short sales: If You Don't Want a Dual Commission That's Fine Because Agents and Short Sales Are Expendable, He Said
- 02/19/12 11:28 PM
Investor is such a dirty word in media. Look at how media is treated on the courthouse steps in Sacramento, trying to film investors buying foreclosures at a trustee's auction. Some of those investors are real estate agents and they act like barbarians. In some ways, the term investor is misleading, too. It infers that these are people who are making money. But an investor doesn't always make money. Just ask those retirees who invested in mutual funds. When I hear the term investor, I have mixed feelings. Because when a buyer calls me to say he or she is an … (9 comments)
short sales: You May Think You've Seen Cute Puppies Before But Take a Look at This Guy
- 02/16/12 02:20 AM
My husband said I was going to put this photo in my blog this morning. I don't know how he knew that. It wasn't my intention when I shot it. But this dog is just such a cute little thing. He's about 5 months old. My husband knows me so well. Yeah, I gotta share this photo. It's just too adorable. He is a schnauzer mix, maybe with chihuahua. I love dogs who are not purebreds because they are so unique. Not another like them, for the most part. But I love all dogs, big ones, small ones and those … (8 comments)
short sales: Wow -- Look at This Eye Opener of the Short Sale Market in Sacramento
- 02/06/12 01:53 AM
You might ask when you look at how many buyers are trying to lowball short sales: are home buyers stupid? Or, are their agents stupid? See, I don't think home buyers are stupid; I suspect they are confused and frightened. Their real estate agents? I bet their agents are just trying to do their job to the best of their ability in a really tough real estate market in Sacramento. It's not easy for agents in Sacramento at the moment. I say this for myself, yet I am the number one agent at Lyon Real Estate for last month. Yes, … (6 comments)
short sales: My Once in a Lifetime Achievement
- 02/03/12 01:36 AM
I finally accomplished a feat that ended up achieving a goal I didn't create. While I like competition as much as the next guy -- after all, I am a Sacramento short sale agent which, by its very nature, should make me somewhat competitive -- I am not driven by competition. I don't have to be better than anybody else, I just have to make more money, haha. Seriously, though, given a choice between celebrity status or being stinkin' rich, I'll take the money. Haven't you ever had discussions like that? Well, I did, when I was younger. Before the days … (5 comments)
short sales: Elizabeth Weintraub to Talk About Short Sales on Sacramento Public Access TV Tonight
- 01/25/12 01:31 AM
There are times in which I will behave myself. Not always, you can count on that. But when it's important, I can manage to do it. I step up to the plate. And I pride myself on that ability. After all, I am a Sacramento short sale agent. This means in today's market I possess super powers. Don't believe me? You try closing a few short sales yourself and see what you're up against. It used to be a lot easier. I'm not sure what happened but lately it's the super powers that do the closing, not me. By super powers, … (13 comments)
short sales: Why a Good Sacramento Short Sale Agent Does Not Shuffle Papers and is Not Merely a Messenger
- 01/15/12 03:55 AM
I should get out and talk to people more. Apart from my own sellers and a few agents in my office, I don't see very many people. But when I do talk to other people about what I do, some of the most amazing stuff comes out of my mouth, if I say so myself. It tends to astonish me. Probably because I don't spend much time talking about what I do to other people. I am more focused on them and what I can do as a Sacramento short sale agent to help them. Yesterday, I went to Elmhurst over … (5 comments)
short sales: Bank of America Makes Another Policy Change for Short Sales
- 01/14/12 03:36 AM
Earlier this week I received an email from Bank of America about Bank of America short sale policy. I briefly looked at it and thought HA. Then I thought hahahahha. And I went on to do other things. That's because when I receive an announcement from Bank of America about a short sale program change or implementation, I know it will be a couple of weeks to a couple of months before it is instituted. But this particular email was strange in the way it was worded. It said due to agent responses, Bank of America was making a change that … (21 comments)
short sales: The Aloha for Short Sales
- 01/02/12 04:05 AM
Let's just jump right into 2012, shall we? I imagine it's my kickback, low-key vacation that made me say that to an agent yesterday. While others are nursing champagne hangovers, I'm dealing with offers on my short sale listings while still on vacation in Hawaii. We changed hotels yesterday and are now at a property featuring private bungalows on the beach. Waves rolling to the front door. Palm trees in the sand shading our patio. Green turtles asleep on lava. I could certainly get used to this lifestyle but I won't because soon I will be back to Sacramento and into … (9 comments)
short sales: Transfer of Tenant Deposit for an Investment Short Sale Can Be Tricky
- 01/01/12 04:53 AM
My last short sale closing for the year was a doozie. It moved along fairly well until we got to short sale approval. The place was immaculate. I knew it would sell fast. Besides, the sellers had remodeled their kitchen based on my kitchen remodel in Land Park, if you can believe that. They found my blog online in which I described how to remodel a kitchen in 10 days, and liked it so much they used the same materials and suppliers. Big bonus to them, I suspect, was the fact that I am also a Sacramento short sale agent, although, … (6 comments)
short sales: Is it True That You Get What You Pay For?
- 12/22/11 03:54 AM
When you get crummy service people often repeat that you "get what you paid for." They mean you didn't pay enough to get good service. There are some things that if you pay enough for people to fawn over your every need, they will. My husband hates being fawned over. I don't mind it so much because I don't expect people in the service industry, for example, to behave like real human beings. My expectations are lower than that. There is a big difference, though, in the type of service you get when you are willing to pay more for it. … (11 comments)
short sales: Sacramento Short Sale Approval Letters on the Uptick but Bank of America Could Improve Its SSPCA
- 12/16/11 02:15 AM
I've been receiving an inordinate number of short sale approval letters lately. It's really odd for this time of year. For some reason, lenders must be wanting to move into the new year with a big bang. I could see a bank pushing for a closing by year end, but pushing to close next year is peculiar. This is the first year in a long time during which I've received so many approval letters in December for my short sales. I've heard real estate managers say that the reason agents should work harder in December is because sometimes they close more … (3 comments)
short sales: How Does It Feel to Be a Rolling Stone?
