Shopping Local in Seattle, WA

FREMONT VINTAGE MALL

I love thrift store shopping and I think I've visited just about every thrift and antique shops in King and Pierce County. Anyone who enjoys vintage hunting knows that these stores can be hit or miss, but one store that never seems to disappoint is the Freemont Vintage Mall.

Located at 3419 Fremont Pl N in Seattle, this basement thrift store has everything a retro shopper would ever dream of, including a huge selection of Pyrex and vintage chrome dinette sets. This store is a collective of many different vintage sellers, so there is a constant rotation of items meaning something new every time you visit! 

The downside? It's a tad pricey. However, even if it's outside of your price range, it's still a ton of fun to just window shop and maybe make up a retro wish list for your mid century dream home of the future. Go check it out!   

fremontvintagemall.com

RETRO RECIPES: BUTTERSCOTCH ROLLS

My husband likes to sleep in on the weekends but I always find myself waking fairly early, so I like to bake him something fun for breakfast before he wakes up. One of the treats I love baking on Saturday mornings are cinnamon rolls, but since they're generally made with a yeast bread that needs to rise they take upwards of 3 hours to make. I may be a morning person but I don't enjoy getting up before the sun just to make breakfast, so needless to say I don't make them very often. 

But this Saturday I was having a serious cinnamon hankering and thought maybe I could find a quick bread recipe, but as I was flipping through the cook book I found a recipe that looked even better, butterscotch rolls! Bring it on!

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour                                                                                  3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt                                                                                                       6 Tbs shortening

3/4 cup milk                                                                                                  1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbs + 12 tsp butter or margarine                                                                   2 tsp cinnamon

12 tsp brown sugar                                                                                         1/2 cup pecan halves

Preheat your oven to 425°F. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening (I mush it around with my hands until it's well incorporated). 

Add the milk and mix until you can form the dough into a ball. Place on a well floured surface and roll out into a 7x16 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. 

Spread the rectangle with 2 Tbs of soft butter. In a small bowl mix the 1/4 of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Use a butter knife or offset spatula to spread it evenly over the dough. 

Beginning at the wide side, tightly roll the dough up and pinch closed along the open edge. Trim about 1/2 an inch off each end of the roll and discard. Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces by making gentle sawing motions with a sharp knife. Try not to push down too much with your knife, you will squish your rolls. 

Prepare a muffin pan by spraying with a non-stick cooking spray or greasing just the sides of each muffin cup. Fill each muffin cup with 1 tsp melted butter, 1 tsp of brown sugar, and 3 pecan halves. At this point I started dreading the process of getting these rolls OUT of the pan, I also ran out of butter so my cups only had 1/4 tsp of butter each :(

Place a roll into each muffin cup and bake for 15 minutes. 

Om nom nom!

Getting them out wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, but most of my pecans stayed in the pan and I had to pick them out by hand and place them on the rolls. This may have been because I didn't use the correct amount of butter. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone else has this problem, let me know in the comments!

RETRO RECIPES: DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Finally my busy work schedule is starting to slow down a little bit and I'm able to start baking again! There's really nothing I love more than spending a day baking tasty treats and this weekend I decided to go with something classic, BROWNIES! 

Ingredients

   1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour                                                     1/2 tsp baking powder

   1/4 tsp salt                                                                                  1/3 cup shortening

   1 6oz bag of chocolate chips                                                         2 eggs (not pictured)

   1/2 cup sugar                                                                              1 tsp vanilla extract

   1 cup chopped nuts (optional)                                                       1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Start by preheating your oven to 375°F and grease an 8"x8"x2" brownie pan. In a medium size bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the bowl aside. In a double broiler melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring until smooth. 

Set the chocolate aside to cool. Meanwhile, beat the eggs together with the sugar in a large bowl until thick.

Add the melted chocolate, flour mixture, and vanilla to the egg mixture. Stir until well combined.

Pour half the batter into the greased pan and sprinkle with half the chopped nuts, and half the chocolate chips (I don't care for nuts, so I opted to only use chocolate chips). Add the rest of the batter and top with the remaining nuts and chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 minutes and allow them to cool in the pan before cutting. Makes approximately 16 squares, or 8 big ones!

