One of the the things that some people don't know about me is I used to be a title searcher. This was in 1974. I know, people look at me and say: What? Were you 4? That's how I started in the real estate business, though, at First American Title as a title searcher. I worked at several offices. Lakewood and Boulder, both in Colorado. I liked the Boulder office the best because the courthouse was practically right across the street. Plus, my desk sat alongside a window so I could watch people walk by, and friends could stop to chat with me on the sidewalk.
I lived in Nederland, Colorado, at the time. It was a 17-mile drive down the winding canyon to go to work. When it snowed, I would get a free vacation day if the road closed. I often wished for blizzards. I was a troublemaker. So, not much has changed in my life. I am still a troublemaker. One of the really fun things I did was record a document at the Boulder County Courthouse. It is still in the public records. It will always be part of the public records.
It was recorded on April 1, 1976 by Friends for a Better Environment. That was a made-up partnership agreement between me, Lisa Jacobson and Larry Lyle. Attached to it was a document, a test. It ticked off a lot of people. But some of us thought it was absolutely hilarious. I still do.
I did things like that because I stood in six-inch heels at the courthouse swinging dusty and heavy grantor and grantee books up on the counter. It was a boring, boring job. The only thing worse than searching land at the courthouse was typing title insurance policies, and I had done that, too. Carbon paper. Manual typewriter.
I am grateful every single day that I am a Sacramento short sale agent. Due to the volume of short sale transactions I handle, I often fence with bank negotiators who can't read a HUD and don't understand seller credits on a HUD. I listen to buyer's agents whine about why they didn't get a counter offer. I deal with lowball appraisals. All the frustrating things that go into being a short sale agent. But at least I am no longer a title searcher.
I sent my new article published on About.com about seller credits on a HUD to my escrow officer. She forwarded it to several of her branch offices. It's amusing. You should read it. And, as with most amusing things, it's true. Just like the document that I recorded in the public records on April Fools Day.
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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.
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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.