- 10/30/11 04:10 AM
As a Sacramento short sale agent, I am all about selling short sales. I know how it feels to be a rolling stone. I'm not talking about Mick Jagger. I'm talking about Bob Dylan. I am watching the Martin Scorsese 2005 documentary No Direction Home because it's a new release for the Netflix Instant Queue. The film is mostly about Dylan's life in the 1960s. I've seen the miniseries before, but watching it a second time gives me a different perspective. I had a mad crush on Dylan as a teenager. One of the first songs I learned how to play … (6 comments)
short sales: A Short Sale Listing Agent's Body Does Not Lie a Mouldering
- 10/23/11 04:14 AM
I am in such a Christmasy-mood today. I've already ordered my holiday cards, plus, I've bought my holiday gifts. Yup, I start the Christmas season in October. That's because I am moving to Hawaii for 3 weeks over the holidays. I think of it as moving rather than vacation because part of it will still be spent working. But not a big part. A small part. And that's where thinking ahead comes in. Please don't hate me because I'm organized. I always plan ahead. As a Sacramento short sale agent, not only do I have a Plan B, but I have … (2 comments)
short sales: You Need to Choose Your Battles and Know on Which Hill You Are Prepared to Die
- 10/22/11 03:34 AM
Let me say something in defense of the "good old days." It used to be that you could drive to a store, buy a big ticket item, drive around to the loading dock, stick that item into your trunk and drive home with the trunk open. Those days are gone. Especially in a city like Sacramento. Many retail stores stock only display merchandise and you can't actually take something home. I suppose that's a practice to keep overhead down, expenses to a minimum. If you want to buy a chair, for example, you pretty much need to be living in San … (7 comments)
short sales: There are Still Parallels Between What Happened in 1957 at Little Rock Central High School and Today and It's Unacceptable
- 10/17/11 03:13 AM
It's hard to imagine that some events now deemed historical actually happened in our lifetimes. Maybe one day I'll look back at short sales and say it's hard to imagine a time when it took 3 to 4 months to get an approval letter. My husband, as some of you know, is off traveling around for the month of October. Most recently, he was in Little Rock, Arkansas, to attend a reunion of former employees of the defunct Arkansas Gazette. He sent me this photo of Little Rock Central High School. For my readers who were not alive in 1957, this … (8 comments)
short sales: The Best Time to List and Sell a Short Sale
- 09/21/11 02:43 AM
I was reading Valarie Swanson's post this morning about short sale timelines and realized I do have something to add that conversation. That's how it goes with most articles I write. Many outside influences trigger thoughts about short sales. It seems to be in my dna, and part of the reason that I've become so successful at being a Sacramento short sale agent. Believe me, it wasn't a title I intended to obtain for myself, but over the years, it's turned out that way. People tell me how brilliant they think I am because I headed into the short sale pool … (6 comments)
short sales: It Wasn't My Sacramento Short Sale That Went to Foreclosure
- 09/09/11 03:20 AM
This may come as a shock to some of you, but I actually do turn off my computer at night. I do not sleep with my mouse under my pillow. My neck does not have a USB connection. I realize that I tend to freak out prospective clients when I pick up the phone and call them within minutes of receiving an email. Barring that, I return emails almost immediately, providing I am not with a client. Well, unless my client is somewhere in Iraq, and I have a few of those in military service. But sometimes I feel almost apologetic … (7 comments)
short sales: What's the Worst Thing Chase Bank Can Do in a Short Sale?
- 08/14/11 03:43 AM
I've heard some short sale agents bad-mouthing Chase Bank because a Chase Bank short sale takes too long. In the overall scheme of things, taking too long isn't the worst thing a short sale bank can do. The worst thing a bank can do is reject the short sale. I have not had a rejected short sale with Chase Bank, knock on wood. In this profession, as a Sacramento short sale agent, it's not wise to never say never, though. My average time with Chase is running about 120 days. I just closed a Chase short sale on a condo in … (13 comments)
short sales: Walk a Mile in Somebody Else's Shoes
- 07/31/11 03:36 AM
You've heard that adage, right? Walk a mile in somebody else's shoes. Then, you'll be a mile away with an extra pair of shoes. I've been searching online for the past week, trying to find an oceanfront home to buy. It hasn't been easy. I've been looking at this through the eyes of a buyer, not through the eyes of a real estate agent. Boy, have I learned a few things. First, what's with the agents who say the home has an ocean view and it doesn't? No wonder the public doesn't trust us. We're too danged clueless to read our … (7 comments)
short sales: Pointing the Fingers in a Short Sale
- 07/30/11 02:49 AM
I had a couple of closings yesterday. One was in Roseville, and the other was Rocklin. Both were short sales. As a Sacramento short sale agent, I list and sell short sales from Galt to Lincoln. I'd like to say that I sell only in Sacramento, but that's not the case. In fact, we've got a short sale in Grass Valley, of all places. One of those short sales was a nail biter. Or was it? It was definitely a nail biter to the mortgage loan officer. He called me earlier this week with his knickers in a twist. He was … (13 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.
Investor is such a dirty word in media. Look at how media is treated on the courthouse steps in Sacramento, trying to film investors buying foreclosures at a trustee's auction. Some of those investors are real estate agents and they act like barbarians. In some ways, the term investor is misleading, too. It infers that these are people who are making money. But an investor doesn't always make money. Just ask those retirees who invested in mutual funds.
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