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How NOT to Choose a Sacramento Real Estate Agent
Choose the best Sacramento real estate agent you can find based on service.
Part of the problem with writing a blog about how NOT to choose a Sacramento real estate agent is that it probably won’t ever reach the people who really need to read it. Because some of those people already think they know everything about the complexities of real estate, tend to exhibit little respect for real estate agents (as they imagine we are all identical to each other when we are not), and they wrongly adhere to the misbelief that the only two things that count are the suggested sales price and the agent’s commission.
These types of people could not begin to fathom how completely twisted those concepts are and why it is the wrong approach to go about hiring a listing agent.
I have noticed that airlines recently have been thanking customers on the plane by saying they realize we have a choice in air carriers and are grateful for the business. Yet, as nice as this sounds on the surface, the real reason most people choose an airline is because of cost. The same way they choose almost everything, and why Sam’s Club is so popular.
Many travelers don’t pay a lot of attention to a convenient travel schedule, the quality of food, the comfort of the seats, the attention and detail to service, nor the on-time record of the airline, either.
They don’t always care too much about how they get to where they are going or whether the journey is pleasant. In fact, they could willingly board an old rattled plane that bounces about in any kind of air turbulence with a drunk pilot in the cockpit who almost crashes the plane, and as long as they land at their destination in pretty much one piece, well, that’s all that matters.
On the contrary, when I tell my clients at closing that I am thankful they chose me because they have a choice in a Sacramento real estate agent, I am sincere. There are almost 5,000 real estate agents in the Sacramento metro region, and for me to rank in the top 10 agents is no easy feat.
It means clients recommend my services because I have earned those referrals.
Depending on Your Sacramento Realtor to Perform Can Be a Good Thing
I realize there are a lot of people who prefer to feel in control of their lives and often spot this control issue manifested in the people who engage in buying or selling a home in Sacramento. That’s because the real estate business is becoming more complicated with each passing day, and even though you might realize deep down in your soul that you’re better off depending on a professional, a Sacramento Realtor, to handle the situation for you, you might resent it a little bit if it’s an area in which you possess little knowledge.
Just because you bought a home once or sold a few homes doesn’t mean you know jack squat, to put it bluntly, about the real estate market today. It evolves and grows and the temperature of the market can change course as fast as a Kardashian can bleach her hair. The one thing that tends to remain constant is the people involved in it.
I’ve been thinking about this phenomena, and wondering how the children of the millennials will survive in the world to come. They will lead completely dependent lives, very different than mine, dependent on technology to always work with no idea whatsoever of how to create or manage it. They might not even drive their own cars. They will be totally lost if an asteroid hits the earth and wipes out half of the planet or the super volcano in Yellowstone explodes, stuff you don’t believe will ever happen but very well could, or any of the other climate change atrocities that await. Millennials are no Tank Girl.
Knowing how stuff works or at least having an inkling about it is very helpful and reassuring. I’m proud of the fact that I can operate my big screen TV today, which is more than some old goats can do. This Sacramento Realtor is a pro at Internet marketing as well. I’m interested in how things work and quickly adapt to new technology. But I wasn’t always this way. Why, I recall how helpless I felt sitting on a mattress on the floor in my very first house and wondering what would happen if I turned on the light switch and the overhead light didn’t go on. What would I do? I could not at that point afford to hire an electrician, who could take half of my meager weekly take-home pay just for a service call. Electricity was like magic to me. Sitting in the dark was not an option.
Imagine my joy to discover I could turn off the main breaker switch, remove the switch plate cover to change out a $2.00 piece of metal and plastic by attaching the neutral wire to the neutral, the hot wire to the hot and the grounding to the ground. I began a long journey into home improvement projects which, to this day, have been inspirational, informative, lucrative and extremely helpful, even when I’m not doing the work myself.
But when you need a Sacramento Realtor to solve a real estate-related problem, buy a home, or sell your home fast and efficiently, then it helps to know which real estate agents are doing the bulk of the business in Sacramento and to hire one of those. You can certainly share your own thoughts about the process, but a busy agent is a productive agent and an agent who has acquired knowledge that will benefit you. You can rely on a professional and worry later about the future for your grandkids. You should call Elizabeth Weintraub. As busy as I am, I do answer my cell: 916.233.6759.
Tips for Selling a Home in Land Park Sacramento
Some people believe all Land Park agents are the same, just like they view real estate agents anywhere, but when it comes to selling a home in Land Park, a leafy urban neighborhood in Sacramento, choosing the right Land Park agent can make a big difference. I can say this because I’m only repeating what my seller told me yesterday when I called to provide verification that we had closed on his home in Land Park. He was another seller I had never met in person.
I should mention that some sellers find it very unusual to sell a home without ever meeting the listing agent, but it’s pretty common place for me nowadays to handle real estate transactions for individuals I have never met. We talk by phone, they read my articles on About.com and peruse my Sacramento real estate website, and we mostly communicate through email or texting, which works brilliantly. We don’t need no stinkin’ handshaking and eyeball bounces.
