UNNOTICED TREASURES IN AN OLD HOUSE!

I have found it interesting how little some folks know about Old Houses; Historic Houses, to be more specific. There is value in the fact that all of the windows are original, wood wrapped/double hung windows. Even though they may be a little drafty.

Another thing that goes unappreciated much of the time is matching hardware. When all of the door knobs, key holes, strike plates, hinges, drawer pulls, etc., are the original matching hardware, THATS really special. If it's not original...It would behoove you to choose wisely when outfitting your historic home with hardware.

Check out this article about Historic Homes Hardware from one of my favorite resources!

http://broadcaster.aimmedia.com/dm?id=E00FC9B66707202BC965205554796782

FANTASTIC HISTORIC PAINT JOB!!!

WELL...How's this for a before and after? The paint job is finally finished on this amazing historic home two doors down from me. I pretty much love it! We're the best looking block on "I" Street!!

WRIGHT PARK

Has anyone noticed how magnificent Wright Park is looking these days? I must tell you...living only 7 blocks from the park and having lived here for 14 years, I have seen such transition to this area. The transition of Wright Park has been phenomenal! I am a runner so I have always used the park for the trails and the hills. Well...I will admit to you that there were times long ago that I did not feel so safe in the park. Even in the daytime. Well now I feel so totally comfortable. Family's have really come back to the park. There are pic-nics going on, school outings, joggers, moms with strollers, painters, weddings, festivals! I could go on and on! The new sprayground will be fantastic, if we ever get a summer. Come check it out!
BTW...as it relates to real estate....the home values in the area do nothing but benefit from the revitalization of our beautiful Wright Park.

THE GREAT RACE!!!

Picture this.....I'm having dinner with my daughter at our favorite haunt and my phone rings. It's a real estate agent (a well known real estate agent) wanting to bring clients through my home for sale. (My home....not just my listing). We just had a wedding in my home last weekend and had 128 guests. I'm just getting back to normal now and you want to WHAT? WHEN? AN HOUR? So....out we ran, jumped in the car, zoomed through the house non stop for an hour. We just squeezed out the back door when they were opening the front door.

I have a new appreciation for what my own clients go through sometimes. It's amazing what you can do under pressure though.

MORE OLD HOMES SELL IN NORTH TACOMA!

I did an interesting exercise for a client this morning! I researched in 10 year increments, homes that have sold in North Tacoma since 2008, by age. I wanted to see if more OLD homes have sold than newer. This is what I found:

1900 and below/150 homes sold

1900 to 1910/422

1910 to 1920/ 361

1920 to 1930 /329

1930 to 1940 /93

1940 to 1950/ 284

1950 to 1960/ 291

1960 to 1970 /259

1970 to 1980 /196

1980 to 1990 /175

1990 to 2000 /73

2000 and newer /280

YAY! I think it's pretty clear! 1900-1910 wins!!

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE NORTH SLOPE!!!

I can't tell you how many people I talk to at my North Slope open houses that love this historic area! They actually stay and listen to me spew on about the activities in our North Slope, the people who live here and our passion for preservation. We really do feel like a big family with a really extensive call tree. If someone jacks a car in our neighborhood, it spreads like wildfire! We pride ourselves in getting the word out, identifying the culprit and getting him apprehended before he can drive out of the neighborhood! Ha ha...well....that's a bit of an exaggeration but, you get the idea.

There has been a bit of reorganization in the North Slope Historic Board over the years, and then reorganization yet again, but, it is all with the intention of providing the best balance of representation for the residents of our area.

So if you are interested in finding out about ALL that the North Slope Historic Neighborhood has to offer it's residents, AND have a voice and a say about it, come on!!! Get involved! Come check us out! You can find out how by checking out our website or by our cute little old fashioned newspaper called the "Trolly Times." Call me if you want any information (I am a board member, by the way) or have any questions. I can make sure you get the "Trolly Times" delivered to your home or emailed to you each time a new one comes out.