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C.A.R. is Revamping the Residental Purchase Agreement in 2010 for Home Buyers and Sellers - 12/31/09 10:22 AM
Just when I know the California Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA) by heart -- I can practically recite each paragraph in my sleep -- the purchase agreement is being revamped in 2010 by the California Association of REALTORS (C.A.R.). Nothing is written in stone yet, and there may be many more additions and deletions before C.A.R. is finished with its revision, but holy toledo, some of these proposed changes are huge.
There are really good changes proposed such as including the fact that the buyer's earnest money deposit may be handled in accordance with the short sale addendum, and a notice that … (7 comments)
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My Predictions for Real Estate in 2010 Will Put the Previous Year to Shame - 12/30/09 08:31 AM
Ah, real estate predictions. See, the thing that is different for me about ending 2009 and preparing for 2010 is I've never in my 30-plus years in real estate started off a new year with so much business already in the works. Generally, the year ends a bit quietly and then explodes about the 5th or 6th of January. It's been that way for the past 7 or 8 years for me. However, in 2010, I will hit the ground already running.
Every year I put together my real estate predictions for the upcoming year, before the existing year ends. My … (20 comments)
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T-Mobile's International Email Can Cause Unexplained Roaming Charges - 12/29/09 09:00 AM
Some weird things in life can be explained, even if they make no logical sense. Like, right after you wash the car, it's going to rain. Or as soon as the warranty expires on a new appliance, it's going to break. But nothing makes sense about how a service provider such as T-Mobile can pick up roaming charges for cellphone calls one did not make from another country.
Before I left for Viet Nam, I called T-Mobile to arrange for International Emailing. This sounded like such a cool service. For less than $20 a month, T-Mobile promised me that I could … (9 comments)
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The Day Before Floor Refinishing Leads to Conclusion That We Have Too Much Stuff - 12/28/09 09:04 AM
When I show buyers homes in Land Park, they are often amazed at the size of our vintage, classic homes in Land Park. The square footage of an average home in Land Park is generally much smaller than the newer construction home buyers see in places such as Natomas or Elk Grove.
My own home in Land Park is about 2,000 square feet. My husband and I downsized when we moved from a 3-story Victorian in Minneapolis into our home 7 years ago. At the time, I donated a lot of stuff to charity before we moved. After we moved … (14 comments)
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Here is the Grand Photo Gallery Finale of Our Trip to Viet Nam - 12/27/09 10:14 AM
When I take photographs, whether it's homes in Land Park or my Sacramento short sale listings, I like to show close-up and personal aspects that one might otherwise not notice. There is generally a texture, a sub-layer, a fine nuance, which can be easily overlooked by viewers, especially online when it's so easy to just click on the next link.
It could be fine detailing in a vintage light fixture, an ornate cornice or the curve of a 1930's fireplace. The small yet important appointments. After all, it's the individual elements that comprise the whole, which are part of the big … (14 comments)
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The Temple Ruins in Cambodia and Angkor Wat Make Tourism the #1 Industry - 12/26/09 10:50 AM
As we flew into Siem Reap, Cambodia, our tour guide prepared us for the dramatic differences between Cambodia and Viet Nam. In Viet Nam, you see economic progress everywhere, new buildings going up, hustle and bustle in the shops and its cities are bursting with energy. In Cambodia, not so much.
There is a lot of poverty in Siem Reap, and much of it is surrounded by hotels. Tourism is the number one industry. The average salary in Siem Reap is $2 a day but tourists can easily drop $500 a night at a hotel. Hotels are ubiquitous. The currency in … (13 comments)
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Planetary Ham With Champagne Sauce from Cooking With Astrology by Sydney Omarr - 12/25/09 10:35 AM
Far back as I can remember, my family always served ham on Christmas day. So, it's not surprising that I would continue with this tradition as an adult. Besides, it's a lot less work than stuffing a turkey.
