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Imagine My Surprise to Open the Door to a Land Park Specialist
No way was I expecting to find a young man standing on my front steps proclaiming himself to be a Land Park specialist. He was dressed pretty spiffily, if you ask me. I, on the other hand, looked like a crazy homeless person. In the heat in Sacramento, I have not bothered to blow-dry my hair since last May. Well, I spent 3 weeks at our house in Hawaii in June, so certainly no blow-drying or styling my hair there. Nobody cares. And it’s just been too hot in Sacramento, so I twist it into a bun and clip or wear in a ponytail. When my hair is down and curly, I look like the wild man of Borneo.
I found this guy standing away from my door, almost getting dripped on by standing under my hanging flower pot that had just been watered. At first blush, I thought maybe he was a Jehovah’s Witness or from some other religious affiliation. He glanced at me furtively. It wasn’t just the hair. It was probably the rags I run around in at home. In fact, I go to great extremes to wear what others would consider dumpster clothing. Shirts with holes. Put this way, a t-shirt would be dress up for me.
When I go out to meet clients, I dress for the occasion. To look the part of being the top producing Sacramento Realtor that I am. Just not at home.
He just said, Hi, I am Matt, a Land Park specialist. Just want to know if you folks are thinking about selling your home or buying another home?
He stunned me. Just seemed so weird. I was tempted to holler to nobody in particular: Hey, Babe, do we want to sell the house and move? Some guy is standing on our steps asking if we want to sell our home. I say hell yes. OK? You with me? Let’s get the hell outta Dodge.
But I didn’t say any of that. I started laughing. Honestly, I could not help myself. All I could manage from my lips was: you are so funny, and I couldn’t stop laughing. I’m a terrible person.
You know, back when I got into real estate in the 1970s, some agents did “farm” a neighborhood and knocked on doors to offer their services. I never did. It seemed to be ineffective for the amount of time expended. There was bound to be a better way to get business than trying to persuade people to move or hoping you’re hitting them at the right time by standing on their doorstep. Like, the U.S. mail, for one thing. Who would hire some person who showed up on their porch anyway?
I looked up this guy in MLS because he had slipped a marketing card into my mailbox slot (which is against federal law because there was no postage on it). He has never listed a home in Land Park or anywhere in Sacramento for that matter. He seems to represent buyers. Most certainly — not a Land Park specialist. Maybe in his own mind. But I guess that’s what you get with door knockers.
Happy 4th of July, everybody.
New Listing in Upper Land Park: Adorable 2-3 Bedroom Cottage
A new listing in Upper Land Park presents an exciting opportunity to buy into a neighborhood which has no commercial properties, unlike other parts of Land Park. This particular home is tucked away off of Santa Buena, near the freeway, in an area with little through traffic. Our back story takes us to the original construction of this home in 1949. The builder who constructed this home used the old method of combining clay mud with straw to form adobe bricks and drying the bricks in the sun.
We can easily endure weeks of 100-plus temperatures during our hot Sacramento summers. And we certainly enjoy an abundance of clay soil in Upper Land Park. Perfect combination, and what insulation properties adobe offers. You cannot hear a sound when inside that home.
The daughter of the builder bought the home after completion and moved in. She constructed the Buddha waterfall and gazebo in the back and planted much of the greenery and roses that still flourish today. Gardens? Amazingly beautiful. You will also find several covered patios for entertaining, in addition to an art studio. As the story goes, the daughter eventually ended up moving out of town, so she sold the house.
After moving away, she missed Sacramento and, in particular, this home. So she moved back and bought it from the owner. If you are in love with a home to such an extent that you don’t want to live anywhere else in town, that showcases the allure. Eventually, though, our present day seller bought the home.
Our seller installed a guest quarter with a permit by remodeling the garage. It features a soundproof bedroom, which could also be used as a band studio or yoga studio. Our seller also installed a second bath. What started out as a 2 bedroom, 1 bath is now a 2 to 3 bedroom and 2 bath home. The guest quarters are located on the other side of the kitchen for privacy.
An interesting thing the seller told me is when she first saw this new listing in Upper Land Park and entered, she felt captivated by the back yard and made a beeline for it. Walked right past the two bedrooms with the beautiful hardwood floors. Right past the updated bath with a shower over the tub, and a window. No nod toward the kitchen. Directly to the back yard. Maybe you will do the same thing? The yard is definitely captivating.
