Elizabeth Weintraub • Sacramento Short Sale Agent • Land Park

You hear about kids breaking off relationships with each other via texting, but they have an excuse. They are clueless kids. Or their parents didn't teach them better manners. However, when we get older, and hopefully wiser, we realize that there are certain situations in which picking up the phone and making that personal call is required. It's not always appropriate to email or text.

For example, as a Sacramento short sale agent, when I receive a short sale approval letter from my seller's bank, I generally call the seller to share the news. It's a milestone. Sometimes, in the short sale business, it's a downright miracle.

I also call my sellers when escrow has closed to give them the official news: their nightmare is over. One seller told me last week it was the first time she had ever spoken to me on the phone. We had never met. I am so used to conducting my business via email, texting or voice mail that I didn't even realize that I'd never talked to her on the phone until we closed escrow.

Yesterday, an agent emailed me a cancellation for an approved short sale. No phone call. It left me wondering why. We had loan docs ordered, the home inspection completed, appraisal done, and her buyer suddenly freaked out. Surely, as a real estate professional, the agent bears some responsibility to personally explain a cancellation.

Real estate is all about relationships. But in California we deal with the prevailing and annoying motto: Dude, I flaked.

That's not how I do business. It's not OK to flake. It's not OK to avoid personal responsibility.

Here are sellers who are doing the responsible thing. They are doing a short sale instead of a foreclosure. This home is in the Sheldon Passage subdivision of Elk Grove at Camden Pointe. It has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and a 3-car garage.

This is a two-story, built in 1995. When you walk into this delightful home, the first thing you notice is how light and airy it is. That's due to the vaulted ceilings and extra windows. The light pours in. It makes you feel good just to sit in the kitchen and stare out at the gorgeous yard.

It's spacious and roomy but not too big at 1,918 square feet, per the assessor. If you're looking for a first-floor bedroom, look no further because you've got it. That bedroom also has exterior access to the yard. Of course, there is a family room with a fireplace, and you'll also find ceramic floors in the kitchen and a kitchen island. It has an open floor plan.

8857 Tritonia Court, Elk Grove, CA 95624, is offered exclusively as a short sale by Lyon Real Estate at $205,000. For more information, call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, call Barbara Dow at 916 761 7398.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

I wrote an article yesterday about the Upside to Buying a Short Sale. Yeah, there is a benefit, a secret benefit. In this article I disclosed part of the reason I am so successful at selling short sales Sacramento. If you have eagle eyes and will take a moment to think about what I have to say about a BPO, you will understand how to use my recipe for success. As a buyer, you may find that it works very well for you.

Part of this recipe involves figuring out how to do a BPO like a BPO agent will. I wrote, in part: "The first thing you will do is avoid looking at location or taking amenities / upgrades into consideration. You will compare a home on a busy street the same as you would a home on a quiet street. You might use comparable sales for zero-lot lines or homes that back to the freeway as a measuring tool for homes with acreage. You will not distinguish between fixers or remodeled homes."

Because for me, when a home is a fixer, for example, the most difficult part of a short sale is coming up with a price that the bank will accept. That's because banks tend to ignore condition. BPO agents either ignore condition or don't know how to account for it. Then, throw into the mix the fact that buyers submit lowball offers on fixers, regardless of pricing. Sometimes the reason a home becomes a candidate for a short sale is deferred maintenance. Such is the case with my new listing. The seller simply ran out of money to continue fixing up the home she bought as a foreclosure, and then prices plummeted:

This is yet another Elk Grove short sale. It is located in Laguna off Bond and Laguna Blvd. It is a 3-bedroom, 2-bath, and it probably will not qualify for an FHA loan. I always get asked about a Streamlined 203K, but those typically take too long to close, and they are too complicated for most bank negotiators to understand. We prefer cash or a conventional buyer. The price does not change for a cash buyer because, believe it or not, cash is not as king-like as you may suspect. I play no Game of Thrones.

You will find no carpeting in this home. All the flooring has been replaced, according to the seller. Most of the floors are an upper-end laminate imitation wood. They look pretty good for a laminate. The kitchen and entry are slate. But it's a polished slate, and the same tile is used around the family room fireplace.

