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Elizabeth Weintraub
The Problem With Trusting Other Sacramento Agents
There is a new Real Safe Realtor safety app coming to Metrolist that relies on trusting other Sacramento agents to help a fellow agent in distress. It’s based on a cooperative spirit and the fact that agents should rely on each other to help out. I’m not so sure how well that will go over in Sacramento. My experience has been limited in that regard. I recall when I first started at Lyon Real Estate and I thought I had lost my display key. Patti Martinez, who used to work in our downtown office back then, came to my rescue. She had something else to do the day but she drove over to the house where I thought I had left my key and unlocked the door for me. That was a nice thing to do. A selfless act. I was grateful. Enough so that I’m still talking about it. I would do the same thing for another agent.
But not every agent is like that. Like last Wednesday was a comedy of errors. I had put a home in Sacramento on broker preview for only Lyon real estate agents to tour. Lyon policy is to put homes on tour as a favor for Lyon agents before the homes are officially for sale. It’s convenient for Lyon agents. They get a sneak peek at homes with lockboxes and those without. The nice thing about the Supra lockbox is it does not rely on trusting other Sacramento agents because Supra sends me lockbox reports when it is opened. I know who opened the lockbox, the time the lockbox was accessed and how to contact the agent.
On that day, 3 agents from a Lyon Real Estate office accessed the lockbox. I won’t say which office these agents were from but let’s just say it wasn’t the downtown office on J Street where I work or the Land Park office on 21st. The first agent sent me an email to say how much she liked the new listing, so I know she got in to see it. The key is a little tricky to use. I put a note in the lockbox and in MLS about how to open the door. It’s one of those doors that needs to have the key pulled out slightly to turn it. But real estate agents are used to working with quirky keys. It’s part of our profession.
Around 4:00 that afternoon, the seller called. She had stopped by the property to discover an agent had left the key dangling in the lock. Further, the agent also had locked the bottom of the box box, a basket that holds the key, back into the lockbox. This meant the seller could not pull it out and put the key into the lockbox. Who would leave a key in the door? What kind of real estate agent would do that? Hmmm. I studied the Supra showings records. Only 3 Lyon agents. Well, it wasn’t the first agent. I called the last agent. She insisted the door was open when she got there, and she could not make the key work, so she put the key back into the lockbox.
How could she do that if she was the last agent and the key was in the lock? I called the agent in the middle. This agent said she could not get into the property at all. She could not make the key work. She was very frustrated and wasn’t really listening to my own dilemma, which was who left the key in the lock? She insisted the key did not work, even when I explained several times it does work. You would think an agent who had trouble with a key would call the listing agent, right? I mentioned that not a single Lyon agent from that office bothered to call me. Finally she spit out have a nice evening and hung up.
So you can see why I’m not too gung ho on trusting other Sacramento agents to bail me out if I’m worried for my safety at a house with that new Metrolist Safety App. I wonder if encouraging member agents to download this free app reduces the insurance premium for Metrolist? It costs $15 a month otherwise. I can’t figure out why our MLS would offer this as a free service because I’ve never known Metrolist to do anything that doesn’t benefit Metrolist in some way.
But at least I know enough to remove a key from the lock and not leave a home unsecured. The culprit who stuck the key in the lock and walked away should be ashamed; but down deep we all figure they are not.
All of My Friends Are in Real Estate or in Jail
Elizabeth Weintraub, Ginny Gorman and Joan Cox at Ella.
All of my friends are in real estate or in jail, I like to say. Of course, I’m only half kidding. To the best of my knowledge, I don’t know of any friends who are in jail. Just about every person in my life is in real estate in some way or another, with the exception of a handful. I have relationships with real estate agents all over the country. I met them like I meet most people nowadays: online. With some people, you just click, and when you share a common passion for real estate, it’s even more interesting.
Above are two of my friends who came to Sacramento on Tuesday on their way to Napa and Monterey. Joan Cox is a real estate broker from Denver. I used to live in Denver, but that’s not really what Joan and I have in common because Denver has changed so much since the 1970s. We both love our careers and much of what we do is familiar, even though we practice in a different state.
