Email ElizabethSellers Who Plan to Interview Sacramento Realtors Like Free Advice
Next week I have an appointment with a seller who wants to interview Sacramento Realtors. She told me as much when she called. It wasn’t a free-flowing natural conversation. I let her do most of the talking, and it seemed like she was a bit hostile. As though she didn’t like the fact she had to call to discuss the sale of her home with a stranger. But she was the one who did her homework and decided she expected to hire a veteran Realtor with plenty of experience who sells a ton of homes. Nothing wrong with that goal. But there was something wrong with the way she went about it and her tone.
She sounded like she was quoting from a script she found online. Quite possibly from an article I had written for The Balance many years ago. It’s not really her fault because people do not know how to hire an agent. They choose wrong criteria, like commission rate or sales price suggestions. And besides, that article was designed to guide the hiring of an average-Joe kinda agent, the masses, not agents of a certain caliber.
Another agent in my office and I were discussing the attitudes of sellers who want to interview Sacramento Realtors. He laughed that his viewpoint might sound arrogant, but he believes after a certain point in an agent’s career, we should not be subject to interviews and interrogation. Because his sellers find him by looking through a variety of agents online and picking the Realtor they feel best fits their goals and objectives.
In other words, his feelings were if a seller didn’t know by reading about him that he was a good match, he didn’t want to be interviewed like he was brand new. There’s a lot of truth in that statement. I can relate. Hence my explanation to you, the reader. I have so much stuff about me online that any seller can research: hundreds of agent reviews, a strong track record, bunches of top-ranking awards, a solid reputation, on top of 44 years in the business.
It can be insulting to be treated like a loaf of bread in the grocery store. Like getting picked up and squeezed. When sellers want to interview Sacramento Realtors and they choose top producers for this strategy, they often already have an agent they want to hire. They try to get advice from the pros to give to their novice. Plus, somebody told them they needed to interview other agents and get opinions.
The seller who called has issues with her property. It’s not a 5-star listing. She wants me to meet her at the house and give her ideas to fix it up. However, she made a big point out of saying the meeting was not a commitment. That’s a red flag, plus it doesn’t make me very motivated to meet with her. We set a tentative time and date, but I had misgiving immediately when I hung up. There comes a point in your career when interviews are unnecessary. Meetings yes, interviews no.
Of course, the seller also promised to email me with all of her information and she has not. I don’t have her phone number because she called from a private number. When another seller asked me to stop by her house on that same day, I double-booked the appointment. Because that’s a seller who is very excited to hire me. She has done her research and knows what I have to offer.
Do I want to visit with a seller who was rude, demanding and secretive? Or, should I visit the seller who is ready to list with me now and is jazzed? Easy decision.
Kona Bath Remodel and Meeting Cyndi Lauper at Safeway
Apart from meeting Cyndi Lauper at the grocery store yesterday, I also completed our Kona bath remodels, finally. Yes, finally. My original game plan of starting on August 16th and being completed by early September totally blew up because Lowes did not follow up on my purchases to track delivery. Responsibility, oversight and culpability were main reasons to hire Lowes. But being understaffed, they let crap slip through the cracks; stuff happens, and you deal with it.
So I had to add an additional trip for the year back to Hawaii Island. Darn.
The photo above is the original photo of our master bedroom vanity area. It had been remodeled since the 1990s. You can tell because it has a new faucet, a new light fixture, but the original crappy pressed wood cabinets, ugly wall-to-wall mirror and horribly installed medicine cabinet gives it away.
In this photo, you can see my Kona bath remodel. See, I think ahead. I wonder if I will like this design 10 or 20 years from now. If not, I’m not doing it. In fact, I truly believe more people should think about their remodels in this manner. What’s the point of doing it, going through all of that shit if you’re gonna hate it a few years down the road?
OK.
I raised the height of the cabinet, for starters. Bought a kitchen-height vanity (difference of 2 inches). The hardware is Amerock Eydon weathered nickel. In Hawaii, most metals rust out, and this gave me a fighting chance. The counter top is called Popcorn Quartz, and I got it from Oahu. Lotus vessel sink with waterfall faucet came from Overstock and the light fixture from Lamps Plus.
Mirrors losing the silver edge and turning black is a major problem in every single state in the country of America. Because of chemistry. Combination of humidity and high salt air in Hawaii is a dangerous combination for any kind of metal, actually, for real. Nothing you can do but re-silver, frame in (which is what I advise clients) or replace with a framed version.
