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Presenting a Sacramento Home in the Best Positive Light
Every so often, I get an agent complaining that I am guilty of presenting a Sacramento home in the best positive light. They want to know about all the drawbacks and icky things about it. Some of them can’t even see the forest for the trees. They automatically call a house a dog or otherwise trash it because they feel it doesn’t measure up to their incredibly picky standards. Some say their buyers feel duped because I said the home was beautiful and the agent doesn’t think it’s beautiful.
You know what I say about that? I say they are probably those Sacramento real estate agents who drive around town like their kids live here. I hate that. You know what? Your kids don’t live in that neighborhood. In fact, our world is overpopulated as it is. What is wrong with you guys? Try to drive the speed limit, for crying out loud. There are those of us behind your vehicle who have to be somewhere on time. Ha! Go wear your helmets while riding a bike, why doncha?
Also, I say every home is beautiful. Just like every baby is beautiful, even the ugly fat babies. Show me a mother who thinks her kid is ugly. You can’t. No difference with buying a home. Every homeowner picked their home for one or more reasons. To that person, the home is beautiful. Our ultimate buyer will believe the home is beautiful, too. Have you ever heard a person say she hated her stinkin’ house but bought it anyway? Didn’t think so. Everybody knows their own poop doesn’t stink.
My job as a Sacramento listing agent is to find the buyer who loves the home I have to sell. It is presenting a Sacramento home in the best positive light. I can always find stunning features to describe, no matter how small or insignificant to a buyer’s agent. Further, I try to minimize any drawbacks or not-so-nice features. If I describe the home as beautiful, it is beautiful. Carole King would agree.
You betcha, spread the beauty around, is my motto. In fact, I bet you didn’t even know that the most effective word in a real estate description is the word beautiful. It makes my sellers happy because I acknowledge the positive features and admire their home. It makes buyers happy because I reaffirm what they already know. Presenting a Sacramento home in the best positive light is what marketing is about. There is no downside to this except the agents who persist in driving down a street like their kids live there and making the rest of us slow down for no good reason.
Beware of Sacramento Agents Who Have a Dog in the Race
Not every Sacramento Realtor has a dog in the race.
You know what I mean about Sacramento agents who have a dog in the race, right? The underbelly of this business. Especially real estate agents whose sole business model is: no closing, no paycheck. When an agent must close a transaction or starve to death, it can be difficult for a client to feel comfortable with the advice that agent might offer. I get it. But I hadn’t quite had it put to me like a client explained a few days ago.
Basically, he said he was referring me to a co-worker who needed to list his home because I have enough business to be financially comfortable. Implying that it’s difficult to trust an agent who doesn’t. Granted, there are many types of Realtors in Sacramento.
It’s true that there are Sacramento agents who have a dog in the race, but I’m not one of those. I take listings because I enjoy the challenges and it’s rewarding to do a good job for my sellers. The money isn’t bad, either. But money is not my motivation. As a matter of principle, I probably charge more than most other agents, but I also provide services that warrant the highest commission and net higher prices. You might find that ironic but I don’t.
If a seller demands to work with a cheap agent, that seller can work with another agent who won’t do nearly the job I would do. No skin off my teeth. There’s another seller around the corner who values what I do.
And, yes, I find it amusing when a seller asks me if this is a good time to go on the market. I tell them don’t ask a Realtor if it’s a good time because an agent will tell you YES.
New Client: Is this a good time to hire you?
Me: Well, I dunno, maybe you should check back next year to see if I’ve retired.
Darn tootin’ it’s a good time to hire Elizabeth Weintraub! There’s a reason I rank in the top 5 agents in Sacramento.
Although, joking aside, I do tell clients if their home will be difficult to sell, then list it now. We have no inventory. It will sell quickly. We’ll push that price up, and I’ll take care of them all the way through closing. I will monitor the transaction and handle any blips. On the other hand, if you’ve got a stunning home and can afford to wait, then April 15th is prime time.
I’ll sell anything if it’s fun to do. I don’t need to have a dog in the race. But be careful of those who do. Sometimes buyer’s agent will try to threaten me and the seller. They say if we don’t do what their buyer wants, their buyer will walk away. You know my response is to that? That agent is an idiot. They don’t look for answers, solutions.
