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Elizabeth Weintraub
Thai Farm House on Broadway and Riverside in Sacramento
Ba Mee Keaw soup at Thai Farm House
Taking a nap sounded like a better idea than going to visit the new restaurant, Thai Farm House, but my stomach began to argue. Besides, it was cold outside. In the 50s. I would have preferred to cuddle up with a good computer game like Alphabear and then quietly nod off into oblivion. But my stomach agreed with my husband. We should go out for lunch.
The restaurant is relatively new and took over a spot in the shopping center on the northwest corner of Broadway and Riverside where once L&L Hawaiian Barbecue operated. Maybe this part of Sacramento doesn’t present enough demand for a fast-food Hawaiian joint. This area is comprised of Upper Land Park and Southside Park, a part of Sacramento in which our Asian population still makes up a large percentage. Plus, the Buddhist Church is just around the corner.
This little strip mall has suffered a big turnover from its inception, trying to find its footing for the right businesses. Quiznos came and went. A check cashing place didn’t last long. Neither did a cigarette and cigar shop. And let’s not forget, the other end of Broadway features a plethora of Thai restaurants.
But the Thai Farm House is a bit different. Of course it features fresh ingredients, but it seems to put more emphasis on specialties and unusual dishes. You’ll also find gluten-free and vegetarian options. When we asked about the degrees of spiciness, our server brought us a side of spices to choose from. Wah, but no fresh spicy Thai peppers.
If I had any complaint, it would be about the spring roll, or what Thai Farm House called Fresh Roll. Both my husband I agreed we loved the blend of mint, basil and lettuce, but I felt there should be more rice noodle inside. It seemed very sparse. Not to mention, the peanut sauce was served pretty hot when it touched my tongue.
My dish, Ba Mee Keaw, is more of a soup and pictured above. It featured thin noodles that were extremely difficult to slurp out of the bowl, pork, green onions and gai lan, including steamed dumplings floating in the soup.
Kao Soi at Thai Farm House
Take a look at one of the signature dishes above, Kao Soi, which involves egg noodles simmered in a thick curry and coconut sauce. My husband chose the pork option, and it came topped with fried noodles. There is a hint of spice in this but not much. For a person who really loves spicy Thai food, this might feel a bit underwhelming. Generally, if 5 is the highest spice intensity, I will choose #4.
We will go back to try other dishes, but I might have to pocket a few Thai peppers first.
The Story of Closing a Home in Greenhaven in Sacramento
This pool home on Greenhaven Drive is now under contract.
Our story of closing a home in Greenhaven begins with an email I received from the sellers last September. I’m finding many of my listings lately involve sellers who are planning ahead. I could be working on a listing for 6 months before it hits MLS, unlike the fast-paced world of 2016 — a distant memory now. My experience shows better results when working in advance on a listing because that gives us a lot of time to get it just right. To tweak and perfect.
The seller mentioned his wife might find a job out of state. It could happen a year from then, or two months or a couple of weeks. Their timeframe is mine. They wanted to know if I could please come over to discuss which things they could fix up. What could be sale-worthy improvements. They also mentioned that they had been reading my blogs for years. Which means they decided a long time ago that when it came time to sell, I was the listing agent they wanted to hire.
Apparently, they weren’t very happy with their agent when they bought the house. There were also quite a few drawbacks to their house. But because every listing is a customized job for me, I don’t give cookie cutter advice. I consider the market conditions, how much a buyer is likely to pay, and minimum work required to sell. Part of how much a buyer is likely to pay in my mind depends on how I market the listing as well. Not any Sacramento Realtor can take my suggested sales price and run with it. To get top dollar, you need strategy.
Every super blood moon or so, I spot a listing in which the seller hired some other agent at a price lower than perhaps I suggested. I just think to myself: their loss. And then I get a bit irritated with myself that somehow I failed to show what I can do. They hire a cheap agent at a cheap price and I feel a bit sorry they lost money. But they don’t know. They wrongly put too much emphasis on commission.
Not these sellers. They wanted to hire me and I wanted to do a good job for them. That’s a good match. To spruce up the kitchen, I suggested they replace the worn, tired counters with granite and replace the broken electric range. We discussed staging and moving furniture. The rest of the house could stay in its present condition because we have a hot market in Sacramento. Yes, it is on a busy street. Yes, you can hear freeway noise. Can’t ignore the funky layout.
Time passed and I did not hear from them again until January. I was working from our home in Hawaii then. We agreed on a price of $395K. In line with the comps for a 4 bedroom with that square footage and being a pool home on Greenhaven Drive. I promised them I would work diligently for an AS IS sale without any credits or repairs. My goal was closing a home in Greenhaven with no hassles. I listed the home from Hawaii, and a team member attached a lockbox for me.
Sure enough, after 2 open houses, we had a full price offer at $10,000 over list price. I warned the agent that if her buyer tried to cancel, I would drive over to the agent’s house and let the air out of her tires. So many buyers go into escrow today and immediately cancel. But the agent assured us her buyer was committed. However, the buyer made a contingent offer, with her home presently in escrow. That status allowed me to keep the listing active in MLS and to hunt for backup offers.
