Sacramento Real Estate is Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh, My!

Sacramento real estate encounters lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh, my! That pretty much describes the Sacramento real estate market over the past couple of weeks this fall. It also probably explains why I sat up with my husband last night watching the Cubs, which ran way past my bedtime. Then, with “just 2 outs to go,” as my husband put it, I gave up the ghost and retired. I’m not from Chicago like he is, so although I may root for the underdog, I’m just not a big baseball fan — not like I was when a kid and the Twins came to my Midwestern town. Although, I’ve got to admit that grooving on baseball, especially the last game of the World Series, is a good distraction from some of the weirder things happening.

Lately, in my little neck of the woods, we’ve had our unfair share of business that cancels, extends and dies, oh, shit, which is the Sacramento real estate equivalent of lions and tigers and bears, oh, my! I listed a home in East Sacramento the day I returned from a vacation in Barcelona around Labor Day, struggled through 3 days of negotiations between the seller and potential buyers. At one point I even said to the seller, “How is it we have two good offers over list price and we can’t come to an agreement?” This seemed completely bizarre to me. Little did I realize that the seller did not want to sell. Lions and tigers and bears, oh, my!

We helped this same client to buy a million-plus home overlooking the American River. Truly a spectacular setting. Before I even listed the home in East Sacramento, which is pretty much unheard of in a contingent situation. When clients ask for clarification about whether they can cancel and be at no expense, that can be a red flag. Inspections dragged on for weeks. We renegotiated the supposedly good-faith contract and the sellers of that river-front property agreed to an unheard of $100K price reduction. The clients offered no reason for canceling, no apologies. Since it was contingent, they canceled the sale of the home in East Sacramento as well and shattered that poor buyer’s heart.

Further, three escrows that were on schedule to close this week are getting pushed to next week, all for a variety of reasons, mostly related to the buyer’s mortgage. Those sellers had expected to close on schedule, and now those hopes are dashed. Our sole recourse is to make the buyer compensate. Perhaps it’s the fact we are so sick and tired of seeing Mr. Tangerine Man on the news and in the paper? The 2016 presidential election has been gnawing at our souls like rats feasting on shit. November 8th can’t get here fast enough for most of us. Lions and tigers and bears, oh, my!

I am also selling homes in Sacramento more than once. We do our best to vet the buyer, make sure they have the cash or the qualifications to obtain a mortgage, we listen to their buyer’s agent sing their dubious praises with a grain of salt and verify, verify, yet they still buy and flake. It makes little sense. They negotiate so hard and when they win, they cancel. Lions and tigers and bears, oh, my! We just go with the flow. It’s bound to get better after next week.

The difference between me and a few other Sacramento Realtors is perseverance. I do not get discouraged. I do not throw in the towel. I never ever give up, and I’m always there for my clients. It’s how I’ve stayed true to the real estate business for 40+ years. Even though I did not catch the end of the World Series, I care about the Sacramento real estate business far more.