What do you think of this portion of my Kona bath remodel? You don’t like it? Well, then, I say with my worst-ever British accent: click on Wheel of Fortune then and leave me alone.
Here is my guest bath in its original state. There is an edge of the cultured marble that is discolored, possibly from some idiot placing a cigarette on its edge and letting it burn as she applies mascara. Oh, the good ol’ days. And the mirror of the medicine cabinet is severely discolored as well. Not to mention, I really do not like the guitar shape of the cheap-ass counter top nor the horrid faucet.
The shower surround is in an alcove and just as nasty. The chrome faucet was crumpled up so badly I was surprised any water could emit from it. Further, if I tried to put my head under it, I took a chance of cutting open my head if I bumped it the wrong way. On top of which, the tub itself was some fiberglass concoction. You never feel like your cold fat butt is sitting on anything solid.
Here is the remodel. Same Lotus vessel sink and waterfall faucet, plus an ungodly expensive Kohler medicine cabinet, as it is the only size to fit that space without extensive modifications. Same vanity and ditto on the popcorn quartz and matching mirror.
See, I look at this and I believe I can still love it 10 years from now. Which is more than I can say about Millennials swarming to the grays that are all of the rage at the moment. What is gray, you might ask? Well, overcast skies, cement, dead people. Things that are not attractive. Dull. Depressing. Sad. Yet everybody wants to do gray because it is new. Well, I got news for ya.
Not that anybody cares. Go ahead, learn the hard way.
Or do your next home improvement project like my Kona bath remodel and pick a design, colors and materials that will stand the test of time. Don’t believe me? I have two words for you: hunter green.
This is my beautiful 32-inch wide tub for which I designed my small guest bath around. A thing of beauty. 17 inches deep. Versus 9 inches of depth with the old tub. Oh, and Cyndi Lauper? Well I’m pretty sure it was her. Is there another celebrity who looks like Cyndi Lauper? True, she is younger than me, but only by barely a year. Cyndi, give me a jingle, we’ll hang out.
I met her at Safeway. Checking out groceries with a brand new check-out clerk by the name of Marie. I know this because she told me I was her first customer. I felt so honored. She felt so nervous. And Cyndi Lauper was behind me, growing a bit annoyed. “Well,” she snorted, “They will have to open a new cash register.” Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Like that’s gonna happen.
God damn if she doesn’t sound just like me when I get irritated.
She had something on the conveyor belt, which, btw, had stopped running, rolled up in large paper bags. Maybe from the deli. I dunno. She noticed I was wearing an Apple Watch. I spoke up as I rearranged the items on the non-moving conveyor belt, kidding around that soon my Apple Watch would ask me if I was “working out” and to which I would reply, oh, absolutely, YES.
“Does your watch track your steps?” she asked. Oh yes, I affirmed, every single day. Then she asked a question she had absolutely no business asking; she asked a question I would hahaha ask a complete stranger (because people will not), which is also why I’m sorry I didn’t have more time to chat because she seemed a lot like me. She asked: how many steps do you do in a day? From experience, I know most people DO NOT answer these types of questions unless they do not think.
Pretty ballsy, Lauper.
But. It is Hawaii. Different Aloha.
OK, I could not resist the set up. I replied 200 steps. .
Huge chortle. Yeah, I made Cyndi Lauper belly laugh.
Hey, you asked, I chuckled.
Unexpected reply. That is comedy. But some of that about 200 steps a day is true on certain days. Those assholes with their 10,000 steps. No respect for them. Especially since originally it was only 5,000. Screw you people! Waaahh!
Then, I left to go home and unload my groceries so I could make it on time to the Beth Shalom memorial for the victims of massacre in Pittsburgh. But not before I gave Marie, the new checkout clerk at Safeway, an A-Plus for her first checkout. So honored to be part of that experience. An employee’s first interaction with a customer. Totally glad it was me.
As for Cyndi Lauper, I suppose it could be a different celebrity I am thinking of. In fact, now that I focus on this story in retrospect, I don’t think it was Cyndi Lauper. I am now convinced it was Patricia Clarkson. Those two look very similar to each other, don’t you agree?
