The list price is not the price. Your real monthly cost includes property taxes that swing meaningfully depending on which Pierce County tax district a house sits in, homeowners insurance, any HOA dues, and the upkeep that comes with owning instead of renting.
Two houses at the same price in Tacoma and University Place can carry very different monthly numbers, and nobody finds that out from a listing photo. It comes from pulling the levy rate for that parcel and running the actual arithmetic.
Craig has worked this market for more than thirty years and has helped over nine hundred buyers and sellers. The first conversation is about what you can comfortably carry every month, not the ceiling a lender is willing to approve. Those are almost never the same number, and the gap between them is where people get themselves in trouble.
If the house you are excited about is going to stretch you thin, Craig will say so before you write the offer, not after.
Seven stages, in order. Nothing here is a surprise if someone tells you about it in advance, which is the entire idea.
Not pre-qualified. A lender reviews your income, credit, and debts and confirms what you can actually borrow. This sets your real ceiling and makes your offer credible the day you find the right house.
Commute, schools, city of Tacoma or a Pierce County suburb, house age, and the true non-negotiables. Narrowing this early is what keeps a search from dragging out for months.
Craig walks homes in context. What that block has been doing, what the levy rate will run, what the inspection is likely to turn up in a house of that vintage, and whether the price makes sense against what has actually sold nearby.
Washington sellers complete a disclosure statement covering water, sewer or septic, drainage, structure, and known defects. You get three business days to review it and, in most cases, back out based on what it says. Most buyers skim it. Craig reads it with you.
Price is one lever. Financing strength, contingency structure, earnest money, and the closing timeline all matter to a seller. The goal is to compete without giving away the protections that keep you safe.
The inspection is your leverage and your safety net. In Tacoma that often means a sewer scope and a look for a buried oil tank on top of the standard report. Craig will tell you which findings matter and which are normal for a house built in 1926.
Washington closes through an escrow company rather than an attorney. Appraisal, final underwriting, walkthrough, then signing. Craig goes through the settlement statement with you line by line before you sign anything.
A lot of the housing people fall in love with here was built between 1900 and 1940. Craftsman bungalows in the North End, four squares in the Stadium District, solid old homes across the Eastside and South Tacoma.
They are the reason people move here, and they come with a specific set of things worth checking before you commit.
None of this means avoid old houses. It means price them honestly. A well built 1925 home with a retrofitted foundation and a new side sewer is a better buy than a cosmetically flipped one with original everything behind the drywall.
Craig has worked through multiple cycles in Tacoma, including the corrections that taught him what holds value here and what does not.
Nine hundred transactions is a lot of inspection reports, a lot of negotiations, and a lot of pattern recognition you cannot get any other way.
Craig owned his own brokerage and stepped back from running it so he could work directly with clients again. Tacoma is the only market he serves.
Walkable business districts, mature trees, and the oldest housing stock in the city. Highest demand and highest price per foot in Tacoma, with real variation between blocks that look identical on a map.
Water and mountain views, park access, and a mix of new construction and long held family homes. Slope, drainage, and view protection are the things to understand before you write an offer.
The parts of Tacoma changing fastest, with light rail investment on Hilltop and strong bones in the older housing. Values differ sharply within a few blocks, which is exactly where local knowledge earns its keep.
Different tax districts, different school districts, different commutes. Buyers often assume these are interchangeable with Tacoma on monthly cost. They are not, and the difference runs both directions.
Pierce County runs on a rhythm set partly by the base. PCS orders, short ownership windows, and whether to buy at all when you may be reassigned in three years are conversations that happen here constantly.
VA financing typically requires no down payment and no private mortgage insurance, which makes it one of the strongest mortgage products available to anyone who qualifies. It also carries property condition requirements that can complicate an offer if the agent on either side does not know how to work with them.
Some listing agents steer away from VA offers because they assume the process is slower or the appraisal stricter. A well structured VA offer, presented properly, competes. Knowing how to present it is the difference between winning the house and hearing they went another direction.
Craig will tell you when a house is wrong for you. That is the entire job. Anyone can open a door.
There is no single number, and the 20 percent figure most people carry around is not a requirement. Conventional loans can go as low as 3 percent down, FHA sits at 3.5 percent, and VA and USDA loans can require nothing down at all. What matters more than the percentage is the full monthly picture once Pierce County property taxes, insurance, and any HOA dues are added on top of the loan payment.
On price per square foot it usually is, but the gap is smaller than it was and it varies enormously by neighborhood. A restored home in the North End or Proctor can price close to comparable Seattle neighborhoods, while parts of the Eastside and South Tacoma remain well below. The honest comparison also includes the commute, the levy rate for that specific tax district, and what the house actually needs. Craig runs that comparison before a buyer narrows their search, not after.
Yes, and it is one of the strongest financing tools available to anyone who qualifies. VA financing typically requires no down payment and no private mortgage insurance. It does carry property condition requirements, and some listing agents assume a VA offer is slower or harder. A VA offer that is structured and presented properly competes. Pierce County sees VA financing constantly because of the base, so local lenders and escrow teams know the process well.
The Form 17 is Washington's seller disclosure statement. The seller answers a long list of questions about the property covering water, sewer or septic, drainage, structure, and known defects. Once you receive it as a buyer you have three business days to review it and, in most cases, rescind based on what it says. It is one of the most useful documents in the transaction and it is worth reading line by line rather than skimming.
Once you are under contract, plan on roughly 30 to 45 days to close, plus however long the search itself takes. The search is the variable. Buyers who are fully pre-approved and clear on their criteria often find something within a few weeks. Buyers who start touring before financing is settled tend to spend months and lose the houses they actually wanted.
No pressure and no pitch. Tell Craig what you are working toward and he will tell you straight what it takes to get there in this market.
