Honest Reviews & Real Stories from 100+ Clients of MoveToTacoma.com
What are real people who move to Tacoma saying about the experience?
Every week, people across California and beyond find themselves Googling the same questions: What is Tacoma really like? Is it safe? Can I afford it? Is Tacoma the right fit for my family? The answers they find online are often generic- things like median home prices, population stats, a list of neighborhoods.
Today we’re looking at a roundup of real reviews that come from real people who made the move from California to Tacoma.
Marguerite Martin, creator of MoveToTacoma.com, has spent nearly two decades helping people relocate to Tacoma. With over 100 reviews across Google and Yelp, a clear set of themes has emerged. First, Tacoma is a great place to live. Second, talking with Marguerite and using the MovetoTacoma.com resources greatly improves the relocation experience. Starting with Destiny, who moved with her husband Victor from California and reached out to Marguerite at MovetoTacoma.com after watching the videos online:
So what do people who move to Tacoma from California wish they knew before hand? Destiny moved to Tacoma from California with her family in 2017. Marguerite interviewed her after she’d lived here for a few years to find out what she wish she’d known before she moved to Tacoma.
Theme #1: People Moving from California Are Choosing Tacoma on Purpose
The most common thread across reviews is the California connection. People are researching Tacoma, visiting it, and deliberately choosing it. Many are escaping the cost of living in the Bay Area, Sacramento, or Southern California, but I also hear people talking about environmental and climate concerns.
Victor and Destiny Bustos started their search from the Bay Area and found MoveToTacoma.com early in the process. In their review of Tacoma real estate agent and MovetoTacoma.com creator Marguerite Martin, they described the website as giving them a clear vision of what Tacoma truly has to offer before they ever set foot in the city. For out-of-state buyers, having a trusted resource that explains a place honestly (not just sells it) makes all the difference.
“We began our home buying process from The Bay Area/California looking to relocate in Tacoma, Washington. We stumbled upon Marguerite’s website MoveToTacoma.com where we instantly connected. Her website helped with our first home buying journey-providing us with a clear vision of what Tacoma truly has to offer. We had the pleasure of working with an exceptional real estate guru, and I must say that our experience was truly outstanding. From start to finish, Marguerite was a true professional and demonstrated a high level of expertise in the Tacoma area.”
— Destiny B. who moved from California to Tacoma
That quote captures something important: people aren’t just buying a house. Folks moving to Tacoma from other parts of the country are also looking to buy into a community, a lifestyle, a feeling. Tacoma’s combination of affordability (comparative affordability anyways), access to nature, arts culture, and proximity to Seattle keeps showing up in reviews as the winning formula. This is especially true for Californians who want Pacific Northwest quality of life without Seattle prices.
Destiny and her family have lived all over the US including the Bay Area of California, Florida, and more. But if she could go back in time? Here’s what she wish she knew: The Spring and Summer in Tacoma are False Advertising. If you really want to know what it’s like to live in Tacoma you will want to visit between November and March. This is when the Pacific Northwest is at is darkest and rainiest.
“The one thing I wish I knew before I moved to Tacoma was the weather. We came here in the Spring and Summer and we just never got to experience it.” – Destiny B. who moved to Tacoma from California
The weather in the Pacific Northwest is truly stunning from June to September (and sometimes even in May and October). The rest of the year can be dark and dreary. Before this conversation with Destiny we didn’t even realize that there is almost DOUBLE the amount of daylight in the peak of summer compared to the depths of winter.
Theme #2: The Right Realtor Match Changes Everything
One of the most consistent themes across all 100+ reviews isn’t about Tacoma itself- it’s about the experience of being matched with the right agent. Marguerite doesn’t represent buyers and sellers directly. Instead, she listens carefully and connects people with specialist agents who are true experts in specific Tacoma neighborhoods. Time and again, reviewers say this approach changed their entire experience.
Jen Gresham, who moved to Tacoma from California to be near her parents, described the match Marguerite made for her and her husband: they wanted a realtor they could laugh with. Her husband was skeptical… until he met the agent Marguerite recommended. Jen’s review ended with a delightful detail: they liked their agent so much, they now live across the street from her. This is the opportunitity of finding a specialist through a “matchmaker” with decades of experience selling real estate in that community. Jen and her husband were matched with an agent that didn’t just have deep expertise in the types of homes and neighborhoods they were exploring- but were also a personality match.
“I first came across Marguerite’s site, Move to Tacoma, which I used to research different neighborhoods. I liked the information I found there, so I decided to try her realtor match-making service. Boy am I glad I did! Marguerite really took her time to understand what we were looking for, both in a home and a realtor, and then matched us with an amazing local agent. My husband rolled his eyes when I told him I’d said we wanted a realtor we could laugh with … until he met her. Then he thought I was brilliant. Buying a house is stressful under the best of circumstances, but when you find someone who can make that process both successful AND fun? That’s a winner. I had never heard of a realtor match making service before stumbling across Marguerite, but now I can’t imagine doing it any other way.“
— Jen Gresham, moved to Tacoma from California
This model (what Forbes called a “referral-based ecosystem” in a recent profile of Marguerite and MovetoTacoma.com) is rare in real estate. Most agents try to serve everyone. Marguerite’s approach is the opposite: she asks who is genuinely the best person for this specific client, in this specific neighborhood. The reviews show that distinction is felt immediately.
Theme #3: Tacoma Has a Small-Town Feel With Big-City Amenities
Ask someone who just moved to Tacoma what surprised them most, and you’ll often hear some version of the same answer: it’s bigger than it looks from the outside, but it feels like a real community in a way that larger cities don’t.
