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Real Estate Work During Covid19 Requires Patience
Real estate work during Covid19 requires patience as everyone is impacted on some level. Though real estate has been named as an essential service along with construction, don’t kid yourself it is not back to normal by a long shot. The scheduling of repairs is often booked weeks out. In many cases, as there have been layoffs in various businesses, a shortage of the workforce can mean delays. This week has been about working longer days. Whatever it takes we are putting in the extra time and effort.
When I worked at another real estate company previously, we would measure different aspects of your sales personality. When we polled 20% of the top producing agents (who by the way sell 80% of the real estate) we found two qualities that were consistent, one of which was impatience. To follow up on leads and take care of so many tasks each day you have to be hair on fire impatient for results. We kill it, cook it, and serve it on a pretty platter while someone else is still writing a memo.
In this Covid19 environment, it is not about fast pace as much as it is about digging in and looking creatively at how to best help our clients. It does not mean not taking action, but that we must continue to work cooperatively with other agents and vendors to get the job done. We can no longer fly through inspections as we are on waiting lists in some cases.
Dust Yourself Off After Setbacks
Our photographer is busy and many people are preparing in advance to sell their homes, a great idea right now. We were very busy the last two days, long hours with little sleep. There can be setbacks of course. Sharing with clients and setting expectations can help avoid disappointments. The key is to get up, dust yourself off, and hit the reset button. We will show up and continue to work hard for our clients. People still need a place to live and with low-interest rates, this can spell out more affordable payments. Also, some people out of work may need to sell their home and some are relocating.
What seems one of the hardest things right now is getting things completed in a swift manner. Most companies have cut way back on staffing. That includes pest companies, stagers, roofers, inspectors, and repair people. Now, you hope someone calls you back, but it may not be the same day. Yesterday and today have been days where I had to take a breath and say I’m doing my very best. Working within the framework of this environment is what we must continue to do and making unrealistic demands of people will get you nowhere. That doesn’t mean accepting poor performance. It may mean in some cases you are helping other people to ensure the tasks are done well.
Patience And Perserverance
I was working with a friend yesterday on a co-listing and she was very honest with a seller after a disappointment with a vendor. She said we just don’t know when we will be able to get someone back out and it may cost more. We will get someone but it’s going to take time, she said. The client understood. We didn’t say, ” no worries this will be done right away.” The truth is we are working on it round the clock. We will get the job done but it requires patience and perseverance in this Covid19 climate. Our sellers are amazing people, we are so very grateful for so many wonderful clients.
Interviewing Vendors
We have to interview vendors very carefully as they are making promises and they don’t always deliver. We have the best plumber but he is on a job in the bay area for a few weeks. Some vendors have scheduling issues as they may have skeleton crews and suffer from exhaustion. We can’t control someone else’s performance but we can fire them and start over which is what we have to sometimes do. This means delays and postponing other steps as there is a sequence to properly preparing a home for sale.
Set Expectations With Clients
I’m now setting expectations with clients much more carefully as this market demands it. I find myself on a daily basis saying, folks, we need your patience during this time as it’s a team effort. Talking openly about the counties that have implemented restrictions with regard to how we show homes is critical. As information becomes available, we continue to post it for everyone.
There are addendums with regard to Covid19 that buyers must sign before being shown a property. Trying to hold escrows together takes much more effort right now. We are doing our very best each day to sell your home, which is almost a daily conversation. Sharing the smallest details is what helps sellers the most.
Price Correctly
Now, it is more important than ever to price correctly as homes are still selling if they are priced to sell, based on closed sales. Loan qualifications are more stringent and working with a great lender is more critical than ever. I think what worries sellers the most now is that property is not being shown as frequently. More buyers are looking online at photos and area, driving by first. If there is something that buyers decide is not appealing, they don’t come and take a look. The good news, buyers that are serious and qualified are looking, there is no window shopping right now.
Keep the faith. Warmer temperatures are on the way. We are working harder than ever to help our clients sell and buy homes. Real estate work during Covid19 requires extra patience and diligence. We have several homes in escrow right now and working hard to close them. If you are looking for information on how to buy or sell a home during Covid19 call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors, with RE/MAX Gold. We can be reached at 916-233-6759.
JaCi Wallace
Finding The Words To Write A blog
When you sit down, finding the words to write a blog entails finding something that seems interesting to you. When I’m interested in a topic the words come easily. Do you know exactly what you are going to say or do you wing it? Some people, I hear, prepare an outline, spread out Post-It notes, open related books to bookmarked pages, scour the Internet for fact-checking and even then, they face a blank screen with a blinking mouse.
I find my best writing comes when I let my fingers do the typing. If I give a topic too much thought, I might never write it. So, I let the words fall where they may because I can always go back and clean them up later. You know, to write a blog always remove all the profanity. 🙂 Just kidding!
