Elizabeth Weintraub • Sacramento Short Sale Agent • Land Park

Funerals make you hungry. Either that, or they make you cry. Last Saturday, I attended a funeral with my husband in downtown Sacramento. After the service, we went to Jim-Denny's Hamburgers Chili for lunch. This is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that has been a 76-year tradition in Sacramento. We've been meaning to go there for years and, in fact, did stop by a few years ago but it was too crowded, so we left.

Now, if you go to a Catholic funeral, they generally feed you. But the funeral we went to was Lutheran. I actually have very little experience with funerals. I realized that fact when I reached my mid-30s. I don't know how a person can be on this planet for 30-some years without going to a funeral, but I had managed it.

As a result, I reached out to my girlfriend who had more experience than me. I asked her to guide me through funeral etiquette. Clearly, somebody I knew would die soon, and I didn't want to be caught off-guard. I thought it would be easier to attend a funeral for a person I did not know, so I picked a death notice out of the newspaper, circled the date of the funeral on my calendar and considered that my practice funeral.

Here are some of the things that I learned:

• A death notice is generally an invitation in disguise to go to a funeral
  
• You don't have to wear black.
• Stuff some tissues in your pocket.
• If you don't know the family, don't sit with them.
• It's OK to cry.
• It's OK to sing, but not all by yourself.

I was pretty sure it's not a good idea to leave your cellphone on, so when we walked into St. John's Lutheran Church on Saturday, I turned my phone to "silent." The cantor had a beautiful voice, and I was mesmerized. But not so much that I didn't feel my cellphone vibrate. No, no, no, don't touch it. Bzzt. Bzzt. But I couldn't help myself. I looked around. We were sitting in an end pew. People would probably think I was praying with my head bowed. I did the unthinkable. I slowly slipped my cellphone out of my pocket and glanced at my email. Now, I'm probably going to hell for that.

But soon the guilt was overturned by the sense of hunger. Which is what led us to Jim-Denny's Hamburgers Chili. Going there just seemed appropriate for some reason. This little restaurant is located on 12th Street between H and I Street. Here is a photo of the interior. It's the size of a cable car and dates back to 1934. The signs on the wall advertise fancy ham, fancy hamburgers, back when anything better than ordinary was called fancy.

A handwritten sign next to the old wall phone warned customers that if they sit next to the phone and it rings, they must answer it and take an order. I was glad my husband had that seat. We arrived at 11:45, 15 minutes before lunch. Everybody at the counter, which is the only place to eat, were busy stuffing gigantic omelets into their mouths. The servings were humongous, along the lines of what you get at the Market Club in Land Park.

I ordered the 5-cent hamburger with raw onions, lettuce, tomatoes and no pickles. You can see it in the photo above. Well, you won't see the onions because the waiter forgot to give them to me. He also put mustard on the bottom bun but the top bun was dry. My husband got the Superburger with bacon and requested no cheese. They gave him a burger with cheese.

The french fries were pretty good, though. Sliced very thin and crispy without being too crunchy. The fries reminded me of those served at the drugstore where I used to go after school in the 1960s. In fact, the hamburger brought back those memories, too. Pretty tasty food for a 12-year-old. But now that I'm an old goat, my taste buds have matured. I prefer thicker hamburgers, like the Waterboy Deluxe Burger, made from ground chuck. Perhaps I should have ordered the megaburger?

By the time we slid out of our seats, $20 poorer and a bit fatter than when we walked in the door, there were so many people standing behind us that I couldn't reach my bag on the floor. I grabbed the handle and tugged it between the stools, almost knocking some guy in the face. That's when I realized my cellphone was still turned to "silent." Ah, the sweet bliss of no phone calls about my Sacramento short sales for two solid hours. It was back to business. If we go back to Jim-Denny's, though, I will definitely order the megaburger.

I should also mention that the funeral was for a real estate agent who worked at my midtown office of Lyon Real Estate. I suspect he forgave me for looking at my cellphone. He was the type who would understand. He was a good egg and will be missed. You know, we just don't have enough good eggs in this world.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

Whenever I leave the comfort of my home-based office, I try to plan my driving route to incorporate stops along the way so I can maximize my time. For example, if I need to drop off dry cleaning, I'll do it on my way to my midtown Lyon Real Estate office, rather than make a separate trip to the dry cleaners. That explains why I never have anything to wear.

