Email ElizabethJuly 4th Weekend is Blazing Hot for a Sacramento Real Estate Agent
Blame it on the weather. It’s been so hot in Sacramento this week — temps over 100 degrees — that people have reluctantly chosen to sit under a ceiling fan or inside an air-conditioned space, over venturing out into the city to do one’s usual activities. As such, perhaps the July 4th weekend of lying on the sofa, wiping perspiration from one’s brow and contemplating the ceiling is what has generated such an influx of calls to Sacramento real estate agents.
It’s as though the thought might have suddenly dawned on potential sellers that hey, we have a home to sell and, it’s not on the market or, it’s on the market and it’s not selling, time to find a new agent. Because I don’t know what else could have stirred up this sudden and intense listing activity.
Ordinarily, right around the July 4th weekend, business slows down. People go out of town. They visit with relatives — stuff their faces with potato salad and hot dogs — or they go shopping, whatever, they’re not calling real estate agents. But this 4th of July has been anything but quiet. Heck, usually I go out of town for the 4th of July but since I celebrated my 61st birthday in Sausalito last weekend, I figured I can’t be gone two weekends in a row. My phone didn’t ring much last weekend, and even my email was relatively quiet, given the 300 or so emails I receive every day. Email is the bane of my existence but, as a Sacramento real estate agent, it’s necessary.
I can handle the extra business, though. Last year, there were times my inventory consisted of 70+ homes. I had to buy a whole bunch of extra lockboxes. That influx of business caused me to be even more organized and to develop more systems to efficiently manage my operations.
People often think that selling real estate is all about sales. To be really successful, one must think like a small business owner; and it’s a different mindset that is combined with a strong sales ability. I’ve got 3 wonderful agents who support me as my team members, and their livelihood is in my business plan as well. Together, we operate like a well-oiled machine. Focus.
Which allows for the occasional hiccup flow of unexpected business. I don’t want any client to wonder if I’m too busy for them because I will make the time; I treat every client like they are the only client I have. You know why? Because if I don’t, someday they could be the only client I have, and that would be a sorry state of affairs for this Sacramento real estate agent.
Look for a bunch of new listings from this real estate agent on Monday. If you need to buy a home in the four-county area of Sacramento and are having a tough time, call Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. We’ll put you into a home.
Is a Sacramento REALTOR a Necessary Evil?
Be honest, is a Sacramento REALTOR a necessary evil or a good thing? I guess how a real estate agent is treated by a potential client is pretty good evidence of what that client thinks about real estate agents and REALTORs in general. There are sellers in Sacramento, for example, who clearly exhibit that they think REALTORs are worthless pieces of crap but a necessary path to selling a home. The troubling part is there are agents in Sacramento, on top of REALTORs, who will accept any kind of abuse to get a listing, that these kinds of people can continue to get away with rude behavior.
Maybe it’s this wild and wooly seller’s market in Sacramento that brings some of these people into the marketplace. I seem to be receiving an unusual number of phone calls from potential clients who appear to be as obnoxious as the day is long.
Where does a Sacramento REALTOR draw the line? First, I say give the potential client a benefit of a doubt. Maybe the potential client has had a bad experience in the past, which is not all that unusual, unfortunately, in real estate. Just like with any profession, you’ve got your good agents and your not-so-good. Second, I like to have several discussions with a potential client before accepting a listing.
If I notice a client talks over me, doesn’t listen to my advice nor seem to care about what I have to provide, quite frankly, I’m not interested in his or her business — because that person has exhibited a disregard for my services. That kind of attitude can lead to trouble and frustration down the road, a place I prefer not to stroll. I don’t engage in one-sided conversations just to pad my bank account.
I know there are agents who don’t care. I could not imagine being one of those agents. Their attitude seems to be that it’s OK to laugh all the way to the bank. If I had to be that kind of agent to survive, I’d quit the business. And that’s not to say there is anything wrong with those agents because there isn’t. In some ways, I admire their tenacity and ability to turn off. Somebody has to work the dredge, otherwise they’d all turn into FSBOs. I’m just glad it’s not me.
It’s a two-way street for this REALTOR. I value your business just as much as you value the experience and professionalism you are hiring. If you honestly believe all REALTORs are identical and it’s your right to exhibit little respect, I’m not your REALTOR.
I believed that principle when I sold $3 million a year, and I still believe it when I’m selling $30 million. My self respect is not for sale. Furthermore, that loss of business is not my loss.
