counter offer: A Perfect Window of Opportunity Gets Blown
- 12/26/18 08:25 PM
When a listing agent deals with enough buyer's agents, the same story often pops up over and over. It is this crazy talk of commitment, dedication, and unrelenting love for the property, when much of it is puffery. Some buyer's agents will say anything to get into contract. Even when presented with a perfect window of opportunity to get their client a house, they can still come up a day late and a dollar short. True, some make promises without talking to their buyers, thinking they can talk them into whatever the deal is. They don't realize or perhaps they don't care … (3 comments)
counter offer: What are Customary Closing Costs in Sacramento?
- 07/31/14 02:52 AM
Agents who don't close very many transactions often tend to err when completing a purchase contract. Oh, they might offer the excuse of this is the way they've always done it, but should one question exactly how many sales have they closed the truth comes out that maybe they've always done it that way for two whole transactions. And what business is that of yours, they want to know, becoming defensive and combative. Other agents who tend to struggle with customary closing costs in Sacramento are those from the Bay Area. They do many real-estate related things differently in the Bay … (10 comments)
counter offer: Don't Always Assume a Sacramento Buyer Will Receive a Counter Offer
- 02/24/14 01:13 AM
I often tell my sellers that regardless of how poorly an offer is written, no matter how low the offered sales price and no matter what preconceived ideas they might have about the buyers based on the way the offer was presented or certain elements of the purchase offer, the seller should always issue a counter offer. Because unless a seller reinforces a position, the buyers might not understand -- heaven knows their buyer's agent is probably tired of explaining it. There are buyers who spot a home listed for sale in Sacramento and think to themselves that based on what … (8 comments)
counter offer: Reasons for Offer Rejection
- 01/18/13 12:22 AM
I often try to help out buyer's agents when I can because I know how danged tough the market is in Sacramento. It is almost impossible to buy a home in Sacramento these days. You think I jest, but I don't. It's an incredibly difficult market, and my heart goes out to those buyers whom I know write offer after offer and they get rejected. Most of the time it's absolutely nothing that the buyer did or the buyer's agent. It is nobody's fault but the fact cash investors are beating them to a bloody pulp. But sometimes, a buyer might … (5 comments)
counter offer: A Tip for Getting the Edge When Buying Homes in Sacramento
- 08/02/12 11:16 PM
In this Sacramento real estate market, it doesn't matter how many offers the seller has received. Yet, agents continue to call and ask that question. Why doesn't it matter? Because any well priced home will be sold within hours if not within days of hitting the market. If a listing agent doesn't have an offer when the buyer's agent calls, you can bet an offer is on its way. Maybe 10 or 20 offers are in the works. It just doesn't matter. What does matter is how strong is your purchase offer? How well written is your offer? Have you included … (6 comments)
counter offer: How to Use Strategy and Not Games to Sell a Home in Sacramento
- 07/08/12 01:14 AM
One of my team members said at dinner last night that my home sellers are really nice to buyers. Apparently, that's the scuttlebutt in Sacramento real estate if that home is listed by Elizabeth Weintraub. Often buyer's agents will text to ask when I am presenting offers to my sellers. I present offers as soon as I receive the offer. I don't play games. I might consider playing a game if it would be more profitable to my seller, but those kinds of games typically are not, so I don't. Games are games. Strategy is strategy. It's easy for sellers to … (11 comments)
counter offer: MetroList Leads My Priority Worst Rankings for the Day
- 05/27/12 01:35 AM
