| |
sacramento agent: Can't Afford Land Park But Want to Buy an Affordable Home in Sacramento? - 08/05/11 10:16 AM
For the first time in ages, I had a buyer ask me yesterday how much his monthly payment would be if he bought my listing. He kinda threw me off guard because I wasn't expecting it. Generally, by the time a buyer calls, he or she has already spoken to a mortgage broker and received a preapproval letter.
But this is California, after all. This is the land where buyers hop in the car to drive 2 blocks to the grocery store, spot a For Sale sign, and decide on the spur of the moment to buy a house.
If this … (6 comments)
|
sacramento agent: National Origin-Based Housing Discrimination is the Target for April Fair Housing Month - 04/12/11 11:09 AM
If I had to name any regret I have with my life, it would be that I did not take the time when I was younger to learn a foreign language. I tried German when I was in third grade, but the best I mustered was to sing O Tannenbaum. I dabbled a little in Russian, and then tried Spanish. But I can't speak a foreign language, and I'm too old now -- my brain doesn't soak information, it leaks information.
The best I can do when traveling is order a glass of wine or buy perfume or find a bathroom. … (11 comments)
|
sacramento agent: A Sure-Fired Way to Sell That Home is to Tell the Buyer He Can't Have It - 12/13/10 11:18 AM
It astonishes some people to learn that not all of my real estate sales are Sacramento short sales. True, a good number of homes in Sacramento that I sell these days are short sales, but I still work with regular sellers and buyers as well. It's what I was brought up to do. It's how I have sold real estate since the 1970s, and those types of transactions don't just vanish because short sales and foreclosures dominate the market.
I mention this because I received an offer last week for a regular Sacramento home. It's not a short sale. In fact, … (14 comments)
|
sacramento agent: A Contractor's Special in Rancho Cordova is Offered at $80,000 - 09/13/10 10:05 AM
Some people view life as very black and white, with clearly drawn lines. Others see shades of gray, in which lines are sometimes blurred. Then, there are those who wander aimlessly in a psychedelic daze among swirls of bright colors, but that's because they are the lucky recipients of those free flashblacks we were all promised from the 1960s. Man, what a scam. But my point is as people -- as real estate agents, especially -- we are all different and none of us interrupt the world in exactly the same way.
However, I am at a complete loss as to … (5 comments)
|
sacramento agent: Is it Safe to Put a Lockbox on Your Home? - 05/27/10 10:01 AM
I suspect I will get flack for this, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Is it too much to expect agents to read? Is that an unrealistic expectation? The two most often overlooked and information-worthy items in a MLS listing are the showing instructions and the confidential agent remarks. Yet, I know that some agents seem to skim through MLS listings without reading them.
Although I attach documents to most of my listings -- documents that generally provide crucial information to a buyer's agent -- I don't get my knickers in a twist if agents don't open them. In a recent … (14 comments)
|
sacramento agent: Since When Does Asking for Help Turn a Woman Into a Damsel in Distress? - 03/22/10 09:07 AM
My husband says Betty Friedan would rollover in her grave if she knew. That my behavior would cause Gloria Steinem to wag her finger at me and cancel my membership in NOW. Asking your husband for help is akin, he says, to expecting Dudley Do-Right to come galloping in to untie Nell from the railroad tracks and rescue her. But I suspect he doesn't want to make my life easier because dealing with my crises can make his life a bit more complicated.
Of course, you've gotta define crisis. My definition of crisis is what causes my work to come to … (13 comments)
|
sacramento agent: If You Don't Register with the CA Board of Equalization, the State May Do It For You - 03/10/10 09:00 AM
California's $40-some-billion budget deficit has apparently fueled legislation that puts the Franchise Tax Board under the thumbs of the Board of Equalization. Now, ordinarily, I don't pay a lot of attention to letters that I receive from the state of California. I read a few lines, say to myself, "What the heck are they talking about?" and crumple the paper into a wadded ball for my cats to chase around the house.
