I know there are agents who believe it's a total waste of time to hold an open house. They don't care if it's a short sale or a regular sale, they think open houses are only for attracting buyers. If that's true, then why is an open house a waste of time?
Open houses are generally not the best strategy for selling a home. But holding an open house in Sacramento for a Sacramento short sale is not without merit. As a Sacramento short sale agent, I can tell you that some sellers don't even want a For Sale sign in their yard, much less to hold an open house. Their reasoning is they prefer oblique efforts. A clandestine short sale.
But when that short sale goes into MLS and my distribution system, it goes everywhere online. It's no secret. Don't believe me? Put an address of one of my Sacramento short sale listings into Google and look at how many websites feature that listing.
But some sellers don't want to look out their window and see a For Sale sign in the yard. That's hard, cold reality. It was hard enough to sign the listing paperwork and ease into the short sale process. I'm understanding of that sentiment. So, if they don't want an open house or a sign, I won't pressure them to do it.
Not every home is suitable for an open house anyway. In Sacramento, a potential candidate for an open house needs to be located in a desirable neighborhood. That home should be near a high traffic pattern area. It helps if there is a shortage of homes for sale on the market. And it needs to be spotless and staged. Yes, you can stage a short sale. Just ask Ryan Brown of Bravo TV, which I did. Ryan responded to my questions with thoughtful and intelligent answers.
Bottom line is a short sale is really no different, in most cases, from any other listing in Sacramento. It deserves the same care and attention a real estate agent would give to any listing. Sometimes, more so.
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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.