Because I had to drive out the 99 freeway yesterday to put a lockbox on another Elk Grove short sale listing, I figured I'd stop at a few furniture stores on my way back to look at bedroom furniture. I'm still on a quest for a new bed and dresser. I know exactly what I want, the dimensions, type of color and finish, style, even down to the type of construction.

I walked into Signature, which took over the space on 55th that was previously occupied by Levitz. Like most furniture stores, the cheaper stuff is at the front, and the quality stuff is on display at the back. I found a halfway decent bedroom set at the very back and tracked down a salesperson to ask for the dimensions. He couldn't tell me. His answer was, "If it doesn't fit, I'll take it back." His focus was on selling me and he wasn't listening.

Next, I went to Beck's. Walked all the aisles and finally stopped a salesperson who walked right by me without making eye contact. She asked who greeted me at the front door. Why, nobody. I explained what I was looking for, and while she was very polite and nice, she didn't know her product line.

Further up the road at American Furniture Galleries, a salesperson said hello when I walked in the door. He grabbed a tape measure so he could figure out the width of his dressers. I was surprised that he didn't know the dimensions of his inventory. He showed me expresso finishes when I told him I wanted brown cherry. Finally, he handed me the tape measure and wandered off.

OK, so I'll go downtown to Macy's. The first salesperson did not know the difference between an Eastern King and a California King bed. He became frustrated and suggested I pick out what I wanted, and he'd write it up. I wanted to buy two pieces of furniture that would fit in a specific space along my wall. I spied another salesperson and approached him. I explained my dilemma. He listened. Showed me a set that would fit. Explained why it would fit. He even looked up compatible pieces that were discontinued on his computer.

All of this made me realize how frustrated some Sacramento home buyers must feel while they are out homebuying. Especially those buyers who know exactly what they want. Some real estate agents tell buyers to look at online listings and to let the agent know when a home suits their fancy. Are we guilty of throwing inventory at home buyers, expecting them to come back to us when they're ready to buy and we'll write it up? Are we order takers?

Or do we listen to our home buyers' wants and needs and try to find that perfect home for them? Do we research the background and history of that home so our buyers can make an informed decision? Or do we tell them that after it closes, if they don't like it, we'll sell it again for them?

I have the ability to fine-tune MLS searches for my buyers. For example, if they want to look at homes in Land Park, in a very specific neighborhood, I can manually draw a map search for them based on street boundaries. I can narrow the search based on certain criteria, say, by sending only those listings within that neighborhood that have 2 baths, a fireplace and hardwood floors. If a buyer prefers a one-story home, I'm certainly not going to show the buyer two-story homes.

After I spend a few hours showing homes, I have extracted so much information from my buyers that if they haven't found a home they like during our first tour, I now know exactly what type of home they want. I can see it in my mind and spot it when I find it in MLS. I search through inventory for them. I email my thoughts on new listings to my actively searching buyers. We talk. Interact. And they find their dream homes.

But, boy, do I feel sorry for them when they go furniture shopping.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

For as long as I can remember, people have said that I intimidate them when meeting me for the first time. That kind of reaction is a bit puzzling to me. I mean, I'm no Darth Vader. I'm not a particularly threatening type of person in stature or appearance. People at the post office don't cross their forefingers and fall to the ground when they see me coming. Yet, I hear over and over that when people get to know me, their initial impression of me changes. I go from being threatening to gregarious, friendly and caring.

A Sacramento home buyer called yesterday to ask if I would help her. She had read my blogs on LandParkBlog.com and said she called me because I appear "competent without being arrogant and have a sense of humor." She also believed that I could very aggressive if the situation warranted it. She didn't feel intimidated, which was good.

Unfortunately, I had to refer this buyer to another agent because she was interested in buying a probate that required court confirmation, and that's an area in which I have no experience. I believe clients deserve an agent with expertise. I specialize in listing and selling homes in Land Park, Midtown, Curtis Park and East Sacramento. Moreover, as a Sacramento short sale agent, I successfully close short sales from El Dorado Hills to Elk Grove and Galt. But, even with my 30-plus years in the real estate business, I know very little about probate sales.

If I had to pick the one thing about me that seems to intimidate people, though, I'd say it must be the confidence that I project. I can't think of any other aspect of my personality that would frighten people. I'm direct. I say what I mean. Lots of people aren't direct. In retrospect, maybe that's why so many of my clients are lawyers. I'm not afraid of lawyers. In fact, I love working with lawyers.

