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The Worst Nightmare for Buyer Agents in Sacramento
Buyer agents in Sacramento call for help when a lockbox won’t open.
This Sacramento Realtor deals with many buyer agents in Sacramento — and, even after we are in escrow, I might not recall the name of the individual buyer agent, especially if the transaction happens to be a long escrow, like, say, a short sale. We have about 6,000 agents who belong to our MLS. I do not know every agent in town. But sometimes, agents are so caught up in their own existence that they forget nobody but them lives in that tiny world. That world where everybody recognizes the sound of their voice. Except for me, por supuesto, because I have such a unique voice that most people, even if they can’t recall my name, recognize the sound and figure they must know me on some level. The only other person who sounds just like me is my sister, Margie. I once called in sick for her when she flew jets for a living and was off gallivanting elsewhere — the Flight Center crew who knew her thought I was her. Plus, imagine what fun my husband has when the two of us are together. He can’t tell who is speaking.
This particular caller, though? She didn’t really tell me her name. I found it to be a little bit weird when my cellphone rang during breakfast on this weekend and the caller did not identify herself at first. Who was she? I have a lot of listings. Most buyer agents in Sacramento identify themselves by their full name and company name when they call. This buyer agent sounded very exasperated and upset, talked fast. “Well, we’re here and we can’t get in,” she cried. She became more agitated when I asked who she was and where she was. She pronounced the name of the street in such a way that I did not recognize it. She was a buyer agent, trying to do a home inspection. This was an inspection for a home that is not yet quite in escrow, long story, so it initially threw me for a loop, didn’t cross my mind. When I asked her to clarify, she spoke very slowly, explaining my role to me in an insulting manner, and I could hear her spit out words in disgust. Like the entire situation had irritated her so much she could barely force the words to depart from her lips.
I could feel her pain. This was a nightmare for her.
Once we laid the groundwork for who she was and where she was and what she was doing, I still could not understand why she could not enter the home. Hey, I’ve had lockboxes not work for me before. I’ve had keys break off in the seller’s lock. I’ve had keys not work because the lock was broken. I’ve opened the lockbox and found no keys in the box. All of these things are a nightmare for buyer agents in Sacramento. One of the worst things is trying to open a door and you can’t get inside.
It was her eKey. It did not work. This is why I do not carry an eKey. I do not ever want to find out my eKey will not work. My iPhone has its own quirks, and so do our cell towers. The one thing that has never not worked for me is a Supra Active Key. Sure, it’s another gadget to carry, it’s not as convenient as an eKey app on my iPhone, but it always works. The one time it might get stuck, it can be unstuck by poking a paper clip into the hole on the back of the Active Key. It is reliable. I like reliable. This buyer agent’s phone worked, though, because she called 3 times in a row to give me updates, in between my bites of scrambled eggs.
I assured her it was OK. Either a team member who lives nearby could open the door for her or the seller’s daughter could come back. No need to panic. Even on a weekend morning, I am available to help out buyer agents in Sacramento. It’s part of my full-service to my sellers.
How to Sell a Sacramento Condo Over Market Value
Selling a Sacramento condo over market value depends on several factors.
Ask any seller if she would like to sell a Sacramento condo over market value, and the answer will undoubtedly be a resounding YES. Sacramento condos are a hot commodity right now because those prices, although rising, are still affordable. I hear some buyers complain that they think the HOA dues are too high. Those are the buyers who don’t always fully appreciate the amenities available through certain homeowner associations. Yet, HOA dues are a factor.
On a side note, as we become less and less connected to our home life as I see this trend, I would not be surprised to see home-care lifestyle packages sold to regular homeowners down the road. Companies will provide in-home meal preparation, housecleaning, car washing, gardening, maintenance and repair, spa services like a workout trainer, hairdresser, masseuse and pedicure specialists, all for one low monthly fee to subscribers. Live like a 21st century Downton Abbey. We are turning into little robots, unable to care for ourselves. But I digress . . . and back to how to sell a Sacramento condo over market value.
The seller had called me from Orange County, expressing a desire to sell a Sacramento condo in a complex that had experienced dramatic price shifts over the years. Since the market crash, many of the units were sold as short sales after the values were slashed. The rebounding market in Sacramento helped to turn around prices, but we are not fully recovered. Prices are not at the high of 2005. Naturally, the seller wanted to maximum her profit potential for the condo.
My suggestion was we eliminate conventional buyers from the process and focus solely on cash buyers, but that was not well received advice. I also pointed out that in our hot Sacramento market, buyers would most likely bridge a gap in the appraisal. Sure enough, just like I predicted, we went into escrow with a conventional buyer who agreed to pay the difference between list price and the appraisal. The appraisal matched my original estimate of value.
The buyer could not close because he had a former short sale on his record from 3 years ago, and the underwriter would not grant him an exclusion. Underwriters are not required to. We switched to FHA and got a spot approval on the condo, but that underwriter denied the file because she did not believe a buyer who works in San Jose would commute. All of this caused delays until we canceled the buyer and received a new offer. The new offer was cash, above list price. The condo was already was listed above market.
Just goes to show that if you want to sell a Sacramento condo over market value, you need to price it over market value. If the condo is attractive enough, a cash buyer will pay your price. The real estate police do not insist a home must be listed at market. If you want to hire a Realtor with four decades of experience, an agent who will work with you to accomplish your objectives, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759.
Security Cams in Sacramento Houses for Sale
Many sellers have security cams set up in Sacramento houses for sale.
Now, I realize that talking about hidden cameras in a house is probably bad for business, heh, heh, but the fact remains there are live-feed security cams in Sacramento houses for sale. Some security cams record actual activity as a video. You can watch buyers laughing as they conduct a home inspection, listen to what buyer’s agents discuss with buyers, or just watch a BPO agent wander around picking his nose, thinking nobody can see him. I shudder to think what would happen if your underwear was falling down and a girl tried to discreetly adjust.
