineer may be very smart about engineering, a retired sporting goods store owner may have been very successful in his business, and a waitress may be phenomenal, but are they marketing experts in selling their own homes in this market? Probably not. I'm sure they would admit that. [They might say, "I just want to give it a try." Red flag. Maybe I'll write about how listings go stale once they're overpriced, and no one comes back.]

I recently listed an incredible home with an unbelievable view of International waters. It was listed by another agent, but nothing happened for six months. So my client asked me, "Do I need to reduce the price." My answer was a probing question, "Was your house effectively marketed to your potential buyers?" His answer was a quick, "No." He knew it wasn't. My response, "Then we don't know if we need to reduce the price yet. First we market, then we adjust price if those buyers are telling us the price is too high."

If you had a home listed at $425,000, but it was not effectively being exposed to prospective buyers, you could drop the price to $400,000, and still you would have no activity, except tire kickers. You could drop the price 6 months later to $387,000, and still you would have no offers. How much money are you willing to lose until you actually sell it to someone who is just looking for a steal. It isn't always about price.

Selling your home is effective marketing plus a reasonable listing price. Effective marketing is not for the inexperienced. The difference between good marketing and poor marketing is 60 DOM or 324 DOM. It gets even better than that. The house that is on the market for a long time before it sells will also get a lesser price than the same house sold in 60 days with good marketing.

In today's real estate market, effective marketing is more important than ever. Either you, as the homeowner, must become an expert in marketing in all its facets if you are to sell your home in a reasonable period of time for the highest price, or you should be darn sure your Realtor is a true expert. Do you know how to discern the difference between a Realtor who is and who is not? [Hint: just because their lips are moving doesn't mean they are saying something that will help you sell your home.]

If you're selling your home soon, be careful. It's dangerous out there. There are many Traps for the Unwary, and a poor marketing plan is one of those traps.

Sequim Real Estate Agents

How many Sequim agents are there? By my last count there are 218 real estate agents in Sequim, Washington. Wow. That's one agent for every 18 Sequim residents (including babies), if you believe the city population of 4,000. Of course, most of the agents do serve a larger area outside the city limits, too.

Okay, let's qualify that a little bit. Sequim is a well known retirement community. While there is no data collected on this, it is my educated guess that about 50% of the Sequim agents are either retirees with an income who decided to get a real estate license, or their spouses have a retirement income.

The other speculation is that out of the 50% who are not retired and don't have a spouse with a retirement income, 50% of that group has an income from a regular non-real estate job. There's nothing wrong with being a part time real estate agent. That is popular throughout the U.S.

That leaves 53 agents who are not retired, do not have a retired spouse with an income, and who do not have an income from a regular job or a spouse with an income from a regular job (other than real estate).

Out of this group of 53 agents, how many are full time and earn 100% of their income from real estate commissions to support their family? Here again, I'm guessing that 35 agents is the answer. It's a small town and a small market, so to have 35 agents earning full time incomes to support their families is probably about right.

The Sequim Association of Realtors is one of the best managed associations in the state. It has been for years.

I raised my own family in Sequim and in my strong opinion, it is one of the best communities (all things considered) to live in anywhere in the country.

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC

Recruiting Real Estate Agents in Sequim and Port Angeles

Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC is currently accepting applications for the position of real estate agent. A limited number of agents will be hired. Compensation is commission only. Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate is the newest, most innovative, and powerful real estate brokerage in Clallam County. Why?

1. Our entire focus is on our clients, not us. That means our business model, our customer relationship management, our marketing, and all that we do is designed with our clients' best interests in mind. We practice what we preach 24/7.

2. Our marketing is some of the most effective marketing in the business. We do not share our marketing secrets with our competition, and virtually no one is doing what we do as effectively as we are doing it.

3. Our designated broker has tremendous real estate experience that is unsurpassed. His experience goes back to the mid 1970's when he started his career in real estate as an agent and later as an associate broker while still in Alaska, then 20 years of real estate law in Washington, head of an escrow company, personally closed 100's of transactions, negotiated 100's (if not 1,000's) of real estate transactions, drafted real estate residential and commercial documents of all kinds, litigated most real estate issue agents deal with, acted as an advisor to top producing agents for 15 years, and so on. Enough of that.

4. We have the most technologically advanced staff of any brokerage on this side of the Columbia Gorge. This information is top secret, so it will not be revealed here.

