Elizabeth Weintraub • Sacramento Short Sale Agent • Land Park

A seller hugged me yesterday when I left her home. I'm not one of those huggy-feely types, but I do reciprocate when approached. See, I recognize the stress and anxiety level of sellers in this market, especially sellers who are doing a short sale. I try to be reassuring because I believe that's an important component of being a Sacramento short sale agent. Clients come to me because they want to close their short sale and get on with their lives. It's my job to make sure that happens.

My transaction coordinator and I were talking about this yesterday. How some people do a job and their heart is not in it. They don't really care. It's just a job to do 9 to 5, and then plop down in front of the TV with a beer, remote and bag of chips. Files are case numbers. They're not living, breathing people whose lives hang in the balance, dependent on what you do.

If you don't think that lives are hanging in the balance in a short sale, then you may not know much about a short sale. Many sellers have struggled for years. Doing a short sale is not a sudden decision. It's like an albatross hanging around their neck. They hear horror stories, many of which are true, and they are afraid of facing the unknown. But I get them out of this mess. Relatively unscathed. So, I feel like I'm making a difference, too.

When I feel like I am making a difference, it makes me care even more about my job and doing a good job.

I took a couple of listings yesterday, and I am listing 4 more homes between now and Monday afternoon. If you're looking to buy a short sale in Sacramento, call me at 916 233 6759; I might have something for you. One of my new listings is a short sale in Elk Grove. I'd like to show you the photos of two boys' bedrooms. The Chicago Bulls and the Sacramento Kings. These are simply delightful spaces. If you're into sports, I can't say that I have have seen a more clever decor!

You can also see these rooms in person at 5101 Cleveland Bay Way, Elk Grove, CA 95757, offered as a short sale by your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at Lyon Real Estate, at $175,000. Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

If you're in Omaha today, you can hear me on the radio. I'm doing a show for T. J. Bell this morning about short sales. I haven't been to Omaha since 1990, as I was passing through on my way to Minnesota from California. As I recall, it has a wild nightlife due to the college kids, and I had a pretty good time in Omaha that one particular evening. I wish I could remember his name; I'd say hello. Ah, swinging from chandeliers, silly kids.

Here is a short sale in Elk Grove that you'll remember for a long time because of its gracious entry. The sellers replaced the flooring with wood-like laminate that flows from the entry into the family room and throughout the kitchen. It really gives the home warmth and emotional appeal.

Of course, it has an open floor plan -- the great room concept that is so popular. There is an island in the kitchen with a sink that also serves as a breakfast bar. However, there is also room in the breakfast nook for a kitchen table. If you want more dining space, off the formal living room is a formal dining area as well.

The master bedroom is located at one end of the hall with the other 2 bedrooms plus separate office on the other end. The master-suite bath features a walk-in closet, dual sink vanity, an oversized tub and a separate shower. There is tile around the tub. An added delight is the laundry room with wall and base cabinets, plus a built-in sink.

It's a single-story home built in 2004 with more than 2,200 square feet. The yard is huge, though. Much larger than any of the neighbor's yards. In fact, after falling in love with this home as you walk through it, the yard will be the deciding factor. One look and you'll ask where to sign. Afterward, you can break out the champagne, but I caution against swinging from the chandeliers. They don't make them like they used to anymore, and they really can't support movement.

6112 Travo Way, Elk Grove, CA 95757, is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $245,000. For more information, please call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, call Linda Swanson at 916 607 0111.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

Is it the time of year that brings out the craziness and wild mood swings in people or could it be something else? Like, oh, I dunno, an invasion of moths? I never think about moths. Our closets are lined with cedar. But when my husband pulled out a suit coat the other day, he discovered tiny holes in the sleeves.

I scoffed when he initially put the moth traps in the closet. I thought they were totally unnecessary and perhaps something he picked up at the grocery store while standing in the check-out line -- one of those impulse purchases. But, as it turns out, we do have moths, evidenced by the carcases caught in the moth traps and the chew holes in my husband's suit. I guess we'll be washing the interior of the closets and buying more moth traps. I've heard that peppermint oil and bay leaves do the trick, too.

Moths are pests, and I don't know if you can ever really get rid of them. Sort of like some of those crazy buyers and their agents. You don't always see them, but there are signs that they're around. I received an offer yesterday for one of my short sales in Elk Grove. Lately, I've been selling a lot of Elk Grove short sales. I sell short sales all over Sacramento but Elk Grove has certainly been more prominent.

This short sale offer was signed by one buyer but the supporting documents were signed by two buyers. The earnest money deposit was dated in August; the check number in the low 3 digits. The proof of funds were dated in July, consisting of 3 documents in various names, submitted as evidence of a supposedly cash offer. The buyer's name was spelled differently among the documents -- one was a copy of a cashier's check payable to the buyer, what? -- and there were other signs that this particular buyer had submitted multiple purchase offers on multiple properties. All of which are bad signs. Probably against the law, too.