I told a lawyer the other day that the homes she seemed interested in buying were homes priced above her comfort level, and the homes she didn't like were priced at her comfort level, and asked if that was a correct assessment. She said no, thought about it, and then raised the price of her comfort level. I don't tell people what to do; I guide clients to make a decision that is right for them. That's my job.

See, I don't believe there is anything wrong with exuding confidence. If some people find a person with confidence scary, maybe that fear comes about because confidence is a trait that is missing in their own personalities. To me, confidence is about knowing your own boundaries, limitations, and not being afraid to exceed them, even at the risk of failure. What do you think?

Photo: Big Stock Photo

The thing with buying a Sacramento foreclosure flipper home is you don't know what you are buying. A Sacramento first-time home buyer generally first views the home like this photo of pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. The sellers might have staged that home. It can be enticingly beautiful but deceptive. You don't know what's under those granite counters and new paint job. You could press a fork into the pancakes and find it is raw in the center.

A home inspection won't necessarily disclose mold, but a buyer will be asked to sign a mold disclosure. The disclosure will inform the buyer that mold could or could not exist. The only way to be certain that the home is free from mold is to hire a mold specialist to test it.

Some of these foreclosure flipper homes have sat empty for months, maybe even for years before the bank sells them to an investor. I have one such short sale listing at the moment that has been sitting in water for more than 2 months now. It was flooded when pipes froze in the ceiling and burst. The mold is probably the size of basketballs. The investor who purchases this will fix it up and put it back on the market.

Another problem with buying a foreclosure flipper, especially a flipper that has been fixed up within the 90-day seasoning period for FHA / conventional financing, is the buyer could be subject to a mechanic's lien if the seller didn't pay the contractors. If the home is older, it may not qualify for a homeowner's title insurance policy. Without that special coverage in the title insurance policy, the buyer has no protection against a mechanic's lien.

If you read an MLS listing that advertises this home is "not an REO or short sale," check the public records to determine if the seller acquired title via a trustee's deed. Because when you buy a foreclosure flipper, you're buying that home in its as is condition. You will probably get no warranties, no disclosures, no repair work, no history of that home.

Don't be seduced by an attractive plate of pancakes. Moreover, hire an experienced Sacramento buyer's agent who can help you to investigate those homes and perhaps insert language into the purchase contract that makes the seller provides receipts and warranties. Hire an agent you trust who will represent your best interests.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

All I can say is thank goodness Lyon Real Estate has hired a top-notch legal firm that its real estate agents can go to for advice. I realize the sentiment among agents in the real estate community is that lawyers always say no to questions because the liability is too great, but that's not necessarily true. Lawyers, believe it or not, try to find ways to make transactions close. But sometimes, it's impossible to find a work-around because the parties could be committing fraud.

As an experienced and trusted Sacramento short sale agent, it's my job to maintain my fiduciary relationship with the sellers and to try to protect them. The last thing in the world that I would want is for the F.B.I. to come knocking on my sellers' door after closing a short sale.

Everybody knows or should know that all monies transferred in an escrow must be reflected on the HUD-1. To do otherwise is a violation of RESPA. However, not everybody knows about some of the schemes happening with a few of the second lenders. Generally, it's the buyers or the agents involved who are asked by the second lender to contribute to the transaction. Which is a huge no-no if the first lender doesn't know about it. Lately, though, I'm seeing the second lenders asking for a seller contribution and trying to hide that contribution from the first lender.

One such lender suggested that the seller make a payment on the seller's account as a condition of short sale approval. This payment amounted to $20,000. On the surface, it seemed feasible. The second lender said it was done all the time and the seller had every right to make a payment. Another agent might have fallen for that line.

When in doubt, though, I check it out. I pay attention to my intuition. Those second lenders don't have anybody's best interest at heart except their own. Sure enough, I checked with our legal team and discovered that if the first lender is not informed, it's mortgage fraud. It's not a RESPA violation, per se, it's mortgage fraud. Deliberately deceiving and misleading the first lender.

This doesn't mean the transaction has to blow up. There is a solution. Well, there are 2 solutions. The first is to tell the first lender that the second lender is receiving more money from the seller. That's not a very good idea, however, because the first lender will most likely expect to slip that extra cash into its own pocket.

The second solution is to refuse to comply -- to tell the second lender to go pound sand. In other words, the second lender must accept its $3,000, or whatever contribution the first has offered (note: with a Fannie Mae short sale loan it can't be more than 8%, 10% with an exception), put its tail between its legs and go home. Don't let those junior lenders push you around. Stand up and fight. When confronted, some of those second lenders are backing down.