Welcome to Retro Realty!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! My name is Thana and I'm a real estate agent working in and around Seattle, WA. I absolutely love the 1950s, especially the architecture, so I specialize in selling and preserving Mid Century homes in Washington state. 

The purpose of this blog is to not only give buyers and sellers information on finding the Mid Century homes of their dreams, but also to give you information on how to transform your home back to all it's retro glory and even tips on living a Mid Century lifestyle in our modern world. That means trying fun retro recipes (don't worry, I only post the tasty ones) retro holiday crafting, fun activities for kids, and a lot more!

Some people ask me "Why do you have all this non-real estate information on your real estate blog?" Well that's simple, I believe in making a house a home! Purchasing a property is only the first step of home ownership, and in my experience those who are interested in purchasing a Mid Century home are often also interested in a Mid Century lifestyle. I don't believe my job ends when I hand my clients their keys, I want to be there for them as they continue the process of making their new house a home. 

I try to update my blog as often as I can, but sometimes my work schedule does not allow it. If you notice there haven't been any new posts in awhile don't worry, I have not abandoned it! I will return on my downtime. 

I hope you enjoy your visit here, and please feel free to share your thoughts on my posts, or your suggestions for new ones!  

BUYING A HOME IN THE WINTER

Why you shouldn't waste the cold months dreaming of a Spring purchase.

Every winter the same thing happens to me; I meet someone new at a holiday gathering or a night out and when they learn I'm a real estate agent they say "Oh! We are actually planning on buying a home, but we're going to wait until the spring of course." My response is always the same, the best time for them to buy a home is NOW. 

You may be thinking "Of course you'd say that, agents always want you to buy a house NOW." But there are some huge benefits to buying in the winter that buyers miss out on in the spring and summer. 

Competition - Spring and summer is when everyone wants to move, the market explodes and agents lose their minds trying to keep up with demands. If you're a seller this is a great time of year, but if you're a buyer you're going to be struggling to keep your head above water in the sea of other buyers. In the real estate world everything comes down to supply and demand, and when the demand out numbers the supply things get hectic. Prices will soar and homes will get nabbed right out from under you, it's stressful and frustrating.

It's a common myth that people don't sell homes in the winter, but the truth is people are ALWAYS selling homes. Buying in the winter means you may not have as many choices, but you also don't have the competition. You can take your time, browse more leisurely, and worry less about multiple offers.

Negotiations - People who choose to sell in the winter often need to move quickly, maybe for a job relocation or family situation, and don't have the luxury of waiting for the spring. This means they will be much more open to negotiations and you could get a much better deal. 

Great Prices - In the winter the supply of homes will outweigh the demand for them, which means buyers get to be picky about what they'll pay. Unlike in the warmer months, when buyers often offer above asking price to beat out other offers, in the winter buyers can offer below asking price without any eyebrow raises. 

Better Inspections - The winter offers some great seasonal advantages when it comes to inspecting homes. Does the roof have any leaks? You'll sure know if it does in the winter (especially in the Pacific Northwest). Does the heater work properly? Are the windows and doors drafty? Are the fireplaces functional? All these things can be tested in the spring and summer, but any faults are much easier to notice in the winter, especially the leaks and drafts. 

Professional Help - Probably the best part of buying in the winter is the availability of professionals to help you out. This is a slow time of year for agents, inspectors, contractors, lenders, and anyone else you may need, and they'll all be more than happy to cater to your needs! 

So, if you're ready to buy a home but were planning on holding off for the spring, you may want to rethink your plan. Put on a warm coat and go get a great deal on your new home! 

Creating a Dream Home Wish List

Are you itching to get into a new, or possibly first, home but you aren't quite ready to start looking? Maybe you have to bump that credit score up a few notches, maybe you don't want to move your kids in the middle of the school year, or maybe you just have a bit more down payment saving to do. Whatever the reason, you're like a kid counting down the days to the Disney vacation your parents have promised and you just HAVE to do something! I hear ya. 

I was probably the most impatient child in the world, and I'm not much better as an adult, so when I had to wait weeks or months for something I would spend the time basically making a really pretty list. In other words I would write down things I would need for the big day, or things I wanted to do, and I would decorate it with drawings, magazine clippings, I'd make a collage basically. 

