Email ElizabethHalf a Chicken and a Red Radio Flyer Wagon
Because I’m one of these systematic people, meaning I devise what I feel are clever ways to monitor my Sacramento real estate business such as staying on top of new listings coming up, escrows in progress, short sales about to be approved, that sort of thing, I also apply this analytical process to track stuff in my personal life. For example, I track my weight. Of course, of all days to look at how much weight one has has gained or lost over the year, what better day to do it than Thanksgiving, I ask you?
I know what you’re probably thinking right now, what kind of goofball counts calories on Thanksgiving? That’s a day to stuff your face and not think about the amount of fat swimming in the gravy you dumped all over your giant mound of dressing, which you had crafted to look like that mountain in Close Encounters of The Third Kind. Unfortunately, I am privy to the disgusting fact I never forget on Thanksgiving, which I will now share with you so you can recall it as well: adults on average gain 1 to 3 pounds every Thanksgiving. That equates to an extra 3,500 to an additional 10,000-plus calorie intake.
If you’re one of those skinny rails that can work it off just by glancing crosswise at the treadmill, well, we all secretly hate you. There is an image that sticks in my mind when I think about fat. It’s not that I watched The Oprah Show on a regular basis but I happened to catch one episode, for some unknown reason, in which she recently lost weight. Like most of us, she’s a yo-yo dieter. Oprah pulled on to the stage a red Radio Flyer wagon filled with 67 pounds of gross fat, which represented her weight loss at that point in her life.
The other thing that struck home was the sad fact I never woke up on Christmas morning to find a Radio Flyer wagon under the tree, no matter how many wish lists I scribbled to Santa Claus. My sisters and brother all at some point received a Radio Flyer wagon for Christmas or birthdays, but not me. You’d think being the oldest that I would have been the first to get a wagon, but it was not to be. This was a depressing moment from my childhood in the 1950s, not as bad as living with an abusive and alcoholic father, but I learned how to cope with that. I never learned how to cope with not receiving a Radio Flyer wagon.
My girlfriend, Margie Moreno, upon hearing that story in 1988, went out and bought me a red Radio Flyer wagon. She put it together herself and delivered it to my house with a big red bow. That wagon lives in my garage now. I use it in the garden and it’s become an integral part of my life. Margie has long ago died. Yet, memories survive just like calendars.
I pulled out my calendar yesterday and noted the weights I have posted over the past 11 months. Yes, goofy as it may seem, I track my weight every few days. When I averaged all of my weights, which believe me I struggle to maintain at my age, my weight had gone steadily downhill from January to July, and then back up to the point where I’m at the same weight as I was in January, plus two pounds. It could be worse. It could be 3 extra chickens, which would be an extra 12 pounds. But when I put it into perspective, the weight increase amounts to only half a chicken. That’s not so bad.
Back in the last century, chickens used to weigh 3 pounds a piece, but for some reason today they are much fatter, and now they all weigh 4 pounds or more. Could be chicken steroids. I use the chicken-weight method when I ponder weight gain or loss. When my husband mentioned that we have the power to just not go for a second helping at Thanksgiving yesterday, that was an extremely good idea. Who knew he was so motivational? Just like Oprah! Of course, we didn’t skip dessert, though. We’re not that foolish.
A Thanksgiving Message About Reaching Out and Touching
Thanksgiving seems to be such an innocuous holiday, it doesn’t offend anybody for religious reasons or any other reason — except maybe those who study history — and it’s such a good time to reach out and spam somebody. At least that’s what the marketing guys, and especially those engaged in the Sacramento real estate business, seem to believe.
You know, if I haven’t heard from you all year long, maybe today is not the best day to send me Thanksgiving greetings. Don’t reach out and touch me with your spammy emails and hokey Thanksgiving cards, for I am not grateful for a nonexistent relationship with a person I do not know. I also don’t want to thank anybody on your behalf, so don’t give me a list of organizations and individuals I’m supposed to reach out and touch, simply because you demanded it.
I asked one such spammer a few days ago to take me off his database. I’ll never refer anybody to him and now that his name is so deeply ingrained, shoved into the irritation portion of my brain where I store names to stay clear of, I’ll make it a purpose to tell my clients to hire any other person except this guy. Clueless marketing like this can backfire. Because when I asked him to remove me, instead of apologizing and doing it, he tried to defend himself by saying it was just a holiday greeting.
It’s spam. Don’t reach and touch me. This is almost as bad as showing up on my doorstep and ringing my doorbell over and over, begging me to buy whatever worthless crap you are selling. These are the days I wished I lived in a two-story home so I could pour water on the creep down below.
Save your Thanksgiving greetings for those people you know and care about. Wish the checkout clerk at the grocery store a Happy Thanksgiving because the poor guy is working today and you are not. But don’t think of this holiday as an opportunity to market and promote yourself. Give it a rest.
Success is Focusing on the Joy
Sometimes, people tell me that my blog is just what they need to read for that particular day, and I hope today’s blog is that inspiration for some of you. Today I want to talk about focusing on the joy.
One of my Elk Grove sellers called yesterday after putting her home into escrow to personally say thank you for the wonderful job of negotiation — which was appreciated by this Sacramento real estate agent. Everybody likes to be appreciated. I am especially thrilled when my clients are thrilled. It makes what I do meaningful and worthwhile. It also validates that all real estate agents are not the same, something often overlooked in this industry.