The purchase offer was not emailed to the address shown in MLS. As a Sacramento short sale agent, I make my MLS instructions very clear. This made me wonder what else the buyer's agent might have overlooked. Perhaps the agent did not read the documents attached to MLS as well? See, this is why I like working with agents from brokerages such as Lyon Real Estate; those agents know what they are doing and are trained well. I sent the buyer's agent an email, thanking her for taking the time to submit the offer and letting her know the sellers prefer to accept an offer that adheres to the documents attached to the MLS listing.

It pains me to have to send this crap to my sellers and explain to my clients that some agents probably should not be in the business. It reflects poorly on the real estate profession. The person I feel for is that agent's buyer. Obviously, her buyer would like to buy a short sale in Sacramento.  But that's probably gonna happen about the same time I get rid of the moths in my closet.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

I closed two more short sales yesterday. One was in Cameron Park and the other was an Elk Grove short sale. Both were negotiated by a law firm and both sellers were released from liability. No deficiency judgments here.

As short sales go, these transactions were relatively easy but that's mostly because they were priced correctly in the first place, and we chose the right buyers. I'd say that's the top 2 elements to a successful short sale apart from a motivated and committed seller:  The right price and the right buyer.

Many short sales in Sacramento that are prolonged or turn difficult are due to incorrect pricing or buyers with no skin in the game who head south.

I've heard rumors in Sacramento that Elizabeth Weintraub is too tough on buyer's agents and buyers. I've also heard people say that Elizabeth Weintraub will go to bat for the buyers of her short sales and make dreams come true, so believe what you want. It is true that I employ special techniques to make sure that buyers will still be at the table come short sale approval. Some say these techniques stop just short of nailing the buyer to the front door, but my business is closing short sales, not putting up for sale signs.

If you want to close a short sale in Sacramento, call me.

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub

How fast can a Sacramento short sale agent type a listing? You would not believe the volume of paperwork involved in taking a listing. In fact, some agents don't type listings; they hand write. But when one types as fast as I do, which is about 120 WPM, typing a listing is the only way to go.

I write so many month after month that I've finally got it down to a science. Why, I can prepare a listing in about 40 minutes, disclosures and all, down to the printed label on the file folder. While talking on the phone. But not while brushing my teeth or with one hand tied behind my back. I do have my limitations.

I was in the middle of preparing a listing yesterday when a buyer called. He wanted to know when he would receive an addendum, which we needed before his closing. So, I stopped what I was doing to focus on him. The listing agent had not yet replied to my request for an addendum.

I explained to the buyer that I had no idea why we had not yet received the addendum, as I had made multiple requests. Speaking as though I was addressing the listing agent, I raised my voice a little and said, "This makes me want to say, why don't you just get in your car, drive over to the seller's house and get that darned addendum signed, for crying out loud."

My buyer responded meekly, "OK, but where do I go?"

I laughed so hard I thought my sides were going to split. I don't know which I found more amusing -- that the buyer, a doctor, for even a moment thought I would speak to him in that manner, or that he was actually willing to get in his car and go to the seller's house.

Here is a new short sale in Elk Grove. This home was built in 2005. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and a giant loft that is presently used as a 5th bedroom. It's basically a single story with a loft, and it has 2,667 square feet, according to the Sacramento County Assessor.

The entry features a tiled hall, offset by floor-to-ceiling columns. The living room, off to the right, is carpeted. It has a great room concept, combining the dining area, kitchen and family room with a fireplace. Upgrades include 2-inch blinds on the windows, tiled counters and ceiling fans.

Laundry is located in a separate room, and it has a 2-car attached garage. An usual feature is the back yard. There is a greenbelt and a scenic creek, which is full when it rains.

10252 Shoech Way, Elk Grove, CA 95757 is exclusively offered by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $245,000. For more information, call your Sacramento short sale agent Elizabeth Weintraub at 916 233 6759.

Photos: Yonous and Elizabeth Weintraub

This is a picture perfect home situated on a quiet cul-de-sac in the Emerald Park subdivision of Elk Grove. Check out the cheery yellow stucco exterior and abundance of mature landscaping with big trees in the yard. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The assessor shows the square footage at 1,752.

The kitchen has been recently updated with over-sized ceramic tile flooring and newer granite counters. The sellers removed the cabinet doors in the kitchen and installed new hardware, but the hardware is the wrong size, which is why the cabinet doors are not secured to the cabinets.

The sellers also installed an antique type of laminate, perhaps a barn oak or tree branch type, in the main living areas and bedrooms. Some of the baseboards have been installed, but not all of them. The front entry area is prepared for installation of the buyer's choice of flooring, but this would be a good spot for ceramic tile, especially to prevent tracking into the home from Sacramento's winter rainstorms.

When you approach the home, you're greeted by a delightful courtyard. The side yard has a covered patio, and there's possible RV space.

At the present, the formal living room with a door to the back yard is being utilized as a home office, but you'll also find a large family room with a gas-piped fireplace.

9034 El Measa Court, Elk Grove, CA 94624 is offered as a short sale exclusively by Lyon Real Estate at $175,000. Call your Sacramento short sale agent Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759 for more information.

SPRING OF 2010, THE SELLER OBTAINED A LOAN MODIFICATION AND TOOK THIS HOME TEMPORARILY OFF THE MARKET.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub