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WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KGO) — The experience of buying or selling a home is going to be different than transactions in the past. A recent National Association of Realtors class action settlement agreement has laid out new rules that will now bring the buyer and seller into negotiations over commissions on the sale of a house – negotiating who pays commission and how much is paid.

Deep under Napa Valley’s sun-drenched hills, barrels of wine are transforming into greatness inside caves. Some look like a set from Game of Thrones; others like the lair of a mysterious villain in a James Bond film. But these underground wine havens are also a key to sustainability in a region threatened by global warming and wildfires.

A luxurious Napa Valley hotel is swapping one winemaking proprietor for another. Wine Spectator has learned that PA Capital Management, a family firm that owns Sullivan Rutherford Estate and Loco Tequila, has bought Poetry Inn in the Stags Leap District from the Lede family of Cliff Lede Vineyards. The purchase price was not disclosed.

US group Vintage Wine Estates has reportedly been given court approval to sell five wine brands to Foley Family Wines. After filing for bankruptcy last month, Vintage Wine Estates looks set to offload its wine brands Bar Dog, Cherry Pie, Swanson, Conentino and SCV for a total of $15m, according to Bloomberg.

In the U.S., California was one of the earliest pioneers and supporters of solar energy. In 1976, the state passed a law that favored investments in the solar energy sector. A few years later, an even more encouraging law hit the books and sought to stop various community associations from banning solar panel systems in their neighborhoods.

House hunters should consider jumping into the market now, with last week’s soft jobs report sending mortgage rates to their lowest level since April 2023. Daily average mortgage rates have dropped to their lowest level since April 2023, welcome news for homebuyers who have been waiting for affordability to improve.