When my husband and I flew to Cuba a few years back, we had a stopover in Denver on Christmas Day. It was Joan who drove out to the airport to meet up for brunch. The thing about meeting people online is often they are exactly as they appear online when you meet them in person, and Joan is definitely one of those people. I don’t mind it that all of my friends are in real estate. I find it a benefit. Because real estate makes up such a big part of my life. I basically devote maybe three hours a day to myself, 12 hours to real estate, and I sleep for the rest.
Joan Cox met Ginny Gorman online at the same website where all the real estate agents blog on Active Rain. I met Ginny online but did not realize that she and Joan were fast friends. Joan has been out to Rhode Island to visit Ginny as well. So now the two of them are on vacation in California. I think when people go into this profession, it’s not unusual to only hang around others in the profession, because real estate is all that encompassing.
After introducing Joan and Ginny to our cats, we had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Ella Dining Room. There, sitting right in front of us at Ella was John Shirey, Sacramento’s former city manager. I could tell my husband wanted to say hello, as he knew the guy from Cincinnati. Before my husband was pretty much forced out of journalism and went to work for the state, he had worked the police beat for the Cincinnati Enquirer, which is where he met Mr. Shirey.
My husband would never say all of my friends are in real estate. Most of his friends are in a different occupation all together. But I think my friends are just as interesting. Plus, we refer business to each other. Clients are always asking if we know a good agent just like us in another state. This is a fabulous referral network among friends. Much better than plucking some obscure agent nobody knows. If you need an agent in another state, just ask me. I can probably point you in the right direction. Because all of my friends are in real estate.
Photo above is Sacramento Realtor Elizabeth Weintraub, Denver real estate broker, Joan Cox and Coastal Rhode Island Realtor Ginny Gorman.
Alternatives to Cat Cones or Donuts to Protect Stitches
Tessa says I ain’t wearing no stinkin’ cat cones or donuts.
Who knew that cat cones or donuts were not the answer to prevent a cat from tearing out her stitches? Last month I wrote about taking our cat Tessa to VCA for a surgery consultation, and sure enough the surgeon suggested surgery. Immediately. Like the next day. Which meant I had to be there bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to drop Tessa off. We knew from the time Pia had surgery, our cat who suddenly had a heart attack from a blood clot, that cat cones or donuts were two options we could try. Pia was miserable with the cat cone, but she finally gave in to the donut. Her donut was somewhere in the house, but after tearing apart out bathroom cabinet, I could not find it anywhere.
Rather than continue searching, my husband bought another donut. Except his had a picture of a dog on the front, and it was a small. Everybody said it was OK, that donuts are for both types of pets, it’s the size that matters. I had my doubts. I couldn’t get it out of my head that if it was meant for a cat, it should have a picture of a cat on the package. Dogs are dogs and cats are cats. They’re different. Have you heard Cindy Lee Berryhill perform her song: I like cats, You like dogs? It grows on you, catchy tune.
Tessa removed her first donut in 3 minutes.
Sure enough, when I brought Tessa home from her surgery, she was wearing a cat cone. I had given the vet assistant the donut, but the assistant claimed she could not blow it up. She tried, she said, and nothing happened. She even tried to use some sort of surgical device to blow it up. Millennials! I imagine she waved it around in the air and when it didn’t magically inflate she gave up. What is so danged hard about blowing up a donut? Even Lauren Bacall knows you put your lips together and blow. It’s like whistling, only easier. I blew it up while I was driving home.
Mommy! Why is that lady’s cheeks so puffy and red in that car?
I asked Tessa which she wanted when I took her out of her carrier. Cat cones or donuts? She was too busy trying to get the cone off her head and running around bumping into things to answer me. The vet said it would a good thing if we could keep her quiet and sequestered, maybe in one room while she healed; however, we have no special room without something to jump on. She definitely had a small hernia, which he repaired. He also biopsied the fat lump but we don’t have the results yet.
Within minutes of attaching Tessa’s collar to the donut and securing it around her neck, she managed to wiggle out of it. I put the cat cone back on her, but she wiggled out of that within 3 seconds. OK, there must be alternatives to cat cones or donuts, I figured, so I drove to Petco. There I discovered a plethora of garments made for, well, mostly dogs, because cats are too danged smart to wear something so stupid. I grabbed a couple of outfits and asked the clerk for assistance. It’s a good thing I did that because she pointed out that every single dress, shirt or jacket made for a small animal has the belly exposed. Which completely defeats my purpose of wanting to protect the stomach.
Pia could not remove her cone, unlike Tessa.
I bought an extra small donut with a picture of a cat on the box and put that around her neck. Fling! Into the air. She was a master now. Fortunately, I had bought dog wraps. Dog wraps are like a diaper with gauze you wrap around the center of the body. Went over like a lead balloon. I was afraid she was gonna hyperventilate. Tessa rolled back and forth like a rabid bat, started to tear at the gauze with her teeth. No, not a good thing. This was not an alternative to cat cones or donuts. Within minutes she’d been down to her bare belly and biting stitches just to get the thing off.
Next up was an idea from my sister. She thought cutting off the sleeve from a t-shirt and trimming out four holes for feet would work. I cut up one of my t-shirts and slipped it on Tessa. She bolted to the other room like a caffeine-induced junkie. When I scrambled around the corner, I discovered the t-shirt lying on the floor. OK, maybe we needed something tighter. Surely, I have old pantyhose that would work. I chose a textured pattern because the material was softer and not as easy to run.
Using the discarded t-shirt sleeve as a pattern, I cut out four more holes for feet and slipped Tessa into the pantyhose. Just like Houdini, it was lying on the floor with seconds. That settles it, the only thing left to do is chain her to the wall. Just kidding. She’s not licking her stomach or pulling out stitches. She’s taught me she can be trusted. Or, maybe I just got lucky? Well, we all know who rules our house.
Are Cash Offers King in Sacramento Real Estate?
Agents who consider cash offers king in Sacramento might want to reconsider.
A buyer’s agent on Sunday reminded me that he considers cash offers king when he sent over his buyer’s purchase contract to buy a home. He kept repeating himself, just in case I didn’t understand his English. Cash offer, cash offer, all cash offer. Maybe he’s used to dealing with idiots, but he’s not that experienced. I know this because I looked up his sales in MLS, primarily since I did recognize his name nor company. I always like to know who I’m dealing with on behalf of my sellers. These offers come in from left field so often. Those agents never call to introduce themselves, they just shoot the offer over in an email.
Like I tell my sellers, I’m not the kind of Sacramento Realtor who gets all excited when we receive an offer. That’s because I’ve received so many bogus offers, offers from non-committed buyers, offers that blow up prior to opening escrow, offers from crooks, offers from blowhards, and one thing is for certain. Everybody has an agenda of some sort. It’s my job as a top listing agent to find out as much as I can about the other side and relay that information to my clients so the sellers can make an intelligent decision.
My initial reaction is usually what is the angle here? What is going on? Not everybody writes straight forward and clean offers. I look for mistakes, and I usually find them.
The agent who considers cash offers king was a bit taken by surprise when I told him no, cash offers are not always king. For one thing, buyers with cash can buy anything their heart desires, as long as they can agree on price. There are really no restrictions. Therefore, some, not all of them, develop an attitude. It’s not unusual for a cash buyer to try to renegotiate in the middle of escrow for a lower sales price and threaten to take her cash elsewhere. Or, a cash buyer might find another property the buyer likes better while in the midst of home inspections and the buyer will cancel to chase the other house. There is not always a high level of dedication and commitment from the cash buyer.
Further, it’s all cash in the end to the seller anyway. The only difference is the appraisal and loan qualifications, and if the buyer is already prequalified, most of that hurdle is over. If the home is priced right, it will meet appraisal. So, how are cash offers king in Sacramento?
This particular”all-cash buyer” was also not really a cash buyer. He had a portfolio of stocks he needed to sell to obtain the cash. His cash was not liquid. Although the agent said the buyer lived in the area, the buyer was not in the area when he signed the offer. He was in another state. His check reflected an address in that other state. His offer stated he would not live in the property. When I looked at the agent’s sales over the last 18 months, I found only 2 sales. I went one step further and looked at the buyer for those sales, thinking perhaps it was the same buyer. But no, it was the same buyer, just not this buyer; however, the buyer’s home address was the buyer’s agent’s home address.
Sometimes it makes a difference to sellers if the potential buyer will live in the property versus renting it out. This was one of those times. I laid out all of the pros and cons to the seller. The seller chose the buyer from a position of knowledge. This is what I want for all of my clients, and what they deserve. If you are thinking about selling a home in Sacramento, why not call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759, and more 40+ years of experience to work for you?
The Homeless Population Problem in Sacramento Rattles Land Park
Damaged vehicle on Muir Way in Land Park.
When I read about the Land Park Society in the Sacramento Bee yesterday, it seemed a bit weird to me that private citizens would need to petition the city to do its job in noticing the homeless population problem. But I suppose there are only so many police officers available to secure the streets, and to this resident, homeless people are not an extremely dangerous situation. Yet, I am not riding my bike on the American Parkway, either, so maybe I’d have a different opinion if I did. I would not want aggressive dogs directed to nip at my heels or rocks thrown at me.
I guess it’s just the “society” thing that strikes me. Although bringing awareness to the homeless population problem in Sacramento is important, the group name is peculiar. Seems secretive. Although it probably is not. The word Society sort of conjures up images of ladies in St. John knits and leopard-skin pillbox hats, white gloves. Not neighborhood activists who demand action. It seems to be too polite of a term.
I also have not viewed the photos they posted nor read their Facebook page, so I am not qualified to discuss them. Part of me questions whether photos and articles in social media is the best way to go. I will say my husband has a different point of view and feels this is a valid representation. For example, we were walking down Broadway yesterday afternoon heading over to New Canton for dim sum. For the record, the roundtrip from my house to New Canton involves 10,038 steps. Which means even though I made fun of the Fitbit in my blog about women losing weight over 50, I still don’t use a Fitbit. I used my Heart app.
On Broadway, right in front of a bunch of restaurants, a giant homeless barrier of sorts had been erected. It blocked the sidewalk. My husband nudged me and asked if I would want that across the street from me. I don’t consider myself a NIMBY. I came of age in the ’60s, remember. Live and let be. Peace out. But if I had to look at it every day from the comfort of my living room, maybe I would feel differently.
I am not a proponent of shaming people nor making fun of others, unless they are a celebrity or somebody truly despicable such as our president. We have a growing homeless population problem in Sacramento, and the focus on providing housing is a good step in the right direction. It just seems we have such an abundance of red tape, committees and lawyers to muddle through to effectively set that up in a timely enough manner.
Taking an unannounced turn here . . . what comes to mind suddenly is the Black Hand Club. This was an organization that tried to overthrow Yugoslavia and somehow ended up in Mafia channels around the turn of our previous century. My mother told me about it when I was a child. I thought it was delightful. Because I was a kid; didn’t know any better. Being a bad influence, I quickly formed a Black Hand Club on my block. I named myself President. We drew black hands by tracing our own hands on black construction paper. The plan was to tape them on the windows of the houses of bullies. Intimidation.
Well, my mother quickly shut down that plan.
I feel it is important to continually put pressure on city officials to address the homeless population problem in Sacramento. I don’t know if we need to put faces to it. I am glad somebody cares enough and takes the time to take a stand, though.
Here is an interesting photograph I shot yesterday walking up Muir Way. Somehow, this car still works. It’s amazing considering the damage. It provides transportation and runs. This looks like a vehicle that was broadsided. I hope the occupants of that vehicle were not hurt. Further, I’m glad they are still able to drive it. When not everybody is able to afford to fix a car like that immediately, having transportation, regardless of how it looks, is imperative for some to stay employed.
My view is Land Park is a great place to live. Wonderful neighbors, tree-canopied streets, many places to walk. I sell homes in Land Park. I harbor nothing but gratitude to those who want to make it better.
