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Spotlight: Homes for Sale in 95624 in Elk Grove
This weekend I’m meeting with my electrician and his wife in Elk Grove to talk about selling their home in 95624. As a top Elk Grove agent, I sell many homes in Elk Grove and, over the years, that city has developed into one of my speciality markets. The ZIP code of 95624 is close to the ZIP 95829, but that area of 95829 is in Sacramento, not in Elk Grove, even though homes in 95829 might be located in the same Elk Grove school district. All of the homes located in 95624 are within the city limits of Elk Grove.
Speaking of which, the schools are a primary reason many people with families choose to live in Elk Grove. There are 15 public and private elementary schools, 5 middle schools and 5 high schools, according to Trulia. Time Magazine in 2006 named Elk Grove as the fastest growing city in the United States, just as the housing market was beginning to crash. Many homeowners lost tremendous amounts of equity from 2006 to 2012. But today, we are on the road to recovery. Many people who thought they didn’t have any equity are amazed to discover that they can now freely sell their home in Elk Grove.
Homes in the 95624 ZIP code of Elk Grove priced between $350,000 and $400,000 can be more difficult to sell if the bulk of the homes in a given neighborhood are priced near $350,000 and you have that odd $400,000 home. But it doesn’t mean it won’t sell or that you won’t get top dollar for it. It just might take a little bit longer. I sold several in the upper end of that price range recently — closed a home in East Park at $385,000 last week and a Meritage Home in Britschgi Ranch will close shortly. In February, for example, there were only 7 homes in that price range that closed escrow. We’ll see an uptick this month, I predict. At the moment, MLS reports we have 229 homes for sale in 95624, which have not yet sold nor closed escrow.
The competition grows a bit more intense in the $300,000 to $350,000 range. Last February out of 29 listings in that range only 11 sold. That equals about 1 out of 3 homes. The hottest price range, though, is the “under $300,000,” those homes priced between $200,000 and $300,000. The pending sales in that price range for February exceeded the number of homes for sale.
And this is exactly where my electrician’s home is located. We’ll probably need to spruce it up a little bit because most people don’t live in the manner in which they would present a home for sale to the public. We live like real people and not characters in a fairy tale, but it is the fairy tale I will sell. This is a one-story home in a neighborhood in which many investors have flipped homes, and it’s a popular place to live.
I talk to everybody about real estate because it’s my passion. Even when I’m having an extra electrical receptacle placed under my home office desk. Thinking about buying or selling a home in 95624? Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759.
Finding Your Best Elk Grove Real Estate Agent Has Nothing to Do With Commission
When the first words out of a potential seller’s lips in Elk Grove are how much is your commission, I figure I’m talking with a person who doesn’t really understand the value of an excellent Elk Grove real estate agent — whose clients call her the best Elk Grove agent they’ve ever hired. In fact, it’s quite likely the individual believes all real estate agents are the same, which is too bad, and the person sees no value in paying an agent her worth because, down deep, they believe the agent is “worthless but necessary.” It’s an incredible insult, yet the caller sees it as shrewd negotiating and continues to try to kick the commission down a percentage point or two. These sellers are simply focusing on the wrong thing.
I always tell sellers that they can find a cheaper agent and an agent who will offer discounted and lesser services. Although all commissions are negotiable, I charge the same percentage I have always charged for the past 40 years. In exchange, they’ll get superior service, and my expertise will more than pay back more than my commission because they’ll probably get more for their home and enjoy a smooth escrow. I manage details, stay on top of my transactions and promptly communicate.
This is why I was not completely stunned when clients decided I deserved more than my commission, but I was stunned by their expression of gratitude. These were delightful sellers I met over FaceTime when I put a contractor’s box on their home and took them on a virtual tour in real time. They lived out of state. I helped them to prepare their home for sale, and gave them advice about what they needed to do to appeal to today’s Elk Grove home buyers.
Later, held numerous open houses, plastered the home everywhere online through extensive marketing, and followed up on every single showing. Some buyers who came through the open houses thought the home was priced too high — based on smaller homes in the neighborhood that sold for less. For some stupid reason, they wanted to pay the same price for a big home as for a small home. But I championed on and, sure enough, this was one of the few homes in Elk Grove that sold for more than list price.
The sellers sent me an unexpected Christmas gift from Nordstrom, an expensive perfume set. Last week, I received a bottle of Bollinger Cuvee Champagne. When we closed escrow on Friday, a Nordstrom gift box arrived, containing a certificate easily exchangeable for a pair of Jimmy Choos. Holy cow! When I thanked them profusely for such overwhelming generosity, they responded: “You really went above and beyond and felt put in effort on our behalf greater than we have seen from any other REALTOR. We felt that for you to simply get the same rewards as a REALTOR doing just what they needed to wasn’t appropriate.”
So don’t listen to this full-service Elk Grove agent substantiate her commission, listen to happy sellers. If you don’t feel this way about your agent, maybe you’re working with the wrong agent.
Why It’s a Bad Idea to Be a For Sale By Owner — FSBO — in Sacramento
Although I have done it myself in the past — back when I was young and foolish with not nearly as many wrinkles as I have today — I still don’t advise it. I’m not saying this because I am a Sacramento real estate agent. I’m promoting this because I’ve been in the business long enough to know how many small things that can mushroom into big things can go wrong in a real estate transaction and, for that reason alone, you need a real estate agent. It’s just not a good idea to try to sell your home yourself as a FSBO (for sale by owner).
A seller in the Elk Grove area called me yesterday. He asked if I recalled our meeting in my midtown office 3 weeks ago. He had been interviewing Elk Grove agents to sell his home in the Elk Grove area. I sell a lot of homes in Elk Grove and Laguna, primarily because that’s where many homes are for sale and these neighborhoods are in high demand right now.
I did remember meeting him. In fact, before our meeting, I had emailed him a CMA for his home. We spent a good hour at my office going over the plat map, the county records, discussing how he needed to bring some technical aspects up-to-date, pouring over the comparable sales, explaining how to adjust the comps by adding / subtracting for improvements and variations. I also gave him a range of price in which I felt his home would sell, but cautioned that it may sell for more than our asking price in this seller’s market. It’s hard to predict exactly what a desperate buyer might do.
The reason that he called was to tell me out of all the agents he interviewed, he felt I was best suited for him and the most professional. However, and yes, there was that little BUT in his voice, he has decided to sell to his tenant and he is selling the home himself as a for sale by owner. I had done such a great job presenting what I would do and how I would do it, that I made it look too easy. This guy somehow believes he could do it himself.
He probably can sell it himself, but will it close at the sales price? Did he get the highest sales price he could possibly get in this market? Was his home exposed to the largest pool of buyers to get him the highest price? What will he do if the underwriter throws out the buyer’s loan at the 11th hour? How will he handle technical title issues that affect his land? What comparable sales will he give to the appraiser to assist the appraiser in determining value should the present comps fail to support him? How will he handle the home inspection? Will he fill out the disclosures correctly, and does he have a list of every disclosure the seller needs to provide?
He thinks he will walk out of this transaction with a big chunk of change. Money that he would like me to help him to invest in fixers. Although, he has no experience buying fixers to flip, and there are very few opportunities in Sacramento at the moment. He doesn’t strike me as a flipper. But he also didn’t strike me as a person who would try to sell his home by himself. The main reason to try to do that is to try to save commission, but in his case, he is probably losing more money than the commission would have cost him.
He asked me about the FIRPTA. How should he fill it out?
Really? He’ s got to ask himself that question, not a person who does not represent him. If he wants to be his own real estate agent and represent himself, he’s got to pull himself up by his bootstraps and get with the program.
