Email Elizabethsacramento realtor
Selling a Messy Home in Sacramento
Selling a messy house presents challenges that are not always insurmountable.
Selling a messy home in Sacramento can be quite the challenge but not completely impossible. Being a Sacramento Realtor who rarely meets a home she does feel a strong urge to remodel with her own two bare hands, there are times I have to muster all of my strength to keep a straight face when talking with prospective sellers. It’s a gift in a way, to know when to keep your trap shut and how to temper words.
Being a good Realtor means you can’t let every unfiltered thought flow out of your mouth. Thinking before speaking is paramount. It’s a technique that can be difficult to teach others. Everyone knows I tend to tell it like it is but practicing restraint can also be a beautiful thing. Now, I don’t have any horrible listings at the moment and am not presently engaged in selling a messy home in Sacramento, which is precisely why I can talk about some of my past accomplishments. I try to never discuss any sales in progress. That’s just bad business.
This is blog for the people who spot questionable photographs in MLS and ask in an incredulous tone: how can another Sacramento Realtor publish such photos of a messy home in Sacramento? Isn’t she trying to sell it? Why would anybody do that? Does she know how bad those photos appear?
Why yes, yes she does know how bad those photos make the home appear. The thing is, the house is not going to magically transform itself into the Palace of Versailles when the buyer tours the home. If the place looks like Grey Gardens from the Beale era, it’s gonna showcase all of that squalor to a buyer, regardless. A vase of fresh flowers will not change perception. An agent may as well advertise to the type of buyer who will see value.
Reminds me of a seller I worked with years ago. She was selling a messy home in Sacramento and had called me to list. She forced me to step over piles of garbage on the floor; stuff was scattered a foot deep from one end to the other, featuring a big ol’ pile of rubbish lined up along the walls. This seller removed a framed picture from the wall, pointed to the nail and asked if she should try to cover the hole it would leave with spackle.
She was serious. Completely oblivious to the mess. That’s the thing to realize about selling a messy home in Sacramento. People are not gonna change their living habits in the blink of an eye. I sold another messy home in Sacramento in which a gigantic pile of rats had been swept into the center of the floor. The occupants stood over the rats puffing like crazy on cigarettes. I’ve sold homes that have been stripped and gutted by thugs, homes that smelled so badly I couldn’t enter, homes that by the principles of gravity should not still be standing.
Bottom line, if it’s priced right, anything will sell.
Sacramento Home Contractors Without a Dog in the Race
Many Sacramento home contractors have a dog in the race.
You would think that a busy Sacramento Realtor could easily locate Sacramento home contractors who don’t have a dog in the race, but that’s not always possible. It’s been a challenge at times to find reliable and honest tradespeople to even work on my own home. In part, that’s due to the Bell Curve, and just like with real estate agents, some are much better than others, but it’s also because of the way the system is set up. Say, for example, that you ask an insulation contractor to inspect the insulation in your attic. What are the odds the insulation contractor will state the insulation should be upgraded or replaced? Fairly high, I’d say.
Same goes for pest companies. Pest companies not only inspect but they complete the work, plus they hire third-party vendors and mark-up the repair estimate to include a padding for them. This practice is legal and sanctioned. It’s really difficult for homeowners to trust Sacramento home contractors to prepare an inspection when they also stand to gain compensation to replace or repair. In fact, many contractors are not hired to issue an opinion. They are called out to homes typically only for repairs. When was the last time you heard a contractor say: everything looks perfect, don’t change a thing.
About Sacramento Home Contractors
Buyers and sellers have a hard time knowing whom to trust. Especially when they do not fully understand the work of tradespeople. Although, I once represented a seller who was an electrician by trade. The buyer’s agent had hired an out-of-area electrical company representative; among the dozens of Sacramento home contractors he could have selected, he chose a company near his own residence. My home seller stood outside with the inspector, talking with him about the electrical panel, and the electrical inspector allegedly reported everything was A-OK. Next thing you know, the buyer’s inspector issued a report asking for thousands and thousands of dollars to rewire the yard, dig it up, I dunno, and stated the panel was, of all screwball things, burned out.
Wow, as you can imagine, the seller was livid and later filed a complaint against the electrical company. The buyers, without providing a specific reason, canceled. Fortunately, given our market conditions and the beauty of that particular home, we went back on the market and quickly sold to a more fortunate buyer under identical terms. The new buyer reviewed the reports and arrived at a different conclusion. It doesn’t matter to me how many times I need to resell a home for my sellers.
Even Vet Clinics Play The Game
Like another example? We switched to a local vet because our vet in Davis grew so successful that they no longer have time for us. I can’t bring my cats in for a routine rabies shot, though, without the staff trying to upsell products:
Oh, you need to give your cat monthly medication to prevent a disease that has been found in 5 to 25 cases a year in Sacramento but we feel it’s an epidemic. If you don’t, your cat will DIE. It’s so sad when that happens, you filthy beast. And here is a $78 bottle of mouthwash to prevent plaque buildup. Sure, we used to charge $30 to clean teeth but that involved listening to the cat scream, and we’ve found it’s more financially rewarding and much easier for us to charge $500 and put your cat out.
I’m not making this up. How many cat owners in Sacramento can afford to pay $500 a pop to clean their cat’s teeth?
Everybody is trying to make a buck. Especially the Sacramento home contractors. It’s the American way. Just don’t be surprised if you ask for an opinion and they return with an estimate. Also, ask your Sacramento Realtor for referrals. She has probably worked with enough contractors that she can supply names of reputable contractors. There are good guys (and women) out there. They’re just hard to find.
Stunning Home in Tahoe Park Showcases Artistic Touches
Entrance to 5724 7th Av in Tahoe Park Sacramento.
Upon entering this home in Tahoe Park, it is very clear that an artist lives in residence. The home is welcoming, joyful, pristine and immaculate. It is balanced. You will feel at peace in this home. It will inspire all who pass through its doors to accomplish great things by relying on limited resources. The walls are insulated, and the home features a whole house fan, you’d be amazed how in this extreme heat in Sacramento that we’re experiencing at the moment, how cool the home stays without turning on any AC.
Living room features hardwood flooring and a brick fireplace.
This home in Tahoe Park was built in 1952, the year I was born, and yesterday was my birthday. Usually I take off for my birthday to fly off somewhere beachy, but this year I’m way too busy selling Sacramento real estate to afford the time for a birthday vacation. Next year, when I turn 65 . . .
I love homes built in this year, and not just because of my birthday. Because they seem to be built better than homes today, sturdier, with better construction materials. The floors are hardwood, mostly, and the layout is a very friendly open floor plan. Small children and pets will love the zooming about possibilities. You will love the contemporary colors and artistic design.
Kitchen is open at both ends, plus ample dining space.
It features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and is about 1,488 square feet according to the assessor. That does not include the detached sunroom out the backdoor, which has its own cooling and heating system, plus electricity. The seller uses that space as an office and workout room. She has her art studio set up in part of the garage, and her husband’s workshop is behind that. If you wanted to park in the garage, it would be easy to remove the sliding doors and reinstall an overhead. But who parks in the garage in Sacramento?
Sunroom and beautifully landscaped yard and gardens.
Showings start on June 30th and run through July 5th, to give every potential home buyer the opportunity to tour this home in Tahoe Park. 5724 7th Av, Sacramento, CA 95820, is offered exclusively by Elizabeth Weintraub at Lyon Real Estate at the affordable price of $369K. Call 916.233.6759 for more information or a private tour. We hope to entertain a winning offer on July 6th.
The Art of Communication in Sacramento Real Estate
Diplomacy goes a long way in the art of communication.
The art of communication requires finesse. You can say the worst sort of things to people and they won’t take offense, depending on the way the news is delivered and the tone of your voice. Just ask me, your Sacramento Realtor, because I’ve been managing the expectations of home sellers and buyers for many decades. In fact, I was absorbing my natural influences the other night during Game of Thrones — that any types of demands or threats sound pretty darned harmless when you add “your grace” to the sentences. You can say anything.
Like, “Your Grace, the buyers have burned down your house during the home inspection; Your Grace, I’m so sorry, Your Grace.”
“Eh, I’ve got insurance; let’s go to lunch!”
In fact, I’d be a lot more willing to help a person I did not much like if that person referred to me as Your Grace during conversations. It seems to soften everything. Turn dismal gray days bright and sunny. Tiny beady eyes into big eye pop art. May you be rewarded by seven Gods, Your Holiness, I’d reply, and then I would wonder like I’m wondering right now whether holiness is spelled with a Y or an I, but I’m going with an I. It’s all in the art of communication.
Like Hillary Clinton telling Donald Trump to delete your account on Twitter. Although I admit that I enjoyed it, she could have accomplished the same thing through: Put a sock in it. More direct. More punch. And a bit of humor. Actually, I would not have commented to the Trumpster at all because there is no upside and plenty of downside when you engage with a racist, homophobe, misogynist lunatic. Sometimes you can practice the art of communication by not talking at all. But the a-hole is right there, in your face. You can’t sit on the fence.
Bottomline, the best way to practice the art of communication is by thinking before parting your lips and allowing unfettered words to escape. Consider how the recipient will receive the information. Try to make the delivery a welcome experience for a worthy recipient and a punch in the gut to the nasty guys, but in such a way it is enjoyable. Determine whether it’s best to pick up the phone and call instead of typing an email or sending a text. I have noticed that people who talk to their phone say things differently than those who type an email. And even emails can be impersonal. The art of communication. Try it. Fewer apologies. Better results.
If you’re looking for a top-rated and experienced Sacramento Realtor, call Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916.233.6759.
A Starter Home for Sacramento First-Time Homebuyers
Starter home for Sacramento first-time homebuyers at 8676 Crystal River Way.
One of my new listings this week is an affordable starter home for sale for Sacramento first-time homebuyers. You might wonder when an agent says this, what does it mean? How can one home be for everybody and another for first time homebuyers in Sacramento? This Sacramento Realtor can make that statement because it fits all of the criteria for buyers who are trying to purchase their first home. It’s what we call a “starter home,” a cute name that means you buy that home, live there for a few years until you’re ready to have children or can’t stand being in close proximity to your spouse anymore, and then you sell it and buy a bigger home. The American Way.
On the other hand, my brother and his wife, for example, live in a starter home in Minneapolis, and they have lived in that home for 33 years. Some people get very comfortable in a starter home and never move out again. I have not even lived in one city for 33 years, let alone one home. My brother will be carted out of his home on a stretcher with a sheet over his head. Probably next week, if you’ve been following those happenings. But don’t let that little twister stop you from reading the rest of the story about this starter home for Sacramento first-time home buyers. Even a bitter truth often has a hint of humor to it.
This starter home is your typical 3 bedroom, 2-bath, single story ranch, and it’s a little over 1,300 square feet, according to the Sacramento County Assessor’s records. What makes it a bit unusual is the care and maintenance from the meticulous sellers, and some of its features. For example, the front yard sports a concrete water fountain built into the ground. I did not turn it on to see if it works, but I imagine it does because the sellers are those type of people. They told me the dishwasher does not work, and even though they offered to replace it for the previous tenants, the tenants were happy to wash dishes by hand. Some old-school people don’t appreciate built-in dishwashers.
There is also an outdoor brick fireplace with a grill attached to it, nestled off the covered patio, so the smoke would rise into the air and not flow into the patio area. The yard is fenced and sports a couple of trees, one of which is a very alto evergreen tree. Perhaps the most unique feature is the 3-car garage. It is very hard to find a 3-car garage in this price range or in this neighborhood, for that matter.
8676 Crystal River Way, Sacramento, CA 95828, is exclusively offered by Elizabeth Weintraub at Lyon Real Estate at $235,000. Call 916.233.6759 for more information or a private showing.
