Email ElizabethClosing Escrows In Rural Elk Grove, South County of Sacramento
Closing escrows in rural Elk Grove, the southern part of Sacramento County, is one of my favorite places for selling real estate. There are many aspects to rural sales such as there are several environmental issues to be aware of. Be aware of the utility easements for power. The fire department has access as well. There are some areas of flooding to be aware of. Lenders have federal requirements for flood insurance certificates. Of course, if you buy with cash no insurance is required, but use common sense as flooding repairs can be costly.
Freshwater wells and septic tanks can be problematic depending on age and use. There are zoning restrictions and numerous other factors such as the Williamson Act. Pricing rural real estate is anything but cookie-cutter, as these properties are not subdivisions. This is all about custom pricing and knowing an area.
There are also fencing requirements for livestock and the usability of the land. Having custom gated entrances is a big plus. Some properties have horse amenities, such as mare motels, hot walkers, covered riding arenas, round pens, feed storage, tack rooms, shavings bins and palpation chutes. Ponds and trees, too, have so much appeal to buyers.
This is a photo of 80 gorgeous acres. The barn is an old original dairy barn. When you walk through this barn, you can imagine the cows eating hay out of the mangers and mooing while being milked. You can almost imagine all the pails of fresh milk.
The photo above gives you an overview of the stunning acreage. Closing escrows in rural Elk Grove is always appreciated by the sellers. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we will be posting some new photos of another gorgeous rural property located in Sloughhouse, California,
Call Weintraub and Wallace Realtors, with RE/MAX Gold, to list and sell your property. We can be reached at 916-233-6759.
— JaCi Wallace
Being Named A Successor Trustee As A Professional Fiduciary
Being named a successor trustee as a Professional Fiduciary is a seriously responsible job. What made me think of this is I work with Professional Fiduciaries. They represent people who need representation as they don’t have a family member or a friend they trust enough to take the job. Often, they have no family.
A Professional Fiduciary gets paid, of course. They go to doctors’ appointments, hospital stays, pick up prescriptions. They even purchase memory foam mattresses to keep their clients more comfortable. It is not inexpensive to have professional care, but it is a lot less than going into a care facility. Professional Fiduciary cases often prolong independent living in most cases.
One of my fiduciaries was at the hospital yesterday for four hours as one of her clients had a procedure. I often talk to her at night, and she is at the hospital until the early hours after midnight. She also pays bills for them. Her job entails taking care of their home and whatever else needs doing. Being named a successor trustee as a Professional Fiduciary is a vast job and carries so much accountability to the courts.
A few years ago I met a couple who wanted to buy a home in Elk Grove at Del Webb. I became very close friends with them. Unfortunately, the husband was also very sick with a horrible disease. They had no children. Sadly he passed away. I became the Successor Trustee for their trust. I am not receiving anything from the trust and I don’t want a red cent.
My friend has family members to help with the daily functions. I would be called in the event she became unable to care for herself, or doctors feel it is time for hospice. In the event she passed away, I would then administer the trust so her assets could be liquidated, including her primary residence. After the liquidation, the assets could be distributed to her heirs. She is doing well so I expect many happy years of visiting my friend.
Please call Weintraub & Wallace with RE/MAX Gold, if you would like to buy or sell a home. We represent a large number of Trustees and Successor Trustees as well as probate court sales. We can be reached at 916-223-6759.
Weintraub & Wallace
A Creative Sink For A Sacramento Remodel
A creative sink for a Sacramento remodel is an understatement. A client vacationing in Europe took this photo today while in Naples. It was in a restroom based inside a coffee shop. I love coffee so much and this would be such a fun idea, one that I would seriously consider. I think our Sacramento real estate team Instagram page would benefit from this idea to share.
If you are thinking of remodeling and replacing that tired old bathroom sink, this would certainly be a conversation piece. I’m sure your house guests would all have interesting comments and probably even wash their hands more often.
This is definitely a sink for a Sacramento remodel; just look at how many coffee shops we have in town. Just imagine your plumbing contractor having some fun installing it, brings more pictures to the mind, doesn’t it? I’m sure the plumber would be thinking, hmm? Enjoy the picture and I hope you get a chuckle out of it as I sure did.
This reminds me of a blog Elizabeth previously published regarding a lotus-shaped sink. If you are looking for a unique new sink design with an interesting twist on a water feature, we have a couple of ideas for you. These sinks would make amazing outdoor fountains as well. The possibilities are endless, if you think outside the box.
We have creative ideas to help sell your home. You can be sure that any Realtor who shows a home with a coffee cup sink will not forget it anytime soon. Call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors, with RE/MAX Gold. We can be reached at 916-233-6759.
–JaCi Wallace
Treat the Realtor You Want to Hire With the Same Respect You Expect
Treat the Realtor you want to hire with the same respect you expect for yourself is no different than the Golden Rule. Below is an excerpt from a blog my partner, Elizabeth Weintraub, wrote in August of 2012; it is in italics. As Realtors are paid to sell you a home, occasionally some clients feel that a Realtor doesn’t deserve to be treated well. You know, sellers and buyers get paid to do their job and they would expect fair treatment in the workplace.