This all happened with me working from Hawaii. Due to technology, I do not have to physically be in Sacramento to work miracles and focus on my Sacramento real estate business.
As luck would have it, we later received a back-up offer that was now $20,000 over list price. We held on to that offer as insurance, just in case the existing buyer wanted to renegotiate. (I’m telling ya, if you have a difficult home to sell, this is the market for you.)
We met the goal of closing a home in Greenhaven with no repairs or credits and closed last Friday. I called the sellers on the East Coast to let them know the home recorded. At that point, the seller confided to me that I did exactly what I said would do. He said many agents say they will do a good job and they talk a good game, but it’s just talk. I actually performed on everything I promised. They got exactly what they had hoped for and then some. I exceeded expectations.
Well, I did not realize they had any doubt, LOL, but even so, the best thing a seller can tell me is how happy they are. That means I did my job right. I want every review to be a 5-star review. That is my goal and I never lose sight of it. Further, there is no question that the sellers wrung every dime out of that sale they possibly could. A very happy ending to closing a home in Greenhaven.
Would You Like to Buy Two Houses on a Lot in Carmichael?
Two houses on a lot in Carmichael at $495K.
Wow, what a rare opportunity to buy two houses on a lot in Carmichael. In fact, our MLS features only two listings on the market in Carmichael right now consisting of two houses on a lot. Further, this property costs almost $300K less than its competitor. We could get a lot of interest over the next few days. Especially in a market like ours in Sacramento with limited inventory and an intense pent-up demand from buyers.
Before I tell you about the two houses on a lot in Carmichael, let me disclose that many of my sales so far this year involve backup offers. Knock on wood none has fallen out yet like usual, but buyers appear willing to write an offer on pending listings in hopes the original sales will blow up. You don’t see that kind of attitude very often. Usually buyers reserve backup offers for extra special listings, but I have backup offers on about half of my pendings right now.
4545 Garfield Av Carmichael CA 95608 is used as a duplex.
OK, back to the two houses on a lot in Carmichael. The first house features two kitchens, although built as a single family. I’m guessing the county has unreliable records because it shows an incorrect age for the first house on Garfield. That two-story home shows more than 2,800 square feet and fits the bill for a turn-of-the-century home. You will find Victorian era hardware inside. Also, a previous owner rebuilt the foundation and shored it, with a full basement. But families live in the duplex in a multi-generational situation, and the tenants would like to stay. They pay $1,895 a month and have lived there about 6 years.
The first house features 6 to 7 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths, with one of the baths located off the two-car garage. A cement pad out front allows parking for an additional two vehicles. You will see mostly hardwood floors throughout, a huge living room / dining area, plus an extra family room. Part of the home needs a little TLC. Perhaps the baths could use updating. Although, the kitchen updates appear newer.
5442 Winding Way, Carmichael, CA 95608 is updated and ready to move into.
The second house appears to be built in 1958. Typical cottage for that era with 3 bedrooms, hardwood floors and an updated kitchen (new appliances) and bath. It also features an attached garage, with laundry. The two houses sit on a lot of .38 acres, at the corner of Garfield and Winding Way, each with a big yard. Sellers enjoy a separate address for the Winding Way home at 5442 Winding Way. Although traffic drives by outside, you won’t hear a sound inside the house. The owners live here.
The owners live at 5442 Winding Way, featuring hardwood floors and updates.
Come to our open house on Sunday, March 4th, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, hosted by the invincible Josh Amolsch from the Elizabeth Weintraub Team. You can call Josh for more information at 916.224.2756. Check out the virtual tour here.
4545 Garfield Avenue, Carmichael, CA 95608, offered exclusively by Elizabeth Weintraub and Lyon Real Estate at $495K.
Recent Power Outage in Land Park Produced Comedy of Errors
SMUD sent 3 trucks almost immediately to my street during a power outage in Land Park.
Absolutely, did not expect a power outage in Land Park yesterday morning when I slowly opened my eyes, mumbling. What’s going on? I could hear a soft intermittent beeping that had interrupted my slumber for the past hour. Sounded like a slightly open refrigerator door, improperly closed. Everything in the refrigerator could thaw for all I cared. Sleeping in a toasty warm bed makes one a bit oblivious to her surroundings.
It’s about 7:30, my husband answered. What? He should be out of bed getting ready for work. It’s too cold, he said. Why? Why is it too cold? Because there is no heat. Why is there no heat? Because we have a power outage in Land Park. Well, he could have led with that statement. I bounced outta bed, and brrrrr. OK, so no internet. No problem. I can use my iPad as a hotspot with my laptop. My two back-up batteries produced the beeping, so I shut them down.
Checked the SMUD outage map because misery loves company. I do not want to be the ONLY household freezing her tush off in the middle of a rainstorm. Nope, all our neighbors need to be in the same boat with us, and they were. At least 36 households were suffering from a power outage in Land Park. My husband made me a cup of tea, which I couldn’t figure out. I could not light the stove. With a lighter, that’s how. Our automatic ignition doesn’t work without electricity but the gas still comes out . . . who knew? My husband, I guess.