There are those in the public who believe all agents are identical to each other, and therefore, we should all be paid as little as possible, because they sadly believe that what agents do is something a trained monkey can do. It’s an insulting attitude toward agents, but I can’t help what other people believe. It’s also craziness. Get this, I have had a former client once ask me to cut my already approved commission and yet spend more money to sell his challenging and overpriced property. They don’t get it. No matter what we do, we can’t force them to get it. But we can spend our time instead focusing on the joy.
Downer and negative attitudes, well, that’s OK because there are plenty of sellers who work from a different framework. It’s human nature to gravitate toward people who like and trust you. How do companies attract loyal and dedicated employees? They treat them well, show respect and value their contributions to the company. How many companies do you know of nowadays that do that? They don’t denigrate and expect an employee to perform well. ‘Cuz employees will quit and walk off the job.
Except real estate agents. Real estate agents take more abuse than most because there seems to be more of it going around. Tempers flare. Unreasonable demands made. Particularly near the holidays. Fortunately, I don’t encounter rude or demanding people very often and, if I do, I manage to stay clear. My sellers are delightful; I’m happy to say. It gives me great pleasure to call them with good news. I spend my time focusing on the joy.
Like this morning, I was able to call a single mom and let her know that not only is her short sale approved by both lenders, but she’ll receive $3,000 at closing, and we are closing the day after Christmas. I have one more Happy Thanksgiving call to make this morning as well, to say the nervous buyer has finally emerged from underwriting and his loan will close. This is a special business for those of us who harbor the right attitude and surround ourselves with fabulous people.
Successful people tend to concentrate on focusing on the joy, what brings them joy. Happy Thanksgiving.
No Turkey Pot Pie For You
My idea of a happy ending to 2013 is to sell every single one of my listings in Sacramento by Christmas and, because of that goal, I forgot to make reservations for Thanksgiving. These sneaky holidays, always slipping into the calendar when I’m focused elsewhere.
We seem to always do something different for Thanksgiving. No year is the same. Last year we flew to the Midwest to celebrate Thanksgiving, so there wasn’t much to think about apart from turning off my computer and getting on the plane, or vice versa. The year before my sister and niece came to visit us from Minneapolis. Somewhere in between we had Thanksgiving at the Hyatt downtown, which is sort of like dining at the airport. And some years, until our friends moved to Boston, we’d join them at The Firehouse in Old Sacramento.
One of the thoughts that popped up in my mind this year was my husband could make a turkey pot pie, the old fashioned way. Something different, yeah? Except, not buy an entire turkey, just the thighs and drumsticks because my first preference is dark meat. Which is why I don’t like going out for Thanksgiving dinner because most restaurants serve processed turkey breast. Yuck. Sadly, the thought of a turkey pot pie did not excite the person I had expected to produce it.
Only because I didn’t create a Power Point presentation. If I had put together a slide show, starting with the cats bowing down on the floor in an obedient manner: you the man, you the man; followed by Thomas Dolby strolling through the kitchen playing a baby keyboard; then a slide showcasing a huge sunshine smile on my husband’s face as he’s rolling out dough, receiving a shoulder massage from his adoring lingerie-clad wife as he’s shelling peas; perhaps another sharing playful bites of turkey in a toothy tug-of-war like the dog we don’t have might do — he might have been induced to make a turkey pot pie.
But, as it is, no turkey pot pie. And I watched Thomas Dolby play 1980s music at the Crest, too. You’d think there would be a tradeoff.
Photo: Thomas Dolby at the Crest Theatre by Elizabeth Weintraub
Buying That Perfect Home in Elk Grove
Matching first-time home buyers for a home in Elk Grove with an experienced real estate agent is a brilliant way to pair the innocence of younger buyers with the wisdom of the grouchy. Because an experienced agent will just lay it on the line. Buy the damn house before somebody else snatches it from you, we’ll tell buyers. Why would we be so direct whereas another type of Elk Grove real estate agent might suggest buyers go home and sleep on this monumental decision?
Several reasons. First, been there and done that — painfully watched buyers lose the home of their dreams. It’s not true that every suburban house, for example, looks alike. Homes in Elk Grove differ from each other, sometimes dramatically, including location. Which is the second reason. When a house is special, generally agents can spot it way before the buyer will realize it.
I’ve talked with agents who know that their buyer is making a mistake when writing an offer to buy a home. The buyer either takes too long to reach the conclusion that an offer should be presented, or the buyer often doesn’t offer enough to beat out competition. Buyers don’t seem to get it that if they are out looking at homes, other buyers are, too. If they like a home in Elk Grove, other buyers will like it, too. These agents silently hope the buyer will learn the lesson early on and not get mad at the agent when the offer is too low and unacceptable.
Sometimes, listing agents will suggest a seller set a date for reviewing offers, but that strategy can backfire. It can also cause buyers who otherwise might have paid more not to make an offer. In today’s Elk Grove real estate market, it is better for sellers to deal with the offers as they arrive. If the home in Elk Grove is very desirable, priced right and comes on the market at the opportune time with a huge splash, that home will attract multiple offers without advertising for it.
If you see such a home, don’t go home to sleep on it. Ask your agent to call the listing agent and find out how many offers the seller has received. Write the very best offer that you can, and don’t hope, for goodness sake, that you can offer list price and buy the home. It doesn’t matter if the offer to purchase is cash, either.
Let’s just put it this way. You would be amazed at how many buyers in the $500K and up market are paying cash right now. They are not screwing around with non-conforming loans or whining about fluctuating interest rates. They are offering to pay all of the seller’s closing costs and paying over list price, when the home in Elk Grove warrants it. (That “when” is the important factor. Most homes sell for less. Look to your agent for guidance.)
If you know that you can put your lips together and blow to whistle, you are savvy enough to buy that home of your dreams. Just do it.
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