However, if you want to hire a Sacramento REALTOR who has integrity, experience and a passion for helping people, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will treat you like the precious client you are and perform above your expectations. And that’s how I get the great client reviews I regularly receive. By carefully choosing my clients.
Please feel free to call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916 233 6759; I always answer my phone.
Today’s Risk in a Sacramento Short Sale
This fact seemed to come as a shock to a buyer’s agent the other day, but home buyers who are buying a short sale in Sacramento and waiting for short sale approval don’t get Brownie points for acting like a buyer. Buuuut my buyer waited, and he put his money in escrow, and that should count for something, the agent lamented. The agent was upset because the bank updated its BPO and now wanted more money. Sorry, behaving like a home buyer doesn’t earn anybody special favors.
Besides, that’s the risk of a short sale. With rising homes prices in Sacramento this spring, it’s even more of a risk as we move into summer. There is no guarantee that the price a buyer enters escrow with will be the same price a buyer will close escrow at. In fact, with the way some agents price short sales in Sacramento, there is no guarantee that the bank will even take that price. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, short sales ought to be priced in line with the comparable sales or where the comparable sales will rise, not below the comps.
I had explained to the agent when we received the counter offer that there are no renegotiations with this particular investor. There rarely is negotiation because the banks write the rules; and I’ve sold hundreds of short sales over the past 9 years — I’ve learned a thing or two from my closed short sales. It eats up more time to run around in circles with the bank, escalate the price issues and then be informed that the price is firm, like it was in the first place, than it does to replace the buyer. I’ve been working on this particular short sale for 9 months as buyer after buyer bailed as we watched BPOs bounce around. The buyer’s agent, however, still expected negotiations and didn’t appreciate the fact when I pointed out my advice seemed to have landed on deaf ears.
Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to a wall when I warn: no renegotiations. I’ve been to hell and back with this investor. It’s best to just give the investor what that particular investor demands and then close the deal. If that means issuing a Notice to the Buyer to Perform to sign an addendum increasing the price, then that’s what we do because we work for the seller. We treat all parties fairly, but my loyalty, as long as it’s not dual agency, lies with the seller.
If the buyer refuses to meet the investor’s demands, then the seller will find a buyer who will. Because those buyers are there.
I’ll tell you this, if you’re in a short sale situation right now as a buyer, thank your lucky stars if you get approval at the price you offered. I just closed another Elk Grove short sale this week that had dragged on since last fall. It was priced way below today’s prices. The bank did not increase the price. This lucky buyer was buying a home in Elk Grove at September 2012 prices. Which means when the vacant home was vandalized, and the buyer demanded a reduction, we chuckled. Hey, go out and see what you can buy at this price today. Nothing? Right! Now, let’s get this closed and stop whining about it.
What Happens When You Report for Jury Duty in Sacramento?
The defendant’s lawyer kicked this Sacramento real estate agent out of the jury box like yesterday’s news. I wish I could tell you what happened in that courtroom but I can’t until the trial is over. However, I can tell you what it was like for me to be called in to perform my civic responsibility by reporting for jury duty in Sacramento.
To start with, I walked away feeling a bit disappointed that I was unable to serve on the jury. I realize this goes against what most people think and verbalize about serving on a jury. I mean, what’s your first reaction when you receive a notice to appear for jury duty, known as a Summons for Jury Duty? Be honest! You groan. You don’t want to do it. You might say OMG. You might use a more descriptive four-letter word. It’s a little frightening for some people as well, I imagine. You wonder how you can get out of serving on a jury, and I am betting you go through all of these emotions because you’ve never served on a jury or been involved in the process, or maybe I’m just describing myself.
My reaction — that I was disappointed — astonished me. It was not what I had anticipated. I had been expecting to feel elated to have been dismissed, and that’s not what I felt. Here’s what led up to that experience:
I was expected to report to Room 203 in the Sacramento Courthouse, which is up the stairs and to the left. This is after putting my bag on a conveyor belt to be X-rayed and walking through Security. The directions aren’t very clear about what you’re supposed to do in that room, but first you line up on the red line in front of the windows. You hand the clerk your Summons for Jury Duty, take a badge holder from the box located right under your nose, which I missed, and pick up a 4-page form to fill out.
