Ep. 20: We Just Want to Build A Wall and Make Seattle Pay for It

EQ: How do we better understand the relationship between race, class, and real estate, and why does that matter?

Guest: Marguerite Martin, curator of the Move to Tacoma movement and host of the Move to Tacoma Podcast, the Pod Auntie and a founding pod host on Channel 253 (the spry, young matriarch of the network).

Marguerite shares her story:

  • Her love for Tacoma and her early days downtown (what used to be the cheapest neighborhood!).
  • Her start in real estate in the last boom market, circa 2005, and occupational survival in the downturn.
  • The launch of the Move to Tacoma movement (website and, later, the podcast) as a resource for people relocating to the area.
  • Feelings about her career - the thrill and terror of entrepreneurship.  You can be creative and be yourself, workaholic!
  • Why lots of people get their real estate license - it’s not too hard to meet the requirements, but it IS hard to build a career (the test has nothing to do with the actual work of selling real estate).  You may not get the support you need as a newbie.
  • Making her way - from the dream of being the Queen of Spanaway Real Estate to carving out a niche, first as a condo specialist, then as a downtown realtor, and later as a buyer’s agent.  PLUS! The first prototype of Move to Tacoma - Get Real Tacoma.
  • The changes in the local market, especially skyrocketing prices and the lack of affordable housing options.
  • The market now: buyers have to give up more.  Buyers are currently at a tremendous disadvantage, especially low-income folks.  Those with a lack of intergenerational and historical wealth, especially people of color in Tacoma, don’t have access to the resources they need.  
  • Issues with the lack of diversity in the profession--the median age of realtors is 60 and 87% of agents are white.  The field is treated by many real estate professionals as a meritocracy. Spoiler alert: it’s not. (Dis)trust and implicit bias fuel ageism, sexism, and racism in the business. Being “woke” in real estate is - maybe - impossible because systems of capitalism are inherently exploitative.
  • Marguerite’s favorite Move to Tacoma Podcast Episode “The Tacoma Dating Scene”

Guilty Favsies:

  • Annie & Hope: Target, Target, and more Target!!
  • Marguerite: John Mayer and Younger

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