My wife and I contacted Commencement Bay to see if they would represent us in our search for a house. Tre took our call, and ended up being our agent through the entire experience. He did a phenomenal job with helping us specifically in the Tacoma area. We spoke to other realtors who seemed very knowledgeable about Seattle and Bellevue but had absolutely no clue about Tacoma area, and Tre did a spectacular job with looking specifically in Tacoma. He understood all of the different parts of town, where we would most likely find a house that fit our needs, and how to run comps and put in extremely competitive offers. He was also completely realistic with us about what we could and couldn't afford, and discouraged us from wasting time making offers on houses we were not likely to win. In a year where I heard endless horror stories about people submitting 10+ offers on houses and never winning one, we won our second offer and closed on the house less than two months after we started looking. We also won the house at appraised value, and WITH an inspection. So finding our house and putting in the offer went great, but Commencement Bay did just as outstanding of a job with closing. Because they're a team and not just an individual, they have a completely separate person who handles everything for closing, and Susan did a phenomenal job getting everything handled very quickly. She made the entire closing process super easy, and we closed in just 21 days with no issues or drama. If you forced me to find a single criticism, the only thing I would mention is that the ballpark estimates our realtor game for house repairs (replacing electrical panel, refinishing floors) were WAY off. The actual quotes we received were more than double. However, that tiny complaint which probably is the case with almost every single realtor aside, I can't say enough good things about Commencement Bay. At what is possibly one of the hardest times in history to purchase a house, they made it simple, easy, and as stress free as possible for us. If we ever need to buy or sell another home in the area, they will absolutely be my first call. Even since we closed, they've kept in touch to see if we need any help with anything. Thanks so much to Nick, Tre, and Susan. You guys are all awesome. read more

Commencement Bay Brokers - Our first house! - Real Estate Agents Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Nic's team is outstanding to work with. Their hard work and strong customer service is what sets them a part.

A few years ago we were considering selling our home so we invited Nic Lund out to see our property. Shortly afterward we decided it wasn't the right timing so we told them we were no longer interested. Ever since they will not stop calling. I have asked over and over and over again to be left alone and they continue to call - most recently today. As a result, I will never do business with them and I would not recommend them to others. I want to be left alone. read more

I am a licensed home inspector and have been in the "business" for over 20 years. I have had the opportunity to work with buyers and sellers, that have contracted with Commencement Bay. All I can say is that I have not once had push back on findings during the inspection. I also appreciate the fact that the brokers don't try to soft-peddle any findings during the inspection process. As an inspector, this shows me that they have nothing but their clients best interest in mind. read more

Fantastic friendly team* We were just blown away by the friendliness of the CBB team. They were so down to earth. They went out of their way to make sure our experience was low stress and individualized. Very well organized* We never had to worry about anything being forgotten. The CBB team is a well oiled machine that made our purchasing process very smooth. They were able to coordinate all the moving parts to make the transactions seamless. Great communications* The CBB team has regular check ins that helped keep the search and purchase moving along. Family friendly* We love that we could bring our family into the meetings we had at the office, and they were made to feel welcome. We feel there is a high degree of integrity and honesty and that we were in good hands and really appreciated the personal touches they put on everything. read more

With Nic Lind and "Commencement Bay Brokers", I had the worst experience in my life: a lot of stress, frustration, and disappointment. They are not honest and are not ethical. If you do business with Nic Lind, keep in mind, you probably will need an attorney to help you. Nic Lind is pushy and can call you at any time of day or night screaming at you and acting totally out of control (as was the case on several occasions when he called us at midnight). He insists that you use his vendors and not yours, and he threatens that if not, the transaction will be off. He takes advantage of people's situations and emotions. He tells you one thing and then writes something else. He is all about what will be best for him and not what is best for you as the customer. Be Careful and Read Every One Of His Messages Carefully, and any Documents That He Has You Sign. I would not recommend him to anyone. I am giving him a whole 1 star here, only because there is no way to rate him "ZERO". read more

We had a great experience working with Nic and the whole team at Commencement Bay to buy our first home in Tacoma's North End. We were referred to Nic by a realtor that we worked with previously in Seattle. The things we appreciated the most about working with his team: 1) Responsiveness/Communication - The Commencement Bay team was very responsive - quick to reply to questions and they communicated with us constantly to keep us up to date on the process. This was helpful during the house-hunting process, negotiating the offer and getting us to close on schedule. 2) Strategic advice/negotiation skills - This was very helpful in the increasingly competitive market. We even had a house that we fell in love with and were considering going pretty high over asking on our offer and Nic gave us great advice to make an offer within a specific range, but not higher. We were so grateful for his advice because we avoided overpaying and we ended up finding the perfect house for much less. We appreciated his negotiation skills, which helped us get a credit towards closing costs from the sellers after the inspection. We knew the sellers were were initially very hesitant to agree to repairs, etc. after inspection in a previous offer that fell through, so this was a pleasant surprise. 3) Personal touch - Nic made a point of personally connecting with the buyer's realtors in a way that I don't think most bigger real estate companies do for their clients. He also did a great job building a relationship with us so we never felt like just another client. He always took our unique needs and wants into consideration. 4) Low pressure + patience - We really appreciated Nic's patience with us and his commitment to help us find the right "forever home" for our growing family. He never made us feel pressured or rushed and we appreciated his advice and insight from his personal experience raising a family in Tacoma. After just a couple of months of house-hunting, we found the perfect home and feel like we paid the right amount for it. Anytime you make an investment that huge, there's going to be stress and anxiety - fear that everything's going to fall apart as soon as you close - but Nic's team really helped us manage that stress throughout the process. Even after the sale they've continued to be communicative and helpful as questions have come up. read more

