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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.
Working with Internet Buyers in Sacramento Real Estate
Sacramento internet buyers find listings and their agents online today.
It wasn’t that long ago, maybe 10 years back, an agent in my office asked why I would work with internet buyers in Sacramento real estate. This was an astounding concept in 2008. That a Sacramento Realtor could be found online by an internet buyer. Most of that search was organic because other agents were not online. They didn’t have websites nor blogs. Today, everybody has a Facebook, Instagram and Twitter account.
Fast forward 10 years later, and I still maintain a higher internet presence. The difference is many buyers today come from the long tail I’ve created online or from websites where buyers go. I stand out in the sea of ordinariness. That’s why internet buyers gravitate toward me. They see value. According to NAR, 66% of first-time home buyers are Millennials. Followed by Generation X at 26%. Buyers value experience.
But some home buyers break protocol and try to work with many different buyer’s agents, which is a bit defeatist for them. They don’t often recognize this strategy as a problem immediately. Internet buyers might think everything is for free because they can find it online. But they can’t find everything online themselves, like they hope. Buying a home is not like picking out a loaf of bread. They really need the services of a top-notch buyer’s agent. Creating value for internet buyers is what working with buyers today is all about.
Buyer’s agents should ask themselves when working with internet buyers whether that individual is a loyal client. I laugh when buyer’s agents refer to some loser, gonna cancel the minute I get into escrow person, as “my client” when that buyer is not a client. If a buyer walks into a real estate brokerage and asks to see a property taped on a window, is that person a client? What do you think? I believe that’s just a customer who asked to see a property.
When a buyer calls a buyer’s agent, it’s the same thing. For whatever reason, the buyer found the agent online. Maybe the agent was featured in a media outlet news story. Perhaps the buyer discovered the agent through a company website? Through Facebook or a digital ad? It’s more common than not to hear a buyer’s agent refer to a potential buyer as “my client” when they’ve known the individual for all of 22 seconds. That kind of behavior among agents should just stop.
Internet buyers turn into clients when they continually engage with a buyer’s agent. When they ask questions and listen to responses. When they respond to emails. When both parties establish mutual respect. If an internet buyer fails to respond, it means she is not a client. For whatever reason, she doesn’t feel the love, the connection. Or she has formed a bad opinion of real state estate agents in general due to some horrible past experience.
Understanding Internet Buyers
However, the cold fact is all internet buyers search online. They think they can find a house for sale before their agent will find it. They send countless emails containing requests to see homes that are not for sale because they found those listings on Zillow, for example. To deal with this, buyer’s agents need to show compassion for internet buyers. One of the worst things a buyer’s agent can do is make the internet buyer feel stupid or inadequate.
It’s one thing to say, “thank you for trying to help me,” and it’s another to say what the hell are you doing looking at houses for sale on Zillow when all of that stuff is garbage and half of it is sold? It’s better to explain that Zillow does not allow agents to input their own listings anymore, so nothing that shows up in MLS will be on Zillow before it is in MLS. Yes, MLS rules. But garbage in, garbage out.
Personally, I love it that so much is available online for internet buyers. I often go to The Balance Homebuying website and pull articles from experienced agents, including myself, to send to clients. But some of the advice found elsewhere online is completely wrong. Whenever you get a bunch of agents in one place, you will get a large variety of opinions. Some useful, some not. My advice is always consider the source. This is wise advice for any online searches.
Why Internet Buyers Choose a Buyer’s Agent
But at the end of the day, internet buyers still can benefit from the services rendered by an experienced buyer’s agent in Sacramento. The Elizabeth Weintraub Team provides internet buyers with a complete list of our services, from A to Z, start to finish. Because internet buyers do not know why they should be loyal to one agent unless the agent gives them a reason. If an agent can’t produce 50 reasons to show why that buyer should work with that agent and adequately explain the value the agent brings, maybe agents should reconsider their approach.
Remember, internet buyers don’t know what agents really do. They view the job of a buyer’s agent as easy. Doing it right, the job is messy, statistical, analytical, time consuming, painful, exhilarating; relying solely on experience to learn and education to grow.
Buyer’s agents might ask themselves, are we simply a door opener? It’s easy for internet buyers to click that button to request a showing. Or, are we knowledgable buyer’s agents dedicated to the passion of finding that perfect home for an internet buyer? Winning the offer. Successfully closing escrow. The commitment and guarantee of performance will turn an Internet buyer into a satisfied client.
Besides, we all want that 5-star review nowadays. The difference is an extraordinary buyer’s agent earns it in blood.
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.
December 2017 Sacramento Housing Report Shows Steady Prices
December 2017 Sacramento Housing Report
Welcome to the December 2017 Sacramento Housing Report. The first thing that strikes me about the numbers for last month is the fact the pending sales have increased over the same month a year ago. The pending sales for this December are up by 14% over December of last year. This indicates a much stronger demand at the end of the year than the demand that existed a year ago.
The second thing I noticed is inventory dropped in December by 24% over November. But most of that is people saying, what the heck, I want to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas without people traipsing through my house. It’s seasonal and typically more people take their homes off the market over the holidays.
Our inventory is still very low in Sacramento, per the December 2017 Sacramento Housing Report. There was an uptick of inventory in the fall but by December all of that pretty much vanished. Demand seems to remain constant. I keep wondering whether buyers will back off as interest rates rise, but I suspect they are doing the opposite. If I were a couple of first-time home buyers right now, I’d be worried about being priced out of the marketplace in the upcoming year. There is no slowdown in sight for appreciation. Prices keep climbing.
It’s a double whammy because interest rates are increasing and prices are increasing. However it doesn’t mean the market will fall because demand is so strong. If we had tons of inventory and very little demand, we’d be singing a different tune but that is not what’s happening in the December 2017 Sacramento Housing Report.
All I can say is 2018 will be an interesting year. Whatever happens, I’m prepared to serve my clients equally well if not better than last year. If you’re interested in more information about the Sacramento real estate market, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759 and put 44 years of experience to work for you.
Mixing Religion and Politics in Sacramento Real Estate
Mixing religion and politics is always a bit tricky in Sacramento real estate for some people. Fortunately, I don’t have to worry much about the political end of things because I’m unlikely to alienate my client base. It would be different if I sold primarily in Placer County, but most of my business lies squarely in Sacramento. Plus, I rarely bring up religion and politics. My brain is already too busy processing strategies and marketing ideas. At my age, there’s only so much room up there in the attic.
My mother raised a Democrat. Little known fact: my mother was once president of the League of Women Voters. We got the Congressional Record delivered daily at our house in Minneapolis. But I am more of a live-and-let-live sort of person. I’ve learned over the years to be friends with Republicans; in fact, here’s a stunner for you: I married a handful of Republicans at various times, not at the same time.
I am not a spiritual nor a religious person, which amazes some people. Many people think I’m Jewish but that’s my husband’s side of the family. However, I don’t begrudge people their religious beliefs, nor belittle, and I respect their points of view. OK, actually, I do wonder about the Mormons. The golden plates in the desert, the weird underwear, all that stuff. And that’s why I rank only #5 in a four-county area of Sacramento for year-end Realtor stats in 2017. I don’t have a bunch of religious friends who support my business, like many agents.
Nope, I worship at the church of Satan: Google.
However, yesterday morning, a client whom I dearly love who moved to the Midwest called to talk about buying an investment property in Sacramento. After we chatted and got caught up on the past few years of events, she, in a very somber voice monotoned: Elizabeth, I have something I need to tell you. Long pause. OMG, is she dying from cancer? Oh, please, don’t let her be dying from an incurable disease. I couldn’t take it.
Then she launched into letting Jesus Christ into my heart and something about a day of reckoning a 100 years from now, I don’t really know. I stared at my phone in disbelief. Then I realized I couldn’t hear her because by moving the phone away from my ear to look at it, I lost most of the conversation. When she finished, I muttered something about how nice it is to share convictions with a close friend. I tried to be nonchalant. Doesn’t she think I am Jewish?
But then she said this disclosure was making her very uncomfortable. She did not want to bring it up, but she felt a compulsion. It was her duty. Quick thinking on my part, I let her know that, hey, I have a compulsion to share as well.
Without missing a beat, I said, it’s my duty to tell you that you should never vote for a person like Donald Trump ever again.
She wants to save me? Well, perhaps I should save her.
Silence. That amused me.
Then she asked why. You will notice she didn’t deny it. I mean, I surely noticed.
So I told her why . . . because he’s a despicable human being who doesn’t respect diversity nor women, he’s a terrible president, undoing all the values we hold near and dear. He’s polluting the environment, doesn’t believe in climate change, actually is stupid enough to believe that science is not real, calls journalists fake news, and just passed a massive tax bill that favors the uber rich. I said I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a Nazi but if the shoe fits he should wear it.
This is what you get when you mix religion and politics in any kind of setting. So now I have an answer, actually, for all those door knockers who want me to convert. I’ll just talk their ears off about Donald Trump until they leave me alone.
My client friend? She said her piece and I said mine. I still love her.