I get business one of two ways these days. Either people find me on the Internet or they are referred by previous clients. When I ask callers who found me on the Internet why they picked me, I often get the same answer. It's rarely because they believe I am brilliant, witty or experienced. Rats. They say it's because I have a friendly face.

If people are looking at the Lyon Real Estate website for Midtown Sacramento agents, my profile is all the way at the bottom. Because my last name is Weintraub, and it's sorted alphabetically. My office services primarily East Sacramento, Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and downtown Sacramento. At the bottom of the Lyon website is not the best place to be. I mean, a person's scrolly finger can wear out getting down to the bottom. We have more than 80 agents in our office.

Although I'm happy to be blessed with a friendly face and personality, I don't think that's the best reason to choose a real estate agent. But consumers have very little information to choose from when scrolling through photographs of real estate agents.

As I was driving along Business 80 yesterday on my way to show a home, I received a phone call from a prospective home buyer. She was calling about a listing in Sacramento. OK, what is the street? She yelled into my ear: Sacramento! No, what is the name of the street? She screamed again as though I was deaf: Sacramento, California!

Excuse me, I can't give you information about a listing if you don't tell me the name of the street where the home is located. What is the name of the street? The buyer finally responded: Cougar. I know that street. That's not an area where I specialize, but I told the buyer that I would be happy to refer her to another agent to show that home.

The buyer decided to argue with me, saying her mortgage broker told her that real estate agents can show homes anywhere in Sacramento. She insisted that I show her that home. Hey, it wasn't my listing. Instead, I referred her to my associate who is a neighborhood specialist in that area. To protect the innocent, let's say my associate's name is Bonnie. I gave her Bonnie's phone number.

A few minutes later, the buyer called back. She said, "I want to work with an American."

"I can assure you that Bonnie is an American."

"No, she's not," the caller hissed, "I got her voice mail, and her last name is Hernandez."

My mind went blank. I was shocked. It took me a few seconds to figure out what this caller was saying to me. I guess I must live in a protected world because I rarely run into this type of discrimination; although, sadly, I am aware that it exists. I didn't quite know how to respond, so I did what I usually do and relied on my gut instincts, my immediate reaction.

"I can't help you," I replied, "Because I don't work with bigoted people." I swerved to miss a slow-moving vehicle, pulled my cellphone out of its holster and pressed the "end call" button. I was kinda surprised at my reaction because I don't ordinarily hang up on callers. But she royally offended me.

Photo by Big Stock Photo

There are days that I feel like Rodney Dangerfield. Well, not DEAD in the sense that Dangerfield is not around anymore. More along the lines of working my little tail off, only to discover that Sacramento short sale agents don't get no respect. We close transactions just like everybody else. But because we sell short sales, some people treat us like we're lepers.

You know what? I don't care. I'm not looking for respect. I respect myself plenty, thank you very much. My cats love me, and my husband is a saint. But don't come to me with an offer that's not an offer.

One of my short sale sellers signed an offer yesterday. It was beautifully written. Not an error on it, which is pretty rare. The buyer offered to pay a little over list price, the earnest money deposit was fat, and the buyer agreed to wait until April 30th for short sale approval -- all excellent signs of a committed buyer. However, before I delivered the contract, the buyer's agent called to ask if the deposit would be returned if the buyer canceled prior to short sale approval. Huge red flag.

When I explained to the buyer's agent that the buyer needs to be dedicated to the short sale process, the agent said the buyer had expressed reservations. Well, why did the buyer agree to wait until April 30th if the buyer has no intention of waiting? Perhaps that buyer doesn't want to buy this home? Perhaps that buyer should not try to buy a short sale? Maybe we should cancel the contract?

In one of my pending short sale transactions, the buyer's agent sent me an addendum asking the seller to repair a broken appliance. The seller lives 100 miles away. The home is sold "as is," meaning the buyer is purchasing this property in its present condition, warts and all. If there is a seller contribution in this escrow, the bank will want that money. Does the buyer want to cancel over the appliance?

I was speaking with another short sale agent yesterday who said she has learned a lot from her association with me. She is now not afraid to ask a buyer if the buyer wants to cancel, although in the past it was a frightening thing to ask. However, she has learned that it's actually an excellent question. Does this agent get respect? She doesn't know and doesn't care, either. We're both in this business to get the job done.