5. While our clients are the center of mass for our business and all that we do, our designated broker also considers the financial, professional, and personal welfare of our agents a top priority. Not only do we train and mentor for success, our agents get paid 90% of their commissions. Our philosophy is that our work should be enjoyable and our relationships at this company will be healthy and productive and profitable relationships. We love our clients and we love what we do.

6. Our agents pay all their own expenses, and either work out of their home office or their own public office. Sellers want to meet us in their homes, so we can see them and evaluate them. Buyers typically want to meet at their hotel or coffee shop if they are from out of town, or we meet at a central location (the broker's office), and drive out to look at homes. Clients do not care about brick and mortar buildings. They care about effectively marketing their home for sale or finding their dream home. Our full business model, which is very extensive, will be shared only with our agents.

7. Because our agents get paid 90% of their commissions, and because we teach them how to keep their operating expenses extraordinarily low, it is highly probably that an agent's net commissions for the year could double (or triple) from their previous experience. We teach agents what they need to learn to earn a six figure income. It should be obvious that the owner/broker is keenly interested in the success of his agents.

Here is a short segment of an interview of the owner/broker of Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC [read the full interview here]:

Blog Manager: Chuck, you did not join a major real estate franchise. Do you think people look for the big names?

Chuck: I'll tell you what clients have been telling me for nearly 30 years. They want someone who will help them find what they are looking for. They could care less about the name of a company or the size of the building. They don't sit in California or Arizona, or even in Seattle, and say, "Honey, let's call a big name franchise in Sequim or Port Angeles, and see if they can help us find our dream home at a rock bottom price." About 75% of buyers start their search for their next home on the Internet, and they're not using real estate portals or franchise websites. Like all of us, they are searching with Google or Yahoo. Again, it's not about me, it's not about the company, but it is all about the client and what the client is looking for. I have a completely different business model than 99% of the crowded brokerage business. For me, it really is all about the client, not me.

Blog Manager: Chuck, since you talk about serving your clients more than anything else, can I assume that you have free resources that people can check out?

Chuck: Absolutely. I offer an incredible amount of information absolutely free. People might be surprised. They can start with
SequimPortAngeles.com, and they can go to
SequimRealEstateBlog.com or
PortAngelesRealEstateBlog.com, and they can also find real estate law help at FreeRealEstateLaw.com, and there are more resources, but that's enough for now.

Blog Manager: Well, there you have it folks. Check out those websites, and thank you Chuck for sitting under the bright lights for us.

Chuck: My pleasure.

Applicants should email their Resume and a cover letter explaining why Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate should hire them. Please email to chuckmarunde@gmail.com

Include your telephone number and email address. You will be notified if you are chosen for an interview.

Are Homes Selling in Sequim and Port Angeles?

Are homes selling in Sequim and Port Angeles? In the first four months of this year sales are down. We all know that. I was going to write, "That's not front page news," but it still is. The market has taken a beating around the country, especially because of the mortgage fiasco. When sales slow down in California, Arizona, Texas, and around Seattle, our buyers have to postpone their plans to purchase their retirement homes here.

But exactly how much is Sequim and Port Angeles down in home sales? Here I compare the first quarter of each year since 2000.

This chart shows that home sales for Sequim and Port Angeles combined for January through April of 2008 are at pre-2003 levels. But let's face it--the real estate market really took off in 2003 through 2005 with great residual through 2007.

The market is down. No doubt. But consider this: in the first four months of this year 166 houses sold in Sequim and Port Angeles. Buyers are still arriving. That is good. Those who are at the retirement point and have planned to move here, are still coming, unless their real estate market is so slow they can't sell their homes.

The economy and the real estate market in the U.S. is amazingly resilient. I predict a reasonably good real estate market through the spring and summer in Sequim and Port Angeles. It is an excellent time to buy, and if you're selling, a good home in a good area has not lost value in these past months. The threshold of value remains strong.

Traditional Real Estate Brokerage is Dead

Traditional real estate brokerage is history, just like the Model T is history. Consumers know this. Home owners and buyers have known this for several years. What is interesting is that so many real estate brokers don't know this.

Real estate brokers who operate under the traditional model are still using a 20 year old business model, but the business world, and in particular, the real estate world, has dramatically evolved in the past two decades.

