Elizabeth Weintraub • Sacramento Short Sale Agent • Land Park

Stop selling your buyers and start selling yourself, I want to tell buyer's agents. But it's not really my place to say it. I'm just a Sacramento short sale agent. I represent sellers. I refer buyers to my trusted team members and work exclusively with sellers. My job is to get the bank to accept their short sale and close that puppy. I do it quickly, efficiently and quietly, without a lot of drama, if I can help it.

But this seller's market is taxing on everybody. It's really hard on sellers. Oh, you might think it's all fun and games when people come over to your house to ooh and ah over its beauty and decor. But after a few days, even fresh fish begins to stink, as the saying goes.

Last night a seller asked if I could remotely disable the lockbox to stop agents who don't check MLS for showing instructions from using it. That's a feature I don't have. We used to be able to set the times a lockbox was accessible from our computer, but Supra changed that for us, or at least for me. So, while it's an interesting thought, it did once used to be reality. It's frustrating that I can't turn on and turn off my lockboxes. I bought the suckers, and they ain't cheap. It might also be a brokerage restriction.

Yet, this morning I am still receiving offers for a Sacramento short sale. This should be in escrow already but the sellers are struggling with the decision of whom to choose. Like any seller, they ask their agent for advice. I try to be impartial and analytical for them, and help walk them through the process of selection. Anything I know, I share. If I know the agent, I share what I know about the agent.

Because bottom line, we're not only in escrow with the buyer, we are in escrow with that agent. I'm looking for an experienced agent. An agent who knows how to explain an AS IS short sale. An agent as dedicated to the wait for short sale approval as the buyer. That's the kind of buyer's agent who closes escrow. That's all we want to do is close this escrow and let the sellers get on with their lives.

I think back to a short sale buyers fought over recently. That winning buyer's agent made the following statements:

• If the bank wants more money, my buyers will pay it.
• I won't call you for updates or bug you as I have set my buyer's expectations appropriately.
• We will wait for approval regardless of how long it takes.
• We will not ask for repairs or try to renegotiate after you get short sale approval.
• I have closed many short sales for many buyers.

That's the agent I want. That's the agent my sellers want. If you're hoping to buy a short sale in our Sacramento seller's market, this is the kind of agent a buyer should want. An agent who communicates.

That's what Jackson would say if he were a real estate agent. Jackson is my cat, see below.

I have to be careful when I am facetious. Because I'm such a nice person, sometimes people don't realize when I am insulting them. I suppose that could be interpreted as a good thing. I could say I feel sorry for an agent, and another would think I truly felt empathy -- when what I meant was the other side of the street is a better place for that agent to walk upon an encounter with me.

Some agents are forced to work with crazy clients; I get it. The market is tough on many agents. The limited Sacramento real estate market makes some agents desperate for business. But if an agent chooses to work with a crazy client, that agent owes it to the rest of us to rein in that person. You don't give a loopy dude 10 shots of whiskey and turn him loose with a six shooter unless you're a moron yourself.

When an agent knows her client is a loose cannon, she doesn't send her client unauthorized correspondence just to stir the water further. Because that end result is no transaction for her. Like the Soup Nazi. No soup for you. The seller doesn't want to be in escrow with a nut job. Neither does the listing agent. There is also that problem of guilt by association.

Over the years of being a Sacramento short sale agent and dealing with Sacramento short sales, I have come to be highly selective. I select the sellers I work with. I work only with people I like. If I can't find something to like about a person, I don't work with them. But I am especially critical of short sale offers. My job is to make sure the seller closes escrow. That means going into escrow with a person who is likely to close. A person who will conform to the bank's expectations.

Not every buyer is a serious buyer. Not every buyer's agent is committed to the short sale process. Some buyers and their agents should never touch a Sacramento short sale. Short sales aren't for everybody. But please, don't treat us like we are an REO. There is a big difference between a bank-owned home and a short sale. Agents should be able to explain the difference to a client. Even to a loose-cannon client. Because even a loose-cannon client pauses between firing.

The agents who can't, well, they lose credibility. Not to mention, sales.

