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The Tower Bridge of Sacramento in Winter
Crossing the Tower Bridge in winter from West Sacramento into Sacramento.
Riveted, bolted steel make up the bridge towers. Steel frames stuffed with concrete serve as the Tower Bridge counterweights, a technique used in the Oakland Bay Bridge; it is the counterweights hidden inside the towers that give the Sacramento Tower Bridge a sleek, beautiful appearance. No matter how many times we cross the Tower Bridge in Sacramento, it never loses its allurement. Designed by Alfred Eichler, the bridge was designed to lift on two separate electric motors from the middle, horizontal to the water and parallel to the towers, instead of at an angle, which gave it a more likable picture-postcard display.
After weather related delays and over-cost production, the bridge opened in December of 1935. The deck of the bridge now rises 173 feet to allow the passage of boats in the Sacramento River. This is important to Sacramento as the river flows from the Klamath Mountains, north of Redding, to the San Francisco Bay. The Tower Bridge serves as a landmark in Sacramento. We like to think that others outside of the city recognize the structure, but many people do not. It is a thing of beauty to us. So much that we argued in depth in 2001 over the color to paint the bridge. We settled on Gold. Some compared the outcome to baby poop, but on a good day, the gold glitters across the water.
Raised lift of the Sacramento Tower Bridge, January 24, 2016, by Elizabeth Weintraub
We were driving home from the movies in Davis, home to Land Park yesterday, and approached the Tower Bridge just as the lift went up. You can see the Tower Bridge lift in the close-up photo above, shot yesterday. The photo at the very top is leaving the bridge, driving into Sacramento, and you can easily spot the Capitol bathed in natural sunlight at the end of the street.
I list and sell a lot of homes in West Sacramento, so I have reason to often cross the Tower Bridge, if not driving to Davis to take one of our cats to the vet. I never get tired of admiring its exquisite beauty. It’s so charismatic to me that I’ve used it as a backdrop on my website.
An interesting note from history was to mark the opening of the Tower Bridge in 1935, the city released 1,000 pigeons, the original Twitter.
Below is one of my favorite photos, which I shot from the top of the levee bike trail near the Holiday Inn on Capitol Avenue last summer. It shows the Tower Bridge as it spans the Sacramento River.
Tower bridge early summer in Sacramento from the banks near the levee bike trail.
Photographs: © Elizabeth Weintraub
Strangers Sleeping In Your Bed and the FBI
I called the FBI in Sacramento yesterday, but I’ll get to that in a moment. First, there is a real estate agent who lives in Land Park and supplements his income by renting out his house while he sleeps in a trailer of sorts in the driveway. I don’t know the guy but I read about it in the Snewzer. He does this through airbnb, which is based in San Francisco. It works for some people but it’s not a service I would probably use when traveling unless, of course, the owners were willing to show up at breakfast and dinner to cook for me.
Renting out my house is also not something I would ever do myself because I would not like strangers sleeping in my bed. In fact, I’ve had thoughts about maybe buying a vacation home, and agents always say, well, you can rent it when you’re not using it. Why would my husband and I do that? We don’t want strangers living in our house.
Which reminds me, a few weeks ago at Nordstrom my personal shopper asked me the strangest thing. After I had selected a few dresses to ring up, she asked if it was OK to let a customer in another fitting room try on one of my dresses. Apparently, I was about to buy the last size in that dress. I’m a fairly accommodating person and I almost said sure, then the reality of the situation, well, it hit me that it possessed a sort of ick factor. No, I did not want my dress placed on somebody else’s body before she rings it up, thank you very much.
We all have our personal boundaries. I’m the kind of person who answers her phone when it rings and, if the person on the other end of the phone is an individual I have no reason to talk to, who is wasting time that could be better spent selling homes in Sacramento, for example, I don’t show a lot of patience for that individual. I am very quick to say that my number is on the do not call list, don’t ever call me again, and I block the phone number. I’m surprised my own sister can get through to me, I’m so fast to block. My phone is for business, friends and family.
This is where the FBI comes in. A guy named “Ed” called from 850-933-0098 yesterday and insisted he was representing my cellphone service provider. He demanded payment, claimed I was past due, and threatened to shut off my phone. Well, that was just plain silly. That’s not how a cellphone provider acts. He wanted to argue with me, insisting I could go to the website to see my delinquent account, and I refuted his claim so many times he hung up on me. That’s why I called the FBI.
You might think that the FBI is not the right place to report these types of crimes but they are absolutely the right place to go. A very nice FBI agent took my report. I had Googled the crook’s phone and there were many victims he had tried to rip off. After the FBI completed my report, the agent asked me to report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission as well. I complied.
If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Although, I still don’t want any strangers sleeping in my bed or trying on my clothes.
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.
You Can Buy Your First Home in Land Park This Weekend
2740 San Luis Ct, Sacramento, CA 95818
There is no better market for sellers of homes in Land Park than a seller’s real estate market. That’s because the beautiful homes in Land Park will sell for far more than they could ever fetch in a normal market, and even the ugly homes look much prettier after a few drinks at the midnight bar of Sacramento real estate. Everybody is happy, dancing in the streets, except for the home buyers. Some buyers hoping to purchase their first home in Land Park keep losing out due to the competition and low inventory.
Living room on San Luis Court
Well, here is your chance, Land Park home buyers, to buy your first home in desirable Land Park, and you all should have an equal playing ground. You might have noticed this home as a Coming Soon listing in Zillow over the past few days, but today your dream home is officially on the market and available to see. If you haven’t yet called a mortgage broker to obtain a preapproval letter, which you will need if you want to make a purchase offer, get hoppin. Put down that Starbucks latte, whip out your cellphone and call your loan officer Dan Tharp at 916.257.1470. We are holding an open house on Sunday, too, from 2 to 4 PM. If all goes as planned, the sellers would like to select an offer by Sunday night. You’ve got plenty of time to get your finances dolled up to buy your first home in Land Park.
Kitchen on San Luis Court
This is a home built in 1950, so it has much of the original detailing that made homes in that period so popular: hardwood floors, tiled kitchen counters and baths, large rooms, a raised foundation constructed when workers still professed pride in their professions, built-ins and a brick fireplace, plaster walls to insulate against our hot Sacramento summer days, but it also has modern conveniences such as central heat and air, plus a bonus room on the second floor for an office and a step-down family room with a screened-in porch out back.
Second Bath on San Luis Court
In addition to the double sunlit bedrooms, the home features 2 baths, which is a hard-to-find feature in homes under $400,000 in Land Park. The second bath is captivating, with a jetted bathtub, brilliant blue Spanish tile, an antique pull-chain toilet, a skylight, extra storage and a vanity of timeless design. Your guests will love this bath, which is located off the family room.
Back yard on San Luis Court
Of course, there is a garage and a big yard. The yard is drought resistant and wonderfully landscaped with many gorgeous spring flowers in full bloom. You will discover cleverly crafted entertainment areas, a giant redwood tree shades part of the yard, and a fenced in vegetable garden. It doesn’t get any better than this. If you’re looking to buy a home in Land Park, come see.
2740 San Luis Court, Sacramento, CA 95818, is exclusively offered by your Land Park Realtor, Elizabeth Weintraub at Lyon Real Estate, 916.233.6759, at $325,000. Open March 8th, 2 to 4 PM.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