There is an empty spot in the kitchen cabinets that used to house a dishwasher. The cabinets are also missing a small drawer. They are oak and, if it were me, I would replace them. The refrigerator stays.

The HVAC is broken or at least the AC doesn't work. This is probably the original unit as the home was built in 1994. But you might be able to squeeze another 5 years or so out of the unit. The seller had already started remodeling the baths by installing Italian free-standing vanities, but they still need paint and probably new flooring as well.

All of the repairs were taken into consideration when pricing this home. It was once flooded from a backed-up sewer, the seller said. The back yard is very pretty. It features a covered patio (on top of which is a balcony for the master suite), and a pond with a waterfall.

9522 Village Tree Drive, Elk Grove, CA 95758 is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $162,000. For more information, call your Elk Grove short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, call Linda Swanson at 916 607 0111.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

Would you live your life differently if you knew that every day was an important day in history and not just some other day? Because the choices you make today affect what you will do down the road. You have a choice in the way you decide to live your life. The thing is some people never see that unless they are looking in the rear-view mirror. And then it's too late. It's all behind you at that point.

I see many sellers who regret the day they bought their home because it's now a short sale. They wish they did not have to sell as a short sale. I say it's probably better than a foreclosure, and a short sale, at least in Sacramento, has a demand market for it. Regardless of the volatile stock market, short sales in Sacramento march forward.

Here is a short sale in Elk Grove which, in 2006, was named the fastest growing city in America. This is a 4-bedroom, 2-bath home, built in 1988. The sellers installed dual pane windows with grids. You don't usually see those kinds of windows because they are more expensive. Windows cost so much that most people try to keep the costs down and choose the lower-cost windows, but not these sellers.

In the entry, down the hall, and into the family room are beautiful parquet wood floors. There are vaulted ceilings in the living room, family room and master suite. The kitchen is open to the family room, with tiled ceramic counters and built-in appliances. There is a wood-burning fireplace in the family room.

The master suite features exterior access to the yard as well. There a newer looking shed in the side yard with a concrete slab floor. The back yard is mostly paved with brick, but there are bookend raised decks. Off one deck is a pondless waterfall. It's serene and peaceful. There is also a two-car attached garage.

9508 Kilcolgan Way, Elk Grove, CA 95758, is exclusively offered by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $185,000. For more information, please call your Elk Grove Short Sale Agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, call Linda Swanson at 916 607 0111.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

Not having any children, I don't know much about the school systems in Sacramento. But I do pay attention to the neighborhoods buyers favor because of the schools. It doesn't necessarily mean your child will get into any particular school simply because your home lies within the boundaries of that school district, but parents still want to try to send their children to the best schools. Unlike my parents who would simply kick us kids out the door after dinner and scream, "And don't come back until the street lights come on."

I attended several elementary schools, one of which was across the highway and a mile away. They made me go to that school in 6th grade because there were too many kids at the school I had attended for the past 5 years. Do you know what it's like to lose all of your childhood friends overnight and you didn't even move? It could make a kid a bit rebellious. It might have started with the go-go boots. Let me ask, have you ever smoked banana peels?

My point is if you can get your children into a good school district, maybe you should do everything in your power to keep them in good schools? Otherwise, your kid could end up becoming a real estate agent. Or a cowboy. This new short sale listing in Elk Grove is located near the Helen Carr Castello Elementary school. I just got short sale approval on another home in this subdivision of Franklin Meadows, so I am familiar with how desirable this neighborhood is.

The home is stunning. It's a nice blend of sophistication and warmth. It has a tiled entry, plantation shutters throughout and the first floor features mostly 20-inch ceramic. The first floor also boasts a library with French doors, a built-in desk and a wall of cabinets. All together, you'll find 4 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths.

There is an island in the kitchen -- the counters are granite, floor ceramic. Appliances are stainless, cabinets are cherry. There is a formal dining room, plus space for a table in the kitchen. Fireplace in the living room.

Of course, it has a separate laundry room, a 3-car garage and an uncovered patio. It was built in 2005 and has about 2,892 square feet, according to the tax assessor.

5313 Iris Spring Way, Elk Grove, CA 95757 is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $289,000. For more information, please call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, please call Barbara Dow at 916 761 7398.

