Our Story: Sloan & Nick- Buying a Home in North Tacoma
My husband and I spent the last two years searching for the perfect place to own a second home. We live full time in Maui, Hawaii and really wanted a place on the mainland to have the best of both worlds. We lived in New York for almost a year and loved it but ultimately decided it was too far from Hawaii. We also checked out Las Vegas, Austin, and considered Miami. Washington state was not on our radar—but upon a trip to visit a friend in Tacoma we were shocked by how much we loved it. We quickly realized the many plusses for us which included Washington being an income tax free state and Tacoma and Pierce County having fairly affordable housing. We also loved Tacoma’s proximity to water, skiing, a larger metropolitan city, as well as it being quick flight to Hawaii (compared to most other places) with an international airport.
Our friend had recently bought a home in Tacoma and recommended their incredible real estate agent—Laura! We met with her and were impressed with Laura’s knowledge about the greater Tacoma area, you can tell that she is from here and really loves this city! She made learning about moving to Tacoma a total breeze. Laura gave us information about all the different areas, the pros and cons of certain neighborhoods, and how each area would compliment what we were looking for. We ended up buying a home in Tacoma’s North End on a large lot close to Westgate shopping center and Point Defiance Park that we are completely in love with.
Our Tacoma home has a giant deck with a view of the Cascades—a total dream and the perfect contrast from Hawaii that we were looking for. Can’t beat those PNW trees. The property we chose has a two-car detached garage in the back which we are planning to convert into an ADU (accessory dwelling unit)—a term we became very familiar with whilst real estate hunting in Tacoma. We ended up turning the house into a duplex with a studio apartment downstairs and a 3-bedroom 2-bathroom upstairs! Laura helped us think of different possibilities to maximize the usability for the property and helped connect us with TONS of people who helped us with the remodel. We are so grateful to Laura and her team and their availability to work with us remotely when we were not yet in Tacoma. Laura has so much experience with unique home buying situations and my husband and I highly recommend her!
