Email Elizabethlisting agent in sacramento
Buyer’s Agents Who Say We Are Sending an Offer
So much of the time the agent who claims we are sending an offer never sends it.
Buyer’s agents in Sacramento often email or call to say: we are sending an offer on your listing. Does the offer ever show up? Sometimes. Sometimes not. Most of the time, I don’t even tell the seller that an agent is promising to send an offer because so many times the offer simply never materializes, and then I’ve got a distraught seller on my hands. It doesn’t matter that the seller is not upset with me, the fact is the seller would be upset, and I’m not going there.
Part of my job as a listing agent in Sacramento is to manage expectations. Buyer’s agents, for example, can be more excited about a listing than their buyers because they view the home with professional eyes. They can also misread a buyer’s hot buttons, believe a home is perfect for the buyer when it is not. However, I will say, in this Sacramento market at the moment, the home could be held up by toothpicks, painted bright purple with the roof in flames and it would sell in a heart beat.
The point is agents tend to get upset when the seller takes another offer and does not accept their offer. They also get miffed if they call an agent to say an offer is going to arrive, and that listing agent and her seller do not wait for them. They don’t understand that we are not obligated to wait for every Tom, Dick and Harry who says: we are sending an offer. If you have an offer, hand it over. An offer in my email or in my hand is worth something. A promise to send an offer?
Well, what do you think?
What do sellers think? Sellers tend to think words are words and actions are actions. There is a new form that Lyon created for listing agents to upload to MLS with instructions for buyer’s agents on how offers will be handled. To stop the whining. Do listing agents need to explain to buyer’s agents how our spring Sacramento real estate market works? That buyers might want to submit “highest and best” because a counter offer might not be forthcoming? It’s called Real Estate 101. Except for the rare short sale here and there, I don’t typically attach seller instructions to MLS because I don’t happen to believe it’s in good form to pre-decide how an offer will be handled when every.single.situation is unique.
There are also buyers who won’t make an offer on a home if they realize the seller is angling for multiple offers. Why would a seller want to eliminate any buyers from making an offer? Sure, leaving offer submissions flexible means it’s more work for the listing agent, but so is getting out of bed at my age. Every home and every seller deserve an individual plan. We go with the flow. My approach is always customized for the situation at hand, with my seller’s best interest as the focus. I can tell a seller a buyer’s agent says we are sending an offer, but sellers won’t care until it shows up.
If you prefer a strong listing agent in Sacramento who will focus on you, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759.
This is the Market for Hard to Sell Sacramento Homes
Selling hard to sell Sacramento homes is a speciality for Elizabeth Weintraub, Sacramento Realtor.
Disappointed or frustrated home sellers who couldn’t sell last year or those who foresee particular challenges with home selling, should realize that this Sacramento real estate market is the perfect time to list those hard to sell Sacramento homes. Because home buyers will look past defects and, due to limited number of homes for sale, might be forced to bid on your house simply because they can’t buy anything else. If you couldn’t sell that home previously, now is your time, providing you hire the right Sacramento Realtor.
Now you might wonder, why would a Sacramento Realtor willingly advertise that she is ready, willing and able to tackle the difficult homes? Why wouldn’t she want to work only on luxury homes in Sacramento or the prettiest of all listings? Perhaps she likes to work on them all. Each home presents its own unique challenges, regardless of how simple the seller might think the home is to sell. Often the question is not whether it will sell but whether it will close and close without drama. And that can happen as well with hard to sell Sacramento homes.
I noticed a for sale sign went up on a home in Land Park recently, which I had showed about 5 years ago. Nobody wanted to buy the home then because it had laminate flooring over hardwood, the character was stripped out and it backed up to a wall. It also featured a weird layout, seemed to have been designed by a bachelor with way too much time on his hands. It was not really a family home in the sense that we think of those types of homes. When I saw the sign go up, I predicted it would finally sell. It closed last week.
