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Pierce County · Washington State

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Appraisals in
Lakewood

Washington State Licensed and Certified Appraisers serving the greater Puget Sound area.

Who appraises homes in Lakewood?

AppraisalMS handles Lakewood appraisals for home purchases, refinances, estate settlements, divorces and property tax appeals, out of our Lynnwood office. For a quote, put the Lakewood address in the box at the top of this page or call (425) 967-3498.

Lakewood became a city in 1996; the 2020 Census counted 63,612 residents. Its lakes and its border with Joint Base Lewis-McChord raise most hard questions.

Lakewood neighborhoods and what we check in each

American Lake shoreline

At 1,091 acres, American Lake is the largest natural lake in Pierce County (Wikipedia), and the base owns part of its shore. Private frontage is scarce, so we confirm on site whether a home owns frontage, has a view, or neither.

Gravelly Lake

A 160 acre lake circled by higher priced homes and estates, per Wikipedia, with both public access points overgrown. Few sell in a year, so when a comp comes from another lake, the report names it and shows the adjustment.

Interlaaken and Lake Steilacoom

Lake Steilacoom is a shallow reservoir made by an 1853 dam on Chambers Creek; its 1920s Interlaaken Bridge closed in 2024. The city plan notes narrow Interlaaken streets without curbs or sidewalks, so access goes into the site notes.

Tillicum and Woodbrook

Tillicum lies between I-5, Camp Murray and American Lake; Woodbrook is across I-5, where the industrial zone passed 188 acres. The 2024 subarea plan notes new sewer lines and manufactured homes, so sewer, zoning and land ownership get checked early.

Downtown and the Colonial Center

Norton Clapp built the first part of the Colonial Center in 1937, and Lakewood Towne Center replaced the old mall in 2002. Downtown holds about 419 homes, per the city plan, so its condo and mixed use units are compared with each other first.

Every Lakewood neighborhood and district we could place

  • American Lake shoreline American Lake North Park and Harry Todd Park are the two public parks on the water, and a home's distance to either is noted when it bears on traffic or access.
  • Thornewood Most of this 100 acre estate on American Lake was sold for private homes in the 1950s, leaving the 1911 castle on about four acres.
  • Gravelly Lake Lakewold Gardens sits on Gravelly Lake Drive, and the shore around it is the city's smallest pool of frontage sales.
  • Lake Steilacoom About 306 acres of water fed by Clover Creek and Ponce de Leon Creek, with the historic Rhodesleigh house on its shore.
  • Interlaaken The lakeside area named for Interlaaken Drive SW and its wooden bridge, so we note the bridge closure when describing how a home is reached.
  • Idyllwild and Lake Holme Named in the city plan with Interlaaken as areas laid out for cars, on narrow lanes the plan may exempt from new middle housing rules.
  • Lake Louise One of the city's named lakes, sharing its name with Lake Louise Elementary; frontage and view are graded on their own for each home.
  • Tillicum Harry Todd Park in the northwest corner is the neighborhood's only park and its public route to American Lake; western Tillicum is mostly single family, per the city.
  • Woodbrook Across I-5 from Tillicum, its industrial zone grew from 117.5 acres to more than 188 after 2010s rezones, beside the 1924 Woodbrook Hunt Club, a listed historic property.
  • Springbrook Just outside a base gate on Bridgeport Way SW, with roughly 1,565 apartment and multifamily units per the city plan appendix.
  • Lake City and Lake City West Lake City has its own neighborhood association, and the Lake City West node by the JBLM North Gate is flagged in the city plan as a busy traffic corridor.
  • Custer The city plan centers this node on Custer Road SW, a principal arterial, with Flett Creek and the Flett Wetlands at its edge; the 1932 Custer schoolhouse still stands.
  • Fort Steilacoom The Army post founded here in 1849 later became Western State Hospital land, and Pierce College and Fort Steilacoom Park share the area today.
  • Oakbrook The Oakbrook Shopping Center opened in 1960 as the Thunderbird Center on a former airstrip, and the city groups Oakbrook with Fort Steilacoom in its plan.
  • Downtown Zoning here allows mixed use buildings up to 90 feet and 54 homes per acre, so new projects may set the comps for older units.
  • Lakewood Station District Around the Sounder station on Pacific Highway SW, where S Line trains to Seattle have stopped since 2012.
  • Lakeview Near 108th Street SW and Lakeview Avenue SW, the site of an 1885 steel plant once billed as the Pittsburgh of the West.
  • International District The commercial strip along South Tacoma Way, so homes behind it are checked for business zoning next door.
  • Arrowhead-Partridge Glen (unincorporated) Outside city limits, between Lakewood and Steilacoom, and the plan foresees no annexation, so county sales are labeled as county sales.

What moves home values in Lakewood?

Water comes first: owning frontage and seeing a lake are different comps. Then the base: the 2025 comprehensive plan counts 1,832 housing units in McChord Field air corridor zones that miss safety guidelines, so zoning is checked before comps. Sewer or septic and Clover Creek flood maps follow.

What appraisals does AppraisalMS do in Lakewood?

In Lakewood we appraise for purchase, refinance and FHA loans, and for estates, divorce, pre listing pricing and relocation. Fighting a Pierce County assessment? See the tax appeal guide.

Reports arrive on the date we set, with updates as we go. Our team has written market analyses for builders, mortgage brokers, agents and lenders since the early 1990s, so a Lakewood lake home with few sales gets a report showing how far the search went and why each sale stayed.

Lakewood appraisal questions

What does a Lakewood appraisal cost, and when will I get it?
Fees depend on the home and scope, so each Lakewood job is quoted. Most reports take 7 to 10 days, on the date we commit to. Type the address at the top or phone (425) 967-3498.
Can I hire you for a Lakewood appraisal without a lender?
Yes. Executors, spouses, sellers and attorneys can order an appraisal directly; loan appraisals come through the lender. Lakewood owners hear back directly once we review the MLS history and county records.
How do you appraise a home on American Lake or Gravelly Lake?
We confirm frontage from the parcel record and on site, then compare lakefront sales first. When those run short, we use another Lakewood lake and show each adjustment.
Do you appraise Lakewood condos, townhomes and manufactured homes?
Yes. Our team is very experienced with townhomes, condos and every attached dwelling type, including downtown mixed use units. On a manufactured home we confirm whether the land is owned.
Which school district serves my Lakewood address?
Clover Park School District covers most of Lakewood. Small sections fall in Steilacoom Historical and, per Wikipedia, Tacoma Public Schools. Check your address with the district.
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