I finally accomplished a feat that ended up achieving a goal I didn't create. While I like competition as much as the next guy -- after all, I am a Sacramento short sale agent which, by its very nature, should make me somewhat competitive -- I am not driven by competition. I don't have to be better than anybody else, I just have to make more money, haha.
Seriously, though, given a choice between celebrity status or being stinkin' rich, I'll take the money. Haven't you ever had discussions like that? Well, I did, when I was younger. Before the days of Paris Hilton and the Kardashians. Back when being a celebrity meant you had actually accomplished something, because being a famous person meant one possessed a talent that was recognized. I've never fully understood why anybody would want to be famous, though.
Famous people get mugged, strangers clamor for autographs. Paparazzi hound them to death. Look what happened to Lady Diana. You have no privacy. Photographers with long lenses take photos of you half nude on the beach. You can't ever let your hair down and just be yourself because sure as crap you'll screw up, say something that is not PC, and the media will blast you to smithereens. No thanks.
I know there are people who think I am a celebrity. I get the biggest kick out of those people. I'm just a writer who writes about homebuying for the New York Times' website About.com. I've been in real estate for so long that my longevity makes me an expert. I don't consider myself a celebrity. I sell real estate in Sacramento. For the past 6 or 7 years, I've been specializing in short sales, and I've gotten pretty good at it. So, my goal was to earn Master's Club status in the first 30 days of the year. Just to see if I could do it.
Sure enough, this January, I did it. When I first earned this status years ago, it took me almost a year to meet the requirements. But now I am a Life Member of Master's Club. And in the first 30 days of January, I met the qualifications for 2012. Not only that, but the unexpected benefit is I am also the #1 Top Producer Agent for Lyon Real Estate in January 2012. We have almost 900 agents at Lyon. This is a huge deal.
I don't have a big team. I'm not an REO agent churning dozens of homes, hand over fist. I simply keep my nose to the grindstone, and keep listing and closing those Sacramento short sales. But now that I made Master's Club in January, I'll have to come up with a new goal to achieve. Well, being the #1 Agent at Lyon is nothing to sneeze at, either. But I doubt I'll earn Master's Club status next January. I suspect this was a lucky fluke. I had closings rollover from December.
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
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 Lyon Real Estate.
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.