Which would you rather wake up to? Rebuild your email database or cat puke? It's a tough decision, but I think I'm gonna go with ishy, squishy cat puke between the toes. I try to keep my deleted emails under control but that danged Equator No Reply fills it up quickly. That's because Equator now sends an email to say I have an email in Equator. It used to send the email content. That was pretty cool because I could read what it was about. It doesn't do that anymore. And every time an email is generated in Equator, I get … (5 comments)
counter offer: The Trouble with Home Buying in a Seller's Market
- 04/22/12 01:49 AM
I surely would not want to be home buying in a seller's market right now. It's exciting enough working with sellers. As a listing agent, I try to go that extra mile for a buyer's agent. Just how far should a listing agent go? On the one hand, one doesn't want to be accused of trying to tell an agent how to do his or her job. One also doesn't want to be insulting by telling an agent something he or she should already know. So, in my case, as a Sacramento short sale agent, I try to give agents a … (4 comments)
counter offer: Mike Wallace and the Integrity of a Short Sale Offer
- 04/09/12 12:23 AM
Mike Wallace made us better people. Of course, there is the aspect of never in a million years wanting to open the door to find Mike Wallace standing there with a film crew . . . even though I consider myself innocent and unnewsworthy. I'm not alone. Many people were nervous when Mike Wallace was around. Generally for good reason. But it doesn't undercut the impact of that reporter's work on broadcast journalism. I am saddened a guy of his caliber is now only with us in spirit. I am also saddened that although I put two short sales into escrow … (12 comments)
counter offer: Even if You Sign a Short Sale Counter Offer You Can Lose the Deal in a Seller's Market
- 02/16/12 11:28 PM
I am doing my best to bring more inventory to the market in Sacramento. Especially more listings of short sales. Because, guys, we're running outta homes to buy. It's astonishing when I look at some areas for comps and everything is either active short contingent or pending. The sellers who have the homes for sale rule. People think it's a buyer's market but it's not. It's definitely a seller's market in many areas of Sacramento right now. Because it's a seller's market, sellers can define how and when they want to sell. It doesn't matter if the home listed is a … (7 comments)
counter offer: The Check is in the Mail
- 08/02/11 03:09 AM
When you are a Sacramento short sale agent -- or any type of real estate agent, for that matter -- there is one solid truth to which one must adhere. That truth is you represent your client first and foremost. You owe it to that person to do the best job possible. Period. No ifs, ands or butts. If an agent can focus on that premise, that agent will be successful. I believe that. I've always believed that. And here is a story to illustrate: A few days ago, I received an offer on a Sacramento short sale listing. The buyer's … (10 comments)
counter offer: We May All Be Connected But There is Nothing Fair Nor Equal About Life
- 06/20/11 02:30 AM
I went to Tower Theatre in Land Park yesterday to see The Tree of Life so you don't have to. This is not a bad movie and, in fact, I liked it, but I would not give it a 4-star rating. Primarily because it's not really a movie as movies go. I'm not sure what you would call it. In the beginning, it made me think about how cool it would probably be to watch this movie stoned on acid, you know, LSD. I haven't had a thought like that roll through my head since I was 17. But that's what … (7 comments)
counter offer: The Secret is to Identify the Weakest Link in That Short Sale and Fix It
- 06/03/11 04:03 AM
You can call up a company to complain about a problem, and you'll probably get shuffled around. That's if you can even get through to the company. You might even hope that pressing zero will get you a live person, but half the time it just disconnects you. Adds to your frustration. So you send an email, but nobody responds. Well, I've stopped doing that. I get much further by blogging about it. Better and faster results. Know why? Because everybody and their uncles have set up Google Alerts for themselves. So I accomplish several things by this. The first is … (6 comments)
counter offer: Who's the Boss?