All signs pointed to this weekend being slow but I managed to put four short sales into escrow. Even with our gorgeous weekend weather in Sacramento, most agents continued to work through Saturday and Sunday. One of these short sales going into pending status even though we haven't yet received approval from the bank. Why? Well, for one thing, agents keep calling. It wouldn't be so bad if it were buyer calls, but agent after agent calls about it.

Buyers I can put on a waiting list or perhaps suggest another property to buy. But agent calls are considered by many in the industry as time wasters. Or are they? I don't mind speaking to agents, even if it's a non-income producing call. Because I might run into that agent down the road of life -- either as a listing agent and they have another buyer -- or as a buyer's agent, and they have the listing.

It's networking that sells homes. If you don't believe that for one little minute, you've never been a listing agent with multiple offers from multiple agents. All things being relative, which do you guide your seller to choose? If you're me, it's the agent most likely to perform without a lot of hassle. If a buyer's agent doesn't follow MLS instructions and sends an offer with a lot of errors, it doesn't matter too much how much that buyer offers. That buyer is probably not going to be the winning bid.

The truth is buyers' agents can sabotage their buyers' offers, and they don't even realize they are doing it.

The second reason one of these is going into pending status is because the seller does not want any more showings. The seller has a dog, and it's difficult to keep a home on the market and shield your dog from foot traffic. Showings are a huge disruption.

If I could count on an agent to read MLS confidential agent remarks, I would put "no more showings" into MLS. But they don't read confidential agent remarks. I know this because an agent set off an alarm this weekend on an active short contingent listing. I also know this because I've had agents show listings with "no more showings" clearly noted in MLS. And this doesn't count the plethora of offers I receive that routinely differ from MLS offer submission comments.

I received an offer yesterday that involved an FHA loan when FHA financing is excluded from the listing. It's not just the confidential agent remarks that are often overlooked. I love the calls I receive from agents who say, "It says 'call first, lockbox,' " but those are another blog, another day. Besides, I have patience. I was once in their shoes. As a Sacramento short sale agent, I see it all these days.

Although an active short contingent listing means an offer has been accepted, it could also mean the seller will accept a back-up offer. If the home is truly exceptional, the buyer's agent would do their client a favor if the buyer's agent were to call the listing agent and inquire.

A pending status on a listing removes it from homes for sale and active listings. Agents should not show pending listings without express permission.

As I read Alan May's excellent blog, Where Do You Draw the Line, it made me reflect on events from yesterday afternoon. I was at my nail place getting a pedicure when an agent called. I probably should not have answered my phone but I can't help myself. I'm wearing a new type of Jawbone bluetooth device that whispers the phone number of the caller into my ear, which wakes me up from my relaxed state anyway.

The caller appeared quite agitated. I let the agent talk, hoping the agent would calm down as I "ahh'd" and "mmm'd" the conversation, simply listening. Sometimes, that's all people really want -- just another person to listen.

The gist of the complaint was the agent tried to show my seller's home several times, and it didn't work out for a variety of reasons.  Additionally, the agent was very upset that the seller had called the agent to ask if the agent had shown the home and left the front door unlocked and wide open. Apparently, an agent did not lock up after a showing yesterday, which left the seller with the feeling that maybe some Sacramento buyer's agents don't respect sellers of a short sale. This agent clearly did not want to talk to the seller. The agent believed all communication should be made through the listing agent and was pretty mad at me because the seller had called the agent. I had no idea that the seller had called anybody.

Since the agent had never shown the home, I asked how the seller got this agent's phone number. Well, that was the wrong question. I guess the agent expected a different response. Finally, I had to explain that I am not responsible for my client's actions. The only person I am responsible for is myself. Not to mention, in my mind I recalled previous feedback from buyer's agents. They said my seller is cooperative and very kind, which was not the impression this particular agent had.

I'm thinking this agent might have been raised in a large family. The type in which the person who dishes up ice cream is the last to choose a bowl . . . and who still complains of getting rooked. Why can't people take responsibility for their own interactions?

Photo: Big Stock Photo