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Ever Hear of Groups of Buyers Touring Sacramento Short Sales Without an Agent Present?

By
Real Estate Agent with Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker DRE #00697006

sinus lift operation in sacramentoWouldn't you know it -- I try to take a day off yesterday to undergo a sinus lift (oh, the joys of aging) and, by evening, I received 7 or 8 offers, 3 potential listings and two buyer leads. I also received a very strange email from an agent about my listings. I think he combed MLS looking for a Sacramento short sale agent and then copied all the addresses of active short sales. But back to him in a sec.

So, late yesterday morning, I'm lying down in the dentist's chair under a blanket with a mask thing on my face that's blowing laughing gas up my nose. The oral maxillofacial surgeon is sitting at my side, wiping stuff that feels icy cold on the inside of my arm, is about to jab in the needle, and I'm mentally thumbing through my BlackBerry. I feel the anesthesia beginning to work and realize I have but seconds to go. Good thing I had turned off my BB.

The operation was successful this time -- it had failed a few months ago. So 90 minutes later they wheel me out to my husband's car, my head swimming in drugs, and I'm holding an icepack on my face. I tell my husband that since we're so close to one of my short sale listings in Elk Grove, I'd like to drive by it to make sure the gardener we hired has mowed the lawn. After all, I can't tell the seller to pay the gardener if the job is uncompleted. I feel responsible for it. Why can't I stop thinking about real estate, he asks?

He thinks I'm totally insane, but he drove over there anyway. I guess he knows better than to argue with me when I'm in la-la land -- or any other land for that matter.

When I get home, I take more drugs, go to bed and later read my emails. In one of them, this agent says he has 30 to 40 buyers who want to buy short sales in Sacramento. Although he was perfectly capable of sending the email, he specifically requested that I not reply to his email but instead call him. I smelled something fishy. He apparently wants to talk because he needs to talk me into something, I figured. Plus, anybody with 30 to 40 buyers should be in escrow, not sending out emails. I can't really talk very well; I'm grumpy, but I call him.

Was he a flipper? He said no. He said each buyer would purchase their own home as a first-time home buyer. Something's not right. What did he want? He asked if he could set up a time, say 10 AM to 5 PM on a Saturday and Sunday when he could send over all these buyers to tour my short sales. He explained that I did not have to be present (good because I can't be in 5 places at once) but neither would he. Would any agent accompany these buyers? Apparently not.

The answer was no. Unequivocally no. This isn't a public flea market. This is a professional business where an agent's presence is required to show a listing. Secondly, my short sales are selling within a week; my sellers don't need mass intrusions. Anybody ever hear of something like this?

short sale agent sacramento

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Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate 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 sells short sales throughout Sacramento. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you.

The Short Sale Savior,by Elizabeth Weintraub, available through bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com.

Sacramento Short Sale Agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, has the answers to your Sacramento short sale questions.

Photos: Big Stock Photo

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Elizabeth Weintraub is co-partner of Weintraub & Wallace Team of Top Producing Realtors, an author, home buying expert at The Balance, a Land Park resident, and a veteran real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown, Carmichael and East Sacramento, as well as tract homes in Elk Grove, Natomas, Roseville and Lincoln. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put our combined 80 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at RE/MAX Gold. DRE License # 00697006.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of RE/MAX Gold. Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice; it could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

Comments (17)

Jim Valentine
RE/MAX Realty Affiliates - Gardnerville, NV

Sounds like he was going to advertise a huge Short Sale open house to the public.  I doubt he had that many people on the line.  Like you said, he should be writing offers instead of emails.

Jul 25, 2009 03:39 AM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

I thought I had a problem last week when an agent phoned me to ask if the buyer could stop by my office and pick up a key for the inspection.  Ummm, no, and unless you plan to be there, NO ONE will be going in my listings.  You had  my problem times 30 or 40. 

ps- glad the surgery was successful this time.

Jul 25, 2009 03:40 AM
Macy Harney
Loomis Real Estate - Putnam, CT
GRI, ABR

Maybe he was planning a bus tour.  LOL.  No way he had all those buyers.  Good save. 