Off to work with him, leaving me alone in the freezing house. I didn’t really want tea. Only coffee, really. Still hot from the stove, I carried the saucepan with a cup of hot water remaining over to the sink. I grabbed the coffee grounds and tried to position them over the cup of tea to pour water into the grounds. A coffee’d tea sounded good. Nothing seemed to work correctly, so I turned the coffee ground container sideways to look for the hole and accidentally dumped all of the grounds on the counter.
Even Ziggy checked out the fireplace, which we never use.
This is what not having any coffee will do to a person. Well, there was a little bit left, so I mixed the coffee and tea together and retired to the family room to work on my laptop. Ah, what joy. I spied two logs in the fireplace. These logs have been sitting in that fireplace for probably 10 years. Since the last power outage in Land Park when a 40-foot tree fell on our house. Grabbed the lighter and lit the logs.
Jackson stares at the fireplace in wonder.
You know what happened next, right? I mean, you can see this coming a mile away because you obviously are wide awake and alert. Not me. I’m typing away on the sofa, answering emails, oblivious to my surroundings, when all of a sudden, I hear a high pitch. Then another. And another. Oh, no! One by one, all of our smoke alarms went off, producing piercing shrieks. When I glanced up, I spotted floating pillows of smoke replacing air in the house.
Jackson enjoys the warmest spot in the house during the power outage.
However, the blaze in the fireplace was simply glorious. Except for the smoke. Shoot. The damper must be closed. I could not see to find the damper lever. Using my cell as a flashlight and a collectible back-scratching stick that comes with those Tropical Itch cocktails from Hawaii, I finally pulled the lever back to open the damper. That back-scratching stick came in handy to pull the batteries out of the smoke alarms, too.
All seemed peaceful and calm. I finished my emails, had a conversation with a seller from Mendocino about mailing listing paperwork to her. Which I would have printed and sent myself but I had no power to the house. Oh, wait, my office can do it. Yay for Pat Ali!! And almost as soon as I finished my phone call, the power suddenly came back on in a flash. Followed by a piercing alarm-like screaming. Originating from the attic it seemed; was it the furnace?
Jackson’s paws look like he walked around inside the fireplace.
Tried flipping the breaker for the furnace but that didn’t do anything. Well, if it sounds like an alarm, it must be an alarm, I reasoned. Sure enough, we do have an alarm system at our house, even if we don’t use it. Turns out my husband did not realize the plug in the cat-box room is for our alarm. He thought it powered our sprinklers. Mister-fancy-pants-lit-the-stove-with-a-lighter guy.
Ha, pulled the plug and plugged back in. Silence.
Two Good Reasons to Visit Frasinetti Winery Restaurant in Sacramento
Elizabeth Weintraub and Myrl Jeffcoat at Frasinetti Winery
Frasinetti Winery is a place that doesn’t come to my mind as often as it probably should as a place for lunch or dinner in Sacramento. With so many fabulous new restaurants, especially in the Downtown Commons and Midtown areas of Sacramento, sometimes it’s hard to “branch out” and go elsewhere. I tend to stick close to home, except for when I’m listing homes for sale. Then I have a 45-minute travel time rule. If it’s further than 45 minutes, I won’t list it.
Although, I listed a home maybe 10 years ago as a short sale in Novato for all of 72 hours. It was a favor to a close friend. Polly breeded Persian cats. Most cat-loving people are sweet natured. Not this one. When I refused to violate Civil Code, Polly fabricated a vile review. That was my only out-of-area listing. My only fake review out of hundreds of 5-stars. Ever since, I stick to my 45-minute radius.
Fortunately, it’s not that far to drive to Frasinetti Winery for lunch. Maybe 20 minutes from Land Park. So when my friend Myrl Jeffcoat asked where I wanted to go for lunch, I recalled she had written a story about passing by Frasinetti and suggested we go there. Turns out I had not been to this restaurant for about 15 years, and for Myrl, it was more than 30 years. It’s an institution in Sacramento, a landmark.
To me, the location is a bit secluded, although to hear Myrl talk, the area is so built up now. From where I sit, it’s still looks like countryside and spotty subdivisions here and there. Myrl is also a Sacramento Realtor, mostly retired now but she still works with a few friends and former clients, so we have a real estate in common. But we did not really talk about real estate at lunch.
Not only that, but we didn’t get into any trouble, and we didn’t do anything outrageous. Which can happen by accident when we’re together. Although, we did finish off an entire bottle of Frasinetti Winery Chianti.
To get there, just drive down Florin going East from 99 a few miles. Pass the railroad tracks and turn right on Frasinetti St. Do not follow GPS or you’ll end up at a back entrance where you can’t get in.
The two reasons to visit Frasinetti Winery are food and wine. Or, wine and food. Both of us ordered the rigatoni special with tri-tip. Cream, garlic, shallots, asparagus, mushrooms. Then dessert. Tiaramisu and Amaretto Créme Brûlée. We sat in the part of the restaurant with old wooden booths. But the entire decor is Old World. Service is excellent. You can’t go wrong. With all of that, plus a $16 bottle of Chianti, lunch for two with tip was only $80.
