Heading Off Problems in Sacramento Real Estate Escrows

The longer I am in real estate, which is going on 40 years now, the more I see how real estate can turn calm, logical people into crazy looney-tunes. Imagine what real estate does to people who already have a screw loose? And, let’s not even talk about the new Alzheimer report released yesterday that says if you think you’re losing your mind, you probably are, because that’s not very comforting either and will probably tend to encourage paranoid thoughts for those even slightly forgetful.

I have nothing against crazy people. Let’s get that straight. I am not a person who discriminates against the insane (but I do tend to draw the line at psychotics and those who don’t take their meds). Some of my best friends are so nutty they belong in the Blue Diamond Almond gift shop downtown Sacramento, yet I love them to pieces. We’re all a little off balance in our own ways.

Yet, when it comes to your Sacramento real estate agent, clients really expect to work with a solid individual. A person who has it together. That agent has to be their anchor and support system for the duration of the real estate relationship. Agents should not exhibit a wishy-washy demeanor because clients want to rely on a professional who is decisive and can guide them to make the right decisions as well. This means an agent needs to step aside and think before responding when problematic situations arise. Emotional agents who bounce off the walls don’t do well in those instances.

This week a seller called me in a bit of a panic because the buyer’s carpet installer was over at her home measuring. The carpet installer told the seller and the buyer the house contained asbestos. That was shocking news to all parties concerned. Now, you might note to yourself that the seller should not have allowed a tradesperson into the home to measure for carpeting prior to the close of escrow, and then that little fiasco could have been averted. But, in actuality, the problem was a carpet installer is not an asbestos expert.

Sure enough, after the seller hired an asbestos testing company, the test results came back clear. There was no asbestos noted in the reports in either of the rooms examined and tested. You know who suggested hiring an asbestos testing company? Yup, you got it, her Sacramento real estate agent. Probably saved that seller thousands and thousands of dollars, the amount an asbestos abatement company might charge. Asbestos abatement companies aren’t all that concerned as to whether the home contains asbestos, you know, they just come out and remove what looks like offending material.

Another agent in Sacramento this week was trying to buy a home for a family member. The buyer absolutely needed to buy a home in a certain part of West Sacramento that this Sacramento real estate agent has on the market. The problem was the preapproval letter. It stated the buyer had not completed a loan application. How is the buyer preapproved then? The answer is the buyer is not preapproved. After sending the buyer to a professional FHA mortgage broker, it turns out the buyer’s ratios are too high to qualify. Problems averted at the starting gate.

There are many reasons to hire a Sacramento real estate agent with experience. This is just a couple of examples from this week. A good real estate agent doesn’t really cost you; an experienced real estate agent saves you money, sometimes beyond her fee.