Real estate pointed to Trinidad cliff
When Jill and Carl Nicholson want a little relaxation, they just go to the back yard of their Trinidad home. From 400 feet above the Columbia River, they can easily view Crescent Bar and a great segment of the Gorge.
You are struck by a view of the Columbia River, the Gorge and Crescent and West Bars immediately upon entering the Nicholson home. The front entrance leads to a spacious living room for which the far wall looks like a movie screen.
TRINIDAD - When Carl Nicholson stepped to the edge of an empty lot on the cliff at Trinidad, his real estate experience told him something good was about to happen, and he called his wife.
"Jill, you've got to come up here and look at this," he said. "The view is incredible"
It was winter, but Jill zipped right over from the Nicholsons' place in the Redmond area. She was impressed.
"Even in the winter, it was a breath-taking view," she said.
The Nicholsons latched onto the property and started making plans for a new home. They moved up from Crescent Bar six years ago.
The development, by John Brissey, was nine lots. Only two are away from the cliff.
The Nicholsons bought lot No. 4. Jill's brother and sister bought lots Nos. 5 and 7 just to the west. All three have the same view.
"The nice thing about it is that the cliff is curved, and the houses are not sitting in a straight line," Carl said.
Jill noted that Carl became sort of a project manager for the builder, Denali Properties, LLC. He laid out where the homes would be sited on each lot.
The Nicholsons took full advantage of their vantage point when they designed their home. You catch the view of the river, the Crescent and West Bars and the Gorge as you walk through the front entrance. The living room wall that parallels the cliff is nearly all glass.
According to Carl, the home was worth around $550,000 when it was finished. He believes the value has shot up to more than $700,000 since then.
Carl noted there aren't many places that compete with the Trinidad cliff for view. That helps keep the value up.
"And the piano home (on Mansfield Road) just sold for $1.2 million," he said.
The Nicholsons are Spokane natives. They knew each other there but married in Seattle in the late 1960s and made their home in Redmond.
The Nicholsons' first brush with real estate came right away. Jill sold advertising to realtors for the Seattle Times. Thirteen years later, Carl cut off a postal career and, with a partner, started a company that made and installed signs for realtors.
"I didn't see (the postal job) going anywhere," he said. "She was making twice as much money selling ads."
Sign Pros still exists. It was sold to two men who Carl hired as teenagers. It still largely serves the real estate industry.
The Nicholsons eventually found their way to Crescent Bar. They purchased the lease to a property on the island and still have one of the best-appointed Crescent Bar homes.
"We were going to retire there," Jill said.
That's no longer likely, not with the Trinidad cliff view as the option. The Crescent Bar lot will be rented out until courts decide the final disposition of the island.
Both Nicholsons made the same career change 13 years ago, jumping into real estate. They maintain homes here and in western Washington and work both areas.
"Now the bulk of it's here," Carl said.
According to the Nicholsons, the housing market struggles that started in 2008 have smoothed out. They believe most properties were over-priced back then and are properly priced now.
"We're dealing now with good deals," Carl said. "Overall, homes are being priced with realistic prices."