Elizabeth Weintraub • Sacramento Short Sale Agent • Land Park

I get a lot of emails about buying and selling homes in Land Park. That's because I live in Land Park, and I specialize in Land Park. Out of any neighborhood in my four-county Sacramento area, I know the various Land Park neighborhoods the best. I do so much in Land Park that I am Zillow Land Park agent as well. But I've also been in the business for more than 30 years. Last month I earned top agent at Lyon Real Estate out of the 900-or so agents in the company. As a Life Member of Master's Club and a Top Producer, I must be doing something right or you would think.

That gets me noticed by sellers and buyers. Especially sellers who want to sell in Land Park. They see my For Sale signs in Land Park and they find me online. I also have clients call me because of stuff I write for The New York Times-owned Homebuying website at About.com. You'll find thousands of pages of content. It's hard to search for any real estate-related term and not find something I wrote online in the top results. I'm not bragging, it's just how it is. I've been at it a while.

So, when a prospective seller emails me to say they would like to interview me about selling his or her home in Land Park, I am not surprised. But I am wary when they don't act like a seller.

I have discovered that sellers are either actively searching for an honest and experienced Land Park agent, or they want confirmation of sales price. If they want confirmation of sales price, they will generally ask for a CMA and not want to meet. I don't blame sellers because they don't always know how the real estate industry works. My job is to figure out which sellers are serious and who want to hire the best Land Park agent. Those are the sellers I want to work with.

I have really good intuition. I can sense when something is amiss. Like last week a seller emailed and asked to meet. She didn't ask any of the qualifying questions, just mentioned she was interviewing agents. My intuition told me she had no plans to hire me. She had already made up her mind to hire some friend. She's in the business of buying homes and flipping them and she has no agent? I was fairly certain she was not entirely truthful with me. I felt a little guilty that I did not take the time to put together a marketing package or any of my regular materials. I ran a fast CMA with 3 comps, clipped it together and dashed out the door. I always try to give a benefit of doubt. Because what if I am wrong? I could be wrong.

We met. She spent most of her time talking about the house and the work she did. When I mentioned she should do a virtual tour, she whipped out her iPad and wrote it down. That was interesting. I tried another. I said she should print four-color flyers on 100-bond paper with a glossy coating. She wrote that down.

People ask me: am I not worried that I am giving away all of my secrets when I write my blog or articles for About.com? See, the thing is no two people will ever perform alike. Regardless of the information they have. There is no competition. It's not something I ever worry about. Nobody is me, and I am not them. We all develop our own style based on our own strengths and experiences. I am a baby-boomer writer, a flashback from the '60s, with a graphic arts designer / remodeling background who has been in real estate since college. That's a very weird combo.

This seller never asked me for a sales price. She never asked how I would market her home. I live within blocks from her flipper house. I know the neighborhood hands down. She never asked me about the neighborhood, except to announce that where my home is located is a scary place. News to me. I also sold a nearby Land Park home recently that is very similar to her flipper, but it has dramatic differences, which I tried to discuss but she was not interested in the comparison. I began to wonder why I was there. I listened to this seller tell me how much she admires me and my work, how she reads my blogs and my articles, and is so impressed.

The agent she will hire could be her boyfriend. Hard to say. Maybe a cousin. But this is not the ideal way to sell a home in Land Park.

This is how we've finally solved the cat tree problem at our home in Land Park. The problem is we've had multiple cat trees but only spots for 2 cats to sit, and we have 3 cats. We have a cinnammon-spotted ocicat named Pia. She is the cat on the bottom rung, but she rules the house.

On the second rung, I present Jackson, the flamepoint ragdoll, who is always looking for trouble because he's barely a year old. Trouble is Jackson's middle name.

On the top rung is Pica, a marbled silver chocolate ocicat. He came to live with us because breeders can't show marbled ocicats. They can only show those cats with spots. Pia, on the other hand, was a breeding cat who retired at 18 months and was looking for a good home.

We went to the movies at Arden Fair last weekend to see Hugo and stopped by Petco to pick up the crazy chicken for Pia. She loves those PureBites chicken treats. We spotted this cat tree and bought it on the spot. I've been looking for a 3-tiered cat tree for years.

See, I knew there was a reason we jumped out of the long line at the Tower Theatre. We had originally gone to the Tower to see George Clooney, but the line was out to the street. Some of the people didn't even know why they were there -- I asked a woman which movie she came to see and she told me The Defenders. It was the The Descendents. So, we'll have to go see that movie some other time.

