New Videos

The Perfect 20 Acres actually does exist, and it is south of Sequim in the mountains. I did not know Heaven had an address, but it does, and everything a dreamer could want is found on this property: a parklike setting with old growth tree stumps that literally could be 600 to 1,200 years old, healthy trees of various kinds all over the 20 acres, trails for hiking or riding a horse, four ponds, on...

When should you pump a septic tank? Every 3 years? Every time a home is sold? Today is all about traps for the unwary and myths your parents believed. What exactly is the science on pumping septic systems? What is the law? How can a buyer know what to do to protect themselves and be reasonable in the negotiations, too? You learn all that and more from the practical school of hard knocks for the un...

The best MLS in the State of Washington is unquestionably the NWMLS, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. It's coverage across the state makes it the best all-inclusive MLS site for consumers. Use the NWMLS at https://irealtyvirtualbrokers.com/home. This is also the best MLS for real estate brokers. This video is a little pitch to real estate agents, but I thought the public might enjoy seeing...

How about Sequim to Thailand for 10 days and only $2,000 with airfare, housing, food, and recreation? Hua Hin is one of the best places in Thailand for ex-pats and vacationers, including Sequimites like me. Join me for an adventure to Thailand, good food, sunny beaches, and adventures in Bangkok and Hua Hin. You can retire in Sequim and still enjoy some of the greatest vacations of your life for a...

A well inspection is a standard part of purchasing a home in the rural countryside when a home has a private well. You can see the active home listings that have private wells in Washington at: https://irealtyvirtualbrokers.com/home But a well inspection takes some expertise, and the well inspection addendum is full of sneaky little legal clauses. Even when you get an official well inspection repo...

Are Sequim forest fires a threat to retirees who now live in the Sequim area or even west of Port Angeles? What is the story of forest fires on the Olympic Peninsula. How does the old growth forests of the Olympic Peninsula compare with the forests of California, Colorado, Utah, and other states that become the driest and most flammable environments. And what of rainfall, humidity, and the level o...

Real estate commissions and the NAR settlement has confused many Realtors, and left many sellers and buyers in the twilight zone. All is explained in this video. If you want to know what the law is and how sellers pay commissions, you'll enjoy this video by real estate attorney Chuck Marunde (ret.), and broker/author. How does a buyer's agent work with his buyer clients now, and what are listing a...

How to Buy a Farm is a master course in less than 17 minutes. For the rancher, family farmer, and the hobbyist this is exactly what you want to avoid traps for the unwary. You're the farmer and rancher. You know horses, cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, but you never were a real estate lawyer, and you have no plans to become one anytime soon. That's why this video is your perfect choice if you a...

Pricing a home in a falling market is not for the inexperienced Realtor, the listing agent who spends 95% of his or her waking hours chasing listings, trying to get in front of homeowners to do their listing presentation, a boilerplate list that does more to generate leads for the listing agent than it does buyers for the seller. If sellers are confused about the prices that Realtors give them tha...

Tell me about Sequim heating and cooling systems. Okay. Let's start with a heat pump. A heat pump is a versatile, energy-efficient system that both heats and cools your home. Unlike traditional furnaces that generate heat by burning fuel or using electric resistance, a heat pump moves heat from one place to another. In the winter, it pulls heat from the outside air and transfers it inside your hom...

Real estate transaction deadlines are extremely important, because if you miss a critical deadline, you can lose your negotiating ability to deal with a seller on serious defective issues, and if you had to back out of the transaction, you could lose your earnest money. You cannot afford to miss an important deadline. In this video I'll talk about those deadlines and what I do as a buyer's agent t...

How do you search for the ideal retirement home in Sequim, WA? What search parameters do you use, and what MLS sites should you use to make sure you don't miss one? Alas Chuck Marunde is here to the rescue with two powerful customized search tools for you. You'll love them, because they make life so much easier for you, less stressful, and hopefully this can be the process and tools that help you...

The real estate market turned and this is definitely a buyer's market now. It's been turning for quite a while, but now that prices are falling precipitously and sellers are forced to keep dropping their prices month after month and sometimes weekly, the writing is on the wall . . . or should I say all over Zillow and those massive price reductions. This video quickly shows examples of Sequim home...

A flat fee listing service has come to Washington homeowners, and it's not like a $325 FSBO model that brings very little to the table and then drops the homeowners on their heads. It's also not like the 5% to 6% traditional bricks-and-mortar listing model either. This flat fee listing service brings the single biggest value to homeowners that any traditional broker can bring. What is that value,...

The Sequim Location Guide is a massive package of information for retirees planning to move to Sequim. It is the 15-year project of real attorney (ret.) and real estate broker Chuck Marunde, founder of iRealty Virtual Brokers. You'll find this is what he calls the Sequim Real Estate Portal, and you get thousands of articles, hundreds of videos, and 7 Sequim real estate books. It's crazy how much i...

If you live in California, you know the reasons people are leaving California, although reasons are always weighted based on how they affect us personally. This list of California problems is long, but not necessarily comprehensive, but I just want to emphasize that none of these issues exist in the Sequim area. This is why Sequim, Washington is one of the best places to retire in the U.S. The lis...

How much due diligence should you do before you submit an offer to the seller? First, let’s make sure we’re on the same sheet of music by defining “due diligence.” Due diligence is the research you will want to do on a home and the property before you close on the transaction. The bottom line is you need to know if there are any serious issues that would cause you to walk away from the property, w...

Can you buy a home in the name of a revocable trust?

When the real estate market tops out and begins to turn downward (and we never really know it at the time), a home seller can end up reducing the listing price again and again, in effect chasing the price down.

What is it that Realtors are not telling you about advertising your home for sale and particularly about print advertising. Chuck Marunde shares from 40 years of experience, and you won't want to miss this if you plan to sell your home.

The Sequim Blue Hole in Sequim WA is very real with only 16 inches of rain per year compared to Seattle's 45 inches per year. 

Ever wonder what the home buying process looks like? Here it is in a nutshell, nice and tidy by Real Estate Broker and attorney (ret.) Chuck Marunde.

It's unfortunate when a dictator is the President of the homeowner association, and it can be a nightmare for a lot of people. What can you do?

Noise pollution can affect your health, so put this on your due diligence checklist when shopping for a home.

Are we moving into a crisis with affordable real estate prices? There are indications on the horizon that a warning signs.