A BRIEF LOCAL BIOGRAPHY  

My name is Jonathan Phillips, and I am a Real Estate Broker based in Tacoma, Washington. I developed this website and maintain it in order to help buyers and sellers in Tacoma and neighboring areas of Western Washington (Puyallup, Fife, Milton, Sumner, Fircrest, University Place, Olympia, Seattle, and Auburn to name a few). 
 
My first website went online in 2003, and we have come a LONG, LONG way in terms of the availability of information.  Now you can literally hold most of the world’s information in the palm of your (smartphone) hand.
I first came to Tacoma in 1977, to visit my brother Harold Phillips, who still lives in Edgewood. I immediately appreciated the people, the scenery, the weather, and the quality of life. I moved here permanently in 1979.

 

I earned my Real Estate Agent’s license in 1982, and a Broker’s license in 1984. I have represented buyers and sellers in residential, investment, and commercial real estate sales, and real estate funding transactions. 

After completing a degree in Computers & Data Processing in 1985, I gained various certifications in the computer industry from Novell, Microsoft, and Intel. I was the exclusive dealer for Contour Software products from 1986-1997 for Washington and Oregon, building and installing computer networks to automate real estate and mortgage company document preparation and reporting. This may sound like a different career, but it was very closely connected to my knowledge of real estate transactions and what it takes to process one accurately, swiftly, and profitably. 

I am active in my local community, and spend a considerable amount of time in activities that I believe improve the quality of life and the physical environment of our neighborhoods. (See below.) 

That’s the past. What about the future? While I’m no oracle, I believe the market we’re in is one of the most fascinating, astonishing (sometimes horrifying), and buyer-friendly ones that I’ve seen in 20 years. With interest rates at levels not seen since the 1960s, and the US economy showing an amazing ability to hold together in the face an almost global economic collapse, we are really in a new Millennium, as a new people, with a reawakened knowledge of the fragility of life, and the immeasurable value of that life. 

If you have a little time, please read my Business Philosophy 101 page. I believe many of the questions that sellers and buyers of real estate ask me in our first meeting are answered there. 

APPOINTMENT TO THE TACOMA CITY COUNCIL 

In August, 2005 I was appointed to serve on the Tacoma City Council as Council District #2 Representative. The appointment lasted through the end of 2005.  

It was my great honor and privilege to serve with the dedicated Mayor, Council, and City Manager & City Staff for this brief period.

  

COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEER WORK 

I have been a Member of the North End Neighborhood Council (NENC) since 1993, and a Board Member of the Council since 1998. I served as the Chair of the NENC from 2005 to 2010 and also serve as Chair of the Land Use Committee.
I also represent the NENC on the Across The Fence Committee of the Community Council.

 

  

I have represented the North End Neighborhood on the University of Puget Sound’s University District Committee since 1997.
I encourage everyone to contact their local Neighborhood Council and become involved. Tacoma is one of the few municipal governments in the US that provides its residents with such access to its elected officials and administrative staff.

 

  

CIVIC APPOINTMENTS:  

TACOMA LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION: 

I was appointed to the Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) in 2000 and served until 2008.  I was honored to have been the Chair of the LPC for several years and to also served as the Chair of the LPS’s  Education and Outreach Committee and the By-Laws Review Committee.
Tacoma is filled with hundreds of beautiful, historic parks, homes, buildings, and districts.   The Landmarks Preservation Commission is charged with insuring that existing properties are protected and preserved, but allowing for adaptive re-use while maintaining their historic integrity.
 
BROADWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS:
I was appointed to the BCPA in March of 2006.  I was President during the 2008-2009 Season.

 

The BCPA is the organization responsible for maintaining, operating, renovating, and developing programs for the Pantages Theater, the Rialto Theater, and the Tacoma Actor’s Guild Theater.  Click HERE for information. 

TACOMA COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY: 

I was appointed to the TCRA in 2009.  The TCRA is a very complex oversight body within the City of Tacoma with a large array of responsibilities.  The TCRA Commissioners are a diverse and highly-experienced body of Tacoma citizens who give their time and skills for the benefit of the other citizens of Tacoma.  One of the responsibilites of the TCRA is to take applications for and award CDBG monies from the federal government. 

TACOMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES: 

I was appointed to the TCC Foundation Board in September of 2010.  It is a great honor and privilege to serve with the dedicated volunteers and Staff of the Foundation.  The Foundation’s primary mission is to raise funds for scholarships.  The Foundation’s website is found HERE. 

Everyone in the region knows what the Tacoma Community College DOES – but very few of us actually know what TCC IS DOING.  The development and expansion of the educational and training paths at TCC in the last decade has been stunning.  If you haven’t read anything about them for a while, click HERE to visit their website.