I remember a situation where I was not treated fairly. I was trying to explain the details of an offer to a seller. One of the clients immediately barked at me. He said that he had sold homes before and didn’t need to be “talked down to.” Of course, the flip side to that is Realtors are accused of not explaining enough. I apologized and said that my only intent was to provide a gold standard of service and to be thorough.
With some people, you can’t win, no matter how hard you try. We care about each person we help. There is a standard of care we provide, even if we get barked at. Explaining the details is what we are paid to do. When we sell a home, we want clients to feel they had the level of service and care they expected and, more importantly, deserved. Luckily, most clients are kind and appreciative, many become friends. Selling Sacramento real estate is a rewarding job. To this day, 25 years later, I still love what I do. Read on from Elizabeth:
“I work fervently from 5 AM to 7 PM during the week. Much of my day is spent reacting to fires, especially working on 50 short sales or so at a time. Sometimes, I receive more than 500 emails a day. But if you want to be a client, I will call you back. If you are a client, I will call you back. If you are an agent calling on an active listing, I will call you back. This is a service business, and I never forget it. I respect the time of other people.
I had to chuckle, though, when I received an email on Friday from a seller I had never met (and never will meet). She had sent me an email a few days earlier saying she wanted to sell her home in Rocklin. I immediately called and left her a message on her cellphone. No response. Then I sent an email. No response. Four or five hours later, I called and left her another message. No response.
Then, on Friday, she sent an email to say she was feeling ill and could not meet with me, we would need to reschedule, although we had not scheduled an appointment. Obviously, she was in communication with a bunch of other agents. Can’t keep us all straight, I guess. Some days I’m just damn lucky. I’m confident she will find an agent she deserves.” — Elizabeth Weintraub
If the Realtor you want to hire is a professional who provides full-service real estate services, call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors with RE/MAX Gold. We can be reached at 916-233-6759.
— JaCi Wallace
Home Buyer Can Kiss His Earnest Money Deposit Goodbye
A homebuyer can kiss his earnest money deposit goodbye. You may ask, How can a home buyer kiss her money goodbye? The excerpt below in italics is from a blog Elizabeth wrote several years ago. It still holds today. It got me to thinking about a tricky technicality in this deposit forfeiture that you may find interesting.
I represented two buyers on a short sale in Roseville. She and her fiance bought it together. The listing agent was someone who said he was the #1 short sale agent in Sacramento, but, of course, we all know that title was well deserved and earned by the one and only, Elizabeth Weintraub. Well, the couple broke up. Mister buyer went packing, and he had not been removed from the contract, nor did the listing agent ever request it. Should I have removed him, probably, but I knew these two, and they broke up and went back together regularly.
Miss Buyer had removed her contingencies, but Mister had not signed as they were squabbling. Well, lo and behold, I send the cancellation to the listing agent. He replies: we are keeping the buyers’ deposit. I reminded him that Mister Buyer had not released his contingencies. He said, but they broke up, and Miss Buyer released her contingencies.
Well, the seller took my clients to a Small Claims Court. I went with them to testify. I showed the judge our documents and explained Mister had not been removed from the purchase agreement and had not released contingencies. I added one more thing. Your Honor, a seller cannot profit from a short sale and must disclose any funds and income received.
The seller had since sold the property. The judge said as she can not profit and as she had sold her house, what were her damages? I reminded him she was not making payments; that’s why it was a short sale. I said if the deposit were found to be in jeopardy, the bank would be the party to receive those funds. OMG, the seller went crazy. She asked the judge why wasn’t her agent there with her? She said that I should have told her that her agent should have attended court with her.
You get what you pay for. Full service means I accompany my clients to Small Claims. The judge explained to the seller that I did not represent her and was not responsible for her agent’s absence. Additionally, I wasn’t responsible for explaining anything to her. What do you think happened? The judge ordered a full return of my client’s deposit. He did not have to kiss his earnest money deposit goodbye.
Now, for more from Elizabeth:
As a Sacramento real estate agent, I take precautions on behalf of sellers. It’s my job. For example, I routinely ask the buyer to sign a contingency release by the termination date for contingencies. Many listing agents don’t demand a contingency release from buyers because they don’t want to rock the boat or they don’t think of it. What a contingency release does, providing all of the contingencies are released, is put the buyer’s earnest money deposit at risk. It basically says if the buyer later elects to cancel, the earnest money deposit belongs to the seller.
Of course, if the buyer wants to contest the release, the money is not automatically released. Escrow requires mutual consent. In that case, the seller can take the buyer to Small Claims court and fight for the deposit there. Either way, once contingencies are released, the seller is generally entitled to the earnest money deposit. Elizabeth Weintraub.
If you want to have confidence that if you end up in Small Claims we will be right there with you, call Weintraub & Wallace with RE/MAX Gold for full-service representation. We can be reached at 916-233-6759. –JaCi Wallace
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