Nic Lind and his team are committed, high energy, caring individuals. My husband and I had met with several other agents before meeting with Nic. When we realized that his firm offered the full spectrum of house selling and house buying services, our decision to go with them was a no-brainer. Within hours of telling Nic our decision, we received paperwork to sign digitally and were coached through the complexities of the documents. In conjunction with that, Nic's partner, Keane Ng, at Cross Country Mortgage, helped us with our budgeting and financial analysis. Nic and Keane even coordinated with our financial manager to make sure we weren't getting in over our heads with our new purchase. This is the first time my husband and I have sold and purchased a home at the same time. Nice, Merac, Keane, and all the other members of their teams have made this complex endeavor a manageable one. It's still a huge undertaking, but knowing that we had them on our side and just a text away with any question (know any repairmen? moving companies?) made us confident we could keep up. I highly recommend Commencement Bay Brokers. read more

We have had such a wonderful experience with Commencement Bay Brokers, and would highly recommend Nic and his team to anyone looking to buy a home. My husband and I both come from California (and funny enough we met working at a real estate company there) where the real estate market is constantly a stress for new buyers, and we were so amazed at how quickly and smoothly CBB were able to get everything done. We purchased our first home under the stress of increased rent on our rental, leaving us in a time crunch to buy. Nic was a referral given to us by a friend, and we just couldn't be any happier. Nic is friendly and professional, and an amazing agent to have on your side. We first met with him at his office to discuss what we were looking for, where we were looking, and all the details of the process. We were then given an email update daily that was customized to houses with the features we desired. Even with the market going so quickly (houses selling in a day or two) we were able to find listings that we loved, and we got the perfect house for us on our second offer! (It was competitive when we bought!) Nic is knowledgeable about the market and home values and he writes solid offers for his clients, which makes a difference when competing with multiple offers and in making escrow go smoothly. Escrow with CBB was the easiest thing ever. They had everything down. Between my lender and CBB we were even able to close early. Nic and his team are just super on top of things, and stay in great communication the whole time. I am so grateful that we were referred to Nic. Having worked in real estate for 10 years between the two of us, my husband and I have seen the inner workings of the field, and Nic is just so on the ball and I trust him more than most agents I worked with in a larger broker office. He and his family have stayed in contact with us in the past year since we bought, and have become part of our community and we consider Nic a family friend now. He is always helpful when I have questions (like omg my toilet flooded, what do I do??!) and he often holds community get togethers for families who have bought houses through him and other community members. He obviously cares deeply about Pierce County and about helping families find a place to settle down. read more

Although Commencement Bay Brokers were very friendly there were a few missteps in our home buying process that made us feel like we got the shaft. 1. Perhaps the biggest issue was when our realtor put our key in a lockbox for an electrical job which was then used to break into our home and steal our water heater, tools and other items. Nothing says welcome to new homeownership like a burglary. Since our door handle wasn't the typical knob but an "L" shaped one, it made removal and smashing of the lockbox incredibly easy. We own a small business where we deal with keys on a daily basis, when our clients prefer the ease of a lockbox we always encourage them to put it in a discreet location- one would assume a realty company would also know this as well but evidently not. 2. When we did a walk through the heat and water were turned off making us unaware that the dishwasher and furnace didn't actually work. When we first saw the furnace Jay noted that it might cost around $600 to fix but that "No! A 30 year old furnace is nothing to be concerned about." (Spoiler alert- it is.) The 30 year old furnace was serviced the day before we closed and worked for approximately 30 years and six weeks. The dishwasher mind as well have been a prop to visualize what the kitchen would look like with one in it. A fantastic $3,000 bonus that we now have to pay for. 3. When I'd requested that the extra paint and fluorescent tubes be removed by the homeowners, that was interpreted as hiding it in a fireplace which was then covered by a bookshelf, as well as in the recycle bin. There is nothing like a garbage surprise to welcome you to your new home. 4. No one made an offer on this house for the six months it was listed making it obvious we could low ball and work from there. Jay suggested a number $10k over what I wanted but I held firm in my offer. I'm glad I did because the previous homeowners still negotiated with us under that initial $10k offer plus paid closing costs. If we would've gone with Jay's suggestion who knows how much more our mortgage payment would have been. 4. Finally, we were hastily rushed into signing our contract- something that should never happen when putting oneself into hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. When I told Jay that I needed to wait until I got home to read over our contract he emphatically suggested signing it ASAP and "how easy it was to sign with your phone!" This is our first home so perhaps this is how all realty companies operate. Nevertheless we would not characterize our experience as one where we were taken care of as anything beyond a sales number. All of these events add up to poor judgement and lack of oversight by CBB but ultimately us, who chose to work with this company. We just find it very frustrating that our realtor didn't suggest turning the water on more than one day before we closed, or check the fireplace for leftover garbage, or use better judgement about our key. It's awful to feel like no one is in your court to watch for things you've never dealt with. We are so much more knowledgeable after going through the home buying process but I would like to think a company who deals with buying and selling homes everyday would have seen these red flags and made us aware of them, not just rush us through it. read more

