You know how I said a while back that I never dream about real estate? Well, scratch that. Last night dreamed about a couple of my Sacramento short sales, complete with a soundtrack. I woke up and thought, hey, Sacramento Short Sale -- The Musical! It starts out with You Keep Me Hanging On. I could still hear the drums pounding in my head as I crawled out of bed.
Not the sappy Supreme's version -- because we all know that only Vanilla Fudge did it justice. There wasn't a kid alive back in 1967 that didn't sing along with the lyrics: "Set me free, why don't you, babe," and who wouldn't stop what she was doing, lean forward to shake her head and growl when they got to: "And there ain't nothing I can do about it."
That's what happens when you're buying a short sale and the listing agent doesn't have any experience with short sales.
It's the perfect opening number for a disgruntled Sacramento short sale buyer to belt out in Sacramento Short Sale, The Musical. I try to prepare buyer's agents and their buyers for the wait on my short sales. Having done so many, I can do a pretty good estimate of time for short sale approval based on my experiences with the lenders.
My new listing in Natomas has a loan held by Chase, and it's only one loan, so I am negotiating this one myself instead of letting my law-school graduate associate agent do it. That's because I've got Chase short sales down to a science. And Chase has actually been a lot more cooperative lately. I managed to get approval last month on two hard-money loans held by Chase sans the right to a deficiency judgment. I was pretty excited over that triumph. This is the part in the musical where we go to a bubbly song, maybe something like the Dave Clark Five, "Glad All Over." And the sellers rejoice with a victory dance.
Flashback -- naw, naw, not one of those free flashbacks we've been promised that have never happened. A real flashback in the musical. The buyer is walking around the corner of the K Hovnanian subdivison: Cottages at Westshore in Natomas. This delightful community is located just the other side of I-5 heading west on Arena, past El Centro. Cue in: the Monkees, I'm a Believer. I thought love was only true in fairy tales . . .
This is a home only two years new! It has 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and about 1,576 square feet. It's affordable. An open floor plan on the first level with a tiled entry. Carpet in the living room, and there is a ceiling fan, plus lots of windows. The dining area is located off the kitchen and features a storage closet, plus ample space for a dining room table.
This lucky buyer can also enjoy guest seating at the breakfast bar, and marvel at the white ceramic counters, a black built-in microwave, with matching dishwasher, free-standing gas range and a bonus -- the refrigerator with an ice maker in the door. The sink is double wide and a single sink, which is hard to find these days in newer construction. There is also a half bath on the first level.
Upstairs, we find 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The guest bath has a tub with a shower over it and a window. All 3 of the bedrooms are good-sized but the master is very generous and features a big walk-in closet. The master bath has a walk-in shower and a ceramic floor, plus double sinks.
The buyer will spring out of this home excited and enthusiastic, grab his buyer's agent's shoulders and bounce around in circles to the strains of Jumpin' Jack flash, it's a gas, gas, gas. The buyer loves the partial city view from the second floor and is thrilled to get a 2-car detached garage. Maybe the thought of buying a home with a tankless water heater pushed the buyer over the edge. Hard to say. The buyer will write an offer. And the offer will be accepted. And this short sale will close. Then, all the actors will come out on stage, hold hands and sing Yellow Submarine. In the town where I was born . . .
4046 Vittoria Lane, Sacramento, CA 95834, is offered exclusively as a short sale by Lyon Real Estate at $170,000. For more information, call or text your Sacramento Short Sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
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