Jul 25, 2009 04:34 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Well, there were simply too many red flags with this guy, and when my gut instincts tell me something is amiss, I have learned to listen to my instincts. You'd think if he was planning a bus tour he could stick at least one agent on that bus, wouldn'tcha?

http://shortsaleagentsacramento.com

Jul 25, 2009 04:40 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Elizabeth, this almost sounds like a foreclosure bus tour we had in our area a time back. Very strange, but your response was quite appropriate.

Jul 25, 2009 04:41 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Elizabeth:  I love the way you weave your personal tasks into your posts.  The thought of you, under the influence of laughing gas, asking your husband to drive you by a nearby listing is priceless.  That is why you are such a great agent.  You are always thinking of your clients.  As for this clown that called you, I don't get the benefit to him.  How strange.  Glad you didn't allow your listings to be tromped through by his busload of questionable intent.

 

 

Jul 25, 2009 06:49 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Elizabeth - I agree with Gary!  It sounds similar to the foreclosure bus tours we had awhile back.  I think they were more prevalent down in Stockton.  Yet, the way you describe the call to you, would give me pause to be cautious as well.  I'm glad you came through the surgery ok, and can now be on the mend.

Jul 25, 2009 11:25 AM
Steve Mattison
Canyon de Chelly National Mo, AZ
Vietnam Veteran

Sinus or not, you sure could smell a rat a mile or more away, great job again and happy smelling:)

Jul 25, 2009 11:33 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Strange guy.  Strange request.  You did a good job of getting rid of him.

Jul 25, 2009 01:39 PM
Terry & Bonnie Westbrook
Westbrook Realty Broker-Owner - Grand Rapids, MI
Westbrook Realty - Grand Rapids Forest Hills MI Re

Very strange for buyer to allow this type of activity. I have never heard of it. I have heard of buyers agents getting into a bus and driving them all to listings to view properties together but this is strange.

Jul 25, 2009 03:02 PM
Don Sabinske
Don Sabinske, Sabinske & Associates Inc. - Zimmerman, MN
Sabinske & Associates Inc.

I was worried about your surgery.  My wife is a nurse.  Sounds like your recovering, reading emails, checking property, showing this guy the door.  You have it down.  Joker.  Stay away from people who don't want agents presents, not even lawful in this state.  Good job, even on drugs. 

Jul 25, 2009 03:09 PM
Jim Hale
ACTIONAGENTS.NET - Eugene, OR
Eugene Oregon's Best Home Search Website

Haven't had this strange buyer type.  Haven't heard of all listings selling in a week...for years.   Sounds like good news (and great agent work) to me.

Jul 25, 2009 04:44 PM
Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

First of all...remember drugs are a good thing...can't heal if you hurt. Next....what a goof ball...short sales brings out a unique crowd....urgh !

Jul 25, 2009 10:57 PM
Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

Elizabeth,

I had a filling this week and my hubby had a root canal. So I know how you are feeling. yep I always ask my husband to take a quick tour past some of my listings if we are near by.

I have heard of this but haven't seen it in my area as of yet.

 

Jul 26, 2009 01:50 AM
Sandy Shores FL Realtor®, Melbourne Real Estate
M & M Realty of Brevard Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Brevard County Real Estate, Florida's Space Coast

Hi Elizabeth, It seems that someone is always coming up with some crazy idea today.  No, I hadn't heard about this yet.

Jul 27, 2009 04:44 AM
Real Estate Guy in Madison, Wisconsin
Powered by: Real Broker LLC - Madison, WI
Real Estate Guy

Elizabeth, you tell a good story, (were you still under the influence?) 

The closest i can get to your story is a bus tour.  But i would want to be on the bus to keep a control of the buyers.

Aug 20, 2009 03:47 PM
Freddie Gonzales
WEM PACIFIC Investments, Inc. - Daly City, CA
CRS, GRI, RDCPro

Hi Elizabeth,

Tnanks for the post. In any market good or bad, someone will come out always with some fishy ideas.

Jan 12, 2010 04:41 PM