One couple who had spent years searching (living in Southern Oregon, then the Oregon coast) described finally settling in Tacoma after a long journey of being “home gypsies.” What they found here was something they hadn’t been able to name until they experienced it: a place where they felt “comfy and held” by their neighborhood, with access to everything a city offers but without losing that sense of community.
“A friend, several friends who live in the Tacoma-Seattle area told us about Tacoma. With all our experience of being home gypsies we knew we needed insider help into understanding the area beyond a recommendation. We needed to know what the people are like there and what the life energy is like there. When we discovered the MoveToTacoma web site we thought this may be too good to be true but lets talk with Marguerite and see. We couldn’t help but like her and the things she was doing to help people find a place to live while loving what she did. This is a priceless combination of things and she does it so effortlessly. She listened to what was important to us and offered several recommendations for realtors based on what we told her. The realtor we selected carried on the flow of listening and helping us to navigate a difficult market.
We wound up getting a home in the area we had come to love over the months we lived in our rental home nearby. After buying and selling 11 homes in our lifetime we have never had such a supportive and seamless experience as this one. We hope to never move again as we feel so comfy and held by our new neighborhood and love the small town feel of Tacoma with all the big town amenities.”
— Michael M on Yelp– who had bought and sold 11 homes with his wife before finally finding their forever home in Tacoma
That phrase small-town feel with big-town amenities comes up again and again. Tacoma has world-class museums, a thriving restaurant scene, easy access to Mount Rainier, Puget Sound waterfront, and Seattle just 30 miles north. But the neighborhoods feel like neighborhoods. People know their neighbors. There’s a civic energy here that people moving to Tacoma notice and name.
Theme #4: Having an Insider Makes the Process Feel Possible
Relocating to a new city is overwhelming. You don’t know the neighborhoods, the commute patterns, the schools, or which blocks feel right versus which ones you’d regret. First-time homebuyers have the added layer of navigating a complex process for the very first time.
Cheryl moved back to Tacoma from California after attending college at the University of Puget Sound and proceeded to buy her first home here.
Marguerite doesn’t just do a quick hand-off; she will stay in touch to ensure that you’ve had a great experience. Whether you are new to Tacoma and need the lay of the land, or familiar with the City of Destiny and need help finding the best agent match of personality/work style, I’m confident that Marguerite will be a great first contact in your journey as she was in mine!
– Cheryl S on Yelp – Moved back to Tacoma after living in California
The word that keeps appearing in reviews is knowledgable and connected- not just about real estate, but about Tacoma itself. That local knowledge matters most when you’re coming from out of state. You can’t just drive around on a Saturday afternoon to get a feel for a neighborhood. You need someone who can translate the intangibles- what it’s really like to live there and where the community gardens and farmers markets are. Marguerite has spent 20 years building exactly that kind of network of local experts and her network of specialist agents extends it neighborhood by neighborhood. The opportunity to work with someone who is deeply plugged into the community you’re working with (as opposed to an agent commuting from Seattle or from way out in one of the suburbs) is a huge advantage.
What This Means If You’re Considering a Move to Tacoma
If you’re reading this, you’re probably already curious about Tacoma. Maybe you’re priced out of the Bay Area. Maybe you’re done with Sacramento summers and fire insurance. What the reviews tell us is that the people who move here don’t regret it- and people who had the best experience didn’t do it alone. They found someone who knew the Tacoma’s neighborhoods well, listened to what they actually needed, and connected them with the right people to make it happen.
That’s exactly what MoveToTacoma.com was built to do.
Ready to explore a move to Tacoma?
Schedule a free consultation with Marguerite Martin. She’ll listen to your goals, your timeline, and what matters most to you and connect you with the specialist agent who is genuinely the best fit for your specific situation. This is a great way to get the inside knowledge you need to make a confident decision.
Frequently Asked Questions About Moving to Tacoma
Is Tacoma a good place to move from California?
Yes, obviously, and Californians are consistently among the happiest people who make the move. Each year about 40,000 Californians move to Washington State. Tacoma offers significantly lower home prices than California metros, a milder (if wetter) climate, easy access to mountains and water, and a strong arts and food scene. The cost of living difference is substantial, and the quality of life is consistently praised by people who’ve made the transition.
What is the MoveToTacoma.com realtor matching service?
MoveToTacoma.com operates a community website, podcast, neighborhood guide and blog that connects buyers and sellers with specialist agents who are genuine experts in specific Tacoma neighborhoods. Rather than working with a generalist agent who covers the whole region, you get matched with someone who knows your target area deeply. The service was featured in Forbes in February 2026 as an innovative model that consistently delivers better outcomes for clients.
How do I get started if I’m thinking about moving to Tacoma?
The best first step is a conversation. Reach out to Marguerite Martin at MoveToTacoma.com to schedule a free consultation. She’ll help you understand the market, identify which neighborhoods might suit your lifestyle and budget, and (when you’re ready) connect you with the right specialist agent for your situation.
What neighborhoods in Tacoma are best for people moving from California?
It depends entirely on what you’re looking for and what your budget is. Home prices vary quite a bit across the city- but every single area of the city has a local business district with restaurants, coffee shops, and bars close by. There are also well funded parks in every neighborhood in Tacoma thanks to Parks Tacoma. The best way to find your fit is to explore MoveToTacoma.com’s neighborhood guide and then talk to Marguerite about what’s right for your specific situation.
About MoveToTacoma.com
MoveToTacoma.com was created by Marguerite Martin, a licensed real estate agent since 2005 and the host of the Move to Tacoma Podcast. Featured in Forbes in February 2026, Marguerite has been recognized by Inman as an industry influencer, by the National Association of Realtors as a Fair Housing Champion, and by the Women’s Council of Realtors as Entrepreneur of the Year. She has helped hundreds of people find their right home and their right agent in Tacoma, Washington for decades.