When the seller first called to discuss possibly selling a home in Land Park, I drove by the home, which was only a few blocks from my own home in Land Park. Even though I know the neighborhood like the back of my own hand, I don’t know every house on every street, and homes in Land Park are unique. They are not like homes in Elk Grove or Natomas because they differ wildly from each other. That’s why the Zillow estimates are often way off base. Zillow estimated the value of this home at about 12% less than it sold. I came up with a sales price based on what I know about the neighborhood, then confirmed my instincts through comparable sales and a drive by.
After I viewed the home and realized there were a few drawbacks, I had considered revising my initial estimate. But given the way the market is moving at the moment — and it is a strong seller’s market in Sacramento — I decided against suggesting a revision on price, and shared those thoughts with the seller. Together, we chose a sales price positioned in just the right sweet spot against the competition and sure enough, we received multiple offers. We shrewdly negotiated and managed to drive that price about 3% higher. I also talked with the appraiser to ensure the appraised value would match the sales price.
Doing what is best for my clients always tends to work out well in the end, and that’s my focus. Some people might scoff and say that attitude is a bit OCD, but it works for me so there’s no reason to change it. We had no request for repairs, nothing. No hiccups. Of course, working with an excellent buyer’s agent on the other side of the transaction helps tremendously, too. Buyers who choose the right buyer’s agent and sellers who choose the right listing agent tend to close escrow faster, smoother and without drama.
Alternative to Short Sale to Sell an Underwater Home in Sacramento
Be aware that not every underwater home is a short sale.
When a seller deposits cash to close an underwater home, that’s what makes a short sale not a short sale. I realize this can baffle some real estate agents in Sacramento because an anonymous agent attempted to file a complaint about my listing to Metrolist, claiming it was disguised as an equity sale. This confused MetroList as well because they could clearly see that my listing was an active listing and not a short sale. Everybody understood except the anonymous agent who apparently could not fathom how a seller could bring in money to close a transaction.
When is a short sale not a short sale? I guess in that agent’s mind if the home was underwater it had to be a short sale; but from where I sit, sellers bring in cash to close more often than you would think. Not every seller of an underwater home wants to do a short sale. Some wish to avoid a short sale and the accompanying derogatory credit by bridging the gap in cash.
This is how it works. Say we have a home that is worth $300,000 but the seller owes $330,000. If the home sells for $300,000, the seller is $30,000 short, plus the seller is short another $21,000 to $22,000 for closing costs and commissions. In this example, a seller can deposit about $52,000 into escrow, which pays all of the costs of sale, including the mortgage payoff, and it is not a short sale.
It is an alternative to a short sale. It is called a regular sale. The seller is adding cash in-lieu-of requesting a short sale. It will not affect the seller’s credit rating, and the seller can buy a new home the same day. Some sellers choose to sell a home in this manner. So, agents should not automatically assume that when a mortgage balance in the tax rolls seems larger than the sales price that the home is a short sale — and don’t rush to file reports with MetroList because it makes the reporting agent look like an idiot.
Trust that many of us in Sacramento real estate really do know what we are doing when we list a home and sell it. Thank goodness this home closed escrow this week. Both of the sellers appear relieved to have unloaded the property without resorting to a short sale. This alternative to a short sale does not fit everybody but for some sellers, it’s the perfect choice.
Three Things About the Sacramento Housing Market
As a blogging Sacramento agent, I try to narrow my blogs to a singular thought, but I have 3 things that keep popping up over and over in unison about home buyers in the Sacramento housing market — which, if I don’t discuss these 3 observations in one blog I might never get around to it. The first is the problem in Elk Grove. I’ve lost count of the number of offers I’ve negotiated for my last bunch of listings in Elk Grove that have fallen out and had to be sold a second, third or fourth time.
These buyers go into escrow and then immediately cancel, which tells me they are writing multiple offers when they can’t afford to buy each of the homes. Where do they get this idea? Do their agents encourage this kind of unethical behavior? Our market is not so hot that they need to do it. They can make an offer on the home they want to buy and probably buy it without competition.
I’ve seen some agents write into the offer that the buyer is making multiple offers, and I want to hug these guys. I’ve had other agents include an addendum that says the buyers are absolutely not writing any other offers and will wait for the offer negotiations to reach a conclusion before doing so. You guys can dance on my grave if you want.
The second thing I’ve noticed about the Sacramento housing market is VA buyers are becoming ubiquitous. I’ve always said if you want to buy a home with a VA loan come over and sit down next to me, and my sellers will gladly cooperate. I love love love VA buyers. Once you get a VA buyer into contract, they close and they don’t go wandering around open houses wondering if they’ve made the right decision. They understand what a commitment means. You can count on a VA buyer. They have integrity.
The third thing about the Sacramento housing market is about home pricing under the next price point. By this I mean pricing a home at $499K instead of $505K, for example. It could go one of two ways. Pricing at $499K might mean that home buyers will fight over it and bid up that price. On the other hand, a buyer might also lowball that price. They probably won’t offer $499K, though. It will be higher or it will be lower, and it’s not always easy to predict which way it will go, regardless of the home’s beauty and desirability.
In super hot seller markets in the past, a $499K listing would almost invariably sell for more. In buyer’s markets, it will fetch less. In this market, though, an agent can’t always accurately forecast because this is a fairly balanced market with no leanings either way, although our inventory is still relatively low. Inventory will get lower as we edge closer to Thanksgiving, but that’s a blog for another day.
