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Biking to the Sacramento River Solves Real Estate Conflict
A few of the good things about working from a home office as a Sacramento real estate agent are you can type naked at your desk, and you can also put on pants and a shirt and go biking to the Sacramento River anytime you want. Can’t operate that way in a downtown business environment.
Because I work from my home office in Land Park, I am fairly close to the Sacramento River and even Old Sacramento, not to mention the paths through William Land Park, all of which are wonderful places to go riding a bike. I talked to a young sales guy who is soon off to college at Santa Cruz and works at the Curtis Park bike shop on 21st Street. He told me that he’s been hit already at his young age by a moving vehicle 4 times. I’m thinking I might prefer park trails and levees along the river than riding in traffic or any place without a bike lane.
Getting hit by cars is a concern in Sacramento and probably anywhere else drivers don’t pay attention. I always pull way over when driving, into the other lane if I can, when I spot a bicyclist. You don’t know how well that person can ride a bike. That person might be somebody like me who sometimes wobbles the front wheel. You should stay clear of a person on a bike while driving a car.
During our bike ride yesterday — my husband took his bike over to the Curtis Park bike shop to get it turned up — we stopped near Scott’s Seafood on Riverside. The photo above is of the Sacramento River at that spot. I shot it with my cellphone. There is a picnic table there where you can sit and stare out at the river.
Then, if you’re like me, you pedal back home to Land Park and deal with the guy who now wants to renegotiate the sales price after the home inspection. With a clear head and a strong focus on the seller. There is always conflict in real estate transactions. It’s how an agent deals with that conflict that makes the difference. A little exercise and fresh air and help. We’re back on track, contingencies removed in exchange for a small concession and all is good.
If you want to sell your home in the Sacramento area, feel free to call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916 233 6759. I answer my phone, even if I am biking to the Sacramento River.
Every Picture Tells a Story About a Carmichael Pool Home
Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Now, you may remember this Rod Stewart song as an innocent, fun-loving, rollicking good time, but you should read those lyrics. I’m telling ya. In today’s eyes, the lyrics are a little racist and rally around not taking birth control. Ack. Ah, what 42 years can do to the way we look at things. But looking at things, especially looking at Sacramento real estate and homes online in Sacramento, is my topic for today.
The photo on top of this page is a lead picture that I am using for a pool home in Carmichael. I thought long and hard about which lead photo to use online. You really don’t want to get too jarring or upset the apple cart by using unusual online photographs or a buyer might wonder what is wrong with the house. Why is this house not presented like all of the other houses, with a photograph of the front yard, the big cement driveway and the burned-up lawn that says, hey, this is Sacramento! You deviate too much, and you’ll lose your audience or generate suspicion.
As a Sacramento real estate agent, I want to arouse curiosity and instill an urgent need to view my listings, including this beautiful Carmichael Pool home. While I shot photographs of this pool home from many different angles, it was very difficult to get a photo that actually spoke to why a buyer would purchase this home, much less click on the listing upon presentation. Some ranch-style exteriors don’t really say much about the home. Moreover, a photo at 1000 pixels might look like mush when downsized to 300 pixels.
The thing that makes this particular Carmichael pool home so spectacular is the back yard. Of course, the interior is very nicely done. It’s impeccable. I couldn’t find a dent or a crack or smudge in the walls or ceilings. In fact, there is almost virgin hardwood floors under much of the carpeting.
But let’s face it, one of the reasons we love living in Sacramento is because of our weather. We want to be outdoors. If we are buying a Carmichael Pool home, we want to be in that swimming pool. This home has grapevines dangling from a trellis that runs the length of the back of the home, and they frame the pool through the big picture windows in the formal living room and family room.
My intention is to grab my viewers by the hand and gently lead them through the home, showing all of the home’s beautiful features while explaining benefits, and much of that can be accomplished in the photography. This is why I shoot my own photographs. I know what I want my photos to convey. When you hire me, you’re not just getting a veteran top producing agent, you’re hiring my photography skills, too.
If you’re looking for a Sacramento real estate agent to sell your home, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916 233 6759. Check out 4767 Crestview Drive, Carmichael, CA 95608, offered by Elizabeth Weintraub at Lyon Real Estate, $289,000. Held open July 20th and 21st, Saturday and Sunday, from 2 PM to 4 PM.
Heading Off Problems in Sacramento Real Estate Escrows
The longer I am in real estate, which is going on 40 years now, the more I see how real estate can turn calm, logical people into crazy looney-tunes. Imagine what real estate does to people who already have a screw loose? And, let’s not even talk about the new Alzheimer report released yesterday that says if you think you’re losing your mind, you probably are, because that’s not very comforting either and will probably tend to encourage paranoid thoughts for those even slightly forgetful.
I have nothing against crazy people. Let’s get that straight. I am not a person who discriminates against the insane (but I do tend to draw the line at psychotics and those who don’t take their meds). Some of my best friends are so nutty they belong in the Blue Diamond Almond gift shop downtown Sacramento, yet I love them to pieces. We’re all a little off balance in our own ways.
Yet, when it comes to your Sacramento real estate agent, clients really expect to work with a solid individual. A person who has it together. That agent has to be their anchor and support system for the duration of the real estate relationship. Agents should not exhibit a wishy-washy demeanor because clients want to rely on a professional who is decisive and can guide them to make the right decisions as well. This means an agent needs to step aside and think before responding when problematic situations arise. Emotional agents who bounce off the walls don’t do well in those instances.
This week a seller called me in a bit of a panic because the buyer’s carpet installer was over at her home measuring. The carpet installer told the seller and the buyer the house contained asbestos. That was shocking news to all parties concerned. Now, you might note to yourself that the seller should not have allowed a tradesperson into the home to measure for carpeting prior to the close of escrow, and then that little fiasco could have been averted. But, in actuality, the problem was a carpet installer is not an asbestos expert.
Sure enough, after the seller hired an asbestos testing company, the test results came back clear. There was no asbestos noted in the reports in either of the rooms examined and tested. You know who suggested hiring an asbestos testing company? Yup, you got it, her Sacramento real estate agent. Probably saved that seller thousands and thousands of dollars, the amount an asbestos abatement company might charge. Asbestos abatement companies aren’t all that concerned as to whether the home contains asbestos, you know, they just come out and remove what looks like offending material.
Another agent in Sacramento this week was trying to buy a home for a family member. The buyer absolutely needed to buy a home in a certain part of West Sacramento that this Sacramento real estate agent has on the market. The problem was the preapproval letter. It stated the buyer had not completed a loan application. How is the buyer preapproved then? The answer is the buyer is not preapproved. After sending the buyer to a professional FHA mortgage broker, it turns out the buyer’s ratios are too high to qualify. Problems averted at the starting gate.
There are many reasons to hire a Sacramento real estate agent with experience. This is just a couple of examples from this week. A good real estate agent doesn’t really cost you; an experienced real estate agent saves you money, sometimes beyond her fee.
A Rainbow with Geese in William Land Park
My agent friend Myrl told me that I should carry a camera in my bike basket when I’m out riding because I will surely come across something I would like to take photo of and, sure enough, she was correct. While pedaling by homes in Land Park yesterday and around the geese in William Land Park, I did indeed come across a scene with a rainbow in it. When one spots a rainbow, it’s time to to stop and admire. We don’t have enough rainbows in our lives.
Although I did not bring my camera, I do have a caddy on my bike for strapping in my cellphone. You know, as a Sacramento real estate agent, it’s kinda hard to go anywhere without a smartphone. I might get a text message or an email or God forbid an actual phone call.
The secret to my success in real estate is that I answer my phone. I respond to text messages and emails. It’s not that I’m some super real estate freak; it’s just easier that way. Otherwise, messages can pile up and emails can be overwhelming. You might not know this, but I receive about 300 emails a day. Efficiency and organization is the way I stay on top of my game.
I hope you like this photo of the rainbow and geese in William Land Park. It’s not the best quality, not like my actual Nikon would shoot. But I do have an older Nikon lying around my home in Land Park somewhere. Perhaps I should find a bag for it and take it with me during my biking excursions around the geese in William Land Park from now on.
When Buyers in Sacramento Refuse to Close Escrow
Keeping up the spirits when buyers refuse to close escrow is an art form in itself. Not only do I need to keep myself pumped and ecstatic to move forward, but my primary focus as a real estate agent is to help my sellers move past the disappointment and crushed feelings. Sellers aren’t just unhappy when a buyer cancels, they are often furious. They would like to stomp on the heads of those buyers and drop the assholes into the river in cement shoes.
Me? I just lost a commission and money is replaceable. Another buyer will eventually show up. But the seller has lost a lot more. Sellers lose hope. Whatever plans a seller has had in the works for after the closing are put on hold or, worse, permanently canceled after a buyer walks out the door. It can be a life-changing event.
During escrow, it’s common for sellers to put their emotional attachments and any unwelcome baggage associated with the home into the past, but when a buyer cancels it all comes rushing back at them. It’s as though they failed in their mission. It’s heartbreaking, and buyer’s agents don’t ever see this side of the business. They skip merrily on their way to buy another home with their buyers and don’t look back.
After the feelings settle down a little bit, the sellers often want to sue the buyer. I understand that sentiment. Unfortunately, buyers in Sacramento have 15 ways from Sunday to cancel a contract while in the contingency contract period. If they cancel during that time period, they get their earnest money back.
Isn’t there some way to get that good faith deposit when buyers refuse to close? Not really. Not if there are contingencies in force. Unfortunately, no matter how well a seller qualifies a buyer, there is never an assurance that a buyer won’t refuse to close escrow. In squirrelly markets, cancellations can happen more often than not. Rely on your Sacramento real estate agent to help guide and navigate. I am here for my clients, especially if it gets rough.
