Solar Panels & Real Estate
1. Types of Systems Owned Seller owns the system outright No payments Typically, no liens Transfers with the property Impact:Buyers and lenders are comfortable. May add value, though appraisers are conservative. Financed Seller has a loan on the system Panels are collateral Usually includes a UCC filing Impact:Requires handling at closing. Can be resolved, address early. Leased / Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Seller does not own the system Monthly payment to solar compan...
The Number One Client Communication Mistake
Do you ever wonder how some people seem to have such a way with words and have absolutely no problem talking to anyone? Others, however, stumble and find it hard to engage potential clients in a conversation that is anything more than superficial. When I think about my own real estate journey over the years and evaluate which agents really connected with me, I can pinpoint a very common theme. Some of them just bombarded me with sales tactics and questions that felt scripted, while others reall...
Negotiating Tip 30: Disarming Your Opponent
Amazing results from such a simple technique. When the hard bargaining begins, both parties tend to ramp up their defenses. Such actions make it doubly difficult for one party to gain the advantage. What can you do to change these dynamics and, to some degree, disarm your opponent? Who hasn't heard the saying, "Flattery will get you everywhere"? It's likely your negotiating opponent is NOT expecting flattery when the negotiating gets intense. Conveying a compliment, as we previewed in TIP 29,...
Homebuying Demand Ticks Up, Mortgage Rates Tick Down
U.S. pending home sales rose 2.7% year over year during the four weeks ending April 26, the biggest increase in six weeks. That’s according to a new report from Redfin, the real estate brokerage powered by Rocket. Mortgage-purchase applications have risen to their highest level in three months. There are a few reasons more homebuyers are on the hunt: Affordability is improving. The weekly average mortgage rate has dropped to 6.23% from a seven-month high of 6.46% at the start of April, pu...
America Answers: Real Vs Personal Property
Conveys or Goes The distinction between real property and personal property sounds simple until you're sitting at the closing table and someone asks whether the chandelier stays or goes. That's when the line between what conveys and what doesn't, becomes a genuine issue. Real property is land and anything permanently attached to it. Personal property is movable. The working definition is straightforward: if you can remove it without changing the land or structure, it's personal property; if it...
Hive MLS Launches New Hivemls.com Website Featuring Next Generation AI-Powered Home Design and Room Visualization
Hive MLS today announced the launch of its newly redesigned website, HiveMLS.com, introducing an advanced AI-powered home design and room visualization feature through its integration with Roomvo. This next-generation platform connects brokers’ listings with buyers in a more immersive, interactive way, allowing them to visualize potential changes in real time online. “Brokers benefit from a more powerful way to present their listings and help buyers see what’s possible,” said Daniel Jon...
Negotiating Tip 29: Everyday Negotiations
Most of our negotiating will take place in everyday routine events. Most of our negotiating opportunities are NOT huge, pre-planned, strategy-heavy events. They are instead simple encounters with people (good people) who, like us, just want a 'good deal'. Our capacity to strike that good deal usually requires attention to a process whereby we capitalize on opportunities. Let's review a few quick tips and guidelines that good negotiators use successfully. 1. Be Assertive and Confident Ev...
Salt Lake City Ranks First Among Metros Where Gen Zers Own the Largest Share of 3+ Bedroom Homes
Salt Lake City tops the list of the 15 metros where Gen Zers own the highest share of three-plus-bedroom homes. Virginia Beach, VA, Oklahoma City, OK, Louisville, KY, and Indianapolis round out the top five, according to a new report from Redfin, the real estate brokerage powered by Rocket. Gen Zers Own Nearly 4% of Large Homes in Salt Lake City, More Than Any Other Major Metro Adult Gen Zers own 3.6% of Salt Lake City’s three-plus-bedroom homes. That figure is over half a percentage point ...
Vicious Cycle: School Districts Drive Price. How to Break It
I practice real estate. Like attorneys practice law and doctors practice medicine, in the San Francisco Bay Area, my office is in Oakland’s Montclair district, and our market is dictated by this simple, ugly fact. Homes in "family-friendly" neighborhoods carry a 42% price premium over their metro areas nationally. In hot markets like the Bay Area, that gap explodes to 100%+ or more. Parents see this as an investment in their children's futures. They're not entirely wrong—but what they're re...