Most readers, I find, want to know why they should read your words, so your title ought to be compelling, in some sense. Basically, readers want to know:
- What you are writing about
- Why it is important
- How they can use this information
- Pros and Cons
- What you can share that they won’t find elsewhere
I try to write from a very narrow viewpoint, meaning I want to convey one general thought. Notwithstanding the fact that writing around keywords is good for SEO, it also helps to keep your blog focused. Writing a blog every day is a commitment as your readers will expect something every day and try to post at a consistent time.
Sometimes I am simply amazed that I have so much to say about what could be considered a mundane topic. I can’t count the number of times I’ve started to write about a phrase, wondering to myself exactly what information do I have to share and why would anybody care? But by the time I am nearly finished and find myself running to the end of my character allotment (at About.com, now The Balance, most stuff I wrote about was restricted to 5,000 characters or less), I am often dumbfounded that I had so many ideas running around in my head and that I actually captured them on paper.
To write a blog entails trusting yourself and trusting your instincts. Everyone may not agree with what you write, especially if you write about selling Sacramento real estate. Trust me, everyone will not agree with your words but then isn’t that the point? Let readers decide if what you are saying evokes something from the reader. I’d like to know if this has happened to you. Do you ever scratch your head and mutter: “Where did these words come from?” 🙂
If you are interested in buying or selling real estate please call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors at RE/MAX Gold, 916-233-6759.
— Elizabeth Weintraub
Why Selling Sacramento Real Estate Isn’t a Job
Here is why selling Sacramento real estate isn’t a job. Business happens night and day, 7 days a week. There are no set work schedules for a successful Sacramento Realtor. Many of our clients, though, typically work an 8 – 5 schedule. This means meetings and telephone conversations with clients often happen on weekends and evenings.
There are daily tasks that do happen throughout the 8 – 5 time frame. Agents deal with bankers, title companies, appraisers, and inspectors communicating with us and scheduling appointments during typical workdays. Further, showings of listings are happening 7 days a week, 10+ hours a day.
Working in a real estate career for as many decades as me, well, I long ago determined that selling Sacramento real estate isn’t a job, it is a lifestyle. When I am going to the grocery store, or the bank, I’m still on call. If the phone rings, I take the call.
During holidays, family events, weddings, and birthdays, I’m checking email, and returning phone calls during restroom breaks. As I sit in my doctor’s office waiting for her to come in, I’m emailing clients or responding to inquiries. While I’m meeting with my accountant I am scanning my email the entire time. I always have my laptop or tablet with me. I may need to respond to an offer on a moment’s notice.
Working as a Sacramento listing agent, I fully commit to market and sell a client’s home. Being available is a responsibility we take very seriously at Weintraub & Wallace. If we are busy during the day with appointments and we have work that needs to be completed, we burn the midnight oil. I work many nights until midnight, and I’m happy to do it. Our clients know how hard we work and that’s why we have hundreds of 5-Star reviews.
Our clients know if I’m not out in the field on appointments, I’m at my command center working. When I power down my computer at night and all my tasks are completed, this official end to my day gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I love the real estate lifestyle. I’m passion about it and I can’t imagine doing anything else for a living.
I once sold a listing on Christmas day. Who looks at a home on Christmas? A serious buyer looks at all times of the year, because buying a home is her # 1 priority, so yes, even on Christmas! Those sellers were amazing. They left the home with a ham in the oven and went across the street while the buyers looked at their home in Folsom. The buyers wrote an offer that day and we had it sold that night.
Buyers who are looking for a home are not thinking, ” Ok, well, we won’t look today as it is a holiday.” They are looking for a home day and night. They drive neighborhoods and search on all the websites, they want to be first to respond. That’s the buyer I want to make an offer on one of my listings as they are serious!
I can’t say all Realtors believe selling Sacramento real estate isn’t a job, it is a lifestyle. I can’t even get some of them to call me back. It is sad, but true. Today, I have been waiting all day for a counter offer. Triple phone calls and three texts to this agent and I still do not have it. Who practices real estate sales like this? Well, someone who has another job. There are dual career part-time Realtors, they make up a huge part of our industry.
Something has to give when your primary focus is not selling homes. More than not the part-time real estate sales take a back seat to the primary full time 8 – 5 job. Many Realtors consider selling Sacramento real estate as a means for extra income, not because their livelihood depends on it. There are no shortcuts to success.
If you are looking for a full-time real estate practitioner who responds to inquiries, and answers the phone night and day, call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors today at 916-233-6957 Our team is committed to providing top shelf service to our clients 7 days a week!
— JaCi Wallace
Exclusive Buyer’s Agent Josh Amolsch Arrives in Kona!
We’re so excited that our exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch arrived in Kona yesterday with the beautiful Vika! This is the first time that my husband and I have had the opportunity to welcome guests during our stay at our house in Hawaii. We tell all of our friends that they can come to visit us anytime but so far nobody has taken us up on that offer.
Of course, I have gone to Hawaii with exclusive buyer’s agent Barbara Dow in the past, but that was before we bought our house. Being with Barbara in Maui was a blast. One summer, Barbara and I spent 10 glorious days on the top floor of the Fairmont in Wailea on the lovely island of Maui. I will always treasure those memories and photos. See, the thing about the Elizabeth Weintraub Team is everybody is like family to me. We are not just real estate agents in Sacramento. We share common values and believe in always, without fail, doing the right thing.
For the clients who have been fortunate to work with our exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch, well, I hear over and over how grateful they felt working with Josh. He always goes that extra step. Each client is unique and special. Plus, Josh has an abundance of compassion for our clients. He loves to receive 5-star reviews from his buyers and works tirelessly toward that goal.
Sure, he might be a punk rock star at times, playing lead guitar at clubs about town in his spare time, but his heart is in real estate. Doesn’t matter if he’s selling million-dollar homes in El Dorado Hills or an investment property in Oak Park, I never tire of listening to his successes. His eyes light up when he talks about how much money he saved his buyers. He prides himself on his ability to negotiate, and we often discuss strategies together. He soaks up knowledge like a sponge.
If you’re looking for exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch and wondering why he doesn’t answer his phone at 8 AM, it’s because Hawaii does not adhere to daylight saving. We are three hours behind California. We are still working through the Labor Day weekend, even though we are all in Kona. More adventures are sure to follow.
How Selling Sacramento Real Estate Means Setting Aside Judgments
Selling Sacramento real estate successfully means accomplishing client goals.
Selling Sacramento real estate is not always giggles and sunshine because there are people involved. If it was just a matter of picking up the knight, jumping over a few pawns and capturing the rook, that would be easier. It’s not like kicking back during a rainstorm to read a book from start to finish. Or navigating a deserted road in the fog without running into a ditch. Or, like a few years ago, when I snorkeled alone 3 miles toward an island in Vanuatu I never reached, ran out of steam, and realized the only person who could swim back to shore was this exhausted Sacramento Realtor. When people enter your equation, it throws everything out of whack because they might not respond the way you hope.
A Realtor cannot solely rely on her own strengths when selling Sacramento real estate. Because people are wild cards. It’s a combination of working with a plethora of personalities and meeting at times strange expectations from others. Every day can be a new fresh hell. You may snort. That’s what makes the business exciting, interesting and fun. You never really know what the day will bring your way. Even after 40+ years in real estate, I am still thrilled to meet each new day, but it’s probably because I’ve learned to be more open minded as time marches on. To try to master non-judgmental thoughts. It’s a journey, not a destination. It doesn’t mean I might not analyze a situation, but I do try to withhold judgment.
I had a conversation with a team member about this recently, asking if it’s age that calms a person or makes a person more receptive to other ideas, whether our collective years provides the background for a willingness to explore alternate scenarios, over our younger selves. It’s easy to make snap judgments about people. You can size them up, pigeon-hole, compartmentalize a person, and be done with it; but you’ve done a grave injustice to another human being with that attitude.
And you’re probably wrong about them.
You’ll also discover the types of people who erroneously believe the world revolves around them. They can be self-centered and narcissistic. Like Donald Trump, for example. Some people forgive his antics because he’s rich. Others are just like him yet they’re poor, so go figure. They might be the type who would take a selfie next to a car crash. That can make me want to grab their stupid selfie sticks and break them over my knee, because they are annoying. Or, I can let that stuff roll off my back, like water off a duck’s feathers.
It drains too much energy to be hating. We can all agree we want Nov. 8th over. We share this common ground. Like banging heads back and forth in a doorway, it feels so good to stop.
That’s why I prefer to choose the people I work with when selling Sacramento real estate. However, even though we may choose our own clients, we can’t always select the peripheral, the third-party vendors: the agents on the other side of the transaction, the mortgage lenders and home inspectors who will now spam you to death because they have your email and what better way to touch everybody in the world than to send out Happy Halloween spam since they care so friggin’ much about you. Not. We don’t know it’s Halloween? It’s not a national holiday. Nobody gets off work for Halloween. I don’t spam my clients.
Still, I don’t berate those people, even though I might initially harbor a distasteful thought, it dissipates. At the end of a day or a closing of an escrow, I want to know I did the best that I could with the circumstances at hand. It leaves my conscience at peace. I’ve been in the real estate business for enough decades to help people achieve their desired goals with relative ease. That’s my focus. Being non-judgmental of others is a tremendous attribute to develop for selling Sacramento real estate. It’s a good cornerstone to aspire to.