My wife and I were relocating to Tacoma. We visited a few sites on-line and got a call from Nic Lind at Commencement Bay Brokers. Unlike the others, there was no pressure just a note that he was here to help. We visited the downtown office and were impressed with the care and the listening. Nic did not try to sell us property but wanted to get to know us and our needs so he could help us find our space. We ended up putting an offer on the first house we looked at and closed in 26 days. I would wholeheartedly recommend Nic Lind with Commencement Bay Brokers. read more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS BROKER. I was unable to obtain finance to purchase house, 1216 E 60th ST, Tacoma WA. The listing agent was not advised the seller to release my earnest money. According to the agreement " IF THE BUYER IS UNABLE TO OBTAIN THE FINANCE, THE EARNEST MUST RETURN TO THE BUYER AFTER SELLER SIGNED RELEASE THE EARNEST MONEY." No,the listing didn't want to advise the seller to do but keep both of seller and I move to the court which can Jeopardize both of our cost, but I am not worry because I will not lose, but seller will end up paid all the legal cost for me at the end. I SUGGEST EVERY SELLER STAY AWAY FROM THIS BROKER COMPANY. read more

We are very grateful to have found Commencement Bay Brokers! Nic Lind and his team, not only took care of prepping & listing our home, they got it sold!! All while we were out of state!! Nic was organized and provided clear communication, overall great customer service from everyone!! We'd love to work with them again and would recommend to anyone looking to sell or buy!! Thank you Nic and the CBB team!! From the Perez family!! read more

When I first talked to Nic Lind, he described his business model as being "all about Customer Service." Perhaps a lot of real estate brokerages would say the same thing, but at Commencement Bay Brokers, you can feel it. This commitment to Customer Service permeates the organization and underpins everything they do. I suspect most real estate brokerages will do their best to "close the deal." What really separates Nic and his team is their commitment to providing excellent service, even when there is not an obvious financial incentive. I live in Texas and several years ago needed to buy a home in Tacoma for personal family reasons. I used Commencement Bay Brokers and was pleased as punch. Perhaps nothing unusual there. However, since then, Nic has stayed in touch and freely offered advice and recommendations for various pieces of specialized services I have needed. He even hooked me up with a like-minded broker in Southern California. Nic takes Customer Service and "turns it up to eleven." I recently added things up and discovered that in the 37 years since I bought my first house, I have engaged in twenty separate real estate transactions (some personal, some investment properties). By an order of magnitude, Nic and Commencement Bay Brokers are the best I have ever worked with. read more

Commencement Bay Brokers has set the bar incredibly high for what I should expect from a Real Estate team. From start to finish every member of the team exceeded our expectations! Day one Nic Lind made sure to set up a phone conference with my wife and I to explain how his company runs its business and answer all of our questions. As our home search began, we were only able to be in the Northwest for a weekend. With the first weekend not producing a house that was perfect for us the Commencement Bay Brokers team did numerous video call walkthroughs at times that worked for us on the East Coast, even some with little to no notice. All of their communications with us were clear, concise and consistent. At the end of the home buying process we felt like part of the family that Nic has built. If you want a team that is going to have your best interests in mind, and raise your expectations for customer service and professionalism then this is the Team for you! read more

We just moved into the second home that Nic helped us purchase. The first time around we were impressed by his level of professionalism and the values he shared with us. When it came time to sell and move to our retirement home, Nic was our first choice. Imagine our surprise when we found that we would be working with not just Nic, but with with a full team of like minded professionals that were all dedicate to making our move as seamless as possible! We listed just as the local market became saturated and slowed considerably, yet Nic and his team really went to work and helped keep our stress levels down. He artfully negotiated with our eventual buyers, inexperienced first-time home buyers with an inexperienced broker, to make the deal work to the benefit of both parties. He also helped negotiate the purchase of our new home even though it is well beyond his established territory. Commencement Bay Brokers made this change in life possible for us, and I heartily recommend them to anyone looking to sell/purchase a home! read more