Local Realtor Michael Robinson bought his first house (in Tacoma’s West End) in the late 70’s when he was 18 years old after selling his dirtbike to get the downpayment.”I had a roomate,” says Michael. “And the amount of rent I charged my roomate covered my payment.” Today he owns many investment properties (most in Tacoma) as well as a local real estate company (also in Tacoma).

We asked him to share what he’s learned after several decades of investing in the Tacoma real estate market and how to avoid some common mistakes new investors make.

Here are some of the topics he touches on in our conversation:

Start with your own house as your first investment

The beauty of owner occupied financing

Time is your greatest asset (buy something, take care of it, and let it ride!)

Treating your properties like the business they are

Market cycles will come and go, how to make it through

Managing yourself vs hiring a property management company

In addition to speaking about the how to’s of renting out homes in Tacoma, we also discussed the local housing market in general and what he thinks are the opportunities for investors in our current market. You can see Michael’s detailed report on his blog here.

Here’s the historic Pierce County median home price chart we discuss in the interview:

Show Notes:

Michael’s blog post about Pierce County’s Housing Stats

Rental Housing Association of Washington– Resources for individuals and companies in the rental housing industry.

Rich Dad Poor Dad –  A book Michael recommends for people considering investing in real estate.

Landlord Solutions – Tacoma business offering support services for landlords and property management companies.

Local Realtor Michael Robinson bought his first house (in Tacoma’s West End) in the late 70’s when he was 18 years old after selling his dirtbike to get the downpayment.”I had a roomate,” says Michael. “And the amount of rent I charged my roomate covered my payment.” Today he owns many investment properties (most in Tacoma) as well as a local real estate company (also in Tacoma).

We asked him to share what he’s learned after several decades of investing in the Tacoma real estate market and how to avoid some common mistakes new investors make.

Here are some of the topics he touches on in our conversation:

Start with your own house as your first investment

The beauty of owner occupied financing

Time is your greatest asset (buy something, take care of it, and let it ride!)

Treating your properties like the business they are

Market cycles will come and go, how to make it through

Managing yourself vs hiring a property management company

In addition to speaking about the how to’s of renting out homes in Tacoma, we also discussed the local housing market in general and what he thinks are the opportunities for investors in our current market. You can see Michael’s detailed report on his blog here.

Here’s the historic Pierce County median home price chart we discuss in the interview:

Show Notes:

Michael’s blog post about Pierce County’s Housing Stats

Rental Housing Association of Washington– Resources for individuals and companies in the rental housing industry.

Rich Dad Poor Dad –  A book Michael recommends for people considering investing in real estate.

Landlord Solutions – Tacoma business offering support services for landlords and property management companies.

My friend Jenny sent me a picture of an ad at the airport the other day. It was a picture of a man on a hiking adventure that said, “A place for FEARLESS exploration.” She thought it was a good topic for conversation- what’s up with that slogan? Do they mean Tacoma is scary?  The folks over at Exit133 talked about it when the slogan first debuted– but I thought it would be fun to go right to the source,  Bennish Brown from the Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau.

Bennish Brown and his wife moved to Tacoma 3 years ago so he could take this job. He’d never lived anywhere but North Carolina, and I must say, his excitement about our area is infectious. He’s lived in Downtown Tacoma, at Ruston’s Commencement Condominiums, and now in Tacoma’s West Slope– and he loves it. “I like the things that are beginning to happen here, ” I like that this is now a home for me at this part in my life.”

Bennish says the first thing they had to figure out as they worked to raise the profile of Tacoma and Pierce County as a destination for tourism and for events was “What makes us unique?” They settled on focusing on Mt Rainier, Classic Cars, and Glass Art as things we have in our area that other people don’t have. After launching the campaign, they decided to start marketing at the airport. “It’s called the Seattle-Tacoma Airport,” says Bennish. “And Tacoma has been absent for far too long.”

What can we as Tacomans and Pierce County residents do to to help promote more tourism? “Be ambassadors!” says Bennish. “Explore Pierce County first, explore Tacoma first, and then share the beauty of our region after that.”

