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It is How a Sacramento Realtor Says It to Describe a Home For Sale
Ask any writer, the most powerful type of word in the English language is a verb, hands down; yet when it comes to describing a home for sale and marketing Sacramento real estate, verbs are not nearly as useful as a noun, and proper nouns are better. As a Sacramento REALTOR who also writes professionally, I adore verbs. Verbs punch. Verbs shove prose front and center. A home description, however, is not capable of much movement or lively action, and it’s difficult for four walls and a roof to, say, spring to life through a verb.
A friend whose business is to ghost-write for real estate agents apparently incapable or unmotivated to describe a home for sale says she is adverse to adjectives, which made me ponder verbs and nouns, and how I employ parts of speech in my marketing comments. The marketing comments is the cornerstone for a Sacramento REALTOR’s listing and second only to photographs.
True, some homes are challenging to describe. There are tract homes in Elk Grove and Natomas, for example, that resemble each other so closely that it’s challenging at times to come up with a way to describe it in a unique manner. When I am faced with those decisions, I generally lean on my emotions and pluck something useful from the aisle of gut instincts. That’s because buyers buy on emotion. They may think they are buying a four bedroom, three bath, but they are really buying is the way that home makes them feel.
I’m fond of repeating: it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. I often coach my sellers on the types of things to write on their disclosure statements; in other words, how to convey negativity with temperance. One of my new sellers whose $1.5 million home won’t go on the market for a few months, handed me her writeup, and I’ve been considering revisions. She made an excellent point when she referred to an exterior ramp made for “people on wheels.” See how how much better that reads than handicapped access? Besides, people on wheels, could refer to a kid on a bicycle. I love it.
But when she noted this home feature of “heavy reinforcement to withstand earthquakes,” I’m fairly certain we do not want the word “earthquake” in a marketing piece. It denotes negativity and fear. It’s not like we really ever face any earthquakes centered in Sacramento anyway. A different term such as “reinforced construction resists movement” would paint a softer picture and deliver a stronger message. The benefit would be smooth walls and blemish-free ceilings. It’s always feature > benefit.
If you’re looking for a Sacramento Broker who consistently puts thought and care into each and every single listing, give top producer Elizabeth Weintraub a jingle at 916.233.6759. Or text. Broker license #00697006.
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.
New Listing: Elk Grove One Story Home on Large Lot by Morse Park
9916 Montedoro Ct, Elk Grove, CA 95757
This Elk Grove one story home hits all the right “must have” buyer buttons. For starters, well, it’s a one-story home, which are far more popular these days than multi-levels. It is also situated on a quiet cul-de-sac away from the main streets on a really big lot, almost .28 acres. The sellers have maximized the space in the yard, too, as there are many different places for activities. Aside from gardening beds, you’ll find a raised platform for a table and chairs, in addition to a covered patio and a separate play house or hobby room with lights.
When you walk into the Elk Grove one story home, you will know immediately, OK, within 3 seconds, that you want to buy it. The view of the formal living room includes a formal dining room off to the left and straight ahead the separate family room, which features another dining area and the kitchen, all the way to the beautiful and lush back yard. It’s a special view.
The home itself is extremely special. Right now it is a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home but it came into this world a four-bedroom home, when the sellers asked the builders, K. Hovanian, to convert the extra bedroom into a formal dining room. Which is why the dining room features a built-in buffet where a closet would ordinarily be located. A person, if she so desired, could put a wall up and close the dining room off, turning it back into a bedroom, but it’s really better suited as a dining room.
You will love the family room and updates in the kitchen, especially the hanging pendants and pre-rinse faucet. There is an island, and newer ceiling fans throughout, including crown molding in many rooms. The vaulted ceilings make the home appear even larger than 1,878 noted by the Sacramento County Assessor. Haven’t you always wanted to buy an Elk Grove one story home?
Most of all, you will adore the back yard and all of the possibilities it presents. Come to our open house on Sunday, May 14th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Yes, it’s Mother’s Day but we all do what Mom wants on that day and, trust me, Mom wants to go to an open house in Elk Grove!
9916 Montedoro Ct, Elk Grove, CA 95757, is offered exclusively by Elizabeth Weintraub at Lyon Real Estate, at $419K. Call Elizabeth for more information at 916.233.6759. Virtual tour. See more photos below.
Formal living room at 9916 Montedoro Ct.
Separate family room, dining area and kitchen at 9916 Montedoro Ct.
Spacious master suite at 9916 Montedoro Ct.
Part of the huge yard at 9916 Montedoro Ct.
Coming Soon Listings From Sacramento and Elk Grove to Lincoln
Coming soon listings are no longer allowed by MetroList in Sacramento without a waiver.
Many Sacramento Realtors do not know we are prohibited from marketing Coming Soon listings that are in off-market status in MLS. We can’t do it (unless we get a waiver signed, which I see no advantage to). That means no signs with Coming Soon on the property, no blogs about it, no posting homes in Zillow or Facebook as Coming Soon listings. And then there are the agents who do know but don’t care. I’m not any of those agents. However, I do have Coming Soon listings from Sacramento to Lincoln that are not yet in MLS, which I bet you’d love to hear about.
Am I right? Would you like to know about Coming Soon listings that are not yet listed but will be soon? You can get on the list of my buyer’s agents or you can contact your own agent and ask your agent to contact me. It doesn’t really mean your offer will receive priority because I have a fiduciary to my sellers, but at least you won’t miss the home when it hits the market. In today’s real estate market, you’ve gotta be Johnny-on-the-spot to snag a house. We have very few homes for sale and a million more buyers than houses. (For you fact checkers, a “million more” is not a literal term.)
