Weigh in and compare your responses to other readers on our most recent real estate topics. For more information on each topic, click the article link below each poll!

How often do you personalize your first tuesday forms with your picture?

  • Never. (64%, 32 Votes)
  • Always. (20%, 10 Votes)
  • Sometimes. (14%, 7 Votes)
  • Rarely. (2%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 50

Do you recommend solar leasing to your clients who are interested in solar?

  • No. (82%, 184 Votes)
  • Yes. (18%, 41 Votes)

Total Voters: 225

When do you think the next big economic recession will occur?

  • In the next three years. (51%, 92 Votes)
  • By the end of the decade. (34%, 61 Votes)
  • Not for at least 15 years or more. (15%, 26 Votes)

Total Voters: 179

What is the main factor that drives a housing recovery?

  • Employment. (81%, 101 Votes)
  • Home sale prices. (11%, 14 Votes)
  • Home sales volume. (4%, 5 Votes)
  • New construction. (3%, 4 Votes)

Total Voters: 124

How many of your homebuyers have enough funds saved for a 20% down payment?

  • 1 in 4 or fewer. (72%, 84 Votes)
  • More than half. (15%, 18 Votes)
  • Around 1 in 3. (13%, 15 Votes)

Total Voters: 117

How many of your homebuyer clients are single homebuyers?

  • One in three or more. (31%, 66 Votes)
  • Very few, if any. (30%, 64 Votes)
  • One in four. (21%, 45 Votes)
  • One in five or fewer. (17%, 35 Votes)

Total Voters: 210

Over the next 5 years, mortgage rates will rise significantly enough to:

  • adversely affect both sales volume and prices. (62%, 149 Votes)
  • neither - mortgage rate increases will not adversely affect sales volume or prices. (22%, 54 Votes)
  • limit sales volume. (9%, 22 Votes)
  • stop price increases. (7%, 16 Votes)

Total Voters: 241

Of your buyers who take title subject to a mortgage, how many encounter lender interference by calling the loan due or demanding an assumption fee and modified note terms?

  • None. (46%, 116 Votes)
  • A minority. (24%, 60 Votes)
  • Most or all. (21%, 52 Votes)
  • About half. (9%, 22 Votes)

Total Voters: 250

Where are prices right now in terms of the California real estate market cycle?

  • Headed up. (55%, 133 Votes)
  • At their peak. (25%, 61 Votes)
  • Headed down. (18%, 43 Votes)
  • At bottom. (1%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 240

How many of your buyers take title to a property subject to an existing mortgage?

  • None. (51%, 76 Votes)
  • 5% or fewer. (27%, 40 Votes)
  • More than 10% (12%, 18 Votes)
  • Between 5% and 10%. (9%, 14 Votes)

Total Voters: 148

Do you think today’s real estate prices indicate a pricing bubble?

  • Yes. (55%, 108 Votes)
  • No. (45%, 90 Votes)

Total Voters: 198

How often are your financed deals killed by low appraisals?

  • Occasionally, but not on most deals. (59%, 81 Votes)
  • Rarely or never. (28%, 39 Votes)
  • A majority of the time. (13%, 18 Votes)

Total Voters: 138

How many real estate auctions have you attended with a buyer in the last two years?

  • None. (75%, 115 Votes)
  • 1-3. (18%, 28 Votes)
  • 7 or more. (6%, 9 Votes)
  • 4-6. (1%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 154

How often do you order out a criminal background report on your prospective tenants?

  • Never. (40%, 58 Votes)
  • Always. (34%, 49 Votes)
  • Only when something in their rental application raises suspicion. (26%, 37 Votes)

Total Voters: 144

What kind of impact will immigration reform have on the California housing market?

  • Positive (49%, 73 Votes)
  • Negative (33%, 49 Votes)
  • No effect (19%, 28 Votes)

Total Voters: 149

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When you close a sales transaction, how much do you usually spend on a closing gift?

  • Nothing. I don't give clients closing gifts. (31%, 50 Votes)
  • $50 or less. (28%, 44 Votes)
  • $51 to $100. (21%, 34 Votes)
  • More than $100. (19%, 31 Votes)

Total Voters: 159

Do you use first tuesday Real Estate Forms in your practice?

  • No. (59%, 42 Votes)
  • Yes! (41%, 29 Votes)

Total Voters: 71

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When will the bidding wars end?

  • Within six months (32%, 24 Votes)
  • Between six months and a year (30%, 22 Votes)
  • Over a year (28%, 21 Votes)
  • They've already ended (9%, 7 Votes)

Total Voters: 74

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Is California real estate in the midst of a speculator-driven bubble?

  • Yes (77%, 189 Votes)
  • No (23%, 56 Votes)

Total Voters: 245

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The flipper is back in town

Are you more likely today to advise a buyer to:

  • buy now at speculator-elevated prices? (62%, 82 Votes)
  • wait until after speculators leave the market and prices drop; or (38%, 50 Votes)

Total Voters: 132

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Should cities be able to ban medical marijuana dispensaries?

  • No (55%, 64 Votes)
  • Yes (45%, 52 Votes)

Total Voters: 116

Related article:

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Have the suburbs fallen out of fashion?

  • No (56%, 20 Votes)
  • Yes (44%, 16 Votes)

Total Voters: 36

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The new ‘dream home’ is downtown