All Forum Posts by: Steve McGovern

Hey Chris, 

Not sure that your wrap MUST be Tyvek, specifically-- I'm sure there are other decent wraps out there.   And I'm no Builder.  HOWEVER, I'm replying because I recently watched a youtube video about someone's opinion of the "5 dumbest building products " that contained something like what you described.    See if THIS  link works.  

That said, I'll note that the builder in question was called out by others pretty harshly in the comments concerning exactly that product, and it's a pretty new video.  Caveat Emptor.

Good luck.     

Hey David-- I think we (you) need a LOT more info here: 

Location?  Zoning restrictions?  Deed Covenants?  Highest & best use in the area?  Demographics?  Public Transportation?  Building Code Violations on record at the Muni?  

Start there.  (sorry!)  :-) 

Hey all-- 

I am hoping to raise your awareness of a State-run program happening at this very moment in Lowell, MA. 

FYI that this is NOT a sales pitch-- I am making NO money; pricing already has been determined and locked in by the State as described below, and no commissions whatsoever are being offered here.   I am only letting people know.  

Recently, Lowell was chosen by the Commonwealth of Mass to participate in the State's SOLARIZE MASS PLUS program.   I am a recent volunteer  for this program, and it is open to everyone.  Yes, everyone who lives, owns, or rents property in the City of Lowell can participate in this program.   The group is called SOLARIZE LOWELL. 

Long story short,  an RFP managed by the Mass. Dept. of Energy Resources, Mass. Clean Energy Center, and the City of Lowell selected a vendor for the program on a city-wide basis.  Based on the principles of higher volume, the company is able to offer bulk pricing to the participants.  This discount, on top of the utility savings, and State credits makes this extra-attractive at the moment, especially as SRECs are vanishing. 

FYI too-- This is NOT a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) and Leasing is not offered either-- these are Panels to be owned by you.  Financing is also available.  Mass Save is involved and the rates are attractive; low income loans are also offered.  We're working with a number of lenders covering the spectrum from HELOCs to personal loans.  

There are three components/opportunities for installs and upgrades in the Solarize Lowell program:   ROOFTOP SOLAR,  HEAT PUMPS, and a COMMUNITY SOLAR offering. 

Most of us are familiar with rooftop solar by now:   when the property is a feasible candidate for this, you install solar panels on your roof.  Many here are familiar with both sections of a utility bill: Generation (power itself) and Distribution (use/maintenance of wires poles, admin, services, etc.) When Solar is on your roof, both of those go away:  you are both generating your own power and there are no wires or poles in-play.   

COMMUNITY SOLAR  can take a few different forms, but under the program proposed here it is the same thing as rooftop solar... you own the panels, except they're not on your roof.  They're in a commercial site, a meadow, on a retailer's roof, etc.  My understanding is that you'll still get the distribution charge, but since YOU own the "power plant," that generation fee goes away.  This allows people to cut their bill by appx. 1/2 based on same utility usage. It also opens the door to clean energy for the following typically solar-challenged neighbors: 

Condo/Apartment dwellers

Historic Homes/Districts

Property issues-- Slate roofs, structural concerns etc.

Small businesses (including tenancies)

Properties without sufficient sunlight

People who, for one reason or another, don't like the panels on their structure.  

HEAT PUMPS for heating and cooling are also being offered at a discount.  

Again, it's only offered to Lowell properties, but it IS offered to everyone, including investors, businesses, etc.  I recommend you check it out.  

I'm happy to field questions here, but you'll be equally-well  (probably better) served by going to the Solarize Lowell website and signing up for an assessment with the team. 

ALSO if you own property in Lowell, and you're interested in hosting a Community Solar site, you can reach out to me, too.  

Finally, if you're in another City or Town, you should check out the Solarize Mass page at the Mass. Clean Energy Center's website.  Another recent Town that already went through the program was Amherst MA, so if anyone's out there who completed it, you'd be doing a service here by speaking up--   We'd love to hear from you.  

Hope this helps some and maybe spurs some conversation for others in towns across the Commonwealth and beyond.  

