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Elizabeth Weintraub
How to Miss the Train in Sacramento Real Estate
Christmas-time is a perfect example of how a buyer can miss the train in Sacramento real estate. The buyer’s agent was trying to write an offer while juggling a bunch of small children, picking up family members at the airport and unwrapping presents on Christmas Day. We agents work all the time, but sometimes, maybe we should not. Or maybe we should hand the buyers over to an agent who has time.
This particular agent was in such a rush, she did not stop to consider that she could miss the train in Sacramento real estate. When she called, I let her know we had sent a counter offer to other buyers. Also explained I fully expected that buyer to accept the counter offer. It was mostly clarifications and we had already agreed upon the terms. However, if she sent a better offer, the seller is always free to pull back the counter offer.
As long as the counter offer is withdrawn prior to the listing agent’s receipt of the acceptance, that is. Once the counter offer arrives in the listing agent’s hot little paws, it’s delivered and the deal is sealed. But this agent had a window of opportunity. She managed to draw an offer and submitted.
To be fair to the first agent, I also let that agent know we had received another offer.
The offer from the agent who was about to miss the train in Sacramento real estate was not prepared correctly. Her buyer’s signatures were wrong. The agent did not send proof of funds. I could not in good conscience suggest to my seller that he accept an offer like that. Anybody can say they have the money, but in real estate you have to show us the money, especially when the offer is cash.
On top of that, I let the agent know the competing buyer had removed all contingencies, and if she wanted to be on par, her buyer would need to do the same. There are only so many times I want to sell a house four times and get paid once.
Did I mention this happened on Christmas Day? Yes, I was at my neighbor’s Christmas party, huddling in a corner, dictating to my phone. The agent sent several offers, all incomplete or missing crucial info and no proof of funds. How difficult could it be to download a bank statement?
She did not appear as committed as she claimed to be. Plus, she suddenly included a contingency in the offer and for some odd reason thought the seller would not care. The seller cared plenty. This situation provides a good example of not listening to what people say but watching what they do.
And the following morning, the day after Christmas, we received the accepted counter offer from the original buyer. We were in contract. And this buyer missed the train in Sacramento real estate.
The Newest Land in the World is in Hawaii
Part of the reason to visit MacKenzie State Park was to see the newest land in the world. The lava from the May 4th and subsequent eruptions of Kilauea eventually found its way to the sea. Magma continued to flow for months. Sometimes at 25+ miles per hour. For a short time, there was an island off shore formed by the lava, but the fast moving magma finally filled that in.
Some people were not so lucky when they were viewing the lava from the shore. Because when lava hits the sea, the sizzling and steaming can produce lava bombs. The explosions sent lava bombs flying many feet into the air and a few slammed tour boats. In one instance, 23 people were injured by lava bombs.
The ocean sends waves up over the cliffs at MacKenzie State Park in lower Puna. Just walking too close to the cliff is dangerous. A wave could grab you before you had a chance to turn around and knock you into the rocky shore below. Altogether, the newest land in the world in Hawaii has added about 700 acres to the state of Hawaii.
This is how islands are formed. Under the sea is a huge bed of magma known as a hot spot. The tectonic plate that sits over the hot spot moves only a few inches a year, taking the islands with it. This means the older islands, like Kauai and Ni’ihau once sat directly over the hot spot, where Kilauea is now, and they drifted away over the years. Which is why their volcanoes are extinct.
Below the ironwood trees you can see the top of the lava flowing into the sea, which has created the newest land in the world in Hawaii. You will note the sprouts scattered. Those are coconut palm trees, and they don’t grow near this location. Nobody knows if seeds were carried by the lava or if somebody decided to toss baby palms into the rock.
We met a tourist couple carrying their son walking along the top of the cliffs. In the tourist’s hand was a chunk of lava. He said his son was born in May of 2018, so that new lava rock was a memento for him. Our guide shared the tale of Pele’s wrath and how bad things happen to people who remove lava from the island.
He has had previous tour customers mail back lava rocks, he claims, pleading with him to take it back to Pele. One customer said she got home and her dog was sick for no known reason. Her car would not start. The lights in her house flickered, and all sorts of horrible things began happening. Soon as she returned the lava to the Big Island, everything stopped and her life went back to normal.
Whether it’s true or not, makes for a good story to scare tourists into dropping those lava rocks.
Below are a few more closeup photos I shot of the fresh lava. It sparkles when it’s new. And it comes in many colors. Maybe it’s just me, but I can see animal shapes in the lava photos below. Can you? Hope you enjoy the photos of the newest land in the world.
Two Christmas Miracles in Sacramento Real Estate
Two Christmas miracles have happened in Sacramento real estate during our holiday season. The first is a family moving across the country to North Carolina closed escrow on Friday without any hiccups. When I first looked at their property, which we sold them two years ago, I was concerned about the time frame. Having moved across country myself, I know what it’s like and what can go wrong.
We can’t always stop things from going wrong in an escrow, but after an agent has closed as many sales as I have — which is usually one or two a week — I can generally sense disaster. Often I can head-off trouble at inception. But sometimes buyers go sideways and as listing agents we have no control over those people.
I do know this, the last thing I ever want to have happen is for my sellers to be in the midst of loading boxes into a cross-country moving truck when I call to say we are not closing. These types of sales tend to make me a bit nervous. They have to go smoothly. But I had no idea I would receive two Christmas miracles this season.
After the buyers got a pest inspection and all of the other inspections, they asked for repairs. We were able to negotiate a flat credit to the buyer’s closing costs in-lieu-of-repairs. From the time the home went on the market to closing it was 35 days. Many homes in that neighborhood do not even sell in 30 days. But I worked with the sellers beforehand to ensure the home was in tip-top shape and desirable.
The second of two Christmas miracles was receiving an offer for a property other agents said would never sell. But there is always another buyer for fixers in Sacramento. One closing and another transaction going into escrow. It is indeed a harmonious season, and homes are selling, even on Christmas Day.
Now I am off to our neighbor’s house for a Hawaiian feast with good friends in Kona. Perfect time to try the Macadamia Nut Honey Wine from Volcano Winery with dessert. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa and whatever else coincides with celebrations this week!
Haunted MacKenzie State Park in Lower Puna
When we pulled into the parking lot of MacKenzie State Park, Loli insisted I go to the restroom with her. She is easily freaked out by the local lore of haunting at MacKenzie State Park. Because she believes anything mystical and because her friends have shared tales of hearing loud cries. This is a state park in Lower Puna, near the Red Road, which is the Kapoho Kalapana Road, easily one of the most scenic roads in America.
This place is so haunted that local Hawaiians will not go there at night or even near sunset. There have been murders in the park as well. But this was broad daylight, and I did not want to get out of the van in the pouring rain, so Loli was on her own.
We stopped at MacKenzie State Park just before moving on to the Fissure 8 Tours on the agenda.
MacKenzie State Park was created by using the labor of convicts from Oahu in 1850. Ranger Albert J. MacKenzie planted the ironwood trees (Casuarina) in the park in the 1930s and, after his death at age 21, they named the park after him.
These Casuarina trees withstand tsunamis, and is often used as a natural windbreaker. MacKenzie State Park has the largest number of Casuarina trees in Hawaii. They look like pine trees or a soft redwood, but they are not.
Our guide from Kapohokine Tours, Laurence, was a wealth of information. Next to him is a tourist from Albuquerque, which is a terrifically difficult word to spell, even though I remember there are 3 U’s in Albuquerque. They are standing very close to where the new lava entered the ocean, which will be the topic of my blog tomorrow, so stay tuned.
This is a gorgeous piece of layered rock. It offers a glimpse into our geological history. If you have been reading my blogs for a while, you may recall how one day I plan to study geology. I don’t know why I did not find this topic interesting while in school, but I am fascinated by geology now. Guess 50 years can make a difference.
My husband has also helped a great deal with my quest for knowledge about rocks. He knows more about this topic than your average bear. If only he were here to discover MacKenzie Park, but his chance will appear.
The opihi were found at the base of an ironwood tree in MacKenzie Park. I initially thought of these as clams but they are not. They are officially limpets, which is an aquatic snail, and considered a Hawaiian delicacy. The locals farm them along the rocky shores and sometimes die in that quest. A wave comes out of nowhere and carries them off to sea.
Many opihi pickers eat them raw as they go along. The grilled option sounds good to me. Although, I love raw oysters, so who can talk?
Fissure 8 Tours at Leilani Estates in Lower Puna
A few of the residents of Leilani Estates subdivision are none too happy that Fissure 8 Tours are now happening. Probably because they aren’t making any money from the tragic disaster and they resent those who do. Yet the individual whose private property we were invited to tour is such a sweet person. It shocks me a little that some of those residents are so hostile to her.
My friend Loli had an opportunity to book us as comped guests on one of the very first Fissure 8 tours, so I jumped on it. The police allow only residents and guests to enter Leilani Estates. We were guests of Pamela, a resident, arranged through Kapahokine Tours.
Residents in an SUV pulled up alongside our van and complained, saying it is against the HOA regulations to do business in Leilani Estates. Although, locals say most people run a business of some sort, from therapy, to massages, to housecleaning. Gigs are a fact of life. This disgruntled woman threatened to call the police which, of course, she was welcome to do. The police do not enforce HOA regulations. They cannot stop Fissure 8 tours.
People who are not from the Big Island may be unfamiliar with Fissure 8, but they certainly know that Kilauea erupted this spring, causing 2,000 people to lose their homes. Fissure 8 captured the attention of media because it is a 100-foot cinder cone that started as a crack yet blasted magma 200-feet high.
Fissure 8 is in Pamela’s back yard. Beyond is the ocean. Her entire property is still developing cracks. You can feel the heat in the vents. What was once a ravine is now filled with lava, and wild orchids grow off to one side.
This is one of the neighbor’s dogs. He has 5 or 6 of these beautiful creatures. I highly recommend the tour. It makes one reflect on what is important in life and puts our own lives in perspective. Our hearts go out to all those who lost their homes and everything they owned.