Why not come to our open house on Sunday and discover the magic of this new listing in Upper Land Park for yourself? March 11th, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, hosted by the incredible Barbara Dow from the Elizabeth Weintraub Team.
709 7th Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95818 is offered exclusively by Elizabeth Weintraub and Lyon Real Estate at $375K. Check out the virtual tour, too! If you have questions, please call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759.
New Listing in Land Park: Charming Vintage Bungalow Remodeled
Look no further for a new listing in Land Park! This is a perfect home for first-time home buyers. Especially if you’re looking for the charm and vintage detailing found in Land Park homes built in the 1930s. This home marries beautiful updates with original architectural features. Just feast your eyes on that storybook photograph above showcasing enormous curb appeal!
A beautiful flagstone sidewalk welcomes visitors to the door. There is a covered front porch where you can sit to enjoy all of your neighbors parading by: walking dogs, pushing babies in strollers, darn kids walking on your lawn (just kidding about the kids). McClatchy High School and California Middle School are nearby but this home sits on the north side of the street so it does not back up to the school.
Once inside, the open floor plan will amaze. Hardwood floors, arches, crown molding, plenty of windows, formal living room and dining area with wainscoting and a fireplace, a breakfast nook, and recessed lights greet you. But nothing prepares you for the gorgeous kitchen.
Your fabulous new listing in Land Park features a to-die-for kitchen. Granite counters, a wine refrigerator, dining bar, super cool exposed bulbs in the hanging pendant lights, a GE Monogram 6 burner gas stove, convection, built-in refrigerator are only a few of the amenities found in the kitchen. Plenty of storage space; every inch is utilized.
This home boasts 3 bedrooms, one of which is used as an office, a newly remodeled bath with a walk-in shower, newer copper, newer sewer line and a 200-AMP electrical panel. In addition, the room you see above is like an extended family room under an attached covered patio. You also get a built-in outdoor kitchen with grill. What a great space for entertaining and hanging out!
This shows only part of the back yard. For starters, check out the two-car garage. All of that concrete allows for so many possibilities. You could work on cars, park an RV or a boat. Why, if it were legal, you could probably land a helicopter at this new listing in Land Park.
Why not come to our open house on Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, March 11th? Hosted by the amazing Amy McMullen from the Elizabeth Weintraub Team. Call Elizabeth with questions at 916.233.6759.
1731 Bidwell Way, Sacramento, CA 95818 is offered exclusively by Elizabeth Weintraub and Lyon Real Estate at $549K. Check out the virtual tour, too.
Almost Everything Buyers for Homes in Land Park Need to Know
Land Park agent Elizabeth Weintraub works from home in Land Park.
One thing about buying a home in Land Park is afterward you get the local gossip and all the neighbors know what is happening, which is why I suggest that buyers talk to the neighbors, for that matter, before buying a home here or anywhere. Yesterday, for example, I was sitting on my front porch in Land Park with my laptop, cellphone, paperwork spread out and working in MLS. When I saw my next door neighbor approach, I removed my Bluetooth device from my ear (because that’s only polite).
My neighbor had wondered what all the noise was at my house and came over to see if somebody was breaking in; although, what would she do if they were? Poke them in the eye with her house key? She’s in her 80s. Or, maybe she carries a gun in her shorts — she did go on and on about how much she likes the pockets in her shorts, which, btw, matched the type of shorts I was wearing: OMG, old-lady-shorts. The “noise” was a team of four women vigorously cleaning my home: bleaching the ceramic, brightening the stainless, rubbing film off glass block, polishing marble and hardwood. It costs $500 to get this sort of cleaning done properly, and I needed to be out from underfoot when they cleaned my home office.
I was in MLS analyzing listings of homes in Land Park. I used to focus only on homes in Land Park, but I have since over the years branched out to offer my specialized real estate services as a top Sacramento Realtor to sellers and buyers in a four-county area. This is how I sell hundreds of homes now instead of only those I can count on two hands here in the city core of Sacramento. But I still carry a soft spot for my own neighborhood of Land Park. I see buyers come into town from out-of-area, in tow with their out-of-area agents, and pay tens of thousands over market value for a home, and appraisers don’t know any better, either. Land Park is a difficult place to appraise if you don’t possess intimate knowledge.
