The Almanac
Plain answers to the questions people ask me about buying, selling and owning a home in Pierce County. One question to an entry, with the county offices, highways and neighborhoods named.
Written by Austin Hellickson, Managing Broker, LPT Realty, from the office on Fryar Avenue in SumnerRSS feed
Mostly no. The smell people called the Aroma of Tacoma has been blamed on several tideflats sources over the years, and the one named most often, the kraft pulp mill, closed in 2023. The tideflats are still a working port with odors of their own now and then, mainly close to the water and when the weather holds air in place, so the way to judge a particular street is to stand on it at a few different times of day.
Also in the Almanac
From the tax bill after closing and the rules in Tacoma’s historic districts to backyard cottages and the drive across the Narrows.
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Buying in Pierce County does not reset your assessed value. How the Assessor-Treasurer values homes, why bills change, and how appeals work.
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Which Tacoma historic districts carry design review, what exterior work needs Landmarks Commission approval, and what to check before an offer.
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Buying before you sell in Pierce County: a sale contingency, a bridge loan or HELOC, or selling first with a rent-back, and what each one costs you.
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ADU rules in Pierce County depend on who governs the lot, the urban growth area, and sewer or septic. What to check before you make an offer.
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Gig Harbor or University Place: the Narrows toll, SR 16, the houses, school districts and waterfront homework on each side of the bridges.
Ask me the next one.
If a question about a house or a neighborhood in Pierce County has you stuck, call or write. I would rather answer it before you sign anything than after.