Photos: Barbara Dow

If you've ever wanted a unique home in Elk Grove, this short sale might be for you. It has some really cool features that are missing from your traditional 3-bedroom homes in Elk Grove in this price range. Homes with these features typically cost a lot more.

For starters, many of the rooms have plantation shutters. Each of the baths feature dual sinks. The entry is stunning, with cut-out walls, making the entertainment area pretty much an open floor plan.

It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, built in 1994, and it's about 1715 square feet, per the county assessor. The formal living room and kitchen both have half-circle windows above the traditional window and it's covered with an accordion material. The windows are dual pane, there are several ceiling fans and the fireplace in the family room is surrounded by ceramic.

8762 Mesa Brook Way, Elk Grove, CA 96524 is offered exclusive by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $190,000. For more information, call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, please call Barbara Dow at 916 761 7398.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

I read that the cast of Happy Days is suing for non-payment of revenue. Well, the Fonz and Howard aren't suing but they probably don't need the money -- or maybe it would burn bridges for future negotiations -- hard to say why they aren't jumping into the suit. But you've got to wonder why they settled for royalties on the net rather than the gross. You can play all kinds of games with the net that are much harder to play with the gross.

I once had tickets to see Happy Days filmed in person. A client whose escrow I handled gave me the tickets because she worked at the studios in LA. I was tickled pink and very excited, having just moved to Newport Beach from Colorado. It was going to be a real Hollywood-like experience. Plus, back in those days, Happy Days, which spawned a whole slew of other sitcoms, was remarkable in that it was filmed live in front of a studio audience.

Unfortunately, as luck would have it, my boyfriend at the time was a real estate agent. He didn't always answer his cell nor pay attention to the time. My friends and I were relying on him to drive us. He lusted after some last-minute deal. We missed the show, and I was heartbroken. It wasn't long after that episode that I packed up all of my boyfriend's belongings and stuffed them into a cab. I also dumped a couple baskets of garbage into trash bags and threw them in the cab, too. Trust me, he deserved it. Then I sent the cab COD to his parent's house.

But the single guy who owns this short sale in Elk Grove is a really nice guy who has experienced a bit of hard luck. His property value has fallen by about 2/3rds from its peak value back in 2005 when it was worth over $400,000. This is a super nice home that is simply packed a bit too much with a single guy's belongings.

One bedroom, for example, is filled with pinball machines. The other two bedrooms have many shelves, desks and bookcases filled with electronic equipment such as monitors and computers and wires. So you'll have to sort of look past the assemblage. But you can see the great bones of this home. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and was built in 1987.

You'll find vaults in the entry and living room. There is a separate dining room with access to the yard. In fact, there are 3 access points to the yard from inside the home: from the dining room, master suite and the kitchen leads to an addition that leads to the yard.

The addition cost about $30,000, according to the seller, and he also believes it was permitted. A buyer would need to check this out at the courthouse, though, and not rely on the seller's memory. The addition has laminate floors and 7 windows.

The master suite has plenty of closets. They line opposing walls along the hall to the bath. There is also a skylight in the hall. The master suite bath features a tub with a shower in one room and the dual sink vanity in another.

7020 Plume Way, Elk Grove, CA 95758 is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $149,000. For more information, please call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6769. For a private showing, call Barbara Dow at 916 761 7398.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to type with a squirmy kitten in your lap? I can't let my new kitty, Jackson, run all over the house yet because a) my other cats have not yet adjusted to him and b) he might scoot behind the refrigerator and not come out. He also likes to chew on things. Most recently he tried to gnaw on my printer cable and the charger cable for my Bluetooth. But I am bound and determined, regardless, to tell you about my new short sale listing near Elk Grove in Sacramento.

This 1990-built home is not located within the city boundaries of Elk Grove, but it is situated in the Elk Grove school district. It's in the Discover subdivision, just off Elsie and Power Inn.

It's a really cute home and ready to move into. You don't even have to paint it because it already has those coffee and cream colors you love. The living room and master suite sport vaulted ceilings, giving it an allure of spaciousness.

You get 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and an attached 2-car garage. There is a fireplace in the living room and a breakfast nook area in the kitchen. All of the appliances are included, which means you get the refrigerator, washer and dryer, which usually are not included when you buy a home.