A North Kona Beach for Boogie Boarding You Might Not Find
If you’re looking for a North Kona beach for boogie boarding, this particular beach seems much better than Magic Sands. It’s not a place I had been before, and we’ve been exploring places on the Big Island for 8 years. At one time, the beach was more difficult to reach. But today the road is paved, with plenty of parking. Even concrete steps down to the beach if you don’t want to traverse through the lava paths.
Yesterday I had to drive to Kawaihae Harbor to pick up freight from Oahu. Because our Hawaii house features Futura stone for sidewalks and our lanai. That type of installation requires a sealer every 4 years or so using highly flammable products. Can’t send the stuff UPS or FedX or even through the mail. My only option was to order it by barge and go get it.
I’m wondering what we can install over the Future stone so we don’t have to seal it again, but I’ve another 4 years to figure it out. In any case, since Kawaihae Harbor is located a bit north of Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, and it’s a long drive from Kona, I figured I owed it to myself to go to the beach. Plus, with the horrific news happening, including the murder of 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, I’ve been quietly sobbing. I can’t take it. Can’t take the news. This is the straw.
I’m like that goat above, just standing on a chunk of lava, 2,500 miles from anywhere in the middle of nowhere, and yet the devastating news reaches me. Such hatred and vile. The 2016 election seemed to open the flood gates of despicable behavior, which some people had secretly suppressed. And with good reason. It is unacceptable in normal society, but these are not normal times. We have to keep reminding ourselves of that. At least I do. What is happening is not normal.
Please vote. Please oh dear god vote. You might think your vote does not count or it is not important but that is harmful thinking — to yourself and those who love you. You cannot escape, no matter how hard you try, that people have died to give you the right to vote. Please honor that sacrifice.
Fortunately, I started to feel a bit better when I rounded the corner and came upon this scene. It is the upper landing area of Kua Bay. You don’t expect to find such a nice North Kona beach for boogie boarding at the end of this road. It is located between marker 88 and 89 on the Makai (ocean) side of the highway. Right across from the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery. There are showers and restroom facilities.
This wonderful North Kona beach for boogie boarding is comprised of several areas at the end of the road. Such a scenic area. There is not a lot of shade, so bringing an umbrella is a good idea. I guess the county of Hawaii is hoping to afford lifeguards for Kua Bay in the near future. That goal keeps getting defeated. But what a spectacular beach.
It is all mine for another week and then it’s back home where more listings are waiting for my special touch. You can take the Sacramento Realtor out of Sacramento, but you can’t remove the passion and duty call of Sacramento real estate.
The Advantages of Owner Occupant Buyers vs Investors
The pendulum has finally swung in favor of owner occupant buyers vs investors in Sacramento. For years, first-time home buyers played second fiddle to investors. Losing out on offer after offer during multiple-offer situations. Investors often presented short closing time periods with cash or hard-money offers, and buyers struggled mightily to compete. When sellers considered, for example, a first-time home buyer using FHA financing and down payment assistance, they said no way, Jose.
It’s not that FHA loans are bad, but they do require certain repairs, no peeling paint, might have to clear a pest report. Not to mention, with down payment assistance, the qualifying is so restrictive that sometimes buyers who have been told they can buy find out they cannot. Not every lender qualifies buyers by closely scrutinizing finances. In fact, some just run the file through desktop underwriting and call it a day.
However, the good news in our new Sacramento real estate market — and make no mistake, this is a new market — is owner occupants rule. When it comes to choosing between an owner occupant buyer vs investors, sellers will often select the buyers who will move in.
For several reasons. First, an owner occupant, a person who will live in the property, often develops an emotional attachment to the home. When buyers are emotionally involved, they tend to overlook smaller defects and will forgive imperfections; whereas investors are typically more analytical. Second, an owner occupant is not trying to make the property “pencil” i.e. provide a specific rate of return on cash invested, like investors. And third, not every occupant feels they must underpay, so lowball offers are not as prevalent.
This attitude is especially apparent in probates and successor trustee sales. In these types of transactions, often there is a sense of loss for the person who died. Heirs want to do pono (right) by the deceased. When presented with owner occupant buyers vs investors, they will often take the buyer who has developed feelings for the home and will carry on an affection for the property. As compared to an investor who will strip it, flip it or turn it into a rental.
In fact, I just closed a sale like that yesterday. A client who moved to Abu Dhabi asked me to sell his father’s home in North Highlands. It didn’t take me long to figure out he needed a probate lawyer because he was the executor, so I referred him to a probate lawyer. This delayed listing the home for 4 months, but it also gave the seller time to clean it out.
