When Paige Schulte moved to Gig Harbor from California, she arrived without a real estate license, without a client base, and without a single local connection. What she brought instead was two decades of entrepreneurial experience and a background in sports marketing that had taken her to the courts and arenas of the NBA and WNBA.
Within five years, she had become the number one real estate agent in Pierce County — a ranking verified by the NWMLS and Real Trends, and one she has held continuously since 2021.
"People don't just need a transaction," Schulte says. "They need someone who has already thought three steps ahead."
That philosophy defines the concierge model at Schulte & Co., the boutique brokerage team she founded and has grown into one of Washington State's top-performing teams. Rather than reacting to client needs, her approach is to anticipate them — providing proactive guidance on home staging, neighborhood dynamics, and market timing before clients even think to ask.
The results speak for themselves. Schulte & Co. has generated over $160 million in production in its first five years, a number built on repeat business and referrals from clients who describe the experience as unlike any real estate transaction they've had before.
But Schulte's impact on Pierce County extends well beyond her sales numbers. In 2020, she founded The Chelsea Paige Foundation, a community-focused nonprofit that has donated over $300,000 to organizations throughout Pierce and Kitsap counties. Her team contributes an additional $70,000 annually to local causes — a level of community investment that reflects what Schulte says is a core belief: that business success and community health are inseparable.
The recognition has followed. Inman named her Innovator of the Year in 2020, citing her pandemic-relief fundraising efforts. She has been nominated for Citizen of the Year by the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce and received the Community Service Award from the Tacoma–Pierce County REALTORS® Association. She has authored two books about Gig Harbor and hosts a real estate marketing podcast that has become a resource for agents across the state.
For someone who arrived as an outsider, the transformation into one of Pierce County's most recognized community figures is a story Schulte tells carefully. She credits Gig Harbor itself — a community that, she says, rewards those who show up and give back.
"I came here without anything built," she says. "This community gave me everything. The least I can do is give it back."