Show Notes:

Travel Tacoma – Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitor Bureau

Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center

Mt Tahoma  Mt Rainier National Park

Northwest Trek

America’s Car Museum

Museum of Glass

My friend Jenny sent me a picture of an ad at the airport the other day. It was a picture of a man on a hiking adventure that said, “A place for FEARLESS exploration.” She thought it was a good topic for conversation- what’s up with that slogan? Do they mean Tacoma is scary?  The folks over at Exit133 talked about it when the slogan first debuted– but I thought it would be fun to go right to the source,  Bennish Brown from the Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau.

Bennish Brown and his wife moved to Tacoma 3 years ago so he could take this job. He’d never lived anywhere but North Carolina, and I must say, his excitement about our area is infectious. He’s lived in Downtown Tacoma, at Ruston’s Commencement Condominiums, and now in Tacoma’s West Slope– and he loves it. “I like the things that are beginning to happen here, ” I like that this is now a home for me at this part in my life.”

Bennish says the first thing they had to figure out as they worked to raise the profile of Tacoma and Pierce County as a destination for tourism and for events was “What makes us unique?” They settled on focusing on Mt Rainier, Classic Cars, and Glass Art as things we have in our area that other people don’t have. After launching the campaign, they decided to start marketing at the airport. “It’s called the Seattle-Tacoma Airport,” says Bennish. “And Tacoma has been absent for far too long.”

What can we as Tacomans and Pierce County residents do to to help promote more tourism? “Be ambassadors!” says Bennish. “Explore Pierce County first, explore Tacoma first, and then share the beauty of our region after that.”

Show Notes:

Travel Tacoma – Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitor Bureau

Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center

Mt Tahoma  Mt Rainier National Park

Northwest Trek

America’s Car Museum

Museum of Glass

My friend Jenny sent me a picture of an ad at the airport the other day. It was a picture of a man on a hiking adventure that said, “A place for FEARLESS exploration.” She thought it was a good topic for conversation- what’s up with that slogan? Do they mean Tacoma is scary?  The folks over at Exit133 talked about it when the slogan first debuted– but I thought it would be fun to go right to the source,  Bennish Brown from the Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau.

Bennish Brown and his wife moved to Tacoma 3 years ago so he could take this job. He’d never lived anywhere but North Carolina, and I must say, his excitement about our area is infectious. He’s lived in Downtown Tacoma, at Ruston’s Commencement Condominiums, and now in Tacoma’s West Slope– and he loves it. “I like the things that are beginning to happen here, ” I like that this is now a home for me at this part in my life.”

Bennish says the first thing they had to figure out as they worked to raise the profile of Tacoma and Pierce County as a destination for tourism and for events was “What makes us unique?” They settled on focusing on Mt Rainier, Classic Cars, and Glass Art as things we have in our area that other people don’t have. After launching the campaign, they decided to start marketing at the airport. “It’s called the Seattle-Tacoma Airport,” says Bennish. “And Tacoma has been absent for far too long.”

What can we as Tacomans and Pierce County residents do to to help promote more tourism? “Be ambassadors!” says Bennish. “Explore Pierce County first, explore Tacoma first, and then share the beauty of our region after that.”

Show Notes:

Travel Tacoma – Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitor Bureau

Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center

Mt Tahoma  Mt Rainier National Park

Northwest Trek

America’s Car Museum

Museum of Glass

Originally from Sunnyside in Queens New York- Vania Kent Harber first moved to Tacoma with her partner Nathan in 2009. They started with a house in Tacoma’s 6th Avenue neighborhood and now (2 children later) reside in Tacoma’s Stadium District.

“The thing that Tacoma has that New York does not have is easy access to beauty…” says Vania. “There’s just absolute beauty and space and air and water that is so freely available here… My partner loves mountains and I love water so Tacoma is perfect for us.”

When Vania came to Tacoma she had a dream of opening a nonprofit yoga studio and within months of arriving in Tacoma she had found a local business partner to help make that dream a reality. The result is Samdhana-Karana (SKY) Yoga, now located in Tacoma’s St Helens Neighborhood. Their mission is to make yoga accessible and affordable to people of all incomes and abilities. Vania is also an author and writes regularly for Huffington Post Woman.

