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The Proctor District in Tacoma is a Great Neighborhood. Starting This Weekend the Farmers Market is Back!

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Living in Tacoma is a lot of fun. There is always something to do and starting this weekend the Proctor Districts Farmers Market is starting its 2010 season. One of the things that is great about living in the Puget Sound region is the abundance of small farms that sell their products at our various farmers markets.  The Proctor District is one of the coolest neighborhoods in Tacoma. There is a lot of shopping with many small shops that carry local artists and local products. Restaurants are one of my favorite places to go and the Proctor District has a lot to choose from! The library is fantastic and in a very cool classic building. The homes around the district are varied and very interesting.  There are a number of little coffee shops, a bowling alley, and Tacoma’s only Metropolitan Market Grocery (one of my favorite grocery stores in the world, ok in Washington how’s that?)

When you are considering moving to Tacoma or perhaps moving to a different home it would be in your interest to give the Proctor District a look. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what you find here.

Here is more information on the Proctor District Farmers Market.

Proctor District Farmers Market is Here! Starting March 27th 2010

The Proctor District Farmers Market is starting early this year. Saturdays 9am to 2pm. This Saturday the Junior Daffodil Parade begins at 10am. It will be a busy weekend in the Proctor District!

The Farmers Market will give you a chance to purchase Fresh local fruits and vegetables. Cut flowers and plants for your yard. Local meats, cheeses, fish and more. There will be musicians demonstrations including cooking demos. Things for the kids to do and much more.

Hope to see you this Saturday at the Proctor District Farmers Market. I will be there taking pictures to share with everyone.

The market will run Saturdays from March 27th to November 20th. 9am to 2pm Rain or Shine. Located at North 27th & Proctor St. Tacoma WA

For more information on what to expect in the way of vendors or to apply to be a vendor you can visit this link.

The farmers market is just one of the things that makes the Proctor District one of Tacoma’s coolest neighborhoods. I encourage you to get out and take a look at the Proctor District.

You can read the rest of my thoughts on the Proctor District and The Farmers Market here.

Classic Homes Northwest Welcomes Marguerite Giguere!

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

We’re adding another author! Please welcome Marguerite Giguere The Skydiving Agent! to Classic Homes Northwest! Marguerite is with Crescent Realty. She is very active around Tacoma and has been kind enough to post some of our articles on her blog Get Real Tacoma. Having her contribute her views on the Tacoma real estate market is something we will all benefit from.

When we pressured her to provide a bio she shared this with us

Marguerite Giguere is a lifetime resident of Pierce County and currently resides in Downtown Tacoma. She’s a REALTOR Specializing in homes and condos in Downtown Tacoma and the surrounding neighborhoods under $400,000.  She has special expertise in buyer representation and foreclosures.  Marguerite loves Tacoma, Karaoke, and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.

Welcome aboard Marguerite! we’re happy to have you here and we’re looking forward to doing a cross sale one of these days!

Is Tacoma's Wedge District Historic? Speak Your Mind on March 17th. 2010

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

The City of Tacoma’s Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on March 17th. 2010 at 5:00pm. This hearing will concern the creation and review of the “Wedge Neighborhood” for consideration of being a historic district. This process was started in 2008 when residents of the “Wedge Neighborhood” requested to be designated as a historic district. In 2009 The Landmarks  Preservation Commission sent a recommendation to the Planning Commission for the creation of a historic special review district surrounded by multiple conservation districts.

Interested individuals may testify in person or submit comments in writing by e-mail or fax, (253) 591-2002. Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. March 26.

So, what exactly is a historic special review district? Glad you asked. Historic special review districts provided guidelines for the design of new construction within the district. Also, modifications to existing structures are reviewed for compliance to the guidelines approved. Properties within a historic district can potentially be eligible and receive certain tax benefits.  Conservation districts are buffer areas between historic districts and other areas of the city. The goal is to provide guidelines for new construction and protection of historic buildings. Historic Districts are one way for our community to help preserve the classic and historic character of our neighborhoods. For the people who live within a historic district official designation can bring a sense of pride and community.

Classic Homes Northwest supports the creation of a Historic Wedge District.

Here is a copy of the hearing notice for the Wedge Neighborhood on March 17th.

Here is a copy of the Public Review Documents for the hearing.
Historic Tacoma produced a walking tour of the Wedge District. The walking tour is a fantastic way to learn more about one of the more interesting areas in Tacoma. Historic Tacoma has published the walking tour online and you can find the tour here.

Will we see you on March 17th?

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Tacoma Neighborhoods Walk Scores; How Does Your Neighborhood Score?

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

René Fabre’s post We’re all self educated buyers…..struck a chord with me. What is the walk score of the neighborhoods here in Tacoma? What local businesses do we as occupants of various neighborhoods take pride in frequenting? Just what is so cool about the areas that we call home? Walk Score, Yelp, Four Square, Twitter, and many other tools allow us to give a virtual shout out to the world about the neighborhoods we call home. I think it is a great idea to help spread the word about what makes our neighborhoods tick.

