Shelly Christensen visited many properties in Marysville during her long search for a home that — as a divorced mother of two — she could afford.
“I looked at hundreds of homes,” Christensen said. “But the problem was everything I looked at was old and run down.”
When she realized that the homes would need a lot of work, Christensen became despondent. She didn’t have the money to buy a home and renovate it.
It was in July that Christensen was introduced to builders Emmett Lane and Kevin Dawson. They showed Christensen plans for their new homes in the $224,000 to $229,000 range. She soon realized that what the builders had to offer was more than she could have asked for.
“I was elated and shocked,” Christensen said.
Lane and Dawson have sold 13 of the 14 homes they’ve built at a Marysville development called Jacqueline Ridge. That’s an accomplishment in our hard economic times, but not a surprise to those involved. The developer and the real estate agents, Lane and Dawson, say they are all working for less money to provide buyers with new houses in a nice neighborhood at a lower-than-typical price range.
The first phase includes houses such as a three- bedroom, 21/2-bathroom, 1,386-square-foot rambler that sells for $229,000.
Lane said one of the first buyers at Jacqueline Ridge cried while thanking him and Dawson. He said the woman told the builders that she couldn’t realize the dream of buying a new home if it weren’t for them.
“It touched our hearts,” Lane said.
Lane, 52, and Dawson, 31, met when they were real estate agents. They had both seen clients priced out of home buying when prices skyrocketed, Dawson said.
The two men decided to join up and started Dawson Lane RCI with the hope of helping people to realize their dream of buying a new home. They have been partners for six years and describe themselves as the ying and yang of building.
“He brings in the modern,” Lane said. “I bring in the traditional.”
Finding land was difficult, but when the builders found a site at a price they could afford, the wheels were in motion. With a reasonable loan and a site agent, Lane and Dawson got down to building.
The second phase of Jacqueline Ridge will include 19 lots in the same price range as the first. Another site in south Everett will have homes from $239,000 to $259,000.
Lane and Dawson’s philosophy: As long as they can buy land that is affordable, they will build homes that are affordable.
“It’s like giving back to the community,” Dawson said.
The new ramblers and two-story homes, with some of the large yards backing up to wetlands, appeal to buyers, especially during these economic times, said Sharon Solway, a real estate agent with Preview Properties.
Solway shows clients around the site and will move into a model home when one is built.
“There’s no model there,” Solway said. “The ones they’ve sold they’ve sold quickly.”
Solway, who has been working in real estate in Marysville for 15 years, says the asking prices at Jacqueline Ridge are very viable during this slow time. She knows that people search for affordable housing and, like Christensen, worry about buying older homes on one income and not being able to make needed repairs. Their lower price range makes the Jacqueline Ridge homes stand out, she said.
Christensen, who has worked at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett for more than 21 years, visited her new home this week to pick out exterior paint colors.
She paid $224,950 for her new home. She hopes to move into by Christmas.
“They’ve really made a difference in my life,” Christensen said of Lane and Dawson.
“I am going to be happy coming home to this house,” she said. “It’s a place where you have respite from the world.”
Christina Harper is a Snohomish County freelance writer. She can be reached at harper@heraldnet.com.
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