Steve

@Jonathan Woodruff speaking only for myself, one thing that drives me nuts is people who are typically drawn to the charm and unique qualities of an old home, and then whine about its lack of modernity--- modernity which, by the way, will likely fall out of favor again in a decade or less. That said, let's talk about the alleged sticking points: a heated drive in a colder climate is DEFINITELY attractive (...says my aging but stubborn snow-shoveling body in New England.) What's your cost and return on that installation alone, according to your realtor? Garage is too small. Guess what? It's an old home. Two cars WAS extravagant luxury. My question for you is (1) are the historical concerns so burdensome that an incoming owner couldn't expand the garage themselves if they truly wished? Is it a carriage house as opposed to a garage, and/or is there enough room to incorporate another structure on site, namely, a 3-4 car 'modern' monstrosity? I'd like to hear more about the layout including whether its attached or not. Sometimes, a historic or period home JUST needs to meet the right buyer. At that point, you're right-- price among those levels of shoppers is immaterial. But to find that person, you need to make sure the Broker has his/her eyes set on the "charm" and spin the garage into the historical artifact that it is, as opposed to a detriment to the market and neighborhood. Direct him/her to use more synonyms, as opposed to more excuses. Good luck, Proud owner--and restorer-- of a 1913 American Foursquare. With carriage house, detached.

@Nicole Heasley good question, and you have some good answers here. Among the "apparently conflicting" replies, the question is really about what works for you. Sure, our credit is ultimately capped by our income, but I've never heard it stated so strongly as what you've said here. On the other hand, what @Julie Dike said is definitely true-- older accounts matter. A lot. Before you do anything, stop asking the question to us real estate goons :-) and check out what the equally-helpful posters and forums over at CREDIT BOARDS DOT C.M say about the circumstances you've painted. *(hope that flies here!) Its a truly great site like this one. The world of credit is nearly as big as the world of real estate. Get your info from the appropriate sources. Good luck.

@Lisa Kattenhorn welcome, Lisa!!

@Russell Brazil I feel like we're equivocating here. First, what constitutes an "offer?" Second, what is the broker's duty? **sorry in advance for the lack of paragraph breaks here. I've noticed that they dont hold when I draft from my mobile. To the first point, sure-- let's assume the offer is in writing. However it got there (agent, atty, potential buyer, convicted felon, foreign national... whatever. ) Let's assume the offer is already in writing. For the second point, I'm Speaking provincially. In Mass, all agents are Sellers agents unless and until they are requested to be buyers agents-- and then they must accept this buyer's agency. If Joe on the street asks me to bring an offer to a lister, but Joe hasn't asked me to be his agent, I must disclose to joe m that I'm a sellers agent. Consider this from the Commonwealth of Mass' consumer website for real estate matters: If you make an offer to purchase a property listed by a broker, the broker or salesperson is required to convey your offer to the owner of the property. There's no carve out for the work that one must do to get there, it's cut and dry in Mass, and it's stressed in every RE class I've ever taken. The SAME holds true in Mass If I am a buyers agent, except that my fiduciary duty is to the buyer and I could advise him (Joe in this case) that I thought his offer was low. I'd provide him with back-up detail to show the case. But if he insisted that the offer was what he wanted to convey, then I'm still legally obligated to bring it to the buyer. I'm talking about what the law requires of me. You are talking about the work it takes to 'waste your time' preparing offers for $0.39 on the dollar. I respect and acknowledge the point, but it's not going to change the fact of my obligation as a broker.

@Charles Mount welcome! Find an REI group or two in your area and attend. Network and absorb the information from those groups. I'm fairly experienced in overall real estate, but I still learn things and meet people at every one of these events. Good luck!

@Tirzo Quintero heres your answer, exactly as @Wayne Brooks noted. From NJ RE commission reg 11:5-6.4 (g) If any offer on any real property or interest therein is made orally, the licensee shall advise the offeror that he is not obligated to present to the owner or his authorized representative any offer unless the offer is in writing. Unless a writing containing or confirming the terms of the listing agreement otherwise provides, the licensee shall transmit every written offer on any real property or interest therein presented to or obtained by the licensee during the term of the listing to the owner or his authorized representative within 24 hours of receipt of the written offer by their firm. For the purposes of this section, the term of a listing shall be deemed to expire either on the termination date established in the listing agreement, or upon the closing of a pending sale or lease. If any acceptance of an offer is given orally, the licensee shall secure the acceptance in writing within 24 hours.

@Wayne Brooks very true, that offer must be in writing, but the point is still the same: it is illegal for me to not present an offer.