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Tacoma Dome with Mount Rainier behind it
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Appraisals in
Tacoma

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

About the market

Who appraises homes in Tacoma?

AppraisalMS appraises Tacoma homes for purchases, refinances, estates, divorce and property tax appeals, working from our Lynnwood office. Type the Tacoma address in the search box at the top of this page for a quote, or phone (425) 967-3498.

Tacoma incorporated in 1875, and the 2020 Census counted 219,346 residents. The Port of Tacoma cuts Northeast Tacoma off from the rest of the city.

Where we work

Tacoma neighborhoods and what we look at in each

North Slope

A National Register district since 2003 between Division Avenue and North I Street. Nearly 80 percent of its homes predate 1930: Queen Anne, Craftsman, Foursquare, Tudor Revival. Original detail and the quality of later repairs drive comps.

Stadium District

About 200 acres around Stadium High School, listed as the Stadium-Seminary Historic District in 1985. Houses, apartments and condos built 1888 to 1930 share the blocks, and a bay view is rated from inside the unit.

Proctor District and the North End

Proctor centers on North 26th and Proctor Streets, home to the Blue Mouse Theatre (1923) and newer mixed use buildings. Homes near the shops are compared with sales near the shops.

Old Town

Tacoma started here, where Job Carr built a cabin in 1865. Its waterside is Ruston Way, so view and distance to the water are rated from the home itself.

Hilltop and McCarver

Hilltop sits on the bluff above the port; the T Line streetcar reached it in September 2023. In McCarver, apartments have become condos and new townhomes have gone up, so build year and ownership type split the comps.

Northeast Tacoma

Nearly 17,000 people live here on hilly ground that gives many homes a view. Browns Point next door is a separate census place, so we confirm city limits before choosing sales.

Every Tacoma neighborhood we can place

  • Browns Point (unincorporated, outside city limits) A census place of 1,263 people in 2020 on the point past Northeast Tacoma, served by Tacoma Public Schools, with a lighthouse first lit in 1887.
  • Bryant Grouped with Central Tacoma on Wikipedia's neighborhood list, alongside Hilltop and the Wedge.
  • Buckley Addition A historic North End district that Wikipedia names next to College Park, where an older plat map helps explain odd lot lines.
  • Central Business District The office core of New Tacoma on Wikipedia's list; any home here is valued against other downtown sales of the same ownership type.
  • Central Tacoma Wikipedia's Central Tacoma group takes in Hilltop, Bryant, College Heights, Delong Park, the Wedge and McCarver.
  • College Heights Grouped with Central Tacoma on Wikipedia's list; we start with sales inside the Central group before reaching across Division Avenue.
  • College Park A National Historic District in the North End, so exterior changes may run through landmark review.
  • Crescent Heights A Northeast Tacoma area with its own elementary school, Crescent Heights Elementary.
  • Dash Point (unincorporated, outside city limits) Wikipedia treats it as unincorporated Pierce County beside Northeast Tacoma, known for its park and pier.
  • Delong Park A Central Tacoma pocket named on Wikipedia's list, grouped with Bryant and the Wedge.
  • Dome District A streetcar era business district with its own city recognized business association.
  • Downtown Tacoma The city redrew downtown in 2007 to take in part of Hilltop out to South L Street, which matters when a listing says downtown.
  • East Tacoma Grouped with the port and Nalley Valley on Wikipedia's list, on the east side of the city.
  • Fife Heights (unincorporated, outside city limits) County land on Northeast Tacoma's southeast edge, so county zoning and county sales apply.
  • Highlands Listed in the South End group with the Narrows and Titlow.
  • Lincoln District One of twelve streetcar era business districts with a city recognized association, and older homes on nearby blocks are compared within the district first.
  • McCarver Named for McCarver Elementary, which in 1968 became the nation's first magnet school.
  • Nalley Valley Listed beside East Tacoma and the port on Wikipedia's grouping, so we check for nearby industrial use before picking comps.
  • Narrows Grouped with Titlow and Salmon Beach in the South End list; water view and bluff position, where present, get checked on site.
  • North Tacoma The North End council area, bounded by 6th Avenue and Puget Sound, with eight elementary schools inside it.
  • Ruston (separate town, outside Tacoma) Its own town inside the North End, where most residents call themselves Tacomans but the parcel answers to Ruston.
  • Ruston Way The waterside walk below Old Town, much longer than Old Town itself.
  • Sixth Avenue District The busy stretch of 6th Avenue from about State to Alder Streets; the street also sets the north and south prefixes on Tacoma addresses.
  • Skyline A North End neighborhood with its own elementary school, Skyline Elementary.
  • South End Wikipedia's South End group covers the Highlands, the Narrows, Titlow and Salmon Beach.
  • South Tacoma Built around one of the twelve streetcar era business districts the city recognizes.
  • St. Helens A New Tacoma neighborhood listed with downtown, where houses and condos are never mixed in one comp set.
  • Salmon Beach Listed in the South End group; access and shoreline rules get a close read before any comp is picked.
  • The Wedge A small Central Tacoma neighborhood named on Wikipedia's list with Hilltop and Delong Park.
  • Theater District A downtown New Tacoma pocket where condo and loft sales are compared with other downtown units.
  • Thea Foss Waterway The inlet between downtown and the port, renamed for Thea Foss in 1989; its Superfund cap was finished in February 2006 and residential sites line the redevelopment.
  • Titlow On the west edge near Titlow Park, where 6th Avenue begins its 5.7 mile run to Broadway.
  • Warehouse/Brewery District A New Tacoma district on Wikipedia's list; any converted loft is valued against other conversions first.
  • West Tacoma Part of the South End group on Wikipedia's list, and it shares Westgate with the North End.
  • Westgate Straddles the North End and West End on Wikipedia's grouping, so we check which council area the parcel sits in.
  • Yakima Hill Overlaps the wider North Slope under some definitions, so we confirm whether a parcel falls inside the historic district.
Local knowledge