OK, stay with me here, I'm not actually telling you to create a giant collage of how badly you want your new home (though I'm not telling you NOT to, either) but making a very detailed list is something that will benefit you later. 

When you finally meet with your agent one of the first things they'll ask you is "What are you looking for in your new home? What features and amenities do you need or want?" More often than not, when I ask this question to my buyers, I'm met with blank stares because all they've been thinking about is that they want a house, they didn't really consider what kind of house. My favorite answer I've gotten to this question was "Well, I want some bedrooms.. And DEFINITELY a kitchen!"

In order for your agent to find you the home you want they obviously need to know what you're looking for, and it can be harder than you think to create that list on the spot. Starting early and coming to that first meeting with a solid list of wants and needs will help find you a home quicker and with less frustration.

Features

First, come up with a basic list of features that you both want and need. Odds are you won't get everything on your list, but it never hurts to dream big. Don't refrain from writing something down because you think it won't exist in your price range or something. The point of the list is to give your agent as much info as possible, so even if they can't find the authentic zen garden you've always wanted, they can maybe come close. 

Here's a list to get you started.

• Age: Do you prefer historic properties, or newer ones?
• Style: Do you have a special preference for ranches, bungalows, or another style of construction?
• Bedrooms: How many?
• Bathrooms: How many? Are they updated?
• Living and Dining Areas: A traditional, formal layout, or a more open, contemporary plan?
• Stories: How many?
• Square feet: How much space?
• Ceilings: How high?
• Kitchen: How big? Recently updated? Open to other living areas?
• Storage: Big closets, a shed, an extra-large garage?
• Parking: A garage or carport? Room for how many cars?
• Extras: Attic or basement?

Amenities

The next thing to work on is the amenities you and your family will need. This list usually takes a bit more thought, and now a days neighborhood amenities seem to hold precedence over features for a lot of buyers. Can you live in a slightly smaller house if it means a shorter commute to work? Will you give up that two car garage for a better school district? Take your time thinking about what you want in a house vs what you want in a life style, what's best for you and your family?

Here are some things to consider.

  Home amenities and extras

• Office
• Play/exercise room
• Security system
• Sprinkler system
• Workshop/Studio
• In-law suite
• Fireplace
• Pool
• Hot tub
• Sidewalk
• Wooded lot
• Patio, deck, or porch
• Laundry room

  Neighborhood amenities

• Commute time: Specific time limit? The ability to walk or bike?
• Restaurants
• Parks and recreation
• Distance from friends/family
• School district
• Shopping and grocery options
• City or country
• Foot traffic
• Pet friendly

This is only a small amount of stuff to consider and a good agent will ask you about all of it, perhaps even more. So grab a pen (and maybe some magazines and glue sticks) and you'll be walking into that agent meeting, fully prepared, before you know it. 

Shopping Local in Tacoma WA

Shopping Local in Tacoma, WA

I've always been a big advocate of shopping local, so I thought "Why not spotlight some of my favorite local shops for others to explore?" Well that's just what I'm going to do!

Why shop local?

There are many reasons to support local business. The top reasons that come to mind with most people are keeping money local, supporting their community, and getting a deeper understanding of where their products are coming from, especially if we're talking about food. My favorite reason for shopping local is the personal connections I make with local shop owners and farmers. I love learning about their businesses and why they do what they do, which is not an experience one normally gets at a big box store. We all need to make purchases, but knowing my purchases are making a difference in my community means a lot to me, so I encourage everyone to shop local as often as they can!

One of my favorite shops is the Pacific Northwest Shop in the Proctor district of Tacoma, WA. This family owned store was opened nearly 30 years ago and is dedicated to selling products made in the Pacific Northwest, which includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. 

Why do I like this shop so much? The owners and their staff are always so friendly, they have an amazing knowledge of their products, and they have SO MUCH CHOCOLATE. Seriously, the huckleberry filled dark chocolates are to die for. 

They have an annual sale during the last week of January, so I recommend you try and make it down there. If you can't make their sale, try to stop in next month for some unique Valentine's day gifts! Aside from the obvious chocolate gift choice, they also feature Mt. St. Helens volcanic ash hand blown glass hearts. They're all one-of-a-kind and look so pretty hanging in front of windows.

Check out more of what they have to offer here. 

If you have a favorite local shop you'd like me to spotlight please mention it in the comments!