This is not the only challenged home. There are many hard to sell Sacramento homes in Land Park and surrounding areas that deserve to be on the market right now. Before the big push comes, if it ever comes this spring, and the way things are going, it might not. We have such incredibly low inventory, a spattering of 1,752 are for sale in Sacramento County, and a whopping 2,879 homes are pending. This means we have more buyers than we have homes for sale.
Buyers who will be willing to install their own flooring, especially if your carpeting is worn and tired. Buyers who will paint those kitchen cabinets or replace them. Buyers who gladly will take a 2-year roof certification with repairs than demand a brand new roof. Buyers who just want a roof over their, four walls and a place to call home, even if it’s not perfect. I can sell those hard to sell Sacramento homes for top dollar.
If you’re ready to put the past behind you and capitalize on today’s market, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. I have the expertise and knowledge to move that fixer home.
Amazing Things That Can Screw Up Your Home Closing
Many things can go wrong after selling a home prior to your home closing.
Getting from Point A, which is agreeing to a sales price and terms with a buyer, to Point Z, which is your Sacramento home closing, is no easy feat for sellers these days, and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight. In fact, it’s getting more difficult and more challenging, and let’s not forget the additional layer of TRID, the new regulatory disclosures and mortgage implementation process. Much of the stuff that goes on in the middle of escrow and many of the things that can go wrong after selling your home, are not always discussed in entirety with sellers — either before the listing or after the sale — so some sellers aren’t even aware of the tribulations.
Selling a home and getting to the home closing is so much more than negotiating the offer upfront. That is only the beginning. This is why you really need an experienced Realtor. For starters, there is no guarantee the buyer really wants to buy that home. True dat. Many home buyers in today’s market freak out after signing a contract. That’s why I have a system that I like to use that can force buyers to wait a few days. If they’re gonna back out, they will probably do it during that time period, before we have accepted an offer. There is little I dislike more, much more than eating brussel sprouts, than to put a home back on the market after making the listing pending because it sends the wrong message to buyers. It’s what I call the kiss of death.
We have to get through all of the home inspections and hope like crazy the buyer doesn’t hire some doofus home inspector who has little clue. These are also the guys who love to spam listing agents after the home closing, hoping we will hire them, and they don’t even realize that listings agents are the wrong guys to go after, and yes, I’m talking about YOU, Brian. Stop spamming me. Focus on buyer’s agents and send them your spammy emails. I’ve warned this home inspector repeatedly not to email me but he continues, just like clockwork, the idiot.
Buyer possession is also another hurdle because it often happens that the final home closing date is not always the most convenient date for everybody to close. One of the parties might have a problem with it. Whether it’s movers who cancel at the last minute or the seller’s new home that is not available, or maybe the water heater suddenly blows up, there seems to be no end to the challenges that can face a home closing.
My job as a Sacramento listing agent is to try to figure out the personalities of the people involved and, based on my experience and research, accurately predict what could go wrong in the home closing and prevent it. When I receive an offer for my seller, the first thing that pops into my brain is NOT oh, goody, we’ve got an offer. My first reaction is: what is wrong with this offer that could cause the home closing to be delayed? What steps can I take to ensure a smooth process? It’s different for everybody. But that’s why I’m paid the big bucks.
Neil Young and The Bridge School Benefit 2015 vs The Zombies
Neil Young in Los Angeles
The 2015 Bridge School Benefit this year features the Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, Ryan Adams, Nils Lofgren and, of course, Neil Young. The dates are October 24th and 25th at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View. Tickets go on sale on Friday at livenation.com, ranging from $35 to $150; however, there are VIP tickets available. I almost always choose the VIP options nowadays because I rarely really enjoy a concert unless I’m in the front row, and I don’t have the energy at my age to finesse my way there. Not like I used to do when I was, say, in my 40s.
Imagine my astonishment when I checked the VIP ticket option and discovered two tickets in the first 5 rows would cost more than $10,000. That’s a first-class trip for two to Cuba over Christmas for 10 days. Two tickets in the nosebleed section of the first floor are $3,300. I adore Neil Young, but not that much.