The back yard is super large, and the lawn has been replaced with newer sod. It's all squishy underfoot, but maybe that's because the automatic sprinklers had just been run when I walked through the yard. Or maybe it's because the sod is just setting root. Hard to say. But around the lawn is a manicured gardening area for trees, bushes and flowers.

8407 Stevenson Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95828 is exclusively offered by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $120,000. Call your Sacramento / Elk Grove short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759 for more information.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

One of the main duties a Sacramento short sale agent performs when listing a short sale is to match that seller with the perfect buyer. Because not every buyer who writes an offer on a short sale is really a buyer. I'm not sure what you call those people, but they aren't buyers. One buyer's agent took offense the other day when we asked his buyer to deposit funds into escrow, but that's what buyers do. They submit an earnest money deposit. So, eventually, the buyer relinquished the check.

I'm not in the business of playing house. When I was a kid, though, I used to do it. I jumped in my sandbox, pounded boards into the ground all around it, hung up old sheets and pretended it was my house. It looked like a house, but in reality, it was really just a sandbox.

Over the weekend, I received a phone call from a buyer's agent regarding a certain short sale listing. He was very excited and couldn't wait to tell me how much his buyer loved my seller's home. He had an offer to send. Great. We love offers. Oh, wait, he just then read the seller's instructions in MLS. What the? Were we serious? We actually intend to close this escrow and want his buyer to wait for approval without writing offers on other homes? What were we smoking? He wasn't sending an offer now, and he defiantly terminated the call without saying goodbye.

I hate to say it but this was a Lyon Real Estate agent. I guess as agents we're all different. I've closed more than 30 transactions this year so far because that's the business I am in. I'm not in the business to open escrow; I'm in the business of closing escrow.

Fortunately, last night I received a very nice offer from a buyer who not only will give us a big, whopping $10,000 earnest money deposit but offered to wait at least 4 months for short sale approval -- without letting the eyes wander. It won't take that long. I will probably get approval in 45 days on this one. But this is the perfect buyer for that short sale listing. Because this is a buyer who undoubtedly will close escrow. We're in sync. Dancing to the same tune.

Here is a new short sale listing in Elk Grove, waiting for the perfect dance partner. If you like mid-century homes, let me tell you, 1966 was a great year. Bar-bar-bar, Bar-bar-bra Ann. It's all happening at the zoo. All the leaves are brown and the sky is blue. You're gonna love the funky '60s glass in the front door of this home.

It has an open floor plan. You walk past the floating brick wall and into the dining room / kitchen and step-down family room area. On the way, you pass the formal living room, which is a satellite and lonely room because people just don't use a living room anymore. Which means if you wanted to, you could actually use this room as a home office. Hey, it's your house, you can do whatever you want.

The family room has a sliding door to a covered patio area and a wall with bookcases on each end and a brick fireplace in the middle. The fireplace is wood burning -- this is 1966 built, after all -- but it's also gas piped.

In the kitchen, you'll find a free-standing electric stove, built-in dishwasher, and the refrigerator stays with the home. The cabinets are original but in pretty good condition for the age. Of course, the home has central heat and air.

All the windows were replaced with dual pane in April of last year. They slide side to side. In fact, the living room window glass runs the entire length of the front wall.

The master suite features a built-in make-up vanity, which I wish I had in my own home. It also has its own bath, which is updated. There is another bath in the hall and a bedroom on the other end.

But wait until you get to the yard. It's really pretty with cedar trees, roses, an Asian ornamental fruit tree and an uncovered patio at the rear. Let's see, what else, the laundry is located in the attached 2-car garage, the washer and dryer stay, and there is a utility sink. Well, what are you waiting for?

9424 2nd Avenue, Elk Grove, CA 95624 is exclusively offered by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $170,000. For more information, call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

See, this is what you get with flashy shoes. I was sitting at my client's kitchen table yesterday signing paperwork for my new short sale listing when all of a sudden I felt something cold on my toes. Made me jump. I looked under the table and discovered a small child stroking my feet. She was attracted to the sparkly glass glued to the top of my shoes. It was a good thing I didn't kick her. I managed to do that later, though, and felt awful about it.

With little kids, you've got to watch them 24 / 7. They just do whatever they want to do without thought to possible consequences. They are free spirits.

