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Elizabeth Weintraub Top 1% Agent for 2018
This top 1% agent for 2018, namely yours truly, is not in this photograph as more beautiful women are. And why not? Josh Amolsch, Elizabeth Weintraub Team exclusive buyer’s agent (on the left), accepted the award on our behalf because yours truly is still hanging out in Hawaii. Oh, don’t worry, I’m finally coming home to Sacramento next week. Three and a half months of running amok on the Big Island is coming to an end.
In the middle, we have Sparkles (fits her personality to a T), who is the sister of the drop-dead gorgeous woman on the right, Victoria Gerassimenko. This summer, Victoria and Josh are getting married, and I could not be more excited for them. In fact, my own sister is a bit peeved with me, I suspect, because I had to switch around travel arrangements to make sure I would be available to attend their wedding in Lake Tahoe. Which meant my sister had to change her travel plans to come to Sacramento from Minnesota. I can hope she forgives me.
Last year was a bit tough in Sacramento real estate. We faced escalating prices, softening demand from buyers, and higher interest rates. Yet, we still placed as the top 1% agent for 2018, and I am proud of that fact. It is due to our well-oiled machine that keeps right on ticking when others drop the ball. I’ve got the best team members in the entire world, and I thank my lucky stars every single day. They are not just team members, they are my friends.
Here, from the left, is Dan Tharp, mortgage loan officer from Guild Mortgage, Shaundra Bradley, our wonderful transaction coordinator, and Josh Amolsch, exclusive buyer’s agent extraordinaire, accepting the top 1% agent for 2018 from the president of Lyon Real Estate.
Thank you, Dan, Rose, Shaundra, Josh, Vika, Sparkles, and everybody else who showed up on Friday to support the Weintraub Team at the Lyon Awards. I really enjoyed the hello video from Josh, too. Made me feel like I was there even though I’m relaxing on my lanai. Mahalo!
What Home Buyers Can Now Expect in Sacramento Real Estate
One thing to get straight right up front about what home buyers can now expect in Sacramento real estate is the market is not crashing. Our market is definitely not a bubble waiting to burst. Too many owners have too much equity and a higher number of sales have no loan at all. The scary no-doc loans given to any person with a pulse is absolutely not happening. However, what home buyers can now expect in our housing market is softer pricing. There are no smart sellers hoping for “my way or the highway” anymore.
Instead, smart sellers are viewing the competition with an eagle-eye lens. They are making their homes better priced and more attractive than the competition in hopes their home will sell faster. Oh, there are a few sellers still looking for that needle in the haystack, that unicorn buyer, but I definitely see that sort of attitude quickly changing.
What home buyers can now expect in Sacramento real estate is more negotiation. Prices are no longer firm. Many sellers are willing to help pay closing costs, too. There are not as many multiple offers for median priced homes, so buyers aren’t always getting beat out by cash buyers.
Another nice benefit for buyers is sellers are putting more work into getting their homes ready for market. Except for the flipper homes, for the most part, buyers can expect new paint, maybe new flooring and newer appliances. If a home isn’t up to their standards, they have 5 more that fit their dream list. And really, how many homes does a buyer need to buy, but one?
Typically, moving into Thanksgiving, our real estate market in Sacramento slows down for the winter. We are not likely to see a change in activity until probably March. This means home buyers have an excellent window of opportunity to find the home of their dreams, that perfect home in Sacramento. Interest rates are predicted to land in the 5.5 region next year, but for right now, they are hovering around 5%. Everything points to the best time to buy a home in Sacramento is over the next few months.
You can call the Elizabeth Weintraub Team at 916.233.6759. We’d love to help you find a home.
Why Buyers Should Hand Pick a Sacramento Buyer’s Agent
We’ve heard all the silly reasons why buyers don’t believe they should pick a Sacramento buyer’s agent, and those are not valid reasons. Ninety-nine percent of the time, buyers are better off sticking with their own representation to buy a house in Sacramento. Because they don’t know the real estate business from the inside out. Which means they sometimes resist the concept and do not want to pick a Sacramento buyer’s agent. If they truly understood how Sacramento real estate works, they would be clamoring for an agent to assist.
Instead, they think they can go to the listing agent. Or worse, I’ve heard buyers tell agents that yes, if they buy the house, they will use the agent who showed it to them. But they don’t know why they should pick a Sacramento buyer’s agent. They’d like to use any warm body who is available to open a door. And therein lies a major mistake on the part of home buyers. In today’s world, buyers with representation get better service, better protection and better negotiation over the any-warm-body-will-do mentality. Because choosing any warm body is more likely to mess you up than to offer service. There are thousands of warm bodies who are licensed to sell real estate in Sacramento, and most of those have little to no experience.