You don’t really get anything else. Early admission, but who wants to get there early? Why would I want to sit around and wait for the show to start? What the heck am I missing? Oh, right, I’m not 15. They say there is a gift bag and concert merchandise but I can buy my own danged t-shirt.
The guy who was sealing the marble tile in my bath yesterday said for that price, Sheryl Crow could come play in my back yard. For $10,000, I should have a Rolls Royce and a driver pick us up in Land Park and pour Dom Perignon all the way there and back. Then, be ushered to the front row while reclining on a velvet bed with four golden posts, carted on the shoulders of the guys from Magic Mike. I should also get to play guitar on stage with Neil Young for $10,000. Hey, I can do Down by the River. G-D-G-A. Neil Young has gotta up that ante.
Needless to say, I will be staying in Sacramento toward the end of October and listing more homes for sale. Besides, I just checked my schedule and my team member Barbara Dow and I already have reserved front row seats to see The Zombies at the Crest Theatre on October 25th, so I couldn’t go to see Neil Young anyway. And our VIP tickets include a photo opportunity with the Zombies. Plus, we get an autographed vinyl record. So we will hang out with old British guys instead of an old Canadian guy, and that’s just fine and dandy with me.
It Takes a Lot of Work to Sell Homes in Midtown Sacramento or Auburn
Cow looking over a pond in Auburn, CA
My cute Craftsman home in Midtown went into escrow this morning after hitting the market Tuesday afternoon, and it made me realize how some people will undoubtedly believe that we make it look all too easy. All they see is a home coming on the market and a home immediately selling, and they think to themselves that either agents make too much money or that it’s so danged easy they can do it themselves.
What they don’t see is the work behind the scenes. Nor how 40-some years in the real estate business can add up to a bazillion refinements and tweaks in how the professionals do business. I can honestly say that I improve every year as a Sacramento Realtor, constantly reassessing and adjusting for market conditions. It’s a fluid process.
I start working on many of my listings months in advance, especially to sell homes in Midtown. My conversations with that seller started in November of last year. I am working on a bunch of new listings about to hit the market on September 11. Yeah, yeah, it seems an appropriate day. To take it back without forgetting is to gain strength and power.
I have a new listing coming up in Auburn, and I met with the sellers yesterday. They are referrals from a home I sold in Cameron Park. Beautiful home on 5 acres with an enormous workshop, 45 feet x 30 feet x 16 feet high, insulated, heated and powered to the max. Plus a barn with stalls for horses. We need to make some updates and improvements prior to putting the home on the market, plus we need to optimize the best time for market exposure, so we’re working on that end of it now.
Not to mention the hours I poured through MLS and other online records, studying the comparable sales, analyzing sales patterns and looking for future pricing directions to arrive at a sales price. This is the single most hardest thing to do and get right — and if you mess it up, that home will be stigmatized and tarnished. My entire purpose is to get the seller the highest price possible.
There are no restrictions on horses in Auburn
While I was in Auburn, I stopped to see my assistant who lives in Auburn as well. She took me on a tour of her acreage and ponds in an ATV. I hope you like the photo of her cow standing by the pond and one of her horses. I felt a little bit like Eva Gabor of that TV show Green Acres, in my magenta suede heels, but what the hey. If you can’t take a horse snorting on you, you can’t work with others in real estate. I’ve discovered over the years that selling country properties uses the same principles that apply to any other sale, with just a few slight twists.
But it’s a long process and won’t be for sale until after Labor Day. I’m ordering the drone photography today to get on their shooting schedule. We will set up an open house and, if all goes well, within a week or two of hitting the market, we should snag a big fat fish on our fishing line. Because whether it’s to sell homes in Midtown or selling country ranches in Auburn, my sellers get my 40 years of experience and almost 30 days of prep work to get to this point.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub, country home in Auburn
