Special offer

Sorry, Kevin, You Cannot Buy My Luxury Short Sales in Sacramento

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

No, Kevin,  I do not want to work with your investor who wants to buy luxury short sales. The fact that you emailed me through ActiveRain this morning and that you are not a member of this community tells me you're probably spamming for business. I also thought it was a little odd that your IP address is not registered.

But I ran a quick search in Google and discovered you are most likely some guy in his 50s who lives in South Lake Tahoe, probably scrambling to eke out a living in real estate. Sounds like you think helping investors buy short sales is the way to go. The problem is you're going about it in the wrong manner.

You say you do not want to work on a Bank of America short sale. I have to say, Kevin, that Bank of America is not the only lender with systems in place to discourage short sale flipping. Moreover, all lenders prohibit short sale mortgage fraud. You say you want to deal only with the listing agent, which tells me you might expect a direct pipeline to the lender or to work out some kind of deal.

You won't get that type of cooperation with this Sacramento short sale agent, Kevin. I do not let agents or investors speak to my seller's lenders. I do not encourage my sellers to commit mortgage fraud. I do not participate in mortgage fraud.

If you are representing investors as you claim, then you look up listings just like any other agent in the universe. You go to MLS, Kevin. You don't spam community agent sites hoping to lure a clueless agent.

I routinely get hit on because I carry a large inventory of short sales in Sacramento. The bulk of my listings are in pending or active short contingent status. It seems like every week somebody is emailing or calling me to offer me bribes, side deals, get-rich-quick schemes, what have you. If you call them on it, they'll vehemently deny they are doing anything wrong. That's because they don't realize they are breaking the law.

Sure, there are people who are deliberate crooks. But I think most people who fall into scams get there by accident. I mean, they don't get up in the morning and ask themselves what kind of laws they can break that day. They probably don't even think about going to jail. They hear about an idea, a new way to make money in short sales, and they think why not. Sounds good to them. Let's do it.

But my answer is no. If you email Elizabeth Weintraub again, I'll ask the real estate regulatory entity in Nevada to take a hard look at you and your business practices.

Posted by

elizabeth weintraub

 

 

Weintraub and Wallace Realtors

 

 

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews

 

 

 

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(8)

Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Elizabeth --- opportunity is everywhere.  Unfortunately, sometimes that means the opportunity(or the attempt) to spam and scam --- Shame on Kevin and congrats to you for telling him the truth!

Jun 25, 2011 03:22 AM
Michelle Gibson
Hansen Real Estate Group Inc. - Wellington, FL
REALTOR

Elizabeth - Kevin definitely contacted the WRONG short sale agent and unfortunately someone out there will probably fall for this.

Jun 25, 2011 03:56 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Well, I can hear Kevin sputtering to himself now, Michael.

Hi Michelle, you with the fabulous hair! See, that's the thing, agents do fall for this, which is why I posted this blog. It's not to get publicity for Kevin. It's to help other agents understand what's going on behind the scenes.

Jun 25, 2011 04:03 AM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

I had a call this week from Active Rain from an "investor" who wanted to put out offers on 10-15 REO or short sale houses per week.  I asked a few questions and quickly discovered they want to buy any house they can find for 50-65% of value.  With our current sale to list price running above 90% I knew what a waste of time the investors plan would be.  That's not the business I want to be in so I passed but wonder as they worked their way through AR who might bite.

Jun 25, 2011 04:08 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Elizabeth, of course I know you in this area, but you are ethical and win-win or no deal. Sorry Kevin.

Jun 25, 2011 05:46 AM
Barb Van Stensel
Chicago, IL

I had the same experience this week but on Facebook.  Did some quick searching and one of those that wanted to buy, get the seller to transfer the deed to them and try their ways.  The quick rich shceme and I told them I don't think they got the memo that certain agents will turn in certain predatory players who think they can get away with it.  Reported the links, the phone numbers. 

Jun 25, 2011 06:11 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Hi Cindy: Well, there is that theory that if a guy asks 10 women to go home with him from the bar, 9 will slap his face, but one might go.

Hi Gary: The short sale business has attracted plenty of crooks. It's not just short sales, it's any distress situation -- especially the loan modifications. There's not enough crack down or enforcement. As fast as one scheme is discovered, ten more roll out. Sellers don't know what's happening. This is all new territory for them.

Hi Barb: The deed transfers are going on all over. These guys tell the sellers they can stay in the home, rent back, eventually buy it back, and they're duping the homeowners and ripping off the short sale banks. They are doubly evil. I know of one in Natomas right now. Some Bay area agent is trying to do it and, if I see it happen, I'm reporting him to DRE.

Jun 25, 2011 06:46 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Hey Elizabeth - I'll bet you see and hear most every story there is surrounding short-sales.  Your radar has to be finely tuned with that kind of experience. 

As an aside, knowing that even busy short-sale specialists like you need a break once in awhile, I scouted out Nimbus Dam Recreation Area early this morning.  I think for a local area you're gonna like it.  They were fishing from the side and catching fish this morning.  I posted pictures of Nimbus on my blog awhile ago.

Jun 25, 2011 12:24 PM