Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alaska Wagoner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Alaska, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I was a real estate agent in Southern California, working in luxury real estate to help people live the American Dream- and I realized I didn’t want any of it for myself.
I didn’t want the debt, level, or the 3,000 square foot house to clean. The white picket fence just wasn’t important to me. Instead, I wanted the freedom to make my own schedule, travel, and not stress about retirement or monthly bills. I wanted a simple, sustainable life.
I spent a year tracking and evaluating how I spent time, money, and energy, and during that time, I came to one conclusion. “If housing is your biggest expense, it’s your greatest opportunity to free yourself.”
My search for alternative housing led me to a tiny house, and in buying a tiny house, I realized how little support there was. Tiny homes are a new structure, and the laws and best practices surrounding them are very much in development. Only because I had a real estate license, did I understand the potential pitfalls and how to protect myself.
I set up The Tiny House Concierge (a tiny house real estate consulting company) shortly thereafter to help people buy, sell and navigate tiny homes.
To date, I’ve worked with buyers, sellers, tiny home builders, real estate developers, advocacy groups, politicians, and more to understand this new type of housing.
My favorite part about this lifestyle is how all the pieces work together. I don’t have very much space, so I buy less and put more focus on the things I love most. And when we can’t buy solutions to our problems, we learn to fix them ourselves. The tiny house lifestyle has me spending less money, becoming more handy, and lowering my carbon footprint in the process.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I help people buy, sell, and navigate tiny homes. I offer individual consulting as well as business-to-business consulting to help everyone understand the benefits (and pitfalls!) of this new type of housing.
For buyers, I can help them understand what they are getting themselves into, choose a quality builder or tiny house, and direct them to related resources like tiny home financing.
For sellers, I have a Tiny Home Seller’s Kit that will be coming out soon and captures the DIY spirit of the tiny home movement by empowering people to sell their home themselves. (Although, I can also be hired if they’d like help!)
For builders, I can give feedback on tiny home layouts and appliances, offer industry insight, and provide new builders with the information and resources they need to start a successful tiny house building company in this emerging industry.
I can help seasoned real estate developers understand what they are getting into with this new type of structure, or help new developers navigate the basics of building tiny home communities.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My real estate knowledge is definitely handy. Tiny homes are considered personal property and NOT real estate in 99% of cases (for now), but people still benefit from applying traditional housing systems to them.
At one point I went to copywriting school, and at another point I cleaned Airbnbs for a living. Copywriting taught me a lot about how to guide new building companies toward an ideal client in the way they build. And cleaning Airbnbs taught me how to design a tiny home for such purposes!
I’m very inspired by Italy’s Slow Food Movement. The focus on enjoyment, and living close to one’s life appeals to me greatly. The size of a tiny home not only reduces certain housing costs, but it increases the enjoyment of one’s life in a really beautiful way.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The biggest challenge the tiny home movement is facing is a lack of widespread legality. These structures are new, and we’re all working to get on the same page.
I was recently invited to be on the International Code Council’s new Off-Site Construction Tiny Houses Standard Consensus Committee (IS-OSMTH) which will be working to create an official building standard for tiny homes. The new codes will provide an easier pathway for municipalities to work tiny homes into their codes, so more people can enjoy this lifestyle, and benefit from these homes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tinyhouseconcierge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinyhouseconcierge/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinyhouseconcierge
Image Credits
Photos were taken by me and are given only for use in this article. Exclusive rights to these photos are not granted. Thank you for understanding, and also featuring! This seems like a great publication, and I’m honored to be featured. I appreciate you!
