I've been rather lax lately in updating my mailing lists. That chore drops to the bottom of my priority list when I'm busy closing real estate transactions and listing homes for sale. But I have to do it by November if I want to mail out holiday cards to my clients in a timely manner. I also keep my database current because I stay in touch with my clients, especially my short sale sellers. Those short sale sellers are likely to become Sacramento home buyers in two years. When they are ready to buy again, I want to assure these people that I am here for them.
Oh, some say they are burned out on real estate, and I can see why. It's dreadful to give up your home. That's not what they were buying into when they bought it. They had other hopes and dreams for a future in that home, not that they would lose their job or home values would crash. Those thoughts weren't on their minds when they happily signed escrow papers at title. But after the loss dissipates, they'll be lured again by the siren call of home ownership. If you disagree, remember that women often bear a second child because they don't remember the pain from the first.
Which brings me to thoughts of other holiday gifts. Primarily what I can give my husband this year. He's a difficult guy to buy for because he has no material needs beyond a pair of dependable hiking socks or a new CD. He doesn't seem to yearn for anything. He doesn't live above his means or go into debt to finance something he can't afford to pay cash for because his wants don't exceed his needs. He doesn't buy into commercialism.
I am considering giving him a camel. Not to him directly but in his name to a family in Tanzania. From July to November, Tanzania goes through a drought. The Maasai, who live in the African bush, struggle each year to survive. Their cows and goats die as weeks pass with no rain. Hey, I can relate; I live in Sacramento where we often don't see rain from April through October. The cool thing is dromedary camels need to drink water only once every couple of weeks and can go for days without food. Camels adapt well to harsh conditions.
Camels can provide milk for children, up to 2 or 3 gallons of milk a day. They can also be trained to carry water and firewood, and provide transportation. They can subsist on the vegetation around them, munch on leaves from acacia trees. If the Maasai store milk by treating it with smoke from a wild olive tree, without electricity or refrigeration, they can preserve milk for up to a week.
I suspect some of us can remember that old Sally Struther's CCF commercial, the one in which she urged people to adopt a child. We made fun of her because she had gained so much weight. Well, the Heifer International Organization doesn't sell its concept on pity. This nonprofit uses a positive message. Through Heifer, you can give a gift of a cow, pig, goat, chickens, ducks, water buffalo or even a camel. A goat or a pig, for example, is only $120. If you can't afford that, you can buy a share of a goat or a pig for $10.
If you're wondering how you can make a difference this holiday season, why not check out the Heifer Gift Catalog?
Photo: Big Stock Photo
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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.
