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Tacoma has been home for nearly 40 years. Grew up here, stayed here, and for the last eleven years have been selling the city’s most characterful homes — the old Craftsmans, the Victorians, the neighborhoods most people don’t know exist until someone shows them.
This podcast is an insider look at a city most people underestimate. Every week pulling back the curtain on the neighborhoods, the history, the homes, and the stories that never make it into a listing description.
This isn’t a real estate podcast. It’s a love letter to Tacoma — and an invitation to fall in love with it too.
# Episode 4 — "So I Found You on Social Media..."
### Falling in Love with Tacoma · Cleaned transcript
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**Mellie:** Welcome to this podcast. Kierstyn is bringing me questions today that we actually see people asking when they find me on social media — the things people wonder but are sometimes too nervous to ask. Whether you're thinking about buying or selling and found me through social media, this one's for you. We want you to enjoy it, and we look forward to hearing your comments below.
**Kierstyn:** So Mellie, I'd say most people are hesitant, nervous, or apprehensive to reach out to an agent they only know from Instagram, TikTok, or social media in general. Can you relate to that? And what would you like to say to someone who might be following you and feeling one of those ways? I would feel nervous if I was a first-time home buyer — or even now, when I buy again, I won't be a first-time home buyer, I'd be a second-time buyer, and I would still be nervous looking for a real estate agent online. I wouldn't know how to reach out to somebody on Instagram.
**Mellie:** Recently I just met some of the coolest families, and the way they reached out to me was just commenting on one of the videos they enjoyed — "Hey, I'd like more information" — or even sending us a DM: "I'd like more information on the home," or "I had a couple of questions to ask."
The way I like to handle it: sometimes the biggest thing when you're hiring an agent, or hiring someone who's in sales, is you think, "Man, if I ask them one question, I'm gonna be on their radar, then I'm gonna be on their spam list, and then I'm never gonna have peace and quiet." And that's not what I want. I want to do business with others the way I want business done for me. I need some time and space — you can hear me say that a lot.
So if you have questions about buying or selling — whether it's in a month, in a year, or years down the road — ask the questions. We're here to answer them, and we're not going to go after you, if that makes sense. We're just gonna let you ask questions until you're ready to say, "I'd like to find out what the next steps are."
**Kierstyn:** How did Andy *[confirm client name]* — how did your past two clients that you got from social media reach out to you for the first time?
**Mellie:** One of them was a friend of a friend, so she already knew who I was. We hadn't really seen each other since 2017 or 2018, and she still had my number. She goes, "Is this still Mellie?" She saw me on TikTok, then reached out via text, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, long time no hear." The other one was a client who reached out and said, "I'd love to tour this house." We got to talking on Messenger, and then we met up for coffee.
**Kierstyn:** So she reached out to you through TikTok Messenger.
**Mellie:** Yes. We got to talking, and when we both felt like it was right, we met for coffee — it was great, and now they're in contract on their dream home. So we definitely do it at your pace. I'm here.
**Kierstyn:** Simple — DM, comment. What if someone feels like they're going to look dumb? What if someone doesn't know what a pre-approval is? What if they don't understand escrow, lending, title — any of the lingo? What if inspections scare them? Do they need to know any of that before they come to you?
**Mellie:** No, you do not need to know any of it. One of my favorite things to do is a one-hour buyer consultation. It doesn't have to be exactly an hour — could be less, could be more. But I like to get to know what you want to know. Are you the type that wants to understand the whole process and be hands-on? Or are you the type who says, "Tell me as little as I need to know and just help me get the house"? It's all about being adaptable to your style and your needs, so you feel empowered and at peace during the process. It's already stressful enough to buy or sell a home — the last thing you need to worry about is whether your agent is on your side.
So we're here to be educational and supportive, and I really love explaining the process. I have a great guidebook you take home, so we go over it together, then you digest it on your own. And I'm available if you think, "You know what, I have a question I didn't think of." There are no stupid questions. Even when I started real estate, it took me many transactions to completely understand the process.
So it makes sense that a lot of buyers and sellers — whether it's your first time or second time, maybe you haven't done it in five to ten years — it might all be brand new. We're renewing contracts almost every few months on the MLS; we're constantly needing to understand the updates. If you haven't bought or sold in a few years, it's always good to have a refresher, and it's fun to go over together.
That's one of the reasons you're paying your real estate agent — you don't have to know everything. Your agent is educated on all those topics. The way we've talked about in another video: I want you to be in the driver's seat. Unless you're absolutely like, "I'm tired of driving" — but if I'm in the passenger seat reading you the map directions, I'm helping guide. Ultimately it's your decision to make, and I'm here to support it. I never want you to worry about my feelings when you're making the biggest decision of your life.
**Kierstyn:** I think one of the biggest resistances people have toward real estate agents and salespeople in general is they don't want to feel pressured. The second it feels like a sales pitch, they're out. How do you work with people so it never feels like that — where we just show up as people, have a conversation, and show up as ourselves?
**Mellie:** That could even look like a client saying, "I wanna buy land." I'll let them know land is not my forte — I can refer you to someone who's really good with land, or you're gonna have to take the wheel a little more. I can tell you what I do know, what I don't, or find the resources. It's nice to tell my clients where I feel really strongly or where I'm lacking. That vulnerability, to me, is what makes us human, and it helps us connect — not overcompensating for ego or "I don't feel good enough."
Back to the pressure question. Here's the thing with houses. Let's say you're buying a house and we're going to look at houses. My goal is not to sell you that house. My goal is to get to know what house will support your life. Sometimes I actually try to talk people out of houses, because I'll see the whole body language is a no. I also don't like to be people's parents — if they say, "I still want it," okay, cool, let's look at what that looks like.
So I'd like to be informative: here's my professional opinion, here are the concerns of this house, here are potential inspection issues we might find. I'm not an inspector — we'd get it inspected — but we make the decision together. You, the buyer or seller, are the decision maker. I'm there to support it. I'm not gonna push people into a house.
**Kierstyn:** I don't like settling.
**Mellie:** I was gonna say one thing I know about you — you just said it to me the other day — you don't ever want your clients to settle.
**Kierstyn:** I hate that word. There are so many times I've gotten a client who said, "I used to work with an agent who told me I just needed to pick a house." I had an agent tell me that when I was house hunting — she told me I just needed to pick.
**Mellie:** I want long-term happiness. I'm in this for the long game. I want to build relationships with my clients. I like when my clients become friends — we don't have to be super close friends. If you say, "No, I just want you to be my agent," that's fine. I like to bring a pie once a year, if that's okay; if it's not, that's okay too. But permission and safety — those things are really important to me. Don't settle. Find your dream even within your means. I think there's a way to find the home that really suits your lifestyle.
**Kierstyn:** I think the fact that you don't want people to settle is what makes you different than a salesperson. We touched on it in another podcast, but I was just car shopping, and I felt like all the salespeople wanted me to settle — they just wanted me to choose that car. So I think that's what makes you different.
This is a big one. Whether someone wants to buy one of these beautiful Tacoma homes they see on your social media, or they're thinking about selling theirs, so many people assume they're not ready — that buying or selling is just out of reach for them. How do you help someone figure out if buying or selling is actually realistic for them right now?
**Mellie:** That's one of those where one answer doesn't fit all — one size does not fit all. This is where those consultations come in: if you're just curious and want to ask a bunch of questions on Messenger, or want to meet in person and have coffee without the pressure. One recent client said, "Hey, it's probably gonna take me a year to find the house I want, because I want to be really picky." And that's okay. Just communicate what you need, and I'm there to back that up.
So, back to your question: there isn't one answer for everybody. We go over your goals and figure out what support you need to reach them. Is it talking to a lender? Different financial advisors? It depends on the situation, and we discuss it together. That way we're putting you on a map to your goal, at your speed. It's like the game of life — you choose which direction you're going, and we help you do it.
**Kierstyn:** I do think support and guidance is helpful. I've recently even needed my own guidance and financial advice, and it's like having someone there to support you who has your best intentions at heart. It can really get you further. I've gotten a lot further this past six months because I finally found a financial advisor I felt safe enough with. *[ADHD moment — flag for Mellie's approval before clipping]* When you find the right people who make you feel comfortable, you can accomplish anything, conquer anything. I'm literally feeling that on my own with something I'm working on too. I completely agree.
**Mellie:** It's almost like having a guide or a coach. If we could just reframe real estate agents as a buying-and-selling coach or guide — yes, we're here to be a guide.
Let's say someone's watching and they're ready. The first step — we touched on it before, but I want to be really clear: either DM or comment on a video, "Hi, I'd like some more information," or "I'm ready to take a next step." Then I'll respond and say, "Thank you for messaging — would you like to get on a brief call?" If you don't like phone calls because you're more introverted, we can text. Then we decide the next steps from there: either talking to Ellie, my lender, who can help get you pre-approved, or working on a buyer consultation. We discuss what your goal is and what the next steps look like, to map that out.
I'd definitely recommend, if you're ready for next steps and don't need it as informal, we have a great client questionnaire. There's a generic one, and then one specifically for buyers and sellers. They're right within our website — easy to find, link in bio. You fill it out, it gets sent to us, and we reach out. And if at any point you think, "Never mind, I wish I hadn't done that," just let us know — whenever you're ready. So feel free to reach out to Mellie at any time: DM, comment, or fill out the client questionnaire, and Mellie will reach out to you.
**Kierstyn:** I know Mellie usually says goodbye to you guys, but our mics died, so she's not able to. So I'll say goodbye for this episode only. We're so grateful you're here and listening, and we cannot wait to see you on the next episode.