For over a decade, MoveToTacoma.com has been a Tacoma neighborhood guide, podcast, and relocation resource for people considering a move to Tacoma. Recently, that work was featured in Forbes.

Why was Move to Tacoma featured in Forbes?

We’re thrilled to share our work here at MoveToTacoma.com was recently featured in a wonderful profile by contributor Aparna Rae on Forbes.com. It’s a surreal moment to see our little corner of the internet here in Tacoma (and our unique way of doing real estate) highlighted on such a global stage. The article tells Marguerite’s story, but more than that, it validates a philosophy we’ve believed in from day one: that real estate can be a force for good in a community.

The piece, titled ‘Real Estate’s Only Remote Job Didn’t Exist. So She Created It,‘ traces Marguerite’s journey from starting this website in 2015 as a genuine resource for people moving to Tacoma, to building the Move to Tacoma Podcast and Channel253. The goal? To match people moving to Tacoma with the absolute best specialist agents for their specific neighborhood, ensuring everyone gets expert help.

Matching Buyers and Sellers in Tacoma to the Best Tacoma Real Estate Agents

Clients deserve to work with specialists. Agents deserve to work with clients who like them and trust them. This is the core of the philosophy that Marguerite uses to match clients that find her on this website to agents in Tacoma and beyond. Everyone has a better experience when the agent is an expert in what the client is trying to do and the agent is a personality fit for the client. The circumstances around moving, buying, and selling can be so different. What a client needs from their agent in any given transaction can vary a lot.

The piece, titled “Real Estate’s Only Remote Job Didn’t Exist. So She Created It,” traces Marguerite’s journey from launching this website in 2015 as a genuine resource for people moving to Tacoma, to building the Move to Tacoma Podcast and Channel253. It discusses why she moved away from the traditional “hustle culture” to become a full-time referral agent. The goal? To match people moving to Tacoma with the absolute best specialist agents for their specific neighborhood, ensuring everyone gets expert help.

For anyone thinking of buying, selling, or just curious about Tacoma, the heart of the Forbes article is about this idea of civic engagement as the cornerstone of a business model. Here are the key takeaways from the article that directly impact those who work with Marguerite Martin and her network:

• An Advocate, Not Just an Agent: The article highlights how the old model asks one agent to serve everyone. Martin’s model asks, “Who is genuinely the best person for this specific client, in this specific neighborhood?” Her role is to be an advocate and connector, using 20 years of local knowledge to find the perfect match for each client.

• True Experts: The piece emphasizes that “Experts win.” By working with Martin’s network of specialist agents, clients aren’t getting a generalist. They’re connected with someone who lives and breathes that one specific part of town or type of property that the client is looking for.

• Agents and Clients Both Win: The article explains the economics of this approach. The agent doing the work for the client keeps the lion’s share (around 70%) of the commission. This model attracts top-tier agents who are focused on service, not on paying off a team leader. Real estate teams notoriously take large cuts of agents commissions which leaves them working for less.

• You’re Plugged into a Community: The Forbes writer called Marguerite’s body of work “a civic document.” The podcast, the guides, the neighborhood intros all exist to serve everyone in Tacoma, not just clients. When someone works with Marguerite, they are connecting with an advisor whose credibility is built on genuine community investment, not just sales.

Building a Business at The Heart of the Community Ecosystem

A standout section of the article focuses on the idea of building an “ecosystem, not an empire. ” As the piece explains, an empire extracts value while an ecosystem helps everyone thrive. That’s the goal of Move to Tacoma- a stronger community, better-informed newcomers, and thriving local agent experts. That’s a win for everyone involved.

We’re so grateful to Aparna Rae and Forbes for telling this story. It feels like a wonderful validation of the path we’ve chosen. If you’re curious about what this “ecosystem” approach could mean for your next move, we’d love to connect.