Email ElizabethShould Sacramento Home Sellers Pay for a Pest Report?
Now that the market is shifting in Sacramento, it’s time for sellers to obtain a pest report upfront if at all possible. Our long run of seller’s markets where homes are sold in AS IS condition are pretty much over. Of course, there are listing agents in Sacramento who have their “own way” of doing things and these guys would never take a listing without obtaining a pest report. But I see that under certain market conditions as overkill and unnecessary .
When the markets are hot and sellers rule, sellers can expect buyers to get their own pest reports and to live with the results. Pest reports are for a buyer’s edification only anyway. Unless a buyer is obtaining a VA loan or an appraiser spots suspicious items, a pest report is not required in a real estate transaction. Many unfortunate sellers in a seller’s market were forced by their agents to obtain pest reports and agreed to pay for a clearance because their agents didn’t stop to consider alternatives.
However, the times they are a changin’. We are now in a market where buyers are not as committed to buying a home. They want the best house on the best street in the best neighborhood, and in the best condition. If they can’t get that, they will remain a tenant. Inventory has increased, but only the nicest homes or underpriced homes quickly sell. It’s a bit more stable but with fewer buyers.
For that reason, my advice to sellers is now get a pest report. Whether sellers clear the work is another matter, but my suggestion is to at least pay for a pest report. Because when a buyer obtains the pest report, sellers are stuck with it. Oh, sure, one can obtain a second pest report but the second inspector will probably find more stuff that the first inspector missed. These reports are only as good as the inspector.
There is also the racket of pest companies trying to outsource the pest work at the consumer’s expense. I’ve said for years that pest companies should stick to inspections. Must be political lobbying that lets pest companies also bid on the work. Further, I’ve never read a pest report that didn’t contain padding, sometimes 30% or more. However, sellers are under zero obligation to use a pest company to clear the pest. And pest inspection reports stay on file for 2 years at the Pest Control Board.
When you hire your next Sacramento listing agent, why not hire an agent who understands pest reports and addresses market conditions? Avoid hiring an agent who works solely by rote because that’s the way it has always been done. Unless you like paying more for no good reason.
Cannot Get Off the Plane Without a Buyer Cancellation
Welcome to the Sacramento fall real estate market and the increasing likelihood of a buyer cancellation. No sooner did my plane land in Sacramento last night than I received a buyer cancellation. Couldn’t even get off the aircraft without a buyer flaking. Buyers are dropping like flies lately, left and right. One listing I’ve put back on the market four times. Count ’em, four times. That’s just nuts. The seller can’t believe his eyes. And it’s almost never about the property itself as it is about the buyer’s insecurities, confusion and ultimate inability to perform.
Now, I don’t hear these sorts of stories from my team members. On the Elizabeth Weintraub Team, I take the listings and my team members work with our buyers. Every once in a while they might work with a buyer who freaks out over a repair and elects to cancel, but it’s not happening at the rapid pace for them as it is on my listing end. So, that makes me wonder if other buyer’s agents aren’t qualifying their buyers or providing adequate counseling.
Hate to admit that the art of real estate counseling as taught almost 50 years ago is truly a lost art among many agents in this day and age. Such a shame. Charles Chatham should be rolling over in his grave.
The buyer cancellation I dealt with last night was on a property that took the buyer almost two weeks to decide to buy. Who waits two weeks to figure out if they should make an offer? In a market of limited inventory, rising prices and increasing interest rates? Probably a buyer who is not all that committed to start with.
If we sold real estate in Sacramento like they do in the Bay Area, this stuff would not be happening. When a buyer makes an offer in the Bay Area, typically that buyer receives upfront disclosures and reports to review. They also don’t employ a ton of weasel clauses like we do.
While in Hawaii, I’d been corresponding with Ken Harney at the Washington Post, after he reached out to me. Mostly to talk about why the public can’t view ethics violations at NAR. But also about our squirrelly local real estate market, which reflects what is happening nationally. He calls the Bay Area its “own separate universe,” and he’s right.
We’ll see how things go this weekend. This week has been fairly quiet, and often the first Sunday after Labor Day is busy. Keeping a buyer in escrow is tricky at best. And the real bummer is the listing agent has absolutely zero control over a buyer cancellation. The listing agent doesn’t talk to the buyer, can’t advise the buyer, and needs to remain hands off. Which means the person responsible for the buyer is the buyer’s agent.
Some buyer’s agents don’t even have the decency to call listing agents to discuss. Nope, they just shoot over the buyer cancellation in an email and call it a day.
Mauna Lani Beach vs Fairmont Beach on Big Island
Have you ever wondered about the Mauna Lani Beach vs Fairmont Beach on Big Island? I certainly have. Because after our stupendous afternoon at the best beach in all of West Hawaii, we headed out the same direction yesterday. Turns out the Mauna Lani Hotel is one of the few resorts I have not stayed at on Big Island. It’s a very old hotel with a dedicated following but in dire need of updating.
