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Selling a Newer Home in Elk Grove is Not Always Easy
Selling a newer home in Elk Grove can mean overcoming obstacles.
When an Elk Grove seller called me about selling a newer home in Elk Grove, she thought it would be a piece of cake. Apparently the seller interviewed a bunch of Elk Grove Realtors and rejected them all until she met me. She wanted to hire me because she heard I sold the house on the corner in one day at a record price. I did do that. But I simply lucked out by selling to a buyer from the Bay Area for all cash. The price I sold it at would not have appraised. No comps to support it.
I pointed this out to the seller and suggested we start the list price at the same price. It was the same square footage. Similar condition. This seller was leaving for Europe shortly but I assured her once we had an offer, she could sign the deed at title and be done with that part. Everything else could be handled via email and web.
No sooner did we put this home on the market than bam, we received a full-price offer. I sent the offer to the seller and asked her what she thought. She didn’t want to take the offer. She didn’t like the buyers. Her gut instincts told her not to sell to those people. Well, you can’t really do that when you’re selling a newer home in Elk Grove. If she didn’t want to take the offer, we would need to raise the price. I removed the home from MLS, signed a new listing at a higher price. This also reset the days on market and made it look like it was a brand new listing.
Talk about a crazy market. We raised the price and the same buyers wrote another offer at the new price. This time the seller accepted the offer. Within a week, the buyers developed cold feet and canceled without cause. Well, the seller was certainly right about them! By now, though, the seller was off to Europe. It’s OK, I assured her, she can go to the US Embassy in London to get the deed notarized.
Along came another buyer. We went into escrow and neared the date to release the inspection contingencies. The new buyer did not seem to trust anyone. There was a language barrier as well. We were also in the process of replacing 7 defective windows in the house. They were ordered, just not yet received. We gave the buyer all of the information regarding the installation process. The seller made an appointment at the Embassy in London to sign the deed. Everything was hunky dory, when all of a sudden, the buyers canceled.
I don’t know if he didn’t believe the windows would be installed. Or, whether the story he shared about too much noise behind the homes held any water. In any event, he canceled. So the seller canceled her appointment at the Embassy. We went back on the market as a new listing again. Agents in Elk Grove began to think we were a little crazy or touched in the head.
One thing I know how to do well is selling a newer home in Elk Grove. I then got my hands on the appraisal and discovered it appraised for a $1,000 more than our sales price. Not only that, but the square footage was a lot different than the square footage in the public records. It was not identical to the home I sold in the spring.
Whoa! That meant we needed to change the price. We bumped it up, reset the days on market, and created a brand new listing again. No sooner did it go back on the market than the buyer called to say he had changed his mind and no longer wanted to cancel. You know, you just can’t make up this stuff.
The seller appeared angry with the buyers for canceling in the first place, upset over the grief they caused, so she inserted a smiley face in the cancellation agreement. Knowing this, I had to share the odd news the buyer wanted back into escrow. But not without a plan for her. I suggested she demand a complete release of all contingencies and insist that the buyer give her the earnest money deposit outside of escrow, as non-refundable. In addition to raising the price.
Fortunately, those 3 things satisfied her. The buyer agreed and we closed this week. Not without a few other hurdles to climb. Partly because we could not secure a new appointment at the Embassy and it closed for a move. But I don’t have all day to go into it, and it was enough just to live through the process of selling a newer home in Elk Grove. Suffice to say, it closed on the very last day the buyers had before being kicked out of their apartment.
This is what a Sacramento Realtor does. Resolves issues. The seller made almost $10,000 more than she initially expected, and the buyer has a nice home near his relatives. If you’re thinking about selling a newer home in Elk Grove, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759.
Agent Told Buyer Elk Grove is Unsafe Due to Security System
Claiming Elk Grove is unsafe due to home security is absurd.
Any agent who would tell a buyer that Elk Grove is unsafe because the owner has a security system needs to have his head examined. When I hear things like that, the first thing I do is take a peek at the agent’s Cal BRE license number. If it’s a really high number, say, near or over 2 million, it means the agent has been licensed for less than a year. To be fair, new agents are not always a problem if they are supervised and trained. Those who work for small brokerages, though, sometimes are not. Only thing worse are those who think they know everything simply because they have a license.
A license means the agent passed a test. It’s not a competence factor.
The basic way an agent learns about real estate is by closing transactions. The more sales an agent closes, generally the better informed. Lately, most of my problems seem to be with agents attached to license numbers over 2 million. In fact, I didn’t even realize we had obtained the 2 million pinnacle in California. Yes, this Sacramento Realtor holds number 697,006 from when I became first licensed in the 1970s. It’s taken us over 40 years to reach 2 million real estate licensees. That doesn’t mean that we have 2 million agents because the majority never renew their license.
I ran into 3 of those agents yesterday. All three said silly things. The agent who said Elk Grove is unsafe pointed to security cameras inside the home in Elk Grove. He noted several neighbors also had security systems. Therefore, the conclusion his tiny brain reached? This must be an unsafe neighborhood. When I looked at his sales numbers, he has never sold any homes in Elk Grove. Such really bad information to lay on a poor unsuspecting buyer.