How does the traditional model market listed properties? This old worn out approach markets property by:

1. Entering it in the local MLS;
2. Advertising it once every 6 weeks in a little newspaper ad.

That's it! Let's pause here to answer the objection a traditional broker would immediately have at this point. He/she would say, "Oh, no. We do much more than that. We send out "Just Listed" post cards to neighbors, we send out price changes to other agents through our email system, we put the house on the broker tour, we hold an open house, we run ads in the newspaper, . . . we have it on our website, oh yes, we do so much more." They would also talk for several minutes in a fast and nervous voice, but when they finished, you would not be able to repeat what they said, because it didn't really seem to make sense.

Yadda, yadda, yadda. All of these things are just more of the same, and all of this is part of the 20 year old business model.

There's nothing wrong with such tactics, but the world has changed in the last two decades, and buyers and sellers have become very savvy. Buyers and sellers do not necessarily understand how the world has changed in real estate sales, or what marketing tactics work or don't work, but nearly everyone is aware that the traditional approach is no longer effectively connecting with buyers.

It's much more than just ineffective marketing that is at issue. A simple concept called CRM, or customer relationship management, became a popular subject about 15 years ago. The dialogue focused on meeting the client's needs and communicating regularly with the client during the relationship, keeping the client informed, building a positive relationship, and doing such a great job that the client would eagerly send referrals. Today, 15 years later, the vast majority of real estate brokers have NO customer relationship management system in place.

Again, consumers don't necessarily understand how it should be, but their gut feeling is that something is wrong, and they are not being treated the way they should be. Clients do not like being ignored for months at a time.

The 20 year old model focuses on the real estate agent, rather than on the client. For example, the old model suggests an agent promote himself or herself, brag about his sales record, or boast in other self-centered ways. But consumers have one question, "How are you going to help me sell my home?" Traditional real estate brokerage doesn't understand that it's not about me, the agent, but it is ALL about the client. The client is and should be the center of mass for all decisions made. It is the client's best interest that should be the focus.

Consumers sense this, and they don't like it.

The world has dramatically changed in the past two decades. Clients expect more. They expect brokers to sell their homes using cutting edge technologies and in such ways that strong and positive relationships are built during the process. Technology and the Internet have dramatically changed the way the real estate business is done. Most brokers are only slightly aware of the significance of this. In a feeble effort to demonstrate they are using the Internet, they have techies build a website that is no more than a static brochure on the Internet.

Consumers will not be fooled by counterfeits. Consumers are demanding more. How real estate is bought and sold is dramatically changing, and consumers know it. Unfortunately, most brokers and agents do not.

Jesse Memorial Strongman Contest

Sequim had a big event this weekend - the Jesse Marunde Memorial Strongman Contest with Strongmen coming from around the world, including:

Karl Gillingham, Magnus Samuelsson (who traveled from Sweden to Sequim), Dave Ostlund, Odd Haugen, Marshall White, Matt Parkes, Phil Pfister (who holds the World's Strongest Man title), Breck Gault, Grant Higa, and Corey St Clair. This is a list of Who's Who among the world's strongest men, and they came to Sequim!

Pictured here is first place winner and local strongman Marshall White with Jesse's son (and my grandson), Dawson, and Jesse's wife, Callie Marunde.

It was a great day as friends from all around gathered to remember Jesse and enjoy a good time in an informal strongman contest. Kevin Nee did a great job MC'ing the event with Callie Marunde. It was good for me, too, as Jesse's father, because I've been taking photographs of these guys at contests around the country since Jesse started competing.

Reward & Punishment

Once upon a time there was a little red hen who scratched around the barnyard until she uncovered some grains of wheat. She called her friends together and said, “If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?”

“Not I,” said the cow.
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the goose.

“Then I will,” said the little red hen, and she did. The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain. “Who will help me reap my wheat?” asked the little red hen?

“Not I,” said the duck.
“Not my classification,” said the pig.
“I’d lose my seniority,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my unemployment compensation,” said the goose.

“Then I will,” said the little red hen, and she did. At last it came time to bake the bread. “Who will help me bake the bread?” asked the little red hen?

“That would be overtime for me,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my welfare benefits,” said the duck.
“I’m a dropout and never learned how,” said the pig.
“If I’m to be the only helper, that’s discrimination,” said the goose.

“Then I will,” said the little red hen. She baked five loaves and held them up for her neighbors to see. They all wanted some--in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, “Now I can eat the five loaves myself.”

