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Elizabeth Weintraub
Nobody Likes a Snob
A client shared an annoyance that came from a person she met at her home. You know the type. The self-absorbed who say high-faluteey things on purpose — a tactic used primarily to elevate themselves in your presence — and then pretend that they didn’t mean it that way. It’s more than an annoyance, really, it’s pompous and denigrating. It’s pretending that some people are better than others based on wealth or position. You might even wonder why these types of people are so insecure but then not care enough to hear the answer. Nobody likes a snob or arrogant behavior, unless it comes from your dog.
This particular person was speaking to my client about Sacramento real estate. He casually tossed into the conversation something like: “When we paid cash for our son’s first condo, he wasn’t pleased with the parking situation.” How many people do you know who can a) buy their kids a home and b) pay cash for it? As I said to my client, it was too bad I wasn’t present for that conversation because I would have said, “I hear ya. When my father bought me my first island, I wasn’t happy, either; you know why? Because there was no freakin’ airport. I had to take a stinkin’ boat to get there!”
People, they just don’t think outside of themselves. They forget that nobody likes a snob.
You won’t get any pretense from this Sacramento real estate agent. Just because I do crazy well in real estate doesn’t mean I don’t have time for you or that I don’t get my hands dirty. I have plenty of time for you, and I work hard. I focus on the job at hand. You’ll never look me in the eye and say I don’t understand the fact that nobody likes a snob. If you want an analysis of the highest price you can probably get for selling your home in this market, I’ll be happy to prepare it, and I’ll sell your home. You’ll receive top-notch, high-tech marketing; beautiful, professional photography; and pretty much instant communication.
If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in the Sacramento area, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916 233 6759. With almost 40 years in the real estate business, I must be doing something right.
Check Out Devine Gelateria in Midtown Sacramento
I guess while the *Sacramento Bee was pulling together a story about the sale of the Washington Post to a guy who amassed a fortune selling books on the Internet, the reporter ran across the Washington Post story about the guy in London who, financed by another Internet giant, has produced the world’s first stem cell hamburger. My first reaction was ewww, but then, what the hell; we have fake food in our freezer and I eat it for lunch. That stuff is made from chemicals and sold as Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice. Stem cell burgers don’t sound so bad.
You know what really tastes great, though? Gelato. It’s every bit as good as ice cream and some people might say, better. One taste and you’ll be addicted. If you like ice cream or frozen yogurt, you will adore gelato. I especially like Sea Salt Caramel. My favorite flavor used to be mint chocolate chip. Even though I would be presented with 31 flavors, didn’t matter, I would always choose the sure thing: mint chocolate chip. I figured I liked it so why not order it. Can’t go wrong. Unless, of course, you figure that you’re missing out on dozens of other flavors that could be a “favorite.” Who says a favorite has to be only one thing? You can have lots of favorites.
If you’re in Sacramento and live near Midtown, one of the best gelato stores in the city, and they are up for a vote in Sacramento News and Review as Best Sweet Treat, is Devine Gelateria on 19th Street just south of Mulvaney’s, between L and Capitol. They make dozens of flavors; the gelato is hand crafted. I asked the clerk behind the counter if she had a loyalty card, because we’ve been to Devine Gelateria 3 times in the past couple of weeks, but they were out of print. That’s how popular this place is, and you’re missing a fabulous treat if you don’t go there.
Although we live in Land Park, we walk to Devine Gelateria. Yes, we actually put on shoes and walk down the street instead of driving. Last Sunday, I know this will shock some of you, we walked downtown to the Sacramento Public Library, then over to Devine Gelateria in Midtown. On our way back to Land Park, we made a fortitude pitstop against the Sacramento heat at Shady Lady for a summer cocktail and a snack: tator tots stuffed with duck. We sampled a Gin Daisy and a Rita Hayworth. Our bill with tip came to $34. Remember when $34 would buy you groceries for a week? Our round-trip walk was a little over 5 miles. I figure we at least burned up the calorie intake from Devine Gelateria. Don’t know about the tator tots with duck.
*Note: See, there are stories you get in the print edition of the Sacramento Bee that you will not find at its online website.
Turn a Sacramento Short Sale Into an Equity Sale
The Sacramento real estate agents who are only in the real estate business to make money will never know how truly wonderful it feels to help our sellers and buyers accomplish their goals. Those kinds of agents are missing the motivational aspect of this business, the driving force that makes agents stay in Sacramento real estate for the long haul. On top of which, I believe they have their priorities turned around. It really is true that if you do what you love, the money will follow. That’s not just a hokey thing people say to sell books, it’s real. An agent should focus on the client and not on the end result. That belief is how I became a top producer.
This Sacramento REALTOR doesn’t have to look any further than her own back yard for evidence. For example, I was watching people stroll by a restaurant in Midtown the other day during lunch at the Bento Box over on 16th Street. A young woman got out of her car wearing a T-shirt that said Can’t Buy Me on the front. I thought hooray for her! No trendy designer logos for her. No Ralph Lauren or Tommy Hilfiger or Hollister. She would never sell out. As I was silently rooting for her nobleness, she walked into closer view and I could read the rest of it: Love was printed at the bottom. Not being a guy, I suppose she doesn’t understand. Not being an older woman, she truly doesn’t understand. Many of us would like that diamond ring.
My clients from Orangevale probably felt like I handed them a diamond ring last week. I called them after escrow closed to confirm that it had recorded and their transaction was over. We talked about how they had initially thought they were going to do a short sale for their home in Orangevale. You probably won’t find an agent who knows more about short sales in Sacramento than this agent. But I’ve also been selling traditional real estate for almost 39 years. After I looked at the comparable sales, part of me had agreed with them. But another part of me could see that if I was able to just push that sales price about $10,000, they could probably sell as an equity sale. What? Turn a short sale into an equity sale? You betcha.
I offered that option, and we opted to go that route. An equity sale. A regular real estate transaction. Yes, let’s turn a short sale into an equity sale.
The real estate market in Sacramento has calmed a bit since July. It’s slower and more reasonable. I say it’s just the lull before the storm that will hit after Labor Day. What you read in the paper happened months ago and is not today’s market; it never is. But even during this slower period over the summer, I was able to sell that home in Orangevale for all cash at the list price. After running the numbers for an estimated net sheet, I suspected that some of the bank payments might add up to more than the sales price. It’s better to make sure the buyer could cover those costs before going into escrow, so we drew a counter offer. It basically said the buyers would pay all of the closing costs and back payments in an amount not to exceed a certain price. That “certain price” was padded enough to allow for any hiccups.
Sure enough, it closed. The additional funds needed were about 1/3 of the estimated amount, which made the buyers ecstatic and the sellers relieved. The sellers were able to pay back all of their delinquent payments and pay off the loan. They stopped the foreclosure proceedings and avoided a short sale. They turned a short sale into an equity sale. The time period between when we put the home on the market and when it closed was about 2 weeks. The sellers couldn’t believe how fast it happened. This is what happens when an agent focuses on a resolution.
If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in Sacramento, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916 233 6759. Your home might be worth more than you think. You might be able to turn a potential short sale into an equity sale.
A Tip for Sacramento Real Estate Investors
At least a couple of times a week, this Sacramento REALTOR receives an email from a potential investor or investment group, wanting to buy homes in Sacramento. Many of these Sacramento real estate investors are investment LLCs are based in Sacramento. The managing partners and owners generally hold an active real estate license and are typically members of MetroList, our local MLS. This means they have the ability to look up homes to buy to their heart’s content . . . so, why do they email this real estate agent?
I imagine there are several possibilities. Some Sacramento real estate investors desire preferential treatment, they expect to be pushed to the front of the line in the event of multiple offers. An agent can’t grant that kind of preference because it’s against the law. To sweeten the deal and tempt agents who are, let’s just say perhaps lacking in ethics training, investors might offer to let the listing agent represent them in a dual agency situation and collect up to twice the commission. Although, they would not admit this to anybody’s face.
One investor went so far as to send me his list of “preferred” agents so I could look up the identity and records of all the real estate agents who were most likely to throw their sellers under the bus to work with him. Every one of those agents double-ended deals with that investor. Nice going. I’ll be on the look-out for those guys.
A better way to buy homes in Sacramento for an investment portfolio is NOT to try to bribe real estate agents. Although, I bet a few investors are reading this and sneering at the moment, while a few others are drawing a circle with a big red X over my face. A better way to buy homes in Sacramento is to follow the listings of the agents who tend to list a lot of property.
How would Sacramento real estate investors do that? It’s easy. Sort of like Twitter. Just set up a hotsheet search in MLS using that agent’s identification as the parameter — which is noted on every listing and can also be located under the Search tab for Agent / Office. Then, when that agent lists a new property, bingo, the MLS will email it to the investor who set up the search. I suspect a few Sacramento investors already have hotsheets set up for my Weintraub listings because some of them call me within minutes of a new listing hitting MLS.
If their offer is the best for the seller, the seller takes it. Sometimes, the early bird gets the worm. Investors don’t have to resort to under-handed tactics to buy homes in Sacramento.
Which reminds me, there is an article published today in the Billings Gazette (Montana) about investment groups. The reporter interviewed this Sacramento REALTOR and used my comments in a sidebar. You might be interested in reading Investors Hunting for Gold in Billings Real Estate Market. That advice applies nationwide.
Why Agent Feedback is Crucial to a Sacramento Agent
One of the services I provide for my sellers are listing updates with agent feedback. Nobody wants to list her home for sale in Sacramento and then hear nothing back whatsoever from her Sacramento real estate agent. A seller who never receives any communication from her agent might think her agent isn’t working on selling that listing, when little could be further from the truth. The agent could be working her tail off but just not pulling up any buyers. Some agents think if they have no news or no good news, then a seller doesn’t want to hear about it, but a seller wants to know everything.
Every night, before I leave my home office — way before my husband starts hollering at me to turn off the computer because dinner is ready — I check my home showings for the day. Each lockbox has a serial number engraved on it, which I register for each listing. As a result, I can lookup an online report to see who has accessed my Weintraub listings. The report tells me:
- The time the agent opened the lockbox to get the key
- The name of the agent’s broker
- The agent’s email address
- The agent’s office number
- The agent’s cellphone number
It’s also a helpful report if an agent has accessed a pending listing that should never, ever, be entered without express permission from the listing agent. Yet, some buyer’s agents will not bother to read MLS showing instructions or they figure the listing is vacant so it doesn’t matter. It does matter, and this Sacramento real estate agent will follow up to get agent feedback. My sellers deserve it. This is why in some areas of Sacramento where this kind of unauthorized activity is notorious, I might suggest a seller not allow a lockbox or I might remove it when the homes moves into pending status.
Every night I email agents for agent feedback to ask what their buyers thought of the home they toured that day. I offer my assistance. I try to find out if the agents have any questions or if their buyers have questions. I’m looking for positive and negative feedback, because my seller wants to hear all of it. And then I send the feedback to the my seller, even if it’s feedback I am afraid my seller might not want to hear.
Based on the agent feedback, we can make adjustments, if necessary, to the listing. It’s not always the sales price, either. You can bet that I will take a positive feature and run with the benefit when buyers gush over it. If there is a negative aspect, I’ll offer a solution.
If you want to buy or sell a home in Sacramento, call your Sacramento real estate agent, Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759, Lyon RE. Put 39 years of experience to work for you.
