Email ElizabethA Visit to the Salton Sea
This photo is facing north on the eastern shores of the Salton Sea. If you look closely along the water’s edge, you will note thousands of tiny barnacle shells washed onto the sand.
It is 227 feet below sea level.
We ended up at the Salton Sea because check-in time at Borrego Springs Resort and Spa was 4 PM, so we decided to explore. Neither of us had been to the Salton Sea before. Knowing the sad story of this unique place, we felt we should check it out. To see what is left of what was once a celebrity-filled vacationland in the ’50s and ’60s.
To get to the Salton Sea State Recreation Park from Borrego Springs, you need to drive around the northern side to the eastern side of the lake. This photo is from Highway 86 on the western side. If you look closely, you can see the rows of palm trees planted near the water’s edge.
There are no motorized boats allowed on the Salton Sea, but you can go fishing if you want to drag a boat to the ramp. The main problem with this lake is the water is evaporating, which increases the salt content to such an extent (25% more than the ocean) that few types of fish can survive. Although Talapia do OK.
A plaque at the State Park Office said that Sonny Bono, before his death, had championed efforts to save the lake.
Such a unique place, home to more than 400 types of birds. It’s not just the salt content that is the problem, though, at the Salton Sea. Runoff from fertilizers and pesticides also contribute to the pollution.
There is not enough rainfall to sustain the lake because it was created by accident. The Colorado River swelled in 1904 and broke through canals, causing the flood that created this lake. Nobody figured out that it wasn’t sustainable.
So they started selling real estate like crazy, of course. Here is the Salton City Realty, still standing. This is not a place I would like to work. I recall the stories in the 1970s when I started working in real estate about the Salton Sea. Like Florida Swamp Land jokes. Way before I became a Sacramento Realtor.
Buyers Do Not Care What You Tell Them as Long As You Do
Buyers don’t care what you tell them as long as you tell them. That’s my opening statement when I hand home sellers a package of disclosures to complete. It’s the things you don’t tell a buyer that can come back to haunt you, not what you do say.
You take a neighborhood where I live and work like Land Park. Because I live in Land Park, I have intimate knowledge about the neighborhood, which agents who live outside of Land Park probably don’t know. If they don’t know, they can’t disclose those facts to a buyer. Although, it could probably be argued that they should know or should at least have asked questions of the seller.
On the front end of my marketing, I sell the delights of living in Land Park — the friendly neighbors, tree-canopied streets, fabulous restaurants and our special attractions such as William Land Park, the Sacramento Zoo, Fairy Tale Town, the Rock Garden, and Vic’s ice cream.
But there is also a downside — as there is with any neighborhood, I don’t care where you live. For example, I know which areas in Land Park routinely flood during a hard rain. I know where the feral cats, skunks, opossums and raccoons roam. Which streets get foot traffic and the origination of that traffic. When noise factors such as trains or freeways can be present. Parking ordinances. Which trees are protected. Selling homes in Land Park means more than what we used to call selling real estate in the old days: selling carpets and drapes. That used to be the definition of residential real estate sales in the 1970s.
The thing all Land Park agents know is after escrow closes, odds are something in that buyer’s new home will probably malfunction. And the minute it does, the buyer is likely to immediately jump to the conclusion that the seller knew about it and purposely withheld that information or concealed that defect. It’s human nature. We’re a suspicious bunch of people.
So, how do you bump up the odds that you won’t get sued after escrow closes? You hire an agent who can explain the inherent problems with some types of seller disclosures and can give you the right documents. You find an agent who knows the nuances of your neighborhood. I tell my sellers to disclose all material facts. If I know a material fact, I disclose it. I go into great detail about what a material fact is and why it’s important. I help sellers to recollect and disclose. We talk about the Transfer Disclosure Statement. Because buyers don’t care what you tell them as long as you do.
The other day a seller objected to a point I made in a disclosure. She wanted me to remove a sentence about the possibility that a neighbor’s dog might bark. No can do. The tenant told me the dog next door barked. I don’t know if the dog barks. The dog wasn’t barking in my presence. I noted that I did not hear the dog barking but the tenant said the dog barks and I will not investigate. This disclosure doesn’t appear in my marketing materials. It appears on the agent visual inspection, on which I obtain the buyer’s signature, along with a pile of other documents after offer acceptance.
I’m always thinking one step ahead of ways to protect my sellers yet conform to the law. That’s my job, and I take my job seriously.
The point is it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. I don’t want my sellers ever ending up in court. Not if I can help it. And I can. Because buyers don’t care what you tell them as long as you do.
Elizabeth is traveling today.