What moves home values in Tacoma?

Age and protection come first. Much of the North End dates from the streetcar period (1888 to 1938), and the city's preservation program covers more than 1,000 historic properties in five overlay zones, per Wikipedia. Then come views, port traffic and whether a parcel sits in Tacoma, Ruston or county land.

What we offer

What appraisals does AppraisalMS do in Tacoma?

Tacoma lenders send us purchase, refinance and FHA orders. Owners and attorneys call us for estate, divorce, pre listing and relocation work. Contesting a Pierce County assessment? Our Pierce County tax appeal guide walks through it.

The report lands on the date we promised, with check ins while it is underway. Since the early 1990s the team has written market analyses for builders, mortgage brokers, agents and lenders, so a new Hilltop townhome gets compared fairly with the older houses on its block.

Purchase AppraisalsRefinance AppraisalsDivorce & Legal AppraisalsEstate & Date of Death AppraisalsPre Listing AppraisalsProperty Tax Appeal AppraisalsFHA AppraisalsPrivate & Relocation AppraisalsTax appeal guide
Common questions

Tacoma appraisal questions

What does a Tacoma appraisal cost, and when is it done?
A Tacoma fee is set per job, once we know the home and the scope. Most take 7 to 10 days, and we hold to the delivery date we quote. Start with the Tacoma address in the search box, or ring (425) 967-3498.
Can I hire you myself for a Tacoma home?
Yes, for an estate, a divorce, pre listing pricing, a tax appeal or a relocation. A loan appraisal has to come through the lender. Tacoma owners hear back from us within a business day.
How do you appraise a historic North End or Stadium home?
We compare it with sales from the same era first, then weigh original detail, later work and any landmark rules that limit changes.
Do you appraise Tacoma condos and townhomes?
Yes. The team is very experienced with townhomes, condos and every attached dwelling type, from Stadium District condo buildings to McCarver conversions. HOA dues, reserve funding and the declaration are read for each attached unit.
Which school district covers a Tacoma address?
Tacoma Public Schools covers almost all of the city. Clover Park, Fife, Franklin Pierce and University Place districts also reach inside city limits, and some Northeast Tacoma students go to Federal Way schools.
Sources for this page

Written by Gerry Allard, Certified General Appraiser. Gerry has appraised homes in the Seattle area for more than 30 years and manages the AppraisalMS team. Gerry has served as an expert witness in multiple landmark legal cases, wrote Washington State real estate and appraisal continuing education curriculum, and is a former Chief Appraiser for a national appraisal management company. Gerry also teaches a three hour CE class for real estate agents on how an appraisal is built; mortgage offices can host it for their agents through our contact form.

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