First go-around we received four offers ranging from $150K to $180K from investors. We listed at $195,000. This meant I had to endure long conversations with well meaning buyer’s agents who tried in vain to persuade me that the home was priced too high for them. Well, my job is to maximize seller profit potential; it is not to appease guys who want a deal. We accepted a full-price offer from an owner occupant and got all the way to closing before the buyer canceled. Cold feet, I suspect.
No Sacramento Realtor likes selling a home twice and getting paid once, but it happens.
Second go-around we received another four offers. These ranged from $159K to $180K, with an FHA buyer at $190K who changed his mind, and then, YES, another buyer who offered $200K. Guess which was the owner occupant? The guy who offered $200K. We had a couple of small delays but we closed escrow yesterday at $200K.
The seller grew up in this home. The only home he ever knew as a child because his parents never moved. You can bet he is thrilled that another buyer will raise a family in his childhood home. 4275 Sloan Dr, North Highlands, CA 95660 closed escrow at $200,000 on October 30, 2018.
Should You Buy a Mini Split System in Sacramento?
Working primarily with sellers, I had not heard much about whether buyers should buy a mini split system in Sacramento. Why would I? Probably because most of the homes that I sell in Sacramento have central air conditioning systems already installed. Understandably, it is super difficult to be comfortable during our hot Sacramento summers without air conditioning.
I know, I know, back in caveman days we didn’t have AC when I was growing up. We danced through the sprinklers fully clothed or went to the lake to go swimming. Only rich people and Dayton’s department store on 7th and Nicollet could afford the luxury of central air.
But today, we have alternatives to central air: the mini-split system, also called ductless AC.
Staying cool was a major concern 16 years ago when I moved from Minneapolis to Sacramento. We turned on our AC in Minneapolis for 2 weeks out of any given summer. Having to turn on AC in the morning and use electricity all day until 6 or 7 PM to cool the house sounded really foreign to me. I interviewed a bunch of people, asking what number they set the temperature at and how much it costs. Concerned it would be $500 a month.
Of course, now I’m used to it. We pretty much leave our thermostat set at 78. But I can see how home buyers purchasing a home without central AC might worry about summer heat in Sacramento, because triple digit heat is common. Not to mention, every so often I sell an older bungalow or Victorian without AC. Whether buyers should buy a mini split system in Sacramento depends on the size of the home and how much a buyer wants to spend, among other factors.
Although I haven’t verified it, I’ve heard you can get a mini split system installed in Sacramento for about $4,500, parts and labor. However, I can tell you that it works well because we just installed a mini split system, a 36,000 btu Daikin, at our house in Hawaii. It’s a small house with vaults and an open floor plan. I was a bit worried that the third bedroom would not cool off, but it’s OK.
If you’re wondering if there are good reasons to buy a mini split system in Sacramento, I can tell you first hand the answer is yes. We placed our unit on the wall by the TV. The vents oscillate to direct air or it can blow directly. It is quiet, whisper quiet. There is a super-power button to instantly cool if you walk into a hot house. You can set it to work on auto or various speeds. And it is more efficient, uses less electricity.
We replaced 3 ECM motors over the past 18 months. In fact, I’ve been without AC in Hawaii for the past two weeks. I found out why after my horrible day, a time when life throws curveballs all in one day, one after another. Our previous AC guy gave us back our money. Because he knew the ductwork was screwed up. It’s like the installers got drunk, pitched the unit into the attic and threw duckwork at it. No elbows. No sharp turns. No cohesive setup.
Our choices were tear out a wall, remove all the ductwork and buy a new AC system or buy a mini split system. The Daikin mini split system also comes with a 12-year warranty. It seems slightly better than the Fugitsu and Mitsubishi. Look at that footprint of the compressor in the yard. The old compressor was twice as tall and three times as wide. This system reminds me of an old desktop computer. Now, the unit is not visible over the fence or from the street.
When I think back to my trip to Vanuatu, I realize I had mini split systems in the house I rented there. You can buy dual systems and put smaller units on the walls in closed rooms for homes without an open floor plan. That way you run the unit only in the rooms you use. But it’s a far cry from the days of window AC units. Those things rattle, shake, are noisy and run up an electric bill.
A mini split system is more like central AC except cheaper, more dependable, more efficient and quieter. What’s not to like?
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