Almost every home in Sacramento has some sort of surveillance. The number of security systems goes up when you move into newer areas like Natomas and Elk Grove. But saying Elk Grove is unsafe for that reason is absurd. Not to mention, even I have a security system installed in my home, although we don’t use it. I don’t think I’ve ever listed a home in Elk Grove that did not have a security system. Either builders include them or security companies go door-to-door offering free systems and free installation.
You would think the agent would have exercised his right to faulty reasoning by at least noting the security alarm was not armed. If the neighborhood was so bad, wouldn’t the security alarm be set? But now his buyer probably wouldn’t buy in Elk Grove if his life depended on it because his agent told him Elk Grove is unsafe.
Notwithstanding, many risk management plans don’t cover agents who speak to buyers about “safe” neighborhoods. Further, any bonafide real estate instructor would tell an agent never to make comments about crime because agents are not criminal specialists. An experienced buyer’s agent would refer a buyer to the police department or other websites for crime statistics and would never put themselves in such a precarious position.
I’d like to predict this is not a guy who will make it in real estate. But experience has shown me over the past 43 years that would not be a true statement.
The Ups and Downs of Selling Elk Grove Homes
Although I sell real estate from Lincoln to Galt, I certainly do end up selling Elk Grove homes as a large percentage of my Sacramento real estate business. Probably because that’s where so many homes for sale are located. And fortunately, for this Realtor, I have an office in Elk Grove that I can use, in addition to the office where I hang out in Midtown. This means my sellers of homes in Elk Grove actually get two large Lyon Real Estate offices working for them. Because I put a large panel sign with the number of our Elk Grove office on the property. For example, if a buyer is driving by the home and wants to see it immediately, that buyer can call the large number on the sign panel, and an Elk Grove agent can be there in a heartbeat to show them the home. That’s a nice benefit, don’t you agree?
One of those agents wasn’t too happy yesterday. He called me as I was in the process of taking my cat Tessa to the VCA, the Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center located just south of Elk Grove off Bradshaw. Tessa has a hard lump in her stomach that has become progressively larger. She had an ultrasound a few days ago, and the River City Cat Clinic thinks she could have a small hernia where she was spayed 4 years ago. They suggested a second opinion. VCA charges $170 for a consultation, but our pets are worth it. The surgery alone is between $1,500 and $2,000, the price of a new refrigerator. First class air to Hawaii. Couple month’s rent for some. Enough to power electricity to a large neighborhood in Puerto Rico.
Tessa, cinnamon spotted Ocicat.
After her exam, the vet suggested surgery, and we made an appointment for this morning. I stood at the checkout counter yesterday as the check-out clerks demanded a 50% deposit. Many businesses trust no one these days. They insisted on viewing my driver’s license. I wrote a check for the deposit, which was my last check. The clerk incorrectly computed the total and was off by $100. She asked me for another $100. Oh, just add to the balance I’ll pay on Thursday, I suggested. I don’t have any more checks. Nope, they wanted that hundred bucks right then and there. Really? A hundred bucks? Did I look like a deadbeat in my Hawaiian pearls? I didn’t think so. I had just given them almost $1,000. Why didn’t they take my fingerprints and X-ray me while they were at it?
That whole experience as a paying customer at VCA was not a nice customer service experience. Very unpleasant.
I handed them my credit card. I wanted to add specifically where they could shove it, but the clerks are just doing their stinkin’ job. Silver lining? I’m glad I’m selling Elk Grove homes and not working for VCA. Dealing with shit people.
Which takes me back to the agent from my Elk Grove office who called to complain in an agitated manner. It appears he had gone to preview another of my Elk Grove homes the previous week, and the key in the lockbox did not work. I don’t know why the key didn’t work. It worked when the door was locked and the key was placed in the lockbox. I called a locksmith immediately and paid for a new key. But the guy was still steaming over that because he brought it up.
Because I’m a top producer selling Elk Grove homes, I had another home on tour.
When this agent got there, as luck would have it, the seller, an elderly woman, was confused and would not let him inside. She confessed when I called that she had not read some of my emails, but she agreed they could come back. Like I told that agent in a voice mail (since he ignored my call), if he had just called me from her doorstep, I could have fixed the whole situation. Instead, he preferred to throw a hissy fit and storm off. That’s his call but it seems defeatist behavior to me.
Selling Elk Grove homes is not for the faint of heart. As I left the VCA office off Bradshaw, I realized my closing scheduled for recording that afternoon was just up the street. This was a home in Wildhawk that the seller had tried to sell several times in the past with some other Elk Grove Realtor, not me. I expect I amazed him because I sold the home at list price. It didn’t sell as quickly as homes in the Elk Grove ZIP codes because this home in Wildhawk, although in the Elk Grove School District, is in 95829. Not as many home searches in that ZIP as there are for Elk Grove. Still, it sold in 20 days, still under the average in Sacramento of 22 days, and closed without any repairs or renegotiations. My seller is happy. That’s all I care about.
