North Peninsula Real Estate Excellence since 1938
H.J.
Carroll earned his Real Estate Brokers license in February, 1938. He
ventured into real estate in a modest way. At the time there was no real
estate company in Port Townsend, and diversifying into real estate was a
logical extension of his Aetna Insurance business. By 1941 he was providing
clients with Life, Marine, Auto, & Fire insurance, Real Estate, and Income
Tax services.
Carroll became a respected businessman, well known across the Olympic Peninsula. Reflecting on Mr. Carroll’s many accomplishments and contributions to both Clallam and Jefferson County, his Biographer wrote “He credits honesty and integrity for his success” - an ethic that formed the foundation and has guided Carroll Realty for two thirds of a century.
By 1959, Carroll was serving many Buyers and Sellers. He had three real estate offices in major cities across the North Olympic Peninsula. The Port Angeles branch office rented space at 103 W. Front, in what was the A & B Barber Shop and Beauty Salon adjacent to Port Angeles Savings and Loan at the corner of Front and Laurel, site of the former Merchants Hotel.
Mrs. Opal McLaughlin, a Realtor and Associate Broker working
in Carroll’s Port Angeles branch office, bought Carroll’s local interest in
1961. Based on the community involvement and business ethic from which the
company was founded 23 years earlier, McLaughlin went on to become well
known for her local and state contributions to both the real estate industry
and to local
education and service groups. Following the remodeling of the Port Angeles Savings and
Loan building, Carroll Realty moved their office around the corner to 208 N.
Laurel.
In 1974 Twin Firs Realty owners Ray and Laura Green
purchased Carroll Realty from the retiring Mrs. McLaughlin. The Carroll
Realty office remained at 208 N. Laurel until Mrs. Green combined both
businesses under the one well known name, and consolidated her 30 agents
under one roof at a newly purchased property at 502 E. 1st, a well known
historical structure that was the first church building in Port Angeles. The
company motto, “The Office that Integrity Built," continued to be the
foundation for the service the firm provided to both Buyers and Sellers.
In
1976 Elizabeth Watkins began working for Carroll Realty as a sales agent. 13
years later, by then a successful Associate Broker, she bought the business
from the retiring Mrs. Green. Watkins quips, “It was easier to buy the
business than clean out my desk!” Carroll Realty remained at 502 E. 1st, and
the motto continued - “The Office that Integrity Built.”
Many buildings on the Olympic Peninsula are linked to
history - some are famous, others are infamous. In 1981 Port Angeles and a
local eatery were propelled into the national headlines - international spy
Christopher Boyce, while parked in Space 10 at “ the old Arctic Circle“, was
apprehended by FBI agents in his gold Oldsmobile, after being ordered at
gunpoint to “Drop that hamburger!“ In 1991 Watkins and her partner Tom
Christopherson purchased and remodeled the then vacant and languishing
property. Carroll Realty then moved to its current location near the corner
of First and Race. It continued to be, “The Office that Integrity Built”.
Watkins continues the Carroll Realty legacy. “I’ve only worked for one real estate company. We’ve been
big, we’ve been small, and we‘ve tried the “franchise thing”. Yes, real
estate is a business - it is an industry where an agent uses skill to help a
client buy or sell property.” “This month Carroll Realty celebrates its roots. With 67
years serving clients across the North Olympic Peninsula, we’ve learned
something as the oldest real estate company in the area. It is a simple,
basic concept.” “Skill is important. But a real estate transaction also
involves a relationship - the skill that comes from the education we attain
must be supported with a relationship built on mutual trust. It is a
relationship we take seriously, with great pride, and sincere appreciation.” “We have always been, and will always be, 