Then, we were standing near the family room talking about the extensive amount of upgrades in the home when I jumped again. Somehow, this little girl had quietly crawled across the floor and was back to pet my feet. This time, as I jumped back, I accidentally knocked the baby to the floor. Thump, she landed on her butt and started to cry. My heart broke. Geez, I can't take a listing without killing the kids. I wonder if she'll grow up to be a shoe-aholic like me?

Here is a new short sale listing in Elk Grove. This is a Cambridge home, the Saint Helena model, built in 2006, with 4 - 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. Several amenities make this home stand out from the other short sales on the market in the Eastmeadow subdivision. First, it has an excellent location at the end of a cul-de-sac. This means you won't have to put up with traffic driving by your home. Second, it has almost every imaginable upgrade apart from a warming drawer in the kitchen, including a water softener, whole house fan and multizone controls for the HVAC.

You'll find beautiful pecan hardwood floors in the kitchen, formal dining room and hallway. All the stainless kitchen appliances stay, including the counter-depth and extra wide refrigerator. A large island with a sink and granite counter has a built-in trash compactor. There is plenty of space in the kitchen for a table.

The sellers say they counted the windows in this home and they have more than 50 of them, most of which feature plantation shutters. The laundry is on the first floor, and so is that highly desirable downstairs' bedroom. Full bath as well, plus a butler's pantry off the kitchen. The family room is open to the kitchen and has a fireplace next to a custom built-in entertainment center. In fact, this home has 3 fireplaces: family room, living room and master suite!

On the second floor, you'll find an open area that could be used as an office or den area. Around the corner is a big bonus room. There are 2 more spacious bedrooms, another full bath with ceramic flooring and vanity, plus a gigantic master suite and sitting room. The home boasts about 3,598 square feet. It's like having your own little world upstairs.

The back yard is immaculate and pretty private. It has a covered patio, plus there is another patio set up for dining off the dining room. Of course, it has the coveted three-car garage as well.

6916 Riqueza Court, Elk Grove, CA 95757, is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $340,000. The sellers originally paid more than $750,000 for this home. For more information, please call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759.

September 3, 2010 -- This home is no longer for sale and has been withdrawn from MLS.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

I am tickled pink that another of my Elk Grove short sale listings finally closed escrow yesterday. I had put this home on the market on August 3, 2009, at an offering price of $190,000. It was a double Countrywide short sale, meaning it had 2 loans that had originated with Countrywide and are now serviced by Bank of America.

The seller had paid $422,000 for this home in 2005. You can see the value has fallen by about 50% over the past 5 years.

Because this home had a fabulous view from the second floor, we received 9 offers. It's a Kimball home with peach and pear trees in the back yard.

The winning offer was $215,000. The buyers hired a very smart real estate agent who was savvy enough to run the comparable sales and write a clean offer. Plus, the buyers were patient. Their agent informed them that this could be a long short sale process due to the double Countrywide loans.

You can do the math on this closing and see it took 7 months to close. Now, part of that problem was the file had been initially submitted to Bank of America through its old process, which involved faxing 100 or so pages of documents that the bank would eventually misplace. Halfway through the short sale, Bank of America allowed the file to be uploaded to Equator. It zipped along from that point.

See, the secret to successfully closing short sales is to contact the bank every single week and request an update. Even if there is nothing to update. With some of my short sales, I have almost daily contact with the bank. Success is due to persistence. Organization. The bank notes in the file how often the agent calls, and files with activity tend to receive priority. I sometimes get emails from other Elk Grove short sale agents asking me how to pull their short sales out of that dark hole at Bank of America, and that's what you do. You call or email the negotiator and politely push.

Yesterday morning, Bank of America approved the HUD. Along with the HUD approval, the bank sent an arm's length affidavit to be signed. Why didn't Bank of America send that document months ago?  Oy. To close this, I had about 2 hours to get that affidavit signed by me, the buyers' agent, the buyers and the seller who lived back East. Thank goodness I wasn't out showing homes in Land Park yesterday morning and was at my home office to hammer this thing closed. By 11:30 AM, the buyer's lender had funded and we closed in the afternoon.

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub, Elk Grove short sale agent