I don't know much about front-loading washing machines except that they use less water (which is great for our environment) and are horribly expensive. I know even less about whether I can stop the machine mid-cycle and open the door. Wouldn't water run all over the floor? But this is something one would want to do if one accidentally locked their cat in the washing machine.
That thought crossed my mind yesterday when I could not find my cat, Jackson. He wasn't in the living room or the family room. I called him and he didn't come. Didn't see him in the bedrooms. He's a quiet cat, doesn't meow much, has a soft voice. You would think he'd be yowling up a storm if he was spinning around in the washing machine, but that didn't stop me from staring in the window of said washing machine, trying to determine if I spotted something white and fluffy twirling about.
You don't know what panic is until a thought like that hits you. What's worse was even if he was inside the washing machine, I didn't know how to stop it to get him out. He wasn't, I mean. He was under the bed. But still.
I imagine this is how short sale sellers feel when they realize their home is underwater and feel helpless about the situation. Even if you think you won't qualify for a short sale, you should give it a shot. At least talk to a qualified Sacramento short sale agent to find out if you have half a chance.
Don't be the judge and jury about your own situation because unless you've closed hundreds of short sales like I have, you don't really know what your chances are. There are some banks that pay cash for a short sale. I know it sounds crazy and insane but it's true. It doesn't make sense that the bank would foreclose, threaten to take away your home and then elect to give you big wads of cash instead, but they're really not smoking crack at Bank of America even if it seems like they are. If you're thinking about a Bank of America Cooperative Short Sale, for example, the bank has started a new program that pays $2,500 to $30,000 for a LIMITED TIME ONLY, that runs, remarkably, through September of next year. I don't know how that qualifies for Limited Time Only.
But you know those Bank of America marketing guys can get carried away. I wonder if they would ever be so distracted by work that they could accidentally lock their cat in the washing machine?
Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub
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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.