Show Notes

SKY Yoga

Originally from Sunnyside in Queens New York- Vania Kent Harber first moved to Tacoma with her partner Nathan in 2009. They started with a house in Tacoma’s 6th Avenue neighborhood and now (2 children later) reside in Tacoma’s Stadium District.

“The thing that Tacoma has that New York does not have is easy access to beauty…” says Vania. “There’s just absolute beauty and space and air and water that is so freely available here… My partner loves mountains and I love water so Tacoma is perfect for us.”

When Vania came to Tacoma she had a dream of opening a nonprofit yoga studio and within months of arriving in Tacoma she had found a local business partner to help make that dream a reality. The result is Samdhana-Karana (SKY) Yoga, now located in Tacoma’s St Helens Neighborhood. Their mission is to make yoga accessible and affordable to people of all incomes and abilities. Vania is also an author and writes regularly for Huffington Post Woman.

Show Notes

SKY Yoga

Originally from Sunnyside in Queens New York- Vania Kent Harber first moved to Tacoma with her partner Nathan in 2009. They started with a house in Tacoma’s 6th Avenue neighborhood and now (2 children later) reside in Tacoma’s Stadium District.

“The thing that Tacoma has that New York does not have is easy access to beauty…” says Vania. “There’s just absolute beauty and space and air and water that is so freely available here… My partner loves mountains and I love water so Tacoma is perfect for us.”

When Vania came to Tacoma she had a dream of opening a nonprofit yoga studio and within months of arriving in Tacoma she had found a local business partner to help make that dream a reality. The result is Samdhana-Karana (SKY) Yoga, now located in Tacoma’s St Helens Neighborhood. Their mission is to make yoga accessible and affordable to people of all incomes and abilities. Vania is also an author and writes regularly for Huffington Post Woman.

Show Notes

SKY Yoga

Tacoma’s East Side is a bit of a mystery to many Tacomans. Tacoma City Councilman Marty Campbell (who represents the East Side and South End neighborhoods of Tacoma) is here to talk about his district, dispel myths about the East Side, and share some of the east side’s hidden gems. In addition we talk about the great food across the East Side and South End, which I did my best to list below in the show notes!

When speaking about the neighbors on the East Side, Marty says, “It’s one big family. In the past they’ve experienced some challenges and needs that have brought them together. They’ve mobilized and now they’re benefiting from all this new projects coming in, new development coming in.”

Projects such as the upcoming  East Side Community Center  and the successful Stewart Heights Pool are improving the quality of life for residents.

Show Notes:

Tacoma Dome Top Neighborhood Alliance

Swan Creek Park

Swan Creek Park Food Forest 

Top of Tacoma

Stanley & Seaforts

Vuelve a la Vida

Tacos Guaymas

Taqueria El Antojos

Los Reyes del Taco

Uncle Thurms

Lincoln Hardware Tacoma

Lincoln High School

Lincoln Center (Innovative School)

Hong Kong Supermarket

East Asia Supermarket

Tacoma’s East Side is a bit of a mystery to many Tacomans. Tacoma City Councilman Marty Campbell (who represents the East Side and South End neighborhoods of Tacoma) is here to talk about his district, dispel myths about the East Side, and share some of the east side’s hidden gems. In addition we talk about the great food across the East Side and South End, which I did my best to list below in the show notes!

When speaking about the neighbors on the East Side, Marty says, “It’s one big family. In the past they’ve experienced some challenges and needs that have brought them together. They’ve mobilized and now they’re benefiting from all this new projects coming in, new development coming in.”

Projects such as the upcoming  East Side Community Center  and the successful Stewart Heights Pool are improving the quality of life for residents.

Show Notes:

Tacoma Dome Top Neighborhood Alliance

Swan Creek Park

Swan Creek Park Food Forest 

Top of Tacoma

Stanley & Seaforts

Vuelve a la Vida

Tacos Guaymas

Taqueria El Antojos

Los Reyes del Taco

Uncle Thurms

Lincoln Hardware Tacoma

Lincoln High School

Lincoln Center (Innovative School)

Hong Kong Supermarket

East Asia Supermarket