I was sitting at a client's dining room table in Elk Grove yesterday when the news hit. I had just handed the seller his MARS document and had explained the seller's right to cancel the short sale listing at any time -- which seems to reassure sellers and make them feel more comfortable -- and I also gave him time to read it. I don't rush anybody. During this time period, I pulled out my cell to check if there were any emergencies.
Holy toledo, Batman, I spotted an email congratulating me for being the number one agent at Lyon Real Estate for the month of November. Not just the number one Sacramento short sale agent at Lyon Real Estate -- but the number one agent in the whole company. Numero uno. That was pretty shocking. I've never been the number one agent in the entire company. Lyon Real Estate has, I dunno, 900-some agents.
My client looked at me with my jaw dropped and asked what happened. Did I get a short sale approved? He is so cute. Getting short sale approval is not a jaw-dropping event because that happens all the time, I told him. But this has never happened. Totally blew my mind.
I just keep my nose to the grindstone and work. After I listed that short sale home in Elk Grove, I drove to Natomas and listed another short sale as the sun was going down. Came home to a ton of emails, a new listing inputted into MLS to which I uploaded photos just before dinner (as my patient husband waited), and an offer for a short sale in Carmichael.
Even though I had inserted into the confidential agent remarks that the bank was firm on the price, an agent saw fit to submit an offer at 80% of listing price. What part of firm on price is unclear to this guy? He got his knickers in a twist when I told him the seller will find his offer to be unacceptable and I would advise the seller not to sign it. But if he had bothered to call me before writing the offer, he would have found out the bank had already rejected two other offers much higher than his.
But this is what my days are like. It comes with the territory. This Number One Agent thing reminds me of an agent in my office who pushed my back up against the wall in the hallway a few years ago. He demanded to know why I was wasting my time selling short sales. He could not fathom why a real estate agent would choose to specialize in short sales, especially in Sacramento. He probably doesn't work for the company anymore because I haven't seen him around. In fact, he probably doesn't work in real estate anymore.
---
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.
