Pearl SCORE

10/22/2026

Tim Stanislaus, Pearl's Senior Vice President of Business Development, joined Rick Albert, Dre #01884303 on his podcast to discuss recent developments in the Real Estate industry.

Some of the topics covered include:

• Why 15 of 30 Zillow-lead contracts at one Atlanta brokerage fall apart after inspection

• Why stretched buyers terminate after big repairs surface

• Why higher-performing homes are less likely to go into mortgage delinquency

• Why appraisers often miss upgrades such as solar

• What an inspection report leaves out

Watch: https://bit.ly/3VZOAC5

10/21/2026

Home insurance costs went up 46.8% between 2020 and 2025, and no state saw a drop in 2025 (LendingTree).

That’s one more thing to plan for besides the mortgage. Property taxes, utilities, and upkeep add to the monthly cost of owning a home too, and they change a lot depending on where you live.

We put together a breakdown of what owning a home costs each month, by type of cost and by state, so you can plan ahead.

The Average Cost of Owning a Home Per Month: 2026 Data by Cost Type and Region https://bit.ly/4zGiiKQ with additional insights and data from Clever real estate, ATTOM, Angi

10/20/2026

From indoor air quality to HVAC to allergens, so much of our health is related to where we live. As we see in this Forbes piece, the idea of home performance goes beyond just comfort and energy efficiency.

It's important to look at home performance through the lens of health and safety as much as anything else.

Home Health And Comfort Boom: The Case For Future Investment https://bit.ly/4jmntLa with insights from experts at Building Biology Institute, Allergy Standards Ltd, National Center for Healthy Housing, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Berkeley Lab, Vivint, and Daikin Comfort

10/19/2026

"Renewables and batteries are combining to make the grid more reliable than it is with fossil fuels, and much more flexible no matter the time of year, further reducing costs for ratepayers."

A new report just busted another myth about heat pumps https://grist.org/solutions/a-new-report-just-busted-another-myth-about-heat-pumps/ via Grist.org CC: RMI

Don't worry: There is there plenty of room on the grid for these electrical wonders — and they'll save ratepayers tons of cash.

10/15/2026

Here’s a simple test for any home-search app: look up an address that isn’t for sale. Some apps only show homes that are on the market, and that can limit what you learn.

Price, photos, and square footage only tell part of the story. First-time buyers made up just 21% of the market, the lowest share on record (National Association of REALTORS®), so a lot of people are learning this for the first time.

We put together a six-point checklist to help you pick a platform that shows how a home actually performs day to day, not just how it looks.

What Features Make a Home-Buying Platform Good for Beginners: A 6-Point Checklist for First-Time Buyers https://bit.ly/4yh1RDy

10/14/2026

Ground-source heat pumps are able to offer heating and cooling in a more efficient manner. These developments can save homeowners on utility expenses while also reducing the burden on the electric grid.

New Colorado neighborhood could offer glimpse into the future of home energy use https://bit.ly/4i0ygbN via Inside Climate News CC: Dandelion Energy

The partners behind a project in suburban Denver think they’ve found a way to accelerate the adoption of residential geothermal heating and cooling.

10/13/2026

10/13/2026

First-time buyers are putting down a bigger share of the price than at any point since 1989. The median first-time buyer down payment hit 10% in 2025 (National Association of REALTORS®).

But the down payment is only one piece. There’s also credit, finding a home you can actually get, making an offer, and what it costs to own the home after closing.

We put together a guide to the 10 biggest challenges first-time buyers run into, in three phases, so you know what’s ahead.

Common Challenges for First-Time Home Buyers: An Agent's Guide https://bit.ly/4s0sIT5

A phase-by-phase guide for agents on the top challenges first-time buyers face, from down payments to closing costs, and where to add value.

10/12/2026

Home buyers need to be aware that the cost of owning a home goes beyond their mortgage payments. This post in Green Builder Media highlights what buyers should take into consideration and what options they can have to keep costs down.

Affordability Awareness https://bit.ly/4yIiQ2X with insights from loanDepot, LendingTree, and Community Associations Institute

When considering whether to purchase a home, prospective buyers must include immediate and long-term budget-benders such as insurance, property tax, and operational costs. Builders should help them learn all about it.

10/08/2026

A home can look great on a tour and still have things you can't see: how old the heating and cooling system is, whether the ducts leak, how well the house is sealed against drafts.

Those details shape how a home feels and what it costs to run every day. High-performing homes get them right across five areas, not just one.

We put together a simple four-step guide to help you find out before you make an offer, including a checklist and questions to ask at your next showing.

How to Identify a High-Performance Home Before You Buy https://bit.ly/44JBCJZ

A how-to guide for home buyers explaining what a high-performance home is, how Pearl SCORE™ measures it across five pillars, and how to look up any US…