Still, I don’t hold that against them. Because they could very well be one of those Sacramento agents who have a dog in the race. Those are the ones who rarely make it to the finish line. They do not realize that a sure-fired way to make it in the real estate business is to take the agent out of the equation and focus on what is best for the seller.
How About Ways a Listing Agent Markets Homes in Sacramento?
A top listing agent markets homes in Sacramento to present the best light.
Certain buyer’s agents in Sacramento have their own thoughts about ways this listing agent markets homes in Sacramento. They have their very own reality. Crafted on isolated personal experiences that bear little resemblance to my world. Sometimes I am tempted to say, hey, dial it back. When you are selling $30 to $40 million a year, you can speak from my point of view. But I don’t because being snarky serves no purpose. No reason to alienate agents, either.
Some buyer’s agents believe listing agents should paint a stark picture of the house and disclose every single drawback about it upfront. From their point of view, I can see why they might harbor those irrational thoughts. Sometimes they complain about my photographs. I don’t do anything special to the photos. No distortion, nor do they look like a fish-eye lens. My professional photographer shoots high definition. His wonderful photos evoke emotion.
Ways a Top Listing Agent Markets Homes Does Not Include Negative Aspects
But if a home sits next to an apartment building, believe you me, I am focusing on tight shots that don’t include the apartment building. An agent whined about this recently. Do they not understand that when this listing agent markets homes in Sacramento, only crazy agents point out all the deficiencies. That would be defeatist. Am I a journalist, held to those types of standard? I am not required to showcase barebones in my photos. That’s not how marketing works. This is not a reality TV show. I am not about to show a dead cockroach in the kitchen.
My fiduciary is to my seller. First and last. It is to do a bang-up job at getting buyers in the door. An agent complained that a home featured white carpeting and seemed very upset it wasn’t mentioned in the way this listing agent markets homes in Sacramento. Hello? Photographs. The buyer’s agent can view many photos of white carpeting in MLS. Why is she whining at me about it? I’m left thinking that some agents just like to whine.
Further, seller’s market anyone? Not much inventory for sale. Buyer’s agents may as well show every home they possibly can because that’s all there is. This is yet another reason I firmly believe in specialization. When you’re a specialized listing agent like me, you focus intently only on the seller’s needs. I am listing and selling a home on behalf of my seller. I owe honesty to the buyer. Not due diligence. That’s the buyer’s job, to conduct her own due diligence.
Moreover, real estate is not a job of prancing about with party ponies sporting glued-on unicorns and glitter. A listing agent’s job is very different from a buyer’s agent’s job. Listing agents should present homes in their best light. Listing agents also don’t market negativity, no matter how much buyer’s agents complain.
Because believe me, show me a listing agent who says, “Oh, you don’t want to buy this house,” and I’ll show you a guy working part-time at McDonald’s.
California Transfer Disclosure Statement Mistakes Made by Sellers
Follow your agent’s tips to fill out the Transfer Disclosure Statement online.
Completing the California Transfer Disclosure Statement can be troublesome for many sellers in Sacramento. Although these documents are common place for most real estate professionals, we need to remember our sellers are not licensed in real estate. They don’t understand our lingo and “shop talk” has no place in Sacramento real estate. We need to make the completion of seller disclosures simple and easy for our clients.
I always tell my clients to call me if they have questions when completing the Transfer Disclosure Statement. We have only 7 days to deliver them to the buyer after contract acceptance. They don’t always call. Maybe it’s late at night when they get around to viewing the paperwork online. They just want to finish it and be done. Therefore, sellers might skim through the paperwork and not completely read the questions.
Common mistakes routinely made by sellers when completing the Transfer Disclosure Statement
On page one, Section I, Coordination With Other Disclosure Forms, there is a box for adding reports made pursuant to the contract. YES, check that box. The buyer will do a home inspection and possibly pest or roof or chimney or sewer, a whole slew of inspections.
On page one, Section II, Sellers Information, there is a box to check as to whether the seller is an occupant or not an occupant. Basically, do you live there or not? If the seller doesn’t live in the house anymore, the seller is not an occupant. Easy answer, but many sellers don’t know.
Also on page one are the items included in the sale of the home and descriptions. Here are hard-to-answer questions:
What is a 220 volt? It’s an enormous receptacle with 3 prongs that your dryer plugs into.
