The 80’s and 90’s are the new 60’s and 70’s

When I first started selling real estate in the late 1990's, ramblers and split levels were considered derogatory terms. They were out of date, and what had made them innovative and desirable in their early years, was simply not detectable to the typical in-city buyer. When the term mid-century modern began to be employed at the Windermere office on Capitol Hill, people scoffed and considered the term a euphemism. But no more — mid century moderns can now hold their heads up high. They have joined the ranks of older styles such as craftsman and Victorians as classic and desirable. But who has taken their out of date place? With very few exceptions, just about anything and everything built in the 1980s and 1990's.

What is it about us humans that we love what is new or what is forty or more years old, but nothing in between. I have my theories, but let's skip those and go directly to the topic of money. Today, houses built in the 1980's and 1990's, are the underdogs of Seattle's real estate market. There is not even a catchy name for them yet. They are simply and sadly, “dated.” If, my theory holds, twenty years from now they will become the darlings of the trendsetters of the 2030's. So, if you are prepared to swim against the tide of aesthetic popularity, find yourself a 1980’s home, buy it without worrying about a bidding war, and 20 years from now, you can cash in and upgrade to a turn-of-the 21st century home – they’ll be dated selling for a song.