Let’s talk about going to the listing agent. I know what buyers are thinking. Buyers wrongly believe the listing agent will be so utterly greedy that she will do whatever is necessary to double-end the transaction (earn twice the commission), even if it means breaking fiduciary. Part of me wants to ask why would a buyer want to hire an unethical greedy agent to commit this crime for them? It is a crime. It is against the law to break fiduciary. When presented with a legal way to buy a house and a way that could get you sued by working with an unethical agent at best and criminal element at worst, why? Why take that risk? Why wouldn’t you want to instead hire the best negotiator you can get?
It doesn’t cost a buyer anything to hire a Sacramento buyer’s agent. Exclusive buyer’s agents represent buyers as their sole business model. Imagine how beneficial an exclusive buyer’s agent can be with all of that specialized experience? No distractions. They only represent buyers. No sellers. Imagine that wealth of knowledge and experience?
Of course, some buyer’s agents create bad experiences for buyers, I understand that. They don’t communicate well, don’t stay on top of new listings and rarely put the buyer’s interests above their own. However, a top notch exclusive buyer’s agent, especially from the Elizabeth Weintraub Team, is always on the ball. If you’re in the market to pick a Sacramento buyer’s agent, you may as well pick one of the best. We insist on fast communication, and we will email, text or call you immediately. Our clients receive top priority in our daily activities. You will never wonder what is the next step because we are already 3 steps ahead of you.
Go ahead and give us a try. You’ll be writing a 5-star review for us when escrow closes. To get started, call top producer Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759 for your personal consultation.
Throw Back to the Days of Sacramento Short Sales
Tropical storm Olivia approaches eastern Kauai. by: Josh Amolsch
If I didn’t know this was 2018 and not 2008, I would pinch myself and be happy we are not dealing with the attitudes of Sacramento short sales. Although, I did receive a call about a property in Elk Grove that was listed a bit over $400K, which suddenly dropped to $330K. The caller asked me if I thought $340K would work as an offer, so we had to discuss how short sales work. Why a bank would accept an offer, and how banks look at their BPOs. Still, I could work the comparable sales to arrange for a pretty good value that we could substantiate, but then the buyer never called back.
Almost 70% of my listings have been sold more than once and are now back on the market. You know what that means, right? It means that buyers are acting like the days of Sacramento short sales, i.e., eager to get into escrow but reluctant to stay put. When I talk with the exclusive buyer’s agents on the Elizabeth Weintraub Team, they say it is not unusual for them to spend a lot of time on the basics. Such as going over the purchase contract in detail, discussing how individual properties would meet long-term goals. Managing expectations.
This helps to prevent cold feet. Counseling buyers, making sure their needs are met. Not dragging them kicking and crying into escrow. Not every buyer is cut out to buy a house.
It was very common during the heydays of Sacramento short sales to have buyers cancel. But today, there is no reason other than anxiety, I suppose. Example, a starter home near downtown Sacramento has been in escrow four times. There is nothing wrong with the house. It’s been babied like no tomorrow, and the seller has been on top of every maintenance issue. We have a clear pest. But buyers are afraid.
I hope this stream of flakey buyers is just a quick rash that has stopped spreading. At least one thing is certain. We will never go back to the days of Sacramento short sales. The market might come to a slow-as-molasses rolling stop before leveling off, but it will never be a bubble bursting. Conditions for that kind of storm are non existent.
Exclusive Buyer’s Agent Josh Amolsch Arrives in Kona!
We’re so excited that our exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch arrived in Kona yesterday with the beautiful Vika! This is the first time that my husband and I have had the opportunity to welcome guests during our stay at our house in Hawaii. We tell all of our friends that they can come to visit us anytime but so far nobody has taken us up on that offer.
Of course, I have gone to Hawaii with exclusive buyer’s agent Barbara Dow in the past, but that was before we bought our house. Being with Barbara in Maui was a blast. One summer, Barbara and I spent 10 glorious days on the top floor of the Fairmont in Wailea on the lovely island of Maui. I will always treasure those memories and photos. See, the thing about the Elizabeth Weintraub Team is everybody is like family to me. We are not just real estate agents in Sacramento. We share common values and believe in always, without fail, doing the right thing.
For the clients who have been fortunate to work with our exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch, well, I hear over and over how grateful they felt working with Josh. He always goes that extra step. Each client is unique and special. Plus, Josh has an abundance of compassion for our clients. He loves to receive 5-star reviews from his buyers and works tirelessly toward that goal.
Sure, he might be a punk rock star at times, playing lead guitar at clubs about town in his spare time, but his heart is in real estate. Doesn’t matter if he’s selling million-dollar homes in El Dorado Hills or an investment property in Oak Park, I never tire of listening to his successes. His eyes light up when he talks about how much money he saved his buyers. He prides himself on his ability to negotiate, and we often discuss strategies together. He soaks up knowledge like a sponge.
If you’re looking for exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch and wondering why he doesn’t answer his phone at 8 AM, it’s because Hawaii does not adhere to daylight saving. We are three hours behind California. We are still working through the Labor Day weekend, even though we are all in Kona. More adventures are sure to follow.
