If you’re looking for the best tacoma real estate resources we’ve gathered them up here for you today. Researching Tacoma real estate information can be frustrating, there’s a lot of spam and click bait out there. As the real estate market enters a phase of uncertainty and change, these are the people, blogs, and websites we will be following to stay current about what’s really going on.
We’ve gathered up some of our favorite local resources for tracking the Tacoma real estate market from different companies around Tacoma and the Puget Sound.
Tacoma Housing Market Data and Updates
By far the best place to get housing data and updates on the real estate market in Tacoma, Pierce County, King County, and Seattle is the Northwest Multiple Listing Service website. The website is where all of the real estate agents in Washington enter in their homes when they go on the market. All real estate websites (including sites like Zillow) pull from this site. They regularly create market data that is used by real estate agents, appraisers, and journalists analyzing trends in the real estate market. In particular I find these pages useful:
Latest Housing Activity News – This includes the latest press release from NWMLS, housing market statistics from every county in Washington State, and the market activity snapshot (videos explaining the housing data). This includes Tacoma real estate data and the data for markets all around us.
Economists covering the real estate market in Tacoma, Seattle, and beyond
Real estate industry economists can tend to be a bit rosy and relentlessly optimistic in their predictions and assessments. Many news articles pump out quotes from the economists for various real estate companies and NAR. These industry economists who work directly for the industry were famously off base and overly rosy during the housing crash in 2008. For this reason I take their perspectives with a grain of salt and tune in more closely to economists outside the more optimistic REALTOR echo chamber.
Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s Economist – I appreciate the real talk from Redfin’s Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. You can read posts from her on what’s happening in the market on their blog.
Dan Handy, Economic Data Analyst at Zillow – In the same vein, Zillow has never been afraid to lay the truth out there for us to face. Dan Handy is the Economic Data Analyst at Zillow and he blogs about trends in the real estate market and analyzes metrics to understand the dynamics impacting the housing markets around the country. For sure he’s one to follow.
Real Estate reporters in Tacoma and Seattle:
Here are the journalists I follow for news about the Tacoma real estate market (and beyond).
Heidi Groover – The real estate reporter for The Seattle Times. Heidi does a great job of staying in touch with real estate agents across the region to get nuances perspectives in her articles. She interviewed MovetoTacoma.com creator Marguerite for an article in 2020, “As Seattleites and their money flew south, Tacoma residents grapple with changing neighborhoods.”
Marc Stiles – Marc Stiles is the reporter that covers commercial and residential real estate for the Puget Sound Business Journal. This content is usually behind a paywall but if you are in residential or commercial real estate in the Puget Sound area it’s definitely worth subscribing to keep up on Marc’s articles about the market, including plenty of breaking news stories.
Debbie Cockrell – Debbie Cockrell is the main real estate reporter for Tacoma’s largest paper, The News Tribune. She covers the Tacoma housing market as well as trends in the Tacoma rental market and more.
Tacoma Real Estate Agents talking about the Market
I don’t want to downplay the value of real estate agents. This website was created by Tacoma real estate agent Marguerite Martin. While real estate agents have a vested interest in promoting a more optimistic view of the market, they are also on the front lines seeing what’s happening day to day. Keeping up with real estate agents who are candid about what they’re seeing in the Tacoma/Seattle real estate market is an important part of being informed. Here are some blogs to follow:
GetRealTacoma.com – Tacoma’s longest running real estate blog since 2008 also run by Marguerite Martin.
WindermerePC.com’s Economic Updates – This is a feed of economic related updates from real estate agents at Windermere Professional Partners which includes statistics and analysis from some of the top agents in Pierce County.
The Hume Group Blog – Brothers Tom and Matt have been real estate agents in the area for decades. They have market update posts regularly on their blog.
Team Diva Real Estate Market Predictions – The agents at Team Diva Real Estate are some of the most prolific Seattle real estate bloggers in the region. These Seattle real estate market prediction videos featuring Seattle Real Estate Agent Roy Powell are easy to understand. They’re also based on demand rate (not an approach a lot of agents are using when doing market updates!)
Windermere Real Estate Whidbey – If you’re interested in how the real estate market is operating in second home markets like Whidbey Island check out the blog at Windermere Real Estate Whidbey. They have an extensive neighborhood guide and report on trends across the island.
Tacoma real estate resources
To learn more about what’s going on in Tacoma real estate check out the following resources.
The Tacoma Neighborhood Guide at MovetoTacoma.com – This is the most comprehensive guide to Tacoma neighborhoods. It includes quotes from the neighbors, pictures, videos, median home prices, and more.
Travel Tacoma – A regional guide and blog to Pierce County. A great resource on neighborhoods, businesses, and attractions in Tacoma and Pierce County.
TPCAR Blog – The main blog for the Tacoma Pierce County Association of Realtors. They have market update and policy/advocacy updates.
Washington Realtors Blog – Updates on the real estate market, political action, and covid rules in real estate from the state association.
Do you have other Tacoma real estate resources you rely on? We’d love to know. Drop us a line and let us know so we can make sure this guide is useful.