Every year I prepare a planetary ham with champagne sauce. Ditto for this year. As I wait to hear whether my client will get her short sale offer accepted on the best day to buy a home, I will be preparing a planetary ham for dinner on this brisk, yet sunny Christmas day in Land Park, Sacramento. (There is frost on the ground … (12 comments)
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Here is a Quick Photo Tour of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in Viet Nam - 12/24/09 10:33 AM
We were fortunate enough to have been booked at the Majestic Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City. It's a French Colonialist-designed hotel built in 1925 across the street from the Saigon River. Upon arriving, I put on a hotel robe and called the front desk to arrange a massage. My husband left to shoot photos in the street and to ward off what became an alarming number of propositions from young women offering services. Our room was on the first floor, above the ground entrance and adjacent to the spa. When I returned from my massage, my key would not work, … (7 comments)
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Here's an Elk Grove Short Sale Offered at $175,000, a Guttridge Home in Emerald Park - 12/23/09 08:39 PM
This is a picture perfect home situated on a quiet cul-de-sac in the Emerald Park subdivision of Elk Grove. Check out the cheery yellow stucco exterior and abundance of mature landscaping with big trees in the yard. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The assessor shows the square footage at 1,752.
The kitchen has been recently updated with over-sized ceramic tile flooring and newer granite counters. The sellers removed the cabinet doors in the kitchen and installed new hardware, but the hardware is the wrong size, which is why the cabinet doors are not secured to the cabinets.
The sellers … (5 comments)
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Best Day Out of the Year to Buy a Home in Sacramento is Only a Few Days Away - 12/23/09 08:12 AM
I was amazed yesterday when I called 2 agents on 2 listings and both agents answered their cell phones. Christmas week is generally pretty slow, and many agents in Sacramento go on vacation at this time. I've spent most of this week so far following up on my Sacramento short sales and requesting extensions of the short sale addendums for the banks. Trying to get buyers' agents to respond is almost like pulling teeth.
However, I understand why some agents like to take the week off. It's not that I don't celebrate Christmas, because I do, but I try to work … (14 comments)
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Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son in Central Viet Nam are UNESCO World Heritage Sites - 12/22/09 09:43 AM
Hoi An, an ancient trading port in central Viet Nam, is known for its silk garment industry and lantern making. On our way, we passed China Beach, on the outskirts of Da Nang. Just pass the old flight hangars, we came upon the pristine and quiet beach. What I found strange about it was there appears to be a lot of new construction going up. Many hotels and resorts are being built overlooking China Beach. I imagine in a few years this area will be overrun with tourists. Here is a photo of China Beach:
Our hotel in Hoi An … (12 comments)
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Our Whirlwind Tour of Hue City, the Tu Hieu Pagoda and Imperial Palace - 12/21/09 09:19 AM
I was astonished at the price of airfare within the country of Viet Nam. We flew from Ha Noi to Da Nang for about $25 U.S. It's a short flight, too, about an hour. The weather was picking up in Ha Noi when we left, the sun was coming out, but it was still overcast in Da Nang. We drove to our hotel in Hue City, the Morin, which was my favorite hotel in Viet Nam. It had a double king-sized bed, cherry wood floors, and we had a view of the Perfume River and Trang Tien bridge pictured below:
… (9 comments)
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Home Buyers Can Tweek Search Parameters by Asking Agents to Include and Exclude Criteria - 12/20/09 11:49 AM
Some people may not know this, but I also manage my homebuying forum on About.com. This is a place where buyers and sellers come to ask questions, which members of my forum and I answer -- and it's also a place where I get a lot of my article ideas for my Home Buying & Selling website.
One of the questions submitted this week was how can a buyer find only those homes with brick exteriors. You never know what type of requirements a buyer might come up with, but I do my best to match criteria. Sometimes, buyers will have … (14 comments)
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Go to Ha Long Bay and You May Never Feel the Need to Go Anywhere Else in Viet Nam - 12/19/09 08:58 AM
The absolute highlight of my trip to Viet Nam was spending 2 days on a Chinese junk in Ha Long Bay. This area is designated as an UNESCO World Heritage site and has been nominated as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, as well as the 8th Wonder of the World. Ha Long Bay is simply stunning. There are more than 1900 islands, mostly made from limestone, emerging hundreds of feet high from the sea, exploding in spectacular glory.