- 04/18/11 03:42 AM
Last week's show on NBC's hilarious Community was about Abed taking a class that analyzed the question of who was the boss in that old TV show with Tony Danza and Judith Light. You know, Who's the Boss? I'll give you a clue, it's not Tony Danza. Community is perhaps one of the best 22-minute sitcoms on TV today. It messes with your mind and makes you laugh at the same time. When it comes to my business in real estate, of being a Sacramento short sale agent, I sometimes have to remind myself that the boss is not me. Much … (33 comments)
counter offer: It's One Thing to Say "Up Yours," It's Another Not to Try at All
- 02/06/11 03:10 AM
Just as I was about to settle down to a cozy Saturday night dinner with my husband, I received an offer on one of my Sacramento short sale listings. You've got mail! Oh, how I miss that AOL sound. Don't you? My email these days just dings. The email was forwarded to me by my team member, Linda Swanson, which immediately tells me the buyer's agent did not read the MLS instructions about how to submit an offer. That's always a bad first sign. Because if they don't read my listing in MLS, then they probably don't read the attached MLS … (16 comments)
counter offer: If the Seller Were French He'd Slap My Face Twice With a Glove
- 01/13/11 02:23 AM
Are listing agents prone to sabotaging their own real estate transactions? It's easy to do. I almost did it. And I certainly know better. Nobody is infallible in this business, you know. I've been in real estate in some form or another since the 1970s. Yet, I almost put my big, fat foot directly into my mouth last month and am sharing this story in hopes of preventing this mishap from happening to somebody else. First, let me say that this listing was not a short sale. Yeah, I know, people tend to think of me as strictly a Sacramento short … (92 comments)
counter offer: How Long Should Sellers Wait to Decide on a Purchase Offer?
- 09/26/10 03:50 AM
Like Christopher Guest's Waiting for Guffman, I find humor in some situations that others don't find amusing at all. One of my favorites is when sellers feel offended because they are asked to make a decision to sell within a specified time period. Some sellers think that when they receive a purchase offer, they should be able to table it, to wait a few weeks or so before responding. Knowing that home sellers can be like this, when I write an offer for a Sacramento home buyer, I generally (not always, but generally) give the sellers ample time to respond. I … (11 comments)
counter offer: It's the Seller's Choice to Accept or Reject a Short Sale Offer
- 09/21/10 03:41 AM
Is every transaction getting harder these days? That's the question another Sacramento short sale agent asked me yesterday. I have to say it certainly appears to be true. It's not unusual in a short sale to draw a series of counter offers before finding a suitable and agreeable buyer. There are a number of points to refine and define prior to offer acceptance. Some buyer's agents get upset because they don't understand why the seller cares about the sales price. They wrongly think we should simply take their lowball offer and submit. It used to be a buyer could submit an … (17 comments)
counter offer: I'll Have What She's Having and This West Sacramento Short Sale
- 08/10/10 02:43 AM
As a Sacramento short sale agent, I often receive lowball offers from pretend buyers or guys who want to flip, but these offers can be used to a seller's advantage. Instead of advising sellers to toss them into the circular bin, I say counter them. Yup, issue a counter offer. With a lengthy acceptance period. That way, while your counter offer is in the buyer's hands, more often than not, another offer will arrive. When this offer comes in, it gives the seller the opportunity to issue a multiple counter offer to the second buyer. Because you know what? Nothing makes … (8 comments)
counter offer: DocuSign is a Key Tool for a Busy Real Estate Agent
- 04/25/10 02:02 AM
I managed to sell 4 homes in the Sacramento area yesterday, show homes in Land Park and East Sacramento, plus, list another short sale in Elk Grove. Let me tell you, it's not every day that kind of activity happens, but the month of April has been especially brutal. Probably because so many buyers are trying to get into contract to qualify for that home buyer tax credit. While I ordinarily stop working at 7 PM, except for answering emails (hey, I start at 5 AM, gimme a break), last Friday I was up way past my bedtime catching up on … (10 comments)
Broker-Associate at RE/MAX Gold, Midtown and Sierra Oaks Sacramento office. Co-partner Weintraub & Wallace Realtors. Selling since 1974. Homebuying expert at The Balance. Weintraub & Wallace sells homes from Galt to Lincoln. <
Author Bio: Elizabeth Weintraub is a Sacramento real estate broker, author, home buying expert for The Balance, a Land Park resident, who specializes not only in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento but sells extensively from Elk Grove to Lincoln. Weintraub is prominently known as the #1 Sacramento Short Sale agent throughout the Sacramento four-county area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 40+ years of real estate experience to work for you.
When a listing agent deals with enough buyer's agents, the same story often pops up over and over. It is this crazy talk of commitment, dedication, and unrelenting love for the property, when much of it is puffery. Some buyer's agents will say anything to get into contract. Even when presented with a perfect window of opportunity to get their client a house, they can still come up a day late and a dollar short.
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