Yesterday, one of those letters resurfaced. It said that I was required to register with the Board of Equalization. All businesses that make over $100,000 a year are required … (10 comments)
|
sacramento agent: Do Home Sellers Want the Cheapest Agent or the Highest Price and Best Service? - 03/07/10 09:36 AM
I used to be an Estee Lauder girl. Devoted to the line. Couldn't wait for Free Gift With Purchase. But I am now a traitor. I have deflected to Chanel. I used to be a huge fan of Chanel Allure. In fact, one of the sentences I practiced over and over in my head when I first visited Paris was how to ask a shop-owner if she carried Chanel Allure and how much it cost. Yet, I never really used Chanel makeup products. All of that changed last week.
An agent in my Lyon Real Estate office also works at Macy's. … (93 comments)
|
sacramento agent: Urban Life Awaits You -- Downtown Sacramento 3-Bedroom Home for $329,000 - 02/19/10 09:28 AM
Let me just come out and say there is nothing like this on the market in downtown Sacramento. Here is a unique opportunity to buy that 3-bedroom, 2-bath home your heart has been searching for at an affordable price. If you crave an urban lifestyle, this is the home for you. Of course, it sits across the street from multiple-family housing but what doesn't in downtown Sacramento? That's part of the lifestyle. You get a mix of rentals, sometimes commercial, among residential homes. That's what attracts urban buyers to downtown.
Urban buyers want to live close to work, shopping and restaurants. … (6 comments)
|
sacramento agent: News Flash: FHA Lifts 90-Day Flipping Rule for Home Buyers - 01/16/10 10:00 AM
FHA has temporarily lifted the 90-day flipping rule for home buyers. This new guideline goes into effect on February 1, 2010 and is good for one year.
Certain criteria apply. For investors selling homes more than 20% above the investor's original sales price, FHA will want to see either proof of work completed that substantially raises the value or an appraiser's explanation as to why the value is much higher than the original price paid at auction.
It also appears that FHA may require the buyer to pay for a home inspection ordered by the lender. This sounds as though if … (15 comments)
|
sacramento agent: Good Reasons for Sacramento Agents to Attend Real Estate Closings - 10/28/09 09:04 AM
Some agents don't go to closings with their clients, but I always try to attend. I believe it's important to be at the signing with my clients because they might have questions, and because I like to show my support. To me, it's part of my job. After all, if I've helped my clients get that far in the escrow process, why would I flake out at the time of signing when they may still need my services?
If the escrow company, which the seller's agent has chosen (services are supposed to be negotiated between the seller and buyer, but we … (15 comments)
|
sacramento agent: The Sweet and Bittersweet Nature of Buying a Home in Sacramento - 10/24/09 09:52 AM
Yesterday, I had 2 closings: one in Curtis Park and another in Carmichael. These listings were not short sales, which in itself is a feat in this market. The bulk of my listings are Sacramento short sales. On top of this, I handled 2 simultaneous home inspections: a home in Land Park and another in South Land Park, plus I conducted a final walk-through of a home in South Land Park. That hectic schedule left me with very little time to play my new computer game: Plants vs. Zombies.
I've made it through all the levels of this game, except for … (4 comments)
|
sacramento agent: When it Comes to Sacramento Home Inspections, Buyers Get What They Pay For - 10/07/09 10:12 AM
Almost every day I receive spam from home inspectors in Sacramento. Some of them offer inspections at cut-rate discounts -- and who can blame them? Business is slow for many home inspectors because fewer transactions are closing this year over the last few years. But is cost alone a reason to choose a home inspector?
Some buyers are wary about hiring an agent's home inspector. They may think an agent might promote only those inspectors who won't "blow the deal." A few agents probably fall into that category, but not very many of them. Most agents want their clients to receive … (9 comments)
|
sacramento agent: In Sacramento's Real Estate Market, Home Buyers Struggle to Find a Home - 09/24/09 09:44 AM
Sarah, not her real name, is retired and just sold her home in the Bay area. She is in a position to pay all cash for a home and prefers to live around other seniors in Sacramento. I suggested an area of Natomas called Heritage Park. This is an active adult community for people over the age of 55.
