The Real Estate Mailbag

"There's a difference between having insurance and truly being made whole." — Preston Akers Insurance is no longer an afterthought in real estate transactions — it has become one of the most important parts of protecting a property investment. In this informative episode of the Real Estate Mail Bag, the hosts sit down with Preston Stroop of Lockeland Insurance Advisors, Preston Akers, Vice President of Centennial Roofing, and Dori Howarth, sales and project manager at Centennial Roofing with a background in public adjusting, to discuss the rapidly evolving property insurance landscape and what homeowners and real estate professionals need to understand right now. The conversation explores rising homeowners' insurance costs, how market changes are impacting buyers and existing homeowners, and why understanding policy details matters more than ever. The group also breaks down the three primary types of homeowners' coverage, common misconceptions about policies, and the critical difference between simply "having insurance" and having the right protection when disaster strikes. Listeners will also learn: • Why carrier selection matters more than many people realize • What public adjusters do and when they can be invaluable advocates • The biggest mistakes homeowners make during the claims process • What insurance carriers evaluate during underwriting • Practical ways to secure stronger coverage at competitive pricing Whether you are a homeowner, investor, Realtor, developer, or industry professional, this episode offers practical insight into one of the fastest-changing and most important aspects of property ownership today.

"It's called title insurance but it acts more like a guarantee. It guarantees that when you buy a property, you are not going to have a problem; but if you do have a problem, there's going to be a Fortune 500 company behind you to help resolve the problem." — Brandon Miller, Wagon Wheel Co-Founder/Attorney In a first of its kind episode of The REM podcast LIVE, our hosts perform double duty as the guests who unravel some of the complexities of title insurance and also discuss some of the most important issues being addressed in the context of real estate closings. On this episode you can learn about the latest fraud and cyber-scams happening in Music City and how to protect yourself from falling victim, options for title insurance, insights on remote online notarization closings, the state of the current real estate market in Middle Tennessee, and what things a consumer should consider when selecting a title and escrow company. So, tune in to learn more about the real estate closing journey, and enjoy some laughs as our host guests are quite adept at making fun of each other. www.wagonwheeltitle.com

"It's all about connections, no matter what you do. In real estate, especially in Nashville, it's always good to be a part of the community that you're selling homes in." — @JordanHuffman On this new episode of the Real Estate Mailbag, we welcome two rising stars on the Nashville Metropolitan Council who are experts in housing, zoning, the upcoming traffic referendum and the un-housed in our community. This is a fascinating discussion for anyone interested in a deeper dive into how local laws, especially zoning laws, have profound structural ramifications on the local real estate market, especially for developers and those struggling to get into their first home. We learn about the structure of the Metro Council, the power individual council members have over zoning matters, and we also explore a fascinating piece of legislation Horton recently helped shepherd to successful passage by the Metro Council. These two councilmen also unpack the $3.1 billion transit bill that Nashvillians will go to the ballot to vote on November 5th, and explain why our listeners should vote "For" Nashville.

"My whole mission is just to affect positive change with people, and housing is such a key component to people's health, well-being, and safety." -- Andrea Prince According to Nashville's 2021 Affordable Housing Task Force, chaired by Mayor John Cooper, the city must create 52,498 new housing units by 2030—a daunting challenge, given that only 1,344 affordable units were being built annually at the time of the report. Today on The Real Estate Mailbag, we're joined by Matthew Wiltshire, President of Pathway Affordable Housing Corp. and former Chief Strategy Officer at MDHA, Andrea Prince, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Nashville, and Joshua Haston, Development Manager at LDG Development, LLC and Board Member of the Nashville Industrial Board. These leaders share their personal journeys and insights into tackling Nashville's housing crisis, discussing innovative city tools and divisive zoning proposals debated in Metro Council. They also explore the impact of Tennessee's new "home bond" bill on affordable housing. Tune in to understand why affordable housing isn't just crucial for your future, but for the future of Music City itself!

"There is no silver bullet to adding value to your house. All of the things that give you a list of 'do this one thing' – they are lies, and they are clickbait." — Peter Matteson On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore the topic of home renovations. Murn Roberts with the Morrell Property Collective at Compass, Jacob Jones with MW Real Estate and Peter Matteson, co-founder of Greenwood BAM, share the good, bad, and the upside down of buying, selling and actually doing home renovations with the focus on speculative renovations that are being offered for sale. Our panelists guide us through the analysis that goes into any renovation, and share with our listeners how they navigate the many decisions inherent in the remodeling process. Our guests also share their biggest mistakes, their home runs, and the criteria that now guide their decisions. Our guests candidly, and often humorously, share their hard-won insights and opinions, especially with respect to budgeting and return on investment, various current design trends, and why they love what they do even when it's hard.