I drove over to the house in Wildhawk and removed the lockbox. I could hire a person to remove lockboxes for me, but there is something about the finality of the transaction, the completion, reaching the conclusion, that I find comforting. I also called my Elk Grove office to verify that the rest of the documents, remotes, mailbox keys were waiting in Will Call for the buyer’s agent. I could hear Tessa mewing in her carrier in the back seat of my car.
This morning, she is probably cursing my very existence. She doesn’t like being alone in a strange place, and there is a fearful atmosphere at most vet clinics. Not every animal, or human for that manner, comes out of anesthesia. There is always a risk. Yet I hear the surgeons are competent, even if the doctor looked to be 12. When I first saw him, I jokingly wanted to ask if he was old enough to drive, but that wouldn’t help matters. I know when to keep my mouth shut. And, when not to.
Hot New Single Story Listing in Laguna Creek West
7801 Wymark Dr, Elk Grove, CA 95758 is listed by Elizabeth Weintraub, Lyon RE.
Before I tell you about my hot new single story listing in Laguna Creek West, let me explain how I know this is a hot listing. One of the things I do is study the competition. The competition is defined as other similar homes for sale within a half mile radius of my subject property. By studying the photographs and listing data of nearby homes, I can generally accurately predict just about how long it will take to sell any given home in our Sacramento region.
As long as there are comparables. In many parts of our area, inventory remains tight and low, whereas demand seems to be constant. This means if you need to buy a home, you will probably have to pay list price and make a fast decision. However, making a fast decision is easy with this hot new listing in Laguna Creek West.
It’s everything you want. Easy, one level living. A turnkey home ready to move into. No work to do. The beautiful wood-like flooring adds to the glamor and appeal of this particular model. You will find a double-sided fireplace, lots of arches and curved walls and angles lending space. The square footage, according to the Sacramento County Assessor is 1,923. That’s pretty big.
The home features 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. From the spacious master suite, you have exterior access to a stamped concrete patio. Dual sinks in the master bath, plenty of closet space. There is also a whole house fan to suck out all that hot air when you get home from work, or you can just leave your husband in the garage. Just joking!! About the husband, I mean, not the whole house fan.
Come to our open house on Sunday, September 10th, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, hosted by the incredible Barbara Dow. 7801 Wymark Dr, Elk Grove, CA 95758 is offered exclusively by Elizabeth Weintraub and Lyon Real Estate at $415K. While you’re at it, why not check out the virtual tour of this new listing in Laguna Creek West? You can call Elizabeth at 916.233.6759.
Double-sided fireplace is built in at 7801 Wymark Dr, Elk Grove, CA 95758
Beautiful wood-like flooring in kitchen extends into other rooms.
Master bedroom features exterior access to the yard.
Stopping at Kona Brewing After Closing a Home in Elk Grove
Elizabeth Weintraub and husband Adam at Kona Brewing Co.
My husband suggested we stop at Kona Brewing after I closed a sale in Elk Grove to “drink all of their beers.” That whim sounded like an excellent idea to me, and I’m all in for celebrating, unwinding and acting on the spur of the moment while in Hawaii. I’ve closed 3 sales in the past week since we’ve been in Kona, so it’s been a good week. On top of which, we bought a few more things for our house in Hawaii, and that was a bit exhausting.
For example, when I asked the guy from Aina’s Electrical, who was installing our beautiful new super quiet ceiling fan in the master, where we could go to find a couple of rugs under which geckos could hide, he suggested Amazon or eBay. What about keeping your dollars in the community? Well, says he, you could do that, too. Then he announced the fan was as good as he could do, yet it still wobbled. Hated to say this, but he needed to do better. He eventually stopped the wobbling. I knew he had it in him.
We went into a store to look at a few rugs, but it became apparent what we really needed to do first was buy a new sofa. You can’t lie on the sofa we have. No support in the cushions. It’s fairly uncomfortable. It’s the type of sofa one could use indoors or outdoors, so out to the lanai it goes. It was the previous owner’s sofa anyway. Then we traversed several other stores to pick up supplies and basics. Which is what caused my husband to bring up Kona Brewing.
Earlier in the day, I had submitted a new listing with multiple owners for MLS entry. Ordered the photographs, sent the paperwork to my office, sans one signature, and prepared every document required. Then the hold-out party emailed to say he did not want to participate in standard listing disclosures and took it upon himself to print, alter and sign the listing. He was also fairly adamant about a clause you might find in a luxury listing in Miami but not a small-change vacant lot under the freeway in Sacramento.
I’m too experienced and too old for this nonsense. I draw the line with impossible people. Life is short and then you die. It wasn’t too much work to cancel the listing, stop the photography and discard the paperwork. Still, it was very strange and odd. I’m confident somewhere down the line the sane people in that future transaction will pull it together, and it will work out.
Just not on Friday. I’ll still be ready to assist sometime next year, whatever.
So Kona Brewing was a welcome spot to rest and reflect on the bad but mostly good parts of the day. Good always outweighs the bad. If you’re ever in Kailua-Kona and want to stop at a craft beer place, Kona Brewing has great food in addition to creative and standard pours. I’d say so far the Kua Bay is my favorite.
Ahi Tartare at Kona Brewing has just enough spice for a kick.