“Excess profits!” yelled the cow.
“Capitalist leech!” cried the duck.
“I demand my equal rights!” shouted the goose.
The pig grunted. Then they hurriedly painted “unfair” picket signs and marched around, shooting obscenities.

The government agent came and said to the little red hen, “You must not be greedy.”

“But I earned the bread,” said the little red hen.

“Exactly,” said the agent. “That is the wonderful free-enterprise system. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But, under regulations the productive workers must divide their product with the idle.”

And they lived happily ever after. But the little red hen’s neighbors wondered why she never again baked bread.

Judgment Liens

Judgments against real estate come in a variety of forms. If a judgment is obtained in a superior court against an individual, it becomes an automatic lien on all their real estate in that county. When that property is sold, the lien has to be paid off at closing by the escrow officer, also known as a limited practice officer (LPO).

An LPO's nightmare is dreaming that it's midnight, a closing is at 8:30 a.m. the next morning and she hasn't started the title search. What a relief when she wakes up realizing it was only a bad dream. Actually every once in a while an LPO does look at the prelim' only to pinch herself, thinking, "This can't be happening to me." There's nothing like a little surprise judgment. Or, how about a mortgage still on the record and paid off but never satisfied? Try this: back in 1946 the property was sold on a bill of sale. LPOs love a challenge, don't they?

Here's a true story about how a title problem and a judgment lien got lost in the legal process. A superior court judgment was obtained against the defendant Pedersen, but there was a typographical error. On the judgment, "Pedersen" was misspelled "Pederson". [Wilson Sporting Goods v. Steven Pedersen]

The Pedersens filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, listing the judgment. Subsequently a Writ of Execution was issued and the sheriff levied on the Pedersen's real estate. Pedersen filed a motion to quash the sheriff's sale on the basis that the bankruptcy discharged the judgment. The trial court ruled that the judgment had never been perfected as a lien against the Pedersen's real estate because of the misspelling.

The end result for Wilson Sporting Goods is that they failed to perfect their judgment against the Pedersens, and they had the equivalent of an unsecured debt which was discharged in the bankruptcy.

Interesting . . . Brush up on your spelling skills, so you don't lose what you thought was a secured interest. How do you spell that? Johnson or Johnston? Jenson or Jensen? Benson or Bensen? Richard or Richards? MacDonald or McDonald? It makes a difference.

Sequim and Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC

Sequim Lots for Sale in Bell Gates on Bell Hill

Sequim lots for sale in Bell Gates on Bell Hill with a salt water view of the Strait and Protection Island, and all on 9.91 acres, and the CC&R's are approved for horses! No way! Yes way!

Where in the world are going to find such a lot? In sunny Sequim, Washington, of course. In this photo you can see Lot 8 of Bell Gates, which is just under 10 acres. This is a gated community with all utilities installed to the lots.
If you're familiar with Bell Hill, you already know that this is a prestigious and very attractive area. These next few months is migration time for retirees from California, Arizona, Texas, and even the Seattle Metropolitan area. That means this lot will not be available much longer.

This is the last large lot in this development and it is priced for a quick sale at $325,000. Did I mention this lot was assessed at over $500,000?

It's easy to get in touch with Chuck Marunde, Broker/Owner/Realtor, Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC. You choose:

1. Call me at 360-775-5424 right now, or
2. Email me at chuckmarunde@gmail.com, or
3. Complete this data sheet so I can preview your property needs.

FSBO - For Sale By Owner in Sequim and Port Angeles

Want to sell your home on your own? There's a new and exciting company in Port Angeles called "OlyFsbo.com." OlyFsbo.com serves the entire Sequim and Port Angeles areas with its powerful website and back office features. [Click on this graphic to view this website.]

What will you find on their website? Of course, there is a listing section so buyers can find your home on the Internet, but there are a host of tools to enable you to sell your home on your own. For example, you'll find a FSBO sales preparation guide, a FSBO Advertising package, legal forms of all kinds, guidance for sellers and buyers, and there's something you won't find anywhere else: 4sFsbo.tv call center which will schedule showings of your home for you.

This website is certainly worth a peek, and for the serious FSBO, I recommend it. The company is so new that some of the website is still under development, but you'll want to get on board right away, because the hottest months to sell are upon us.

Courtesy Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC.