“Excitement surrounding redevelopment of downtown Tacoma, expansion at the Port of Tacoma, an increase of jobs in the area and some of the most affordable home prices in the Puget Sound region are reasons sited in helping to continue to drive home sales in Tacoma and Pierce County.While the market remains active, home prices are not surging beyond the reach of first-time homebuyers, according to Wally Starkey, co-owner of several Windermere offices in Tacoma.The average home price is up about 3 percent in the county to $159,576, Starkey said. Most of the homes we sell are priced between $150,000 and $250,000 but we are also selling approximately 80 homes a month priced under $80,000.A lot of the buyers are coming from King County in search of more affordable housing, and we’re seeing an increase in the number of people buying in Pierce County and commuting south to Olympia, Starkey said.The high-end market reportedly continues to grow as well, with a remarkable increase in sales of beachfront property and luxury homes.In the past, we would average one $1 million home sale a year, Starkey said. Now, we’re selling one home a month priced in the million dollar-plus range.”