The Stadium District might be Tacoma's most iconic neighborhood — the castle-like high school, the 1920s mansions, the walkable hills, the views over Commencement Bay.

 In this one, I get personal about the attic apartment in a Stadium Victorian that carried me through a hard season, why the birdsong out that window still matters to me, and what it's actually like to live here. Plus the honest pros and cons, who thrives in Stadium, and where to go for coffee, food, and a good walk once you've moved in.

In this episode:
- Why Stadium is so special to me (yes, it's the 10 Things I Hate About You school)
- The attic apartment that became a nest during my divorce
- The homes: Victorians, mini-mansions, the Rust Mansion — and why we love a good new build too
- Who's happiest living in Stadium
- The real pros and cons before you buy here
- Where to go: Le Sel Bistro, Indo Asian Street Eatery, Hob Nob, Shake Shake Shake, Wright Park, and the Stadium stairs

Thinking about buying or selling in the Stadium District? I'm always here as a resource. Start a conversation with the client questionnaire.

Historic homes are the ones I keep coming back to — the Craftsmans, the Victorians, the Colonials with original woodwork and a century of stories in the walls. It started for me a long time ago, in an old 1900s house with that unmistakable old-house smell, and it's been the thread through everything I do since. But there's a side to buying and selling these homes that doesn't show up in the pretty photos, and that's what this episode is about.

We get into what actually lives inside an old house — knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized plumbing, older sewer lines — and why none of it has to be a dealbreaker if you go in knowing. I talk about how insurance is tightening on these homes, the brokers we've been building relationships with so there are no surprises at pre-approval, and how a buyer consultation helps you sort out what you can live with, what needs attention now, and what can wait. On the selling side, we cover how a historic home holds its value in North Tacoma, why the seller's disclosure and the story of the home both matter, and how to find the one buyer who'll love it the way you did.

And underneath all of it is the honest part: the pull between whimsy and practicality. Both matter. I've lived it in my own Hilltop Craftsman — the one people told me not to buy. If you love old homes the way I do, this one's for you.

Thinking about buying or selling a historic Tacoma home? I'm always here as a resource. Start the conversation anytime with my client questionnaire.

⏱️ Chapter Markers

1. Why historic homes — and where the love started
2. What people don't see until they're already in love
3. Knob-and-tube, galvanized plumbing & what's inside the walls
4. Insurance on historic homes (and why it's getting harder)
5. What to check before you commit to a 1910 Craftsman
6. A Tacoma story: when the old house had a surprise
7. Selling a historic home for what it's actually worth
8. Keeping the character — what she'd never rip out
9. Finding the right buyer ("people buy like homes")
10. Advice for buyers & sellers — whimsy vs. practical

If you've ever followed an agent on Instagram or TikTok and thought about reaching out — but felt too nervous, or worried you'd look silly for not knowing the lingo — this one's for you. Kierstyn brings me the questions people actually wonder but are too shy to ask: what if I feel dumb, what if it feels like a sales pitch, what if buying or selling just isn't realistic for me right now? I'm answering all of it honestly, plus the real story of how two of my recent clients found me through social media and ended up in their dream home. Reaching out doesn't mean you're committing to anything. It just means starting a conversation.

In this episode:

• Why reaching out to an agent you found on social never puts you on a "spam list"
• The truth about not knowing escrow, title, lending, or inspections before you start
• How a one-hour buyer consultation actually works — and how it flexes to your style
• Why my goal is never to sell you a house, but to find the one that supports your life
• The difference between a guide and a salesperson (and why I'll never tell you to settle)
• How to figure out if buying or selling is realistic for you right now
• Exactly how to take the first step — DM, comment, or the client questionnaire

Chapters:

• 0:00 — Welcome + why we made this episode
• 0:30 — "I'm too nervous to reach out": how people actually find me
• 2:00 — How two recent clients reached out through TikTok
• 3:00 — "What if I feel dumb?" You don't need to know any of the lingo
• 5:00 — The guidebook, the refresher, and being in the driver's seat
• 6:30 — "Are you just going to sell me?" Why it never feels like a pitch
• 8:00 — My goal isn't the house — it's the life the house supports
• 8:45 — Why I'll never tell you to settle
• 10:00 — "Is this even realistic for me right now?"
• 11:30 — The real first step: DM, comment, or the questionnaire
• 13:30 — Goodbye (a note: our mics died, so Kierstyn closes this one)

