Sequim custom log home builders–how many are there, and are they all the same? There are many, including some one-man shows, but they are most certainly not building the same quality of log homes. Here’s what is interesting. The average couple that walks through two log homes, one that is a high-quality custom log home and the other a mediocre custom log home, will have a predictable response. Approximately 85% of good people who walk through both homes will not be able to differentiate the quality. They will walk through both log homes and say in each of the homes the same thing, “This is nice. Very nice.” I learned it takes a trained eye to recognize the differences, but once you see the differences, they are glaring.

Why do I say this? Because in 30 years in the real estate business, this is what I have observed. As a real estate attorney for 20 years, I saw many clients who came to see me about the same problems with their builders. Building a log home should be an exciting experience with a happy ending, but for most, it is not. Ask 100 people who had their homes built by a builder, and you will find out this is true.

By the way, every builder has at least one happy client, but one should not extrapolate from one or a few happy clients that a builder is the best or the one you should hire. There is so much more to the story of finding the right builder.

I have a passion for helping people make good decisions and avoid nightmare scenarios, and part of that is to help people realize there is a gigantic difference between home builders. Many people are aware of this generally, but they don’t know how to select a builder and they pick the wrong one. By the time they realize that it is far too late to get off the bucking bronco.

I heard a man who works at a bank say recently that “such and such a builder” is well known as being the top premier builder in the area. I didn’t correct him, but as a local attorney and Realtor I knew of many clients who had hired that builder and now say things like one did last week, “I would not have [such and such a builder] build me a dog house.” That woman should know, because she hired that builder and she regretted it.

There is a trail of devastation behind several builders, but there is one builder I know of who has no history of dissatisfied customers. This builder has a higher percentage of absolutely ecstatic clients than any other builder in all of Yellowstone. Period. No builder comes close in customer satisfaction. None. I’m a Realtor now, but for years I saw unhappy clients from other builders, but never from this one builder.

Who is the one builder who builds the highest quality homes in Yellowstone and who has a higher percentage of truly happy customers than any other builder? I guarantee it is Rick Anderson of Anderson Homes, LLC. He’s been a log home builder here since 1981 with over 400 homes under his belt. The man is honest, has integrity, and will not compromise quality. But what surprises clients is how much they enjoy the process with Rick from the beginning of the planning to completion and the walk-through.

Building a custom log home in Yellowstone means you first must find a home builder. Let’s be honest about how home builders, and many companies around the country, promote themselves. It has been popular in marketing for businesses to boast about themselves. It’s been popular for salesmen in key industries to boast about themselves, too. “I’m the top producer in my area,” or “We have more awards than any builder.”

When someone says something akin to, “I’m the greatest,” it reminds me of Mohamed Ali. That was his phrase, and most of us can see him saying it in our mind’s eye as he danced to and from the ring. That cocky statement worked for Ali, not only because of his personality but mostly because he was the greatest.

But when a salesman or a home builder brags in all their promotions about being the greatest, it just doesn’t work for most people. First, who can say a builder is the greatest? We knew when Ali knocked out his opponent, but how do we know about builders?

Second, and more importantly, and most people probably don’t know this, anyone can get certificates and “awards” issued from companies that specialize in issuing certificates and awards (FOR A FEE). In other words, if you pay for a seminar, you will get a certificate you can frame and place on the wall. But it doesn’t end there. You can then mention that certificate or award in your advertisements.

Let’s take it to the next level. There are national associations that will issue certificates and awards, provided you pay for the courses and provided you can complete applications to receive awards. Not everyone will bother with these kinds of little gimmicks, so that makes it easier for those who do take the time and money to “win” such awards. You see, you “win” if you play and pay.

What is the real key to a home builder’s competence and professionalism? The customers. The level of customer satisfaction is the real answer. But there’s a trap here, too, for the unwary customer looking to select a builder.

There’s a game called “Highest Customer Satisfaction.” Anyone can say, “We’re number 1,” or “We have the highest customer satisfaction,” but most of the time that is just puffing. You can vote yourself number 1, and you can pay an association to vote you number 1. In the building business, any builder can get some clients to write happy testimonies.

Rick Anderson doesn’t play the games. He builds what is arguably the finest custom homes in Yellowstone. He doesn’t go to seminars to get awards. He builds fine homes. That’s what he does.

What Rick Anderson does have is probably the highest percentage of truly happy clients of any builder. Period. Is that puffing? Yes, but I think it is solid and true. No builder I know of since I’ve been here (1994) has had so few unhappy or disgruntled customers. People delight in the process of working with Anderson Homes, and they are ecstatic when showing their homes to friends even many years later.

Buyers from Nevada have hired a custom home builder, Rick Anderson, because they wanted their ideal retirement home but could not find it in the existing inventory of log homes for sale, even in this market where the inventory is large. How can that be?

You would think that with so many homes for sale and with prices lower than they’ve been in a long time, there would be any number of homes to pick from, but it ain’t so!

Rick and Marilyn sold their home in Henderson, Nevada, and planned to buy a home in Yellowstone, their ideal retirement log home, the log home they plan to live in the rest of their lives. After months of communicating by email and on the phone, we narrowed down the list of prospects to about a dozen log homes. But none of these homes had all of the features they wanted, and only a couple of them had the panoramic view of the Olympic Mountain range.

Some log homes came close, but Rick and Marilyn didn’t want to compromise for less than they wanted, especially because this was what they were calling their last home. This is understandable. Who wants to live out their retirement dream in a home that isn’t really what you would call your perfect home?

While we were driving around we began to look at lots. Standing on a gorgeous five-acre lot in Yellowstone with a stunning panoramic view of the Mountain answered their questions. Before making an offer they met with Rick Anderson to discuss building their own log home, and then they spent time walking the lot with Rick to consider a site plan and their ideal house plan.

Rick and Marilyn were able to share with Rick Anderson what they wanted most in a home, and with some adjustments to a beautiful architectural plan, one Rick had built for previous clients, they were able to focus on the perfect log home on the perfect lot in Yellowstone.

Their log home is a single-level craftsman style with lots of natural light and huge windows facing the mountains, hardwood floors throughout the house, except for the bedrooms with carpet and the kitchen with tile floors. The countertops will be granite and the cabinets are to be custom-built to match the overall scheme. They chose high-quality appliances, because, for Rick and Marilyn, the kitchen is a showroom destination in their home.

Are Rick and Marilyn excited? In abbreviated form like the texting kids do on cell phones these days, the answer would be “OMG,” which of course stands for “Oh my God!” Yes, these clients are excited. Yes, they cannot wait to get their home built and moved in. Yes, I am invited to dinner in their new log home.

If you can’t find an existing home that turns you on, maybe you should consider building. Many are these days, and it may be the answer to living in the ideal retirement log home.