Email ElizabethSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is Excellent
My idea of a fun Sunday afternoon was not go to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, because animated and action movies are not usually number one on my list of movies to see. I initially suggested snorkeling at Honokohau. However, it’s a movie my husband wanted to see, and while I hate to say he is right about things at times, sometimes he is on to something.
In fact, when it comes to movies, he is almost always right about which movie I will enjoy. We’re pretty much on the same page about movies.
The animation in the movie will make you forget that these are not real people in front of you. They seem real. Like Avatar seemed real, even though the people were mythical. When I say real people, I mean I know Spider-Man cannot really climb up walls or zip about New York City flying from building top to building top. But it sucks you in.
Although, when I read the movie description in the Regal app, it provided a warning about how people prone to epileptic seizures might die or have an attack from the graphics and photos. But that’s only if you are are an epileptic, I think. I took my chances on death.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was entertaining and it pulled me in to the storyline from the beginning to the end. You don’t have to be a Spider-fanatic to appreciate the movie, but die-hard Spider-Man fans will get more of the insider jokes.
Great cast, too. Jake Johnson and Lily Tomlin and even Nicholas Cage. Of course, the guy who stole the show was Shameik Moore who played the new Spider-Man. Go see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and be swept away to an alternate universe for a few hours.
Sacramento Home Buyers Need Agents to Represent Them
Without a doubt there are buyers who don’t realize that Sacramento home buyers need agents to represent them. I am not talking about going to a listing agent and requesting dual agency because, believe it or not, some listing agents will refuse to grant that request. It is also not in the buyer’s best interests. Sacramento home buyers need agents, meaning an exclusive buyer’s agent to guide and advise.
Oh, I know there are buyers who will immediately offer the extraordinary expertise they gained 5 years ago when they bought a home in another area. They learned so much in that one sole transaction, they don’t need any help whatsoever. Except they do.
Especially in today’s market place in Sacramento. We are transitioning to a buyer’s market. Months of inventory is only one factor to determine a buyer’s or seller’s market. I examine trends, which is easy for me to establish since I sell so many more homes than your average agent.
You may be astonished to learn that in this market, most of my listings initially receive lowball offers from home buyers. I’m not sure if the buyers simply refuse to listen to the agents they hired to represent them, or if they are disconnected from what is happening. Of course, sellers typically do not accept lowball offers, at least not on my watch. My listings tend to sell at list price or better, regardless.
I do not know what possesses buyers to think they should offer such embarrassingly low prices the first week on market. Some agents I hear just don’t have the energy to argue with their buyers or make them understand why that strategy backfires.
Even though Sacramento home buyers need agents to represent them, some act as though their agent works for somebody else. They don’t trust their agent to do a good job for them so they discount important information that could help them get into escrow. What I don’t understand is if they think their agent doesn’t know anything, why don’t they hire an agent with experience instead? Why do they stick with an agent with little knowledge who also annoys them?
Well, I suppose they could share a surname. That would be a reason.
Or, maybe they think their agent doesn’t realize what bad treatment they sometimes receive when they try to deliver facts. They know how badly they are treated by some buyers. Still, buyer’s agents tend to possess a strong desire to help.
Sadly, I imagine some buyers will simply never know how wonderful it can be to work with an advocate who tirelessly champions their best interests.
Have You Seen an Oleandar Hawk Moth Caterpillar?
This is an oleander hawk moth caterpillar, and isn’t it sinister looking? Those eyes look wicked, like an alien, a possessed alien, because I know so many aliens on a personal level. Not to mention, check out that little stub of a devil tail at the other end. You may be amazed to know the eyes are not really eyes. They are false eyes, or eyespots.
I found this oleander hawk moth caterpillar crawling across my front porch in Kona because it caught my eye after I opened the door. When I tried to guide it to a better spot, it immediately curled up. But it looks like it would want to eat me alive if it were ten times my size. Doesn’t it? Like it’s ticked off it is not bigger or it would show me exactly how mean it could be.
My neighbor told me there is an oleander tree at the end of my street, across the park. So tomorrow I am going over there to check it out. I have never seen a oleander hawk moth in real life. Feast your eyes on the picture below.
Yup, this is what the moth looks like when the caterpillar goes through metamorphosis. It is pink and green, yet resembles a fighter plane in camouflage, no? Just more weird critters in Hawaii. Tomorrow I will search for the oleander hawk moth caterpillars but maybe all I will find are chrysalis.
The oleander hawk moth looks more like a butterfly than a moth. Although it beats its wings very fast when flying, which is different from the fluttering of a butterfly.
Oh, the things I learn selling Sacramento real estate while in Hawaii. I talked with a potential seller a few days ago, and she seemed very surprised to learn I was still in Hawaii. She said it is something she needs to think about, even though I explained that real estate is handled basically by phone and computers. My team member will FaceTime me through the property, and I can meet her that way.
Sheesh, there are sellers I never meet because they don’t live in Sacramento. I sell many properties for sellers I never greet face-to-face much less even FaceTime!
I respond immediately to my clients. Most never know where I am, they just know I get the job done smoothly, efficiently and they are thrilled. How hard is it to wrap your head around those facts? In all of 2018, I probably spent half the year in Hawaii, yet I rank in the top 1% of all agents in Sacramento.
Performance and results is what counts. Not where I lay my head at night.
Well, it’s my fault for sharing anything personal with a potential client. The less I disclose about my personal life, probably better.
Are You Ready for MLS Enhancements?
It is nice to see that a person or persons are thinking over at MLS because they are calling their mandated updates — decided without input from the membership — MLS enhancements. In some ways, though, the changes are enhancements. Are you ready? Because all listings supposedly converted two days ago. I only know this because I spotted a warning that other features might not work correctly because of the updates, um . . . enhancements.
One of the best changes are the increase of allotted letters and spaces in the marketing comments and confidential remarks in MLS. We were bound by 500 characters for so long. Not anymore. Now, with the new MLS enhancements, we can enjoy 1,000 characters for marketing and an increase from 300 to 1,300 characters for confidential remarks. We can yak away!
Although I figure the added stress will definitely backfire for some agents. Those are the agents who struggle to describe a property. And let’s face it, some properties are so boiler-plate, they have difficulty. Those are the agents, I’m afraid, who do not know how to write about a brick in the wall. Which of course I can do. They can’t even write about the wall, much less the perimeter of the property on which the wall resides.
Further, our allotment of photographs has leapfrogged from 36 to 99 photos. Personally, I’m having a hard time imagining a listing that would require 99 photos to adequately tell the story. There are only so many angles in which to shoot a bedroom. I suppose we could look under the bed. Or in the closets. Maybe inside the medicine cabinet?
And speaking of photos, MLS contacted me a few days ago to say one of my photographs was not in compliance. The way that sort of thing happens is some agent, and it is a listing agent, reports the violation to MLS, and then MLS follows up. My listing photo was not in violation. It was shot from the property. With a zoom lens, but still it was shot from the property, which is a MLS rule. MLS removed it anyway, even though it was in compliance, and frankly is not worth the energy to argue over such trivial shit. But what a pissant.
But back to the MLS enhancements. Some of the changes pertain to legal liability such as adding a field for surveillance equipment. I imagine it’s to let buyer’s agent know they should watch what they say and do within view of the surveillance equipment. So, that’s gonna put a stop to discussing the merits of the property in front of the Ring doorbell or opening the refrigerator to swipe a Coke. Oh, who am I kidding, agents would have to read MLS.
Some of the other MLS enhancements include re-naming a sold property now as closed. Not sure the reason for that. And many of the statuses have changed. Personally, I’ve always liked active release clause as a strategy, but now that is gone in favor of contingent show.
One of the clauses is likely to draw the ire of sellers, though. I’m not sure they thought this one through, but one of the MLS enhancements is to include the now required status of Notice of Default. To me, that is an invasion of the seller’s personal financial situation that is really not anybody’s business. Now, buyers will know if a seller has fallen behind on her mortgage payments.
It used to be we could enter a listing that was in default into MLS as a regular listing. As long as we could close escrow prior to the sale date, the parties do not need to know upfront that the seller is experiencing financial difficulties. I do not see a logical reason to make this a listing status because it will hurt the seller. It eliminates any negotiating power the seller could hold.
Besides, as a matter of disclosure, once an offer has been accepted and we are in escrow, the preliminary title report will show the Notice of Default. Further, the Notice of Default is also noted on the Realist, which any buyer’s agent can access to analyze. Publicizing the seller’s personal financial situation to a buyer means the seller will lose equity. Once a buyer knows the seller is hurting, buyers will attack. Just does not seem fair to sellers, and I hope MetroList reconsiders.
When pigs fly, I’m afraid. Or enough lawsuits are filed.
December 2018 Report Sacramento Housing Market
The December 2018 Sacramento Housing Market is not pretty from a seller’s point of view, but from a buyer’s point of view, it is beautiful. This is not to say that sellers should not be selling because if a seller owns a gorgeous home in a fantastic location, it will quickly sell. The others, not so much unless they are priced accordingly, and that is a struggle.
Because you don’t work in the Sacramento real estate business for as long as I have without knowing that almost every seller thinks they have a gorgeous home in a fantastic location. So that means I have my job cut out for me in 2019, because it will be a lot tougher for us Sacramento listing agents.
For this Sacramento listing agent, I am not concerned. I can weather any kind of market because I’ve been in real estate for over 40 years.
Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but my Elizabeth Weintraub Team placed in the top 3 agents at Lyon Real Estate for the month of December. What makes this particular feat of worthy note is three-fold.
- About $2.5 million of sales rolled into January and did not even close in December!
- I spent the entire month of December in Hawaii, still working!
- And the company has close to 1,000 agents so to place in the top 3 is an honor. How do you like those pineapples?
Which means you absolutely cannot say the December 2018 Sacramento Housing Market is faring poorly. It’s doing just fine for some of us. However, inventory is up almost 30% over last year at this time. The number of homes sold in December of 2018 as compared to December of 2017 is down by more than 26%. And pending sales for December over a year ago have fallen by 11%.
What the December 2018 Sacramento Housing Report should signify to sellers and buyers is the market has transitioned to a buyer’s market. Twice the inventory offers twice the choices for buyers. Further, the second take away is if you are thinking about selling, try to make your home conform to what buyers want. Buyers will not overlook defects or dated houses, even if you think they will because you would. They won’t. And third, hire the best damn listing agent you can find. This is definitely not a time to consider discount agents with little experience.
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