What I probably need is a personal shopper. See, I no longer clean my house, do laundry, grocery shop, prepare meals, mow the lawn, weed or water the gardens, run to Target, pay the bills -- those chores are done for me. And, it's actually a bit inconvenient that I have to put gas in my car myself. I wish we would go back to the concept of full-service gas stations.

I utilize almost every waking moment of my day focused on my hobby, er, occupation. I specialize in selling older, classic homes in Land Park, East Sacramento, Curtis Park and Midtown. That alone is enough to eat up 50% of my day. The other 40% is spent on being a Sacramento short sale agent, leaving me 10% to answer email, write blogs and articles.

Because I'm otherwise preoccupied with my real estate business, I don't always notice things right away when they fall apart around the house. For example, I need a new dresser. I spilled perfume once on top of it and somehow plopped a magazine on that spot, which left a big red square on the surface. The sliders on the bottom of some of the drawers are broken, which means those drawers don't pull out horizontally. The brass drawer knobs and pulls are weathered. The mirror has a big chip in the corner.

You'd think it would be easy to find a new dresser, right? In between showing property and doing home inspections, I hauled my husband to Macy's this weekend to pick out a new area rug for our living room. While we were at the Sacramento Downtown Plaza, I looked at dressers, shot a few photos, scribbled down measurements. After I came home and measured the wall space between the windows in our bedroom, I realized none of those dressers would fit in that space, which is shared with our bed.

However, if I bought a new headboard for the bed, one that didn't extend four inches beyond both sides of the bed, I could buy a bigger dresser. And, of course, that led to the realization that if we had a footboard on the bed, our duvet cover would not slide off onto the floor every night. That is a major irritation. So, I may as well buy a whole new bed. My husband doesn't understand how this works. He knows only that when I set out to change something in the house, it's never a minor fix.

Not only do I have space limitations on that wall, but the design and finish of the bed and dresser should coordinate with the rest of the furniture in the bedroom, which is fairly new but, of course, discontinued. Now, my husband would be happy sleeping on a cot in the corner. He doesn't care if our furniture matches. Utilitarian function is his main concern. If you can sit on it, sleep on it or eat over it, he's content. To him, it doesn't matter if the furniture is dinged, gouged, weathered, chipped or standing on its last legs, about to disintegrate beneath him. Thank goodness he has me in his life to improve his quality of existence.

Since I don't have any time in my day to run all over Sacramento looking at furniture, I am forced to search online. But even that is time consuming. And some websites don't list dimensions. It's possible that I may not find a new bed and dresser.

The answer, of course, to many people, is to buy a new house. But I'm never going to sell my husband on that idea, so I guess I'll continue to live with the fact that my dresser drawers routinely fall off the tracks. Sometimes, it's simply easier to change your attitude and go with the flow.

Before I show homes in Land Park or anywhere in Sacramento, I contact the listing agent to find out more information about the home. That's because I treat each visit as though this is the home my buyer will purchase. I figure why would I show a home to a buyer that won't work for some reason? Just because a home is offered for sale in MLS doesn't mean it's available or that it fits my buyers' agenda.

Sometimes listing agents don't respond to emails, text messages or phone calls, and I often do all three. Most likely the unresponsiveness is because, unlike me, some listing agents actually have a life. They could be out-of-town for the weekend, dealing with a family emergency or otherwise engaged in something apart from buying and selling real estate.

One of the homes my buyers asked to see yesterday was listed as a short sale. The first red flag I noticed was the listing agent worked for a mortgage company. The agent / mortgage broker combination can be a recipe for disaster because often the main source of that agent's income comes from mortgages and not from real estate. It's hard to wear 2 hats and be a specialist in both. If a mortgage broker's focus is selling loans to customers, that mortgage broker may know very little about the intricate workings of the real estate industry from a real estate agent's point of view.

Although I had no information to give the buyers about this particular home, I showed it to them anyway because the buyers wanted to see it. The seller was home when we arrived and stayed inside the house for the entire tour. If I wanted to find out whether this home would qualify as a short sale, the seller could be a valuable source of information. The problem was I am not allowed to grill the seller. In fact, according to the REALTOR Code of Ethics, I can't interfere at all with another agent's client.

It wasn't like I could say, "Hey, do you know if you qualify for a short sale?" But I could find out by engaging in casual conversation. The seller was pretty chatty as she followed us and showed us around. I find that if you gently lead and listen, especially when people are talkative, they'll tell you all sorts of interesting stuff. Here is how I found out everything I needed to know without asking a single question or prying into the sellers' financial affairs.