We toured 5 homes yesterday, one of which was a foreclosure. Now, Sarah really doesn't want to buy a bank-owned home. The problem with foreclosures is many of them need repairs. She also does not want to wait for short sale approval … (9 comments)
|
sacramento agent: A Wave of Sacramento Foreclosures Are Coming to the Market in October - 09/22/09 09:03 AM
I sort of feel like a modern day Paul Revere. As though I should lower the top on my car and go racing throughout Sacramento with a bullhorn screaming, "The foreclosures are coming, the foreclosures are coming." But why? Why, when I can write a blog about it instead?
REO agents in my office have reported an uptick in foreclosure listings. They are busy cleaning out the trash from these homes and preparing them for sale. Our FAX machines are buzzing, paperwork is flying.
Could it be that after waiting for months and months, pecking like a starving chicken through limited … (10 comments)
|
sacramento agent: Have You Ever Gone Back to a House Where You Used to Live and Not Recognize It? - 08/30/09 09:17 AM
Thomas Wolfe wrote a book titled, "You Can't Go Home Again," published after his death. The book's title means different things to different people, as I'm sure you've heard that phrase quoted over and over. To some people it means that maybe you have faulty memories about your previous home, and when you go back to see it, it's not the same as you recall.
However, more often than not, the area where you grew up or lived for a long time has actually changed over the years, perhaps dramatically. When I took my husband to Newport Beach to see where … (16 comments)
|
sacramento agent: New Wrinkle Develops on Foreclosure Homes Purchased Through a Trustee's Deed - 08/27/09 09:13 AM
Before my buyers write an offer, I always check the public records available through Realist in MLS. Sometimes I double check this information against that in the title company's plant because the two can differ. I'm looking for conflicting information between the data in MLS and the public records, but I'm also looking at who owns the property, when the seller acquired title and how much the seller owes.
Sometimes, Realist tags the record as bank-owned when the property is not owned by the bank. I don't know why, exactly, but I suppose that happens because the entity in title may … (13 comments)
|
sacramento agent: Ask Your Sacramento Agent About the Free Mortgage Protection Program for Home Buyers - 08/16/09 09:30 AM
A client called yesterday to share bad news with me. Patricia (not her real name) just received a pink slip and will soon be out of work. She is part of the national growing trend of single women home buyers, and had bought a home last month in College Greens, a popular Sacramento neighborhood just over the river near Sac State. It closed a few weeks ago. But instead of sounding depressed over the terrible news, Patricia was bubbling over with enthusiasm and joy. I was confused.
The reason for Patricia's giddiness was because although many of Patricia's friends had encouraged … (8 comments)
|
sacramento agent: This Sacramento Short Sale Was Not Sold to the Highest Bidder - 07/11/09 08:39 AM
An agent called a few days ago to ask about the status of his buyer's short sale offer. I looked at my offer tracking spreadsheet. His buyer was the first offer the sellers accepted. At the time, it was the most attractive offer. His buyer was qualified and committed as well, which are two other essential key points.
However, that offer was not the highest and best. Because the sellers had continued to market the home, we had received a higher offer for $20,000 more, which was accepted in back-up position. As directed, both offers were sent to the bank for … (9 comments)
|
sacramento agent: Sacramento's Temperature Hit 108 on June 28, the Hottest Ever on Record - 06/29/09 09:42 AM
The temperature in Sacramento hit 108 on June 28th, the hottest it's ever been on that day (my birthday) since Sacramento record-keeping began in 1900. Now, for those of you who have never had the pleasure of visiting Sacramento, a temperature of 108 might seem abnormally high, but it's really not as bad as it may sound. Yes, it's true we have 2 or 3 weeks during July / August when the temperatures soar into the 100s, but I'll trade that any day to avoid the 4 months or longer of winter that living in Minnesota offers.
When it's 90 degrees … (6 comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 Columnist at About.com. Sacramento short sale agent.
 Listings
Links
Archives
|
;)
;)
;)