What is an Exhaust Fan? In the ceiling, generally, in laundry rooms, bathrooms and in your range hood in the kitchen. It sucks moisture out.
Number of Remote Controls? This is the device that opens your garage door. If you note 2 remotes, you better have two remotes to hand over to the buyer at closing. If you’re unsure, put zero. Be safe.
What is a Gas Starter? This is a key on the wall that starts a gas fireplace. If you have a wood burning fireplace, you do not have a gas starter.
Page 2 Part C of the Transfer Disclosure Statement, more common mistakes when sellers check No and should check YES:
Item #2) This is almost always YES. If for no other reason than you have a fence, usually in the back yard, that is shared and separates a neighboring property from yours.
Item #12) CC&Rs. Almost every home in Sacramento has CC&Rs. These are covenants, conditions and restrictions recorded in the public records around the time the home was built. The preliminary title report will tell you whether there are CC&Rs recorded against the property. Your title insurance policy when you bought the home will disclosure CC&Rs in Schedule B and except them from coverage.
Item #13 and #14 concern properties located within a Homeowner’s Association. If a seller pays an HOA fee to an HOA, then an HOA has certain authority. Check YES. If there are common areas shared with neighbors in an HOA the answer to #14 is YES as well.
At the bottom of the second page, if you checked YES to any of the 16 questions, you need to explain WHY you answered in the affirmative. Be brief. For example, you might say: #2 Fences. And it explains it all in one word.
Risk management says if you’re gonna get into trouble with the buyer, it could relate to the Transfer Disclosure Statement. Unhappy buyers who believe a seller lied to them are the worst kind to face in court. Don’t make these common mistakes when completing the TDS. If you need assistance or have a question, call your Sacramento Realtor for guidance. We are here for you.
Are You Prepared to Sell Your Home in Sacramento?
Knowing that you are prepared to sell your home in Sacramento involves letting go emotionally.
Are you wondering if you’re prepared to sell your home in Sacramento? If so, you’ve come to the right place. We prepare for everything in life, don’t we? For example, right now, the state of Hawaii is preparing to be bombed by North Korea. I’m not kidding. Even in Kailua-Kona the authorities are sounding the sirens and testing them, just in case. The advice they give residents is: stay inside. Like, how is that gonna help?
People are complaining to the newspaper that they can’t hear the testing of the sirens. Seriously? If North Korea bombs us, it doesn’t much matter where you are or what you are doing, you’re a goner. We can prepare for other things like vog, which is volcanic air pollution drifting through the air or, worse, an erupting volcano. It’s not like Vesuvius and we’ll be covered in lava like statues as we’re pulling bread out of the oven. There is time, usually, to get out of the way of molten lava flows.
By comparison, getting prepared to sell your home in Sacramento is far easier. To cut to the chase, you can follow these basic steps:
- Call your Sacramento Realtor to inspect your home.
- Review the comparative market analysis and discuss the market with your Realtor.
- Clean the house and remove furniture or call in a home stager.
- Your Realtor, if she’s on top of her game, will hire a professional photographer and schedule a photo shoot.
- You will sign paperwork, hand over a key for the Supra lockbox.
But are you prepared to sell your home in Sacramento? That’s the key. You can go through the motions, but you also need to be mentally prepared to sell. You need a place to move to because, believe it or not, the buyer will want to move in, and the buyer doesn’t want a roommate.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to find out if you are prepared to sell your home in Sacramento:
- Have you said goodbye, in person, to each of your rooms?
- Are you looking at your home as a commodity and not with sadness or fondness?
- Are you ready to move within 30 days of an offer, which could mean over the next 5 to 6 weeks? It can take a week or two to sell your home.
- Have you come to terms with leaving fixtures behind or removing fixtures prior to sale? Some people are very attached to their light fixtures or dishwashers, both of which are fixtures.
- What kind of plans do you have for removing pets during showings?
- Are you able to leave the house on Sundays for an open house?
- How many people have you shared the news with that you are moving, or is it a secret still?
Many people who want to sell a home in Sacramento struggle with some of these questions, which is why I bring them up. If you’re not ready to sell, there is no rush. We work within your schedule. It’s not a crime to tell your Realtor you are not ready. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759 and put 43 years of experience to work for you.