Me: "You've got a lot of packing to do," noticing the boxes and piles of belongings scattered throughout. I wanted to find out where they were moving. Maybe it was out of state due to a job transfer. A job transfer could qualify for a short sale.

Seller: "Yup, we're moving to Rocklin to be in that school district."

Me: "Homes in Rocklin are more affordable than homes in Land Park."

Seller: "Well, we can't decide if we want to buy a new home or an older home." Hmmm . . . they weren't planning on renting.

Me: "Rocklin is a long way to drive for work." I wanted to know whether they were employed.

Seller: "Oh, my husband works for XYZ and I work for ABC; so it's not that far, and it's worth it for the school district."

This situation was most likely not a short sale. Unless those sellers could qualify to own 2 homes at the same time, a lender will not make a loan. If the sellers can't get a loan to buy another home, they are not buying a home in Rocklin. Obtaining a mortgage requires an upfront cash down payment. With an FHA loan, it's 3.5% of the sales price.

Since many short sales may involve a seller contribution, especially for sellers with disposable income, the short sale bank might want to get its hands on the sellers' bank account. Of course, it's always possible that the sellers' parents could buy them a new home.

However, due to the fact that they both have jobs -- employment that doesn't involve state furloughs or loss of income -- it's highly unlikely the bank will approve this particular short sale. What we have in this situation, I surmised, is an agent / mortgage broker who thought, "Wow, these sellers are upside-down. I should list this as a Sacramento short sale. Commission on the listing side, commission when they buy in Rocklin, plus a commission for putting together the loan. Bonanza!"

Owing more than a home is worth is not enough to qualify for a short sale. As a Sacramento short sale agent, I'm in the business of closing Sacramento short sales. I don't want my buyers sitting in escrow for 3 months only to discover that the bank rejected the short sale.

Not every potential home buyer will buy a home in Sacramento this year, regardless of how much a buyer may yearn for a home. How do I know this? Because I speak with first-time home buyers who want to buy a home nearly every day. I listen to their wants and needs. From this information, I determine whether these buyers are realistic and motivated. See, a buyer can possess all the motivation and determination in the world, but if a buyer is stuck in fantasy land, the odds of buying a home are dramatically reduced.

I try to be non-judgmental. I know that buyers are not professional real estate agents and don't possess intimate knowledge of the market. Part of my job is to educate buyers. Especially those who rely on Zillow or other websites that provide inaccurate information. Armed with knowledge, a buyer is then able to make an informed decision.

A few weeks ago, a buyer called to say she was unhappy with her agent because she wasn't getting results. Since agents are generally in the real estate business to make a sale, it was entirely possible the problem wasn't the agent. The buyer asked if I would research a particular short sale home in Elk Grove. Her agent had shown her the property. She had not made an offer nor signed an exclusive buyer's broker with this agent.

I called the listing agent. The agent had 5 offers, several of which were all-cash offers, and those all-cash offers exceeded the list price of $400,000. As with many short sale listings, the price was artificial and below the comparable sales, priced to drive multiple offers. I know the main reason that some banks reject short sales is because many offers are too low, so a lowball offer was not going to fly. Not to mention, it makes little sense to compete in these types of situations if a buyer is unwilling to offer over the listed price.

The buyer asked if she could buy this $400,000 home for $300,000. I explained all of the reasons why this type of approach was not going to work. Even if all the other buyers vanished by the time of short sale approval, leaving this buyer in first-place position as the lone survivor, the bank would not take that type of offer. On top of which, this home was was highly desirable and unique -- which means those other buyers aren't going away.

A few days later, the buyer emailed me to confess that she had gone back to see that home again with her agent. She was so overwhelmed with desire that she wrote an offer on the spot for $300,000. She asked if I would still work with her and show her other homes while she waits for an answer from the seller. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the buyer is not buying this home.

Now, I am not in the business to swipe other agent's clients. There's enough business in Sacramento for everybody. I had explained earlier how real estate agents work and why this buyer should decide which buyer's agent she wants to hire. She told me she really liked her agent but did not feel her agent could perform.

I suggested she stick with her agent. I didn't drop this buyer simply because she wrote an offer with her agent, although loyalty is paramount. I also didn't drop the buyer solely because she promised to work with me and failed to live up to her promise; although, I prefer to work with buyers who keep their word. This buyer performed contrary to her own best interests. I was forced to turn her loose because she could not, would not, did not listen to my advice.

Even my cats would agree.

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub, from left to right, Pia, Pica and Brandon