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore a topic at the center of one of Mark Twain's most oft-repeated quotes: "Buy land, they're not making it anymore." Today's panelists, Dan McEwen, Principal Broker at The McEwen Group, and Tom Sullivan, Broker and Founder of Covey Rise Properties, are two of the most recognized in the industry for their expertise in acquiring and selling some of the largest and most expensive tracts of land in Tennessee, and for working on some of the state's most complex real estate transactions. Dan McEwen's roots in the industry go back generations, and while Tom Sullivan has only been working in the space for the last five years, you'd swear he's been at it much longer! Tuning in, you'll find out what you need to know when buying land, whether it's 100 acres or a "hobby farm," why Tennessee is such an attractive market, and how interest rates – and entitlements, water features, topography, etc - affect land values. Tom and Dan also give you the lowdown on why land is a great investment (in the words of Tom, "You can put Gordon Gekko on Wall Street up against our returns on land and we'll squash him!"), how they position their listings for the right buyers, who those buyers are, and much more. Join us as we interview two of the best in the real estate industry and bring you the tips, tricks, stories, and news you need to excel in your real estate career! And as always, we promise you'll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two. In addition to being titanic real estate rockstars, our guests on this episode also often dazzle with wit reminiscent of Mr. Twain!

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore various hot topics, but the main event is a fascinating and lively discussion about the state of Nashville's new construction home market, the unique joys and travails of focusing on new home sales, as well as a deep dive into design trends and the general state of the new construction market (with a focus on the luxury market). A topic on the minds of many: what properties are selling in a tougher market with 7%+ mortgage interest rates? Our guests for this episode are another trio of true real estate rockstars and thought leaders who many real estate professionals seek out for their advice and insights, especially around topics like design trends and professional development. The thread that unites these panelists is that they each have spent the majority of their careers working with developers – and usually developers who focus on luxury, semi-custom and custom homes and large scale vertical development. Our panelists for this episode are Lacey Newman, who is the co-founder of the Heard Newman Team with Compass, as well as the founder of Elevated Agents – an online community for agents that she will tell us more about on this episode; Gabe Nies, an interior designer with JP Designs and NIES Design, in addition to being a realtor with Compass; and Ivy Arnold, a new construction design consultant and Realtor with Engel & Völkers, who is another of Music City's top-producing agents who has sold almost a billion dollars of property in her storied career. So, join us for a fascinating discussion about buying and selling new construction property, and what it's like representing developers and homebuilders – including some valuable advice to agents currently seeking to enter this space. Our panelists will also react to recent hot topic headlines, share their views about the important of social media/being behind a camera, offer opinions on potential conflicts of interests when involved with new construction sales, and also offer some priceless advice for realtors looking to make it in a tougher market with 20+ year high interest rates. Our panelists also tell us about how they stay on the cutting edge of real estate trends, how and where they get their news, and offer perspective on why the human element can never be underappreciated in the current market. As always, we promise you'll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two!

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore what it takes to make it in real estate. Our guests for this episode are true real estate rockstars and thought leaders: Brian Copeland (Founder of Doorbell Real Estate), Lisa Landyn (Founder and President of The Luxe Collective) and George Rowe (Principal Broker and Sales Manager at Compass Real Estate). While many are drawn to real estate sales careers by the promise of greater autonomy and unlimited earnings, our panelists offer priceless advice that can only come from hard-won experience. As Brian Copeland puts it, "Don't do a job. We all hate work. Do what you love. Your job should fit into what you love." So, join us for a fascinating discussion about real estate careers, including the importance of being, in the words of George Rowe, "coachable." In this episode you will hear the panelists respond to recent headlines, including the use of AI in real estate sales (spoiler alert: Mr. Copeland, who is something of a tech guru, is not overly impressed with ChatGPT). Also, learn where these thought leaders go for their real estate news, their advice on making sense of often contradictory real estate data, and their tips and ideas for how real estate agents can up their game and be more profitable (for any who are unfamiliar with Ms. Landyn's social media, it is certainly worth a look). We also explore some hot topics – such as how our distinguished panelists handle key handovers at the closing table, situations related to escrowed funds and MIPAs. We promise you'll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two. And bonus feature: former GNAR and TAR President Brian Copeland creates a new jingle for the Real Estate Mailbag (off the cuff), and it's not to be missed!