Buyers say the darnedest things, too. Stuff like, “Ye gads, what a horribly ugly couple,” while they are holding the seller’s wedding photo. I can recall once showing a home and inviting the buyers to sit in the living room so we could discuss the possibility of an offer. I pulled out the comparable sales, and asked the buyers to move closer to talk. Just then I noticed a bear sitting on the end table. Odd place for a stuffed bear. I picked it up, and sure enough, there was a nanny cam inside and the light was red. We scurried outside to talk.
So many people have installed security cams that you don’t know if you’re being watched. Plus, what will the sellers do with your videos and photos? You don’t know.
In the old days, sellers used to turn on an answering machine or tape recorder. Some left telephones off the hook. But it’s way more sophisticated today. We can hear you and see you. We know if you are grabbing a Coke from the ‘frig or snorting coke on the counter. Or reading the seller’s mail by the front door. If you can spot security cams, you can be assured they are most likely in use.
In North Carolina — home of the peeping toms in your underwear — that state real estate commission posted an advisory that says seller’s agents need to inform buyers if they are being videotaped or recorded. I wonder how much longer before California decides such an advisory is necessary? It’s not now, though, so try not to have sex in the seller’s bed when they’re not home, OK?
Short of Having the Seller Present at the Home Inspection
If a home inspector doesn’t leave the home in the same condition as he found it, the buyer’s agent should.
It is certainly understandable, even though it is unadvisable, why you might find a seller present at the home inspection. That’s because there are certain types of tradespeople who traipse through a home without regard for care and consideration, and they don’t always return the home to its original condition after they finish with their inspections. Fortunately, this type of inconsiderate and unprofessional behavior is rare. But when it does occur, who is responsible? Directly, it’s the inspectors, but indirectly it’s the buyer’s agent who recommends and continues to endorse bozos.
I described a situation like this yesterday to my Elizabeth Weintraub Team member, Josh Amolsch. The inspectors, both a home inspector and a pest inspector, managed to leave a bit of a mess in my seller’s home. The buyer’s agent was present, of course. This goes beyond the usual comments I hear, such as the bed spread corner was turned up because prying eyes had been peeking under the bed. Oh, no, the audacity! Especially if there was a battery-operated item under there. Or a closet door was left ajar, or a bathroom light on, a towel on the floor. Small infractions but irritants all the same. No, this was much bigger such as the front door was left unlocked and the gate unsecured. In addition to a string of other issues.
That behavior makes a seller feel violated. It trickles downstream, too. Hope the buyers weren’t planning to ask for any favors.
Josh says he’s had a couple of occasions when driving away from a home that he has wondered if he turned off a light. Rather than wonder about it, though, he turns around, drives back and checks. Because that’s what a conscientious Sacramento Realtor would do.
Further, the seller is a professional in the trades himself. He goes to great lengths to show respect for the homes he works on. He is the kind of guy who wears booties or wipes his feet before entering a home. You can imagine his disappointment to come home from a weekend away and discover his front door unlocked, among a myriad of other events. He expects other professionals to treat his home in the same manner he treats his customers’ homes. He probably wonders if we allowed the seller present at the home inspection, none of this would have happened.
We Sacramento Realtors have it drummed into our heads to observe the condition of a home upon entering and to leave it the same way. If lights are on, we leave them on. If a door is locked, we lock it when we leave. We don’t do stupid, careless things like lock the garage door between the house and garage if the door is unlocked. We also don’t want the seller present at the home inspection — we want our buyers and their respective inspectors to enjoy free reign, to complete due diligence, and fully understand the product our buyers are purchasing.
But gosh, guys, to enjoy that benefit, you’ve got to leave the home the way you found it. Seize responsibility. Because regardless of how you might appear, we know your mother didn’t raise you in a barn.
If You Think Selling a Home in Sacramento is Scary
Selling a home in Sacramento does not have to be a scary event.
Selling a home in Sacramento is not as scary as it seems if a seller hires the right Sacramento Realtor. Yet for many people, selling a home is a frightening experience: like an asteroid hurtling toward the earth with no place for you to hide or, worse, bumping into an old boyfriend at the grocery store with your hair wrapped in bleaching foil because, darn it, you forgot to pick up coffee. A Realtor with a bit of sensitivity, compassion and experience should be able to guide sellers through putting their home on the market. Alleviate some of that anxiety.
For some people, it’s not knowing where they are moving when selling a home. It’s hard to focus on the sale when there is no destination on the horizon. They imagine themselves homeless, sleeping in the car, while some other fool is living the good life and jumping into their swimming pool. Slamming their soft-closing kitchen drawers. Leaving their sticky fingerprints all over those stainless appliance finishes.
I have talked to sellers who have told me after interviewing a bunch of other Realtors that not a single agent had asked them where they were moving. Like the agents didn’t care or were too focused on just getting that listing.
When you’re selling a home in Sacramento, you want your Realtor to grab the big picture and to anticipate things that could go wrong and stop those horrible events from happening. Only an agent with adequate experience can do that. Sure, you might want to hire your sister-in-law who happens to have a real estate license — because one in 35 people in California most likely do have a real estate license — but what you give up to achieve complete trust you lose in specific performance, which reduces bottom-line profit and adds to anxiety levels. Good intent but bad idea.
This is why so many people who are selling a home in Sacramento want to list with Elizabeth Weintraub at Lyon Real Estate. They know I will do everything in my power to reduce anxiety and provide professional guidance to achieve my sellers’ goals. Your goals are my goals. Every listing plan is customized. If you think selling a home in Sacramento is scary, you haven’t met this Realtor.