You can glean an incredible amount of information from MLS, though, even if you don’t know the neighborhood. One home in particular struck me odd because a) the price was too high for the street and b) the upgrades seemed disjointed and peculiar, and c) there were no window coverings in the master bedroom. That last clue meant nobody lived in that home. At first glance, I thought maybe it was an overhaul made by an homeowner who later decided to sell, which is the best kind of home to buy in Land Park. But it smelled to me like a flip.
Clicking on the APN number, sure enough, it was owned by an LLC. Looking further into the history, I noted they bought the home through probate and tried to flip it immediately without doing any remodeling. When that didn’t work, they remodeled it to within an inch of its life, stripped much of the character and vintage and then stuck it on the market. The cabinetry throughout is missing the magic, too. They took it off, put it back, took it off, put it back, yada yada. The square footage doesn’t match the public records, which makes appraisals of homes in Land Park even more difficult.
The street where that home is located is also not nearly as desirable as, say, Marian Way, where another home came on the market this morning for a whole lot less money. Plus, the Marian Way home is a Squeaky Williams home, which makes it even more valuable. But if you lived in Land Park, you would know that. If you’re looking for a Land Park agent, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759.
Why One Home in Land Park Sells and Another Home Does Not
A good way to start my blog today could be with a comparison reminiscent of that old TV show The Naked City, to talk about there being 10,000 stories about real estate sales in Land Park, Sacramento, but we don’t have enough inventory anywhere in town to make a statement like that. In fact, probably the last time the entire Sacramento County region saw 10,000 homes for sale on the market was 10 years ago. Are you ready for the astonishing news today?
Today, this very moment, in the entire county of Sacramento, we have only 2,280 single family homes for sale in our multiple listing service. But wait, there is more. Guess how many single family homes are in some sort of pending status? You know I have the answer. It’s 2,791 homes. We have more homes in pending status than we have homes for sale, which means we can’t repeat this scenario next month because there is not enough inventory at the moment to satisfy demand! The pending sale line has risen above the number of homes for sale. We have a real estate drought in Sacramento real estate. It’s not just the water shortage we’re worried about, although granted we could die without water. Real estate, not so much.
SACRAMENTO COUNTY REAL ESTATE MARKET SNAPSHOT
To put it into technical terms, we probably have about 3 weeks of inventory for sale. We could sell everything in the next 3 weeks. And this fact is driving the market completely insane. If your home is not in the best condition, or if it is located in a less than desirable location, it could take longer to sell, but a well located home in move-in condition should attract several offers. This is not a time to sit idly, tapping your fingers on the desk, wondering if it’s a good time to put your home on the market. You don’t have weeks or months to think about it because summer is coming. Summer sales slip and slide. It’s kinda like Jon Snow’s real estate slogan: Winter is coming, except there is no snow, blood or gore. Just heat and not much action.
Which brings me to the point in this week’s Game of Thrones season opener when Varys charged Tyrion Lannister with the character of compassion. Tyrion responded quixically: “Compassion? I strangled my lover with my bare hands; I shot my own father with a crossbow.” I vote this best scene in Season 5, Episode 1, Game of Thrones. Made me laugh out loud and scared the cat off my husband’s lap. I enjoy this type of entertainment sometimes to keep my mind off the wild world of Sacramento real estate or I’d be consumed by it all night.
I closed another home sale in Land Park last week that sold so fast and for more than list price which, a year ago, might have taken up to six months to sell. Of course, it helped that the sellers listened to my advice and made improvements to make the home ready for market. We priced it on the high end, yet sold with a 3% price bump and no hassles. In fact, we negotiated a few days rent-back for the sellers who were relocating out of state. I’d like to believe my marketing techniques, vast internet exposure and excellent photography helped make buyers fight like wild animals over it . . . but it might also be that I work as one of the top 3 Lyon Realtors, at the largest independently owned real estate brokerage in Sacramento that sells many listings in-house through our huge network.
There is another home in Land Park I drive by daily that sits forlorn with a small sign in the yard and no traffic, no buyers. It’s been on the market for months. The sellers changed agents twice. The photography is decent, but it’s not being marketed the way I would do it. I’d like to get my hands on that listing and put it into escrow, but I can’t solicit another agent’s listing, nor would I want to be that kind of agent. If you’re thinking about selling your home, give Elizabeth Weintraub a jingle at 916.233.6759. I answer my phone.