A woman in the gift shop where all jewelry was advertised 50% off is about to lose her job. Everybody in the gift shops pretty much will be out of work when they all shut down. About a year ago, the Mauna Lani Hotel was sold. The new owners are planning a $100 million renovation. The land alone, including the golf course, is valued at $67.5 million according to the Hawaii tax records. But it has seen better days.
Here is exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch strolling the beach to see Mauna Lani Beach vs Fairmont Beach. This is Mauna Lani, and you can see the sand is littered with shells, volcanic rock, very much unlike, say, Mauna Kea Beach with its sugar white sand. The surf is rough. There are large rocks in the water, and it’s littered with seaweed.
On the surface, Mauna Lani Beach has a good surf, very suitable for boogie boarding. But only if you don’t care if you’re thrown into the reef. The rocks were sharp on your feet without water shoes. Even the color of the water was a dark blue and uninviting. We all jumped in the water but within about 5 minutes, I asked if Josh and Vika would like to try a different beach. They did not hesitate. We left.
Instead, we opted for the turn in the road and headed for the Fairmont. In our quest to compare Mauna Lani Beach vs Fairmont Beach, I think it was clear that the Fairmont was a better choice. As luck would have it, the Fairmont also has a fair amount of renovation going on. Much sawing, pounding and noise. My favorite beach restaurant where you can sit in the sand was closed. In this photo, I am standing next to the quiet waters.
Because the beach restaurant was closed, the Fairmont opened a kitchen underneath a tent. Our lunch options were mostly sandwiches, fish and chips or a salad, with a few appetizers. Vika’s lunch seemed overly cooked and a bit burned. But when you’re staring at the water and snorkeling awaits, how bad can it be?
This was our view from the lunch table. Looking out over the secluded bay where I learned how to paddleboard many years ago. Those cabana chairs, btw, are not free. The Fairmont charges for them. When my husband and I stayed at the Fairmont in 2010, those cost $50 a day. These hotels charge upwards of $500 to $1,000 for a room and then they nickel and dime you to death.
But at the end of the day, when it comes to Mauna Lani Beach vs Fairmont, it’s easy to see which beach is better. Not to mention, we were able to do snorkeling at the Fairmont Orchid Beach. I spotted a white striped fish, cylindrical in shape, bury itself in the sand. Also, a green fish that was not a mahi-mahi I’ve never seen before.
By the time you read this blog, I will be sitting at the airport in Kailua-Kona studying fish on my iPad. On my way way back to Sacramento and the intense world of Sacramento Real Estate.
The Best Beach in all of West Hawaii is Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel has the best beach in all of West Hawaii hands down. Ask anybody. I can say that as a person who has swam at practically every single beach there is near Kona. The beach is white sugar sand, and it continues into the water as far as you can walk. The water is turquoise and a dozen shades of aqua, as well as warm and inviting.
At one point, Josh pointed to a dark spot in the water. Was it a honu? I swam after it, but it seemed to move. All of a sudden, my mind went to the turtle images Laura Dern conjured in the HBO series Enlightened.
There were not very many people on the beach, either. Our afternoon at the best beach in all of West Hawaii was absolutely perfect. Sure, I could have been cleaning the house or doing laundry or working on a blog, but I’d rather be at the beach. At the best beach in all of West Hawaii, I lounged on an oversized towel and chatted with a few clients on my cell. Where else in the world can you sell real estate in Sacramento when you’re sitting on the beach in Hawaii?
Jump in for a brisk swim or just float on your back. Life just doesn’t get any better than this. After swimming, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of salads and fish. Then we jumped into the water again. I also strolled the grounds of the Mauna Kea Hotel to find the 12th century buddha brought there by developer Laurance S. Rockefeller himself in 1965.
Below are photos from our afternoon. In a few, you can spot buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch and Vika carting boogie boards or lying in the sun. All of the resort beaches in Hawaii are open to the public.
Photos of Flowers and Ferns at Akaka Falls in Honomu
After we finished ziplining on Big Island, Vika asked to visit Akaka Falls in Honomu. This is one of the best known waterfalls on Big Island, although we have so many waterfalls. Vika and exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch discovered this glorious state park in Hawaii was closed when they had stayed at our Hawaii house last October. It had also been about 10 years since I’d been to the Akaka Falls. The park was near our Botantical World Adventure, so we made a point to visit before heading back to Kona.
After we paid our $5 to park, which included admission, we began the trek into this lush paradise. Akaka Falls is 422 feet high, and the word means split or to crack in Hawaiian. My eyes were not so much on the path as on the beautiful flowers and ferns growing like crazy in the park. Plus, when I heard a bird sing, I mimicked the sound through a whistle, and soon I found myself conversing with the birds.
It drizzled a bit but intermittently the sun peeked out. I snapped quite a few photos at Akaka Falls, so I hope you enjoy this effort below. After all, I shall be returning to Sacramento on Thursday. Back to the reality of Sacramento real estate. Only a few more blogs from Hawaii to go.
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