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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.
Buying a New Home in Land Park Sacramento
When I talk with people I haven’t talked with for years, they often ask if I am living in the same home in Land Park, as though the first thing they would do if they were selling 100 homes in Sacramento year after year would be to buy a new home. Not because I need a new home, mind you, but because I could. They ask I suppose because my existing home is not a mansion nor an estate, and that’s what they would buy. It’s just a plain ol’ single level home, around 2,000 square feet in Land Park.
It’s not located on a premiere winding street in Land Park and there is no view of William Land Park. There is no second or third floor. No marble floors with floor-to-ceiling columns. No four-car garage. No pool in the back yard. There is nothing all that remarkable about our home in Land Park. It suits our needs, and we’re happy with it.
But people are still astonished that we haven’t traded up or built our own mini-mansion because it’s something that most other people would do, I guess. I think buying a larger home is one of those items on a list when people play what one would do if one won the lottery. A larger home means more to clean, higher taxes and more crap that could go wrong. But that’s me. I’m also over 60 and less inclined to move again. My husband echoes that sentiment.
Fortunately, my clients often think differently and they might move every 5 to 7 years. I met with clients a few days ago who buy homes dirt cheap, remodel them and move up. It’s called buy, fix up and sell. There’s nothing wrong with that approach and, in fact, it’s a method I used myself over the years. We all have our different dreams and things we reach for. And that’s OK.
I dream of travel. I love to see new places, encounter different cultures, meet new people who can’t understand anything I say and vice versa (and I’m not just talking about the South). This morning I received a digital version of the Four Seasons magazine and was sidetracked for a while, reading about gourmet street food in Singapore, Budapest theatres and how to get a free night in Langkawi.
But a new place among Land Park homes for sale is not on the horizon for us. Our present home is just fine, even though we’ve lived here forever. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in Land Park, please call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. I know just about every inch of my leafy neighborhood.
Need a Land Park or East Sacramento Agent? Hire a Specialist!
In this day and age, you really need a specialist, especially when it comes to selling homes in the Land Park area or East Sacramento neighborhoods. These homes are not your grandmother’s home in Elk Grove or Lincoln. These central city neighborhoods are long established and the homes are as different from each other as New Orleans is from New York City. If you need a Land Park or East Sacramento agent, I am your specialist!
In fact, it’s kind of hard to do anything without a specialist on your side. Like last Friday when I pulled into my driveway in Land Park, I noticed check engine oil illuminated on my dashboard. It had actually been lit up for several days, and I kept hoping that it was just a freaky thing that would eventually stop. The worst that would happen, I figured, is my car would stop running, and I’d abandon it at the curb and grab a cab, eventually calling for a tow truck, but that was unlikely. The way they make these warning features, you’ve generally got a bit of time before all hell breaks loose.
But I’m also a person who gets crap done. I take charge. I don’t sit around in the dark weeping helplessly because my lights won’t go on. Nope, I flip the breaker switch, grab a screwdriver, take apart my light switch and replace it. At least those things haven’t changed much over the years. Unlike a car. I opened my front trunk and looked for the engine. It wasn’t there. No friggin’ engine. I’m not really sure where my engine is located, but I suspect it’s in the middle somewhere, somewhere I can’t get to. I found the windshield washing fluid and the brake fluid, but no oil.
At this point, my husband ventured out. We opened the back trunk and dug through my piles of lockboxes and sold sign riders. Hmmm. What is this? My husband turned a cap and hot pink fluid sizzled out, which he quickly recapped. Well, that wasn’t the oil. Good thing I had had the foresight to have handed him a rag beforehand. I finally resorted to reading the owner’s manual. Yes, when all else fails. Read the manual. Turns out a person can check her oil by turning the key in the ignition, letting the engine idle and pushing a lever near the dash.
I had too much oil, that was the problem, and I just had the oil changed in Midtown. But I also had taken it to the dealer after that for warranty work, and some well meaning yo-yo must have topped off the oil, which is the wrong thing to do for a high performance vehicle like this. The mechanic was probably unsupervised.
You’d think the dealer is a specialist but the dealer’s job is to sell cars. The service department is auxiliary. Even the manufacturer won’t let the dealer perform warranty work without specific permission. My maintenance specialist is located in Midtown, and he removed a quart of oil for me.
If you need a real estate agent to buy or sell homes in Land Park or East Sacramento, call Elizabeth Weintraub. I live in Land Park, and my office is located at the edge of Midtown where it meets homes in East Sacramento. I know these neighborhoods. I know other areas in Sacramento, too. If you’d like to talk, please feel free to call 916.233.6759 or email me. I just might work in your neighborhood. I sold more than 150 homes last year, exceeding $32 million. You can trust that I know what I’m doing.