Coming Soon Listing Lincoln
Heading the top of the list price-wise is a place in the gated community of Verdera Village, known for its majestic golfcourse homes in Lincoln. Huge square footage, over 5,000. Mind-blowing panoramic views. Explosive sunrises / sunsets. Infinity pool. More bedrooms than any person can probably use except for Octomom. A short sale in the low 900s. Available May 12th.
Coming Soon Listings Curtis Park
Two homes in Curtis Park are coming soon. Both are vintage homes exploding with character. Three to four bedrooms and two baths. Hardwood floors. Two stories each. Updated kitchens and baths. Fairy tale master suites. Hard-to-find garages. Low 700s to high 600s, depending on square footage. Available by Memorial Day.
Coming Soon Listing Elk Grove
Looking for homes in Elk Grove? This is a beautiful single-level K Hovnanian homes situated on a cul-de-sac with almost 1/3 of an acre! Lots of fruit trees and flowers, with a large covered playhouse or hobby room. The home was originally built as a four bedroom but the sellers decided they wanted a formal dining room. So the builder converted a bedroom by opening a wall and turning the closet area into a built-in buffet. Many upgrades throughout. Low 400s. Available May 12th.
Coming Soon Listing Del Paso Manor
The original owners have remodeled this home with love and devotion. All new kitchen featuring subway backsplash and ceramic floors, plus new cabinetry with granite counters. New stainless appliances. Contemporary light fixtures. Refinished hardwood floors. Almost double-size lot, three bedrooms. Low 300s. Available May 17th.
As to why our MetroList doesn’t allow marketing of Coming Soon Listings, I’m not sure, but I suspect it’s because some unethical agents try to capture direct buyer leads and lock out the competition to do dual representation. A few bad apples ruins it for the rest of us. I am a seller’s agent and I do not work with buyers. I don’t have a vested interest in which agent sells our listings, whether it’s an agent on my team, an agent at another company or an agent from the Bay Area. Just as long as it sells and my seller is ecstatic.
Like I said, if you’d like to get on our list of Coming Soon Listings and are unrepresented, call me and I’ll match you with a team member, or call your own buyer’s agent and ask your agent to contact me. Elizabeth Weintraub, Top 3 Listing Agents, Lyon Real Estate, 916.233.6759.
How to Compare Top Elk Grove Realtors to Ordinary Agents
Top Elk Grove Realtors perform at a different level.
Because my sales production qualifies me as one of the top Elk Grove Realtors, my name is constantly given out by those top agent referring websites who comb MLS looking for top producers. The way it works is a seller clicks on a website advertising top Elk Grove Realtors. The website in turn gives the seller’s personal information to a bunch of agents with consistently high sales volume, and then these agents all hound that seller to death, until the sellers either sign a listing agreement or throw themselves off the nearest bridge.
Often, after a seller contacts some of these websites, out of curiosity, some sellers continue to search online, and then they realize they are finding the name of Elizabeth Weintraub everywhere. Doesn’t much matter where they look online, they will undoubtedly find me. I’ve been online since 1991. I’ve been in the real estate business for over 40 years. No other agent matches my stats.
But I’ve also got to perform, and that’s where the rubber meets the road. I do perform. What do I do as one of the top Elk Grove Realtors that ordinary agents don’t do? Well, let’s examine a recent closing, OK? I happened to be on my wor-cation in Hawaii last month when a top agent website tossed this seller into my lap. I called him right away. He was a little amazed that I would call him so fast from Hawaii, but I love real estate. Why wouldn’t I call him? Listing homes is my specialty. I sell a lot of homes in Elk Grove.
I laid out what I would do for him. He wanted to think about it. Talk to other agents. Hey, what’s to think about? You want to sell your home, right? I quickly texted my photographer while we chatted. Can you fit a home in Elk Grove into your schedule today, pretty please, I begged? Sure, the photographer replied. I continued my conversation with confidence. Mr. Seller, I can have a photographer over there by 2 PM, my team member will put on a lockbox, complete her visual inspection, and we can be live on the market by the end of the day. I’ll get this done for you.
The seller was still hesitant. He was worried because I proposed a price that was $10,000 more than the listing he just canceled. He did not believe I could get him $10,000 more. He had fired his present agent because the agent messed up. I’m not sure what the agent did, but I do know that Cellphone Charlie published horrible photographs in MLS, obviously shot with his phone camera. His marketing description sucked.
I explained all of this to the seller and assured him that even though I was in Hawaii, I would sell his house. Not only that, I would sell that house without any repairs, no credits, and no renegotiations, and quite possibly with multiple offers. I played up the strengths of this property and downplayed the negatives. I gave him more reasons to list with me than with any of the other top Elk Grove Realtors.
The seller can believe me, I insisted. He can trust me.
Sure enough, he finally agreed. I think it was either that or shoot himself in the head. Because I was not giving up. It was a good thing, too, because:
I sold that house in one day.
On Christmas Eve.
While in Hawaii.
I listed it not only for $10,000 more than his 12-day canceled listing price, but I sold it for an additional $5,000 over. This seller made an additional $15,000 and sold in 24 hours.
We closed on this Elk Grove home yesterday, 30 days later. I’m back in Sacramento now. No repairs, no credits, no renegotiations. Over list price. No hassles. Closed. If you’re searching for top Elk Grove Realtors, I swear, you owe it to yourself to talk to Elizabeth Weintraub. I won’t let you down. Call me at 916.233.6759.