Links:

• Client questionnaire + buyer/seller guides: https://stan.store/wonderluxerealestate
• Follow along → @wonderluxerealestate on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook

There's a reason people can't stop falling for Proctor. In this episode, I'm walking through what makes this North Tacoma neighborhood feel less like a place you live and more like a place you belong — the sidewalks full of dog walkers and strollers, the Saturday farmers market, the century-old trees one of my clients called "the main character" of the street.

We get into who the perfect Proctor buyer actually is, what separates a Proctor home from the rest of Tacoma (hint: it's in the woodwork), the small businesses that make this neighborhood what it is — including a shoe repair shop with the kind of craftsmanship you can't find anymore — and an honest conversation about the new development coming to the area and what it means for the neighborhood's future. We close out talking through the Seattle commute question, current home values, and why "community" is the one word that keeps coming up no matter how many times I try to find another.

In this episode:

• Who the perfect Proctor buyer is — and how to tell if it's the right fit for you
• A walk-the-neighborhood tip I give every client before they decide on a house
• What makes a Proctor home different (the cost of preserving real 1908 craftsmanship)
• Two local businesses I personally swear by
• Current average home values in Proctor — and whether they're worth it
• The Seattle commute question, answered honestly
• New development in Proctor: Proctor Station, Madison 25, and what it could mean for the neighborhood
• The one word that sums up Proctor

That's Proctor. Thank you for listening, and we'll see you in the next one. 🤍

Episode 2 — Growing Up in Tacoma: Mellie’s Perspective on the City She Never Left

I’ve lived in Tacoma for almost 40 years. I grew up in a manufactured home in Parkland Spanaway, spent my teenage years driving to Ruston Way just to sit by the water, and told myself I would never go into real estate like my parents. Now I’m eleven years into selling homes in the city I almost left — and I have no plans to go anywhere.

In this episode, Kierstyn and I talk about what Tacoma was actually like growing up in the 90s, the places that are gone now that shaped me, and why this city is nearly impossible to leave once it has you.

We talk about:

 • Growing up in Parkland Spanaway and feeling pulled toward North Tacoma’s older homes
 • Never Never Land at Point Defiance — Tacoma’s forgotten immersive wonderland that I thought I made up as a kid
 • The Black Pearl, teenage depression, and why Ruston Way was my safe place
 • Why I swore I’d never do real estate — and what changed
 • What Tacoma has that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else

This one is personal. It’s also a love letter to a city most people underestimate.

Follow the show for a new episode every week.
Wonder Luxe Real Estate | Tacoma, WA | wonderluxerealestate.com

Episode 1: Why Introverts Don't Like Salespeople But Love a Guide

In our very first episode, Kierstyn and I get honest about something a lot of people feel but can't quite name: the discomfort of being sold to, and why a good guide feels completely different.

As two introverts, we dig into why pressure, hovering, and "what's your budget?" make you want to walk out the door — and why the rare salesperson who gives you space and choices earns instant trust. I share some real stories, talk about how breathing and anxiety show up when you're being pushed, and walk through the philosophy behind how I run showings and serve my clients at Wonder Luxe.

In this episode:

• Why introverts and intuitives need time and space to feel a home, not a sales pitch
• The real difference between a pushy salesperson and a guide — and how each one makes you feel
• "Choices, not pressure": how I lay out the pros, cons, and my recommendation, then step back
• Why buying or selling is already vulnerable enough — your agent shouldn't add to the stress
• Why my clients are always allowed to change their minds and move on their own timeline
• The "you're in the driver's seat, I'm the GPS" way I like to work alongside people
• Running a business on do unto others — service over sales quotas
• Why intuitives are so good at sensing inauthenticity — and what that means when you're choosing an agent

This one sets the tone for everything we're doing here: real estate done with trust, dignity, and respect for both sides.

Got a topic you'd like us to cover? Drop it in the comments.