There is Not a Home for Every Buyer
Not only is there not a home for every buyer, but not every potential home buyer will buy a home in Sacramento this year, regardless of how much a buyer may yearn for a home. How do I know this? Because I speak with first-time home buyers who want to buy a home nearly every day. I listen to their wants and needs. From this information, I determine whether these buyers are realistic and motivated. See, a buyer can possess all the motivation and determination in the world, but if a buyer is stuck in fantasy land, the odds of buying a home are dramatically reduced.
I try to be non-judgmental. I know that buyers are not professional real estate agents and don’t possess intimate knowledge of the market. Part of my job is to educate buyers. Especially those who rely on Zillow or other websites that provide inaccurate information. Armed with knowledge, a buyer is then able to make an informed decision.
A few weeks ago, a buyer called to say she was unhappy with her agent because she wasn’t getting results. Since agents are generally in the real estate business to make a sale, it was entirely possible the problem wasn’t the agent. The buyer asked if I would research a particular home in Elk Grove. Her agent had shown her the property. She had not made an offer nor signed an exclusive buyer’s broker with this agent.
I called the listing agent. The agent had 5 offers, several of which were all-cash offers, and those all-cash offers exceeded the list price of $400,000. As with many listings that are very desirable, the home was definitely priced to drive multiple offers. Unfortunately, it makes little sense to compete in these types of situations if a buyer is unwilling to offer over the listed price. This is not a home for every buyer.
Then the buyer asked if she could buy this $400,000 home for $300,000. I explained all of the reasons why this type of approach was not going to work. Because this is not a home for every buyer.
A few hours later, the buyer emailed me to confess that she had gone back to see that home again with her agent. She was so overwhelmed with desire that she wrote an offer on the spot for $300,000. She asked if I would still work with her and show her other homes while she waits for an answer from the seller.
I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the buyer is not buying this home. This is almost too crazy for words.
Further, I am not in the business to swipe other agent’s clients. There’s enough business in Sacramento for everybody. I had explained earlier how real estate agents work and why this buyer should decide which buyer’s agent she wants to hire. She told me she really liked her agent but did not feel her agent could perform.
I suggested she stick with her agent. She performed contrary to her own best interests.
Elizabeth is traveling today.
Ziggy and the Talking Hamster
How could I have forgotten about Ziggy and the talking hamster? This is a plush toy for kids that my sister mailed to me last year, and I’ve been in Hawaii for so long I didn’t realize I had this. But there it was, in my bookcase, buried in all of my Lyon Real Estate awards.
It is the cutest thing. Of course, we don’t have any “real” children but we do have cats. And this is our youngest cat, Ziggy, who is a ragdoll, which is pretty much the perfect type of cat. Beautiful dispositions, so playful, lovable and sweet. My friend, JaCi Wallace, gave us this kitten when he was still a baby. He is still growing. He is almost two years old now, but has not reached his full size yet.
All the cats came over to see the hamster, but it was Ziggy and the talking hamster who bonded. Or, maybe it’s just that Ziggy figures every toy in the house obviously belongs to him and him alone.
When you speak out loud, the talking hamster repeats everything you say. Not only does it repeat what you say, but it shakes its body and trembles when it talks.
If you’re looking for hours of entertainment with your cat, the talking hamster is hilarious. Although, when you look closely of the photo of Ziggy and the talking hamster, it looks like Ziggy is thinking, “Hey, I didn’t see your lips move!” Smart kitty yet very suspicious of this amusement attraction on the floor.
Reduced Price for 2214 Davini Lane in 95818
The seller has authorized a reduced price for 2214 Davini Lane in 95818. Our last two comparable sales were at $489K, but the seller insisted we reduce the price to $475K. This is a $14,000 price reduction off the recent comparable sales. We are motivated to move this baby. What do you get for that price?
Well, you could pay about the same for a tiny 3 bedroom, 1 bath built in 1948 in Upper Land Park, or you could buy 2214 Davini Lane. Davini Lane was built in 2007, and it features 2 bedrooms, plus a loft and 3 baths. It has granite counters, wood-like floors, cherry cabinets and stainless appliances. You can also plug your electric car into the charger in the garage and save on utilities, too, because the solar is owned.
Or, you could buy a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, about 1,000 square feet over on Hullin Way, which is 980 square feet for $25K more at $499K. Or, maybe you want to buy in Curtis Park instead? There, you could buy a home 1,100 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath at $469K.
When you look at what else is available, the reduced price for 2214 Davini Lane in 95818 looks pretty darn good for what you get. A turnkey and spacious home of almost 1,500 square feet. Three levels of living space, comparable to the homes at the Mill at Broadway, but not all crammed together. And no HOA fee.
The reduced price for 2214 Davini Lane also gets you next to the Community Garden on 5th Street. You could apply for a gardening space, if you so desire. Or, you could simply enjoy a carefree living lifestyle, pretty much lock-and-go, in your new Southside Park home on Davini Lane. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759 for a private showing!
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