Most of the islands are uninhabitable and contain caves and lakes. The Vietnamese government prohibits occupation of the islands, … (11 comments)
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If Your Sacramento Short Sale Involves a Fannie Mae Loan in Default, It Might Not Close - 12/18/09 08:43 AM
A Fannie Mae short sale is no picnic, just ask any Sacramento short sale agent how adding an extra layer to the transaction can delay approval. Now, Fannie Mae is beginning to enforce another guideline. Fannie Mae says if a California short sale is in default -- meaning a Notice of Default has been filed and an auction date is set -- it will NOT allow a postponement of a trustee's sale. This means short sale sellers and their agents had get better those transactions approved and closed prior to that sale date or they're out of luck.
Sometimes sellers call … (9 comments)
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The Vietnamese Government Has a Remarkably Different Memory of the War - 12/17/09 09:14 AM
We toured Ha Noi for three days. I even mastered crossing the street without getting hit. You'd be astonished at how much stuff some bicyclists and motor bike drivers can carry on two wheels. Below is a photo of a flower vendor, on the way to the market:
I'd also like to share with you what our tour guide told us about the Viet Nam flag. You can see the yellow star on the red background. Each point of the star means something, and there is an order to it. The red is for blood shed during battles for independence. … (15 comments)
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Don't Press Coated Paper Between Your Lips, Let it Sit and Rip it Off - 12/16/09 09:01 AM
As we toured the Ho Chi Minh complex in Ha Noi, I shot many photographs. One of which involved trying to capture the grill of a vehicle through a glass window. In doing so, I found myself with too many things in my hands, so I stuck the marketing brochure I was handed at the gate into my mouth. Here's my tip: don't ever press coated paper between your lips, let it sit and then rip it off.
Yup, I tore off the interior of my bottom lip. The paper had stuck. Here is a photo of me standing in front … (10 comments)
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November 2009 Facts and Trends for Land Park and Curtis Park - 12/15/09 09:11 PM
Good news for the real estate market in Land Park and Curtis Park. Last month, we saw 15 sales close in the ZIP of 95818, out of 47 listings. In addition, 21 sales were pending, most likely slated for closing this month. Well, except for one of my short sale listings, which probably won't see the light of day until early February at the rate Chase Bank is moving. But still, sales are up 15.4% over a year ago at this time.
Below is a chart that shows the median sales prices in Land Park and Curtis Park over the past … (2 comments)
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Question: Why Did the Tourist Cross the Road in Viet Nam? - 12/15/09 10:41 AM
Want to know the main difference between Viet Nam and California? In California, pedestrians (supposedly) have the right-of-way at intersections. Doesn't matter where you are in the country, really, traffic is everywhere, at high speeds and in great numbers. Mostly, Vietnamese ride motor bikes. I heard there are 4 million motor bikes in Ha Noi alone.
But the pecking order is different in Viet Nam. Here is how it breaks down:
1. Buses
2. Vans and SUVs
3. Cars
4. Motor Bikes
5. Bicyclists
6. Pedestrians
You can see that pedestrians fall to the bottom of the totem pole. This means … (16 comments)
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Here is a Plan for Land Park Residents to Provide Clean Water to Children in Cambodia - 12/14/09 11:09 AM
Tomorrow I will begin to upload photos of my trip to Viet Nam but today I would like to talk about how Land Park residents may be able to support Cambodian families who don't have clean water to drink. This is not a plea for Christmas time or last-minute tax write-offs for 2009 because the problem in Cambodia runs much deeper.
As I traveled through Viet Nam, from Ha Noi to Saigon, evidence of rebuilding the country of Viet Nam was ubiquitous. Many countries have poured money into Viet Nam since the war. You see new construction everywhere. But in Cambodia, … (11 comments)
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Elizabeth Weintraub, Sacramento Short Sale Agent, Land Park, East Sac, Lyon RE
Sacramento,
CA
More about me…
Top 1% at Lyon Real Estate #00697006
Address: 2801 J Street, Sacramento, CA, 95816
Office Phone: (916) 233-6759
Cell Phone: (916) 233-6759
Email Me
Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate, midtown Sacramento. Selling since 1974. Home Buying Guide at About.com. Sacramento short sale agent.
Author Bio: Elizabeth Weintraub is a Sacramento real estate broker, author, home buying guide for About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully closes short sales throughout Sacramento four-county area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you.
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