Then, you take a seat and wait. You can check your cellphone, read a book or buy snacks / drinks from a vending machine. Eventually, there will be a G-rated movie with Robin Williams. The first video we watched was a judge, a woman, talking about why we have Jury Duty and our responsibilities under the United States Constitution. I was very happy to see a woman chosen to make that video, and am reluctant to call any judge a “woman judge” using sex as a modifier, because judges should not be viewed as female or male, they are all Superior Court Judges.
Then another judge came into the room to talk to us. He said we would be astounded to learn how many citizens in Sacramento fail to appear under a Summons for Jury Duty, and the mere fact that we were present in that room meant our parents raised us correctly. He gave a little pep talk, thanked us for our service and left. I looked around the room. A beautiful woman walked by wearing a brown polka-dotted jumpsuit, offset by a tight brown belt around her tiny waist that accentuated one of the biggest rear ends I have ever seen. I couldn’t take my eyes off her huge butt. It was out of proportion to the rest of her body.
The jury room is a great people watching place!
Next, was a young woman in her 20s, with a long pony tail, dressed in a two-piece red and white striped t-shirt and skirt. The top portion seemed twisted in the back because the back of her bra was exposed. I wondered whether it was twisted on purpose and whether I would offend her if I tapped her shoulder to point this out. I don’t know about younger kids, I mean she might say it’s the way the outfit was designed and I should mind my own business, which is exactly what I ended up doing.
When we were called upstairs to the courtroom and seated in the jury box, the judge, again another woman and I was very happy about that, began to explain some simple basic concepts to us. I listened closely, and I heard something I sort of knew in the back of my mind but did not really understand nor fully appreciate until I was seated in that jury box. I’m talking about presumed innocence. We all know that we’re supposedly presumed innocent until proven guilty, or at least that’s the way many of us repeat it.
I don’t think the word “until” is used in this particular sentence in the law. Because “until” would imply that the accused is guilty and we just haven’t proved it yet. No, the defendant is innocent UNLESS proven guilty. Totally different meaning. If there was no evidence presented against the defendant, the judge would have to let the defendant go because the defendant is presumed innocent.
And they mean it. It’s not just an ideal that is not upheld. It’s our Constitutional Right. Everyone us, if we were brought before a jury of our peers, would need to be presumed innocent unless the prosecution presents convincing evidence to the contrary. What a concept. It never struck home like it did yesterday sitting in that courtroom. There is nothing like real life experience to help shape our attitudes.
Presumed innocent unless proven guilty. I mean, who knew?
If you ever receive a Summons for Jury Duty, I hope you will go.
Reporting for Jury Duty in Downtown Sacramento
My husband cannot figure out how I got to be the age of 61 and never called in for jury duty. I don’t know, either. I’m a registered voter. But today, that lucky streak is over. I am called to report to Superior Court in downtown Sacramento at the bright and early hour of 8 AM. I had asked for an exemption because I am the sole breadwinner for my family, and I am self-employed. To serve on a jury for any extended period of time would be a hardship, but I guess I made the mistake of mentioning that I am a Sacramento real estate agent, because my excuse was denied. It’s fun to be part of a profession that is despised by so many by mistake.
Serving on a jury has me freaked out. My husband, an unemployed journalist who used to cover the court many years ago in Chicago, gave me a practice run down, so I’d know what to expect. Shot a series of questions at me. Scary stuff like: “Have you ever committed a felony?” Whoa. I don’t know. Have I? I suppose I could have somewhere in my past, let me think. You know, I was a teenager in the 1960s. What exactly constitutes a felony?
He accused me of being obstructive and obtuse. I was being completely serious. I don’t know if I would make a good jury person. They say things like you must know whether a defendant is guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. I can always find reasonable doubt. Well, except for maybe O. J. Simpson. Good thing I wasn’t on that jury because we’d still be in deadlock, or whatever.
Sometimes, you can just look at a person and know they are guilty. Know what I mean? I can look at photos of people who are now dead in the death notices in the newspaper, and I can tell if they were nice people or total jerks. It’s in the photos, their eyes, the way they hold their mouth; I can sense the sincerity of the smile, the wrinkle above the eyebrow, and let’s not even get started talking about hairstyles.
I will be asked to set aside my thoughts, not to analyze, no prejudging and to base a decision based solely on the facts presented by opposing sides who are trying to twist the law into their own favor, and I really don’t know if I can do it. I hope that doesn’t make me a bad person.
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