Since I help people buy and sell homes all around Tacoma I know (or at least feel like I should) a bit more than the average person about neighborhoods in Tacoma. That being said I am always looking to improve my knowledge of everything Tacoma.  To help me accomplish my goal of learning more about Tacoma I am going to start using the tools René mentioned. I will be writing articles on my efforts which I hope will be both entertaining and educational.

My plan is to pick various established districts (Stadium District, Proctor District, McKinley Hill District, South Tacoma, etc.) and use the tools to provide a detailed snapshot of the various features of each district. From there I will take the information and publish it online for anyone to contribute to. I need to work out the details of how I can allow others to collaborate but I am sure that with the help of some of the really smart people (René Fabre etc.) I am lucky to know that something can be worked out.

From René’s post we learned that the Stadium District in Tacoma has a walk score of 95! that is very impressive. If you were to live here you would have the opportunity to walk to just about everything you need from your home.  While the walk score does not take everything into account it is a useful tool to begin to learn more about the particular area you are considering. Our next post will cover the Stadium District in more detail.

I am always looking for more tools to use to help me be a better Realtor® if you know of any cool tools that allows us to join in the conversation about our neighborhoods please share them here.

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Classic Homes Northwest Welcomes Ryan Christensen!

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Today we have signed up another author Ryan Christensen of Sumner Home Mortgage. Another lender you may ask? Well Sure! Ryan was a real estate agent with me a couple of years ago at Rainier Real Estate in Puyallup. Now that he is working on the lending side of the transaction we think it is a great fit to have Ryan contribute here. His passion and energy will a great addition here at Classic Homes Northwest.

Ryan is the Social Media & Marketing Coordinator for Sumner Home Mortgage. He likes to use video to help convey the message that he is sharing. Currently Ryan is working on helping people learn to utilize the Tacoma Down Payment Assistance Program, Pierce County Down Payment Assistance Program, and other programs to help buy their first homes in Tacoma and Pierce County. If you would like more information on how Sumner Home Mortgage is helping first time home buyers you can visit their websites here and here.

We are happy to add another voice to the conversation here at Classic Homes Northwest. Buying or selling a home in Tacoma can and should be an enjoyable process. One of the best things you can do as a prospective home buyer or home seller is to educate yourself. We are happy to provide as much information as we can on the home buying or home selling process. If you have any questions we are always just an email or a phone call away.

McKinley Hill Neighborhood in Tacoma One of the Best Old House Neighborhoods in 2010

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Looks like we’re getting some more national press here in Tacoma. This Old House magazine selected the McKinley Hill neighborhood as one of the best neighborhoods in the country if you’re looking to buy an older home. For those of us who live here this is not news but it is exciting to see that Tacoma is once again in the national media spotlight for something positive. We are linking to the article so you can see what This Old House Magazine has to say about the McKinley district.

The McKinley Hill area has a lot of great older working class homes that are quite affordable for both first time home buyers and single income buyers. Additionally the McKinley area has easy access to downtown Tacoma and I-5 for those that have to commute to Seattle.
If you’re looking to buy a home and you want a bit more information on the McKinley area you can search our articles here on Classic Homes Northwest.

Of interest to many will be that the McKinley area qualifies for the Tacoma Down payment assistance program funds. Buyers may qualify for assistance with their down payment if they meet the income qualifications. Many homes that are for sale in the McKinley district are priced within reach of the guidelines of the Tacoma Down payment assistance program.

If you’re looking for a classic home in Tacoma you should consider the McKinley District. Please feel free to use our home search right here on Classic Homes Northwest to look at all of the homes that are for sale in Tacoma and the McKinley District. If you would like additional information on any of the homes you see please contact us and we will get right back to you with the information you are asking for.

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New Local Independent Radio Station for Tacoma Online Now

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

I was browsing the Interwebs and I came across a mention of a local online radio station that has begun to broadcast recently. I tuned my browser to Tacoma.FM and found myself listening to a grassroots local effort to bring music and programming to Tacoma.

The following is taken directly from the Tacoma.FM website

What is Tacoma.FM about?

Our mission is simple. Reflect Tacoma’s unique blend of community interests, arts, and cultural diversity with locally produced programming to entertain, educate, and inform. Our goal for 2010 is to develop diverse and interactive music, entertainment, and informational programs of interest to our local community across multiple platforms.

An eclectic mix of music with no boundaries.

Tacoma.FM has local DJ’s who encourage music diversity and discovery. Popular classic albums, new music, local and independent artists, folk, blues, alternative and whatever else. Also, a growing list of specialty music programs across many genres including world music, jazz, blues, nostalgia, oldies, and more.

DJ’s, shows, etc.

We support original music from local and independent artists.

All local and indie artists across all genres are encouraged to submit original music to Tacoma.FM for airplay consideration. CD’s and bio information may be sent to us at the address below.

I find this very exciting that someone is willing to go to the effort to bring a different viewpoint of radio to our local community. Radio used to be community driven a local business that informed their listeners of what was happening in their neighborhoods. I hope Tacoma.FM will help dust off this business model.

Please visit Tacoma.FM and listen. Together we can help shape our local entertainment and listening choices.

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