I hate being sold to. I think everybody hates being sold to. I don't mind a salesperson helping me to make a choice, but I don't want them shoving their decision down my throat or trying to sell me crap I don't need or want.

Before my hairdresser finishes with my hair, I noticed yesterday that she runs to the checkout counter and lines up product. She gushes and coos about each product she uses on my hair as she's doing it. That's bad enough. But I resent it when I'm paying at the counter and she waives her hands like Vanna White toward the product line up. I want to grab my checkbook and beat her over the head with it.

The only reason I don't is because my hairdresser is clearly uncomfortable with being forced by management to push product. Lush Salon? You should knock it off. You're ticking off your customers.

Times are rough. You can't turn any corner or any page without running into how tough people have it right now. It's so bad that Wayne Newton is turning his Las Vegas residence into a tourist attraction. I have no desire to see Wayne Newton perform much less tour his 10,000 square-foot Casa de Shenandoah estate.

Heck, I didn't even make it out to the Sacramento Airport on Sunday to see the stupid red rabbit at our newly completed International World Class Terminal B. Like my husband says, if you have to frame your face in preparation for a Hollywood close up and scream look at me, look at me, you're not International World Class. Don't worry if you missed it because Hawaiian Airlines is moving to Terminal B, and you can all see it all on your next trip to Hawaii.

Maybe I should sell tickets to visit one of the very special homes in Land Park? For an extra 50 cents, I'll let visitors peer under my Land Park deck at the family of skunks in residence. I'll probably have to put up velvet ropes to funnel traffic in and out of my Land Park master suite because you can only fit one person at a time in my Land Park master bath. I could turn my dining room into a museum shop and sell keepsakes: miniature resin figurines of the dead birds that fly into my plate-glass windows. Let this be a warning to you kids!

Or, I can just keep on selling Sacramento short sales as a Sacramento short sale agent. Like helping this 84-year-old seller whom buyers threw out of his home a few months ago and then abruptly canceled escrow on him. I hope there's a place in H.E. Double Toothpick for buyers like that. We just got HAFA short sale approval again yesterday. New buyer, new closing, new approval. We're closing in 3 weeks. I don't have to sell my seller on that.

My husband has many talents. For instance, he can imitate a cat puking with the best of them. It's one of the reasons I married him. Because he makes me laugh. And you know why cats puke? Well, mine tend to do it because they eat something they should not eat. Twisty ties, creepy-crawly things, rubber bands (or binders as we from the Midwest call them).

My cats love to nibble on my asparagus fern. They are obsessed with that plant. They've done it to such an extent that I've finally wised up (duh) and moved the plant outdoors.

Did you know that asparagus ferns produce little green balls that turn red in the winter? These are actually seeds. You can plant them and grow more asparagus ferns. In fact, gardeners say it's better to cut them off so all of the plant's energy is not being used to reproduce seeds and instead is channeled into growing the plant.

You will see asparagus ferns lining the sidewalks of many homes in Land Park. This particular home is a new listing, and it is not a short sale. It is a regular home sale. The asparagus ferns along this sidewalk also are sporting little green balls. It means they are happy asparagus ferns. And this is a happy home. You can feel it immediately when you walk inside.

There are original hardwood floors throughout, except for the laundry, kitchen and baths, which are ceramic. It was built in 1938, and it's very much a 1930's home. If you love the 1930s, you'll love this home. It contains much of the original detailing and period style. For example, the kitchen cabinets are very 1930s. Some of them have been restored and custom-made to match the style and conform. You can't tell which they are. They all look original and beautiful.

The counters are granite, but the backsplash is period-white smaller ceramic tiles with rose accent tiles. It's pure and simple. The sink is recessed, stainless, with brushed nickel faucet and handles, below a bay window. The appliances are stainless, and the refrigerator is negotiable. You'll also find a breakfast nook framed by newer Marvin windows, which look out on the gardens.

Off the kitchen is a formal dining room with wainscoting and crown molding. Some people complain about the layout in certain homes in Land Park in which you have to go through the dining room to get to all of the other rooms. That is not the case with this home. You walk through the dining room to access the kitchen and laundry, no other rooms. As it should be.

The living room is to the left of the entry. It features a brick wood-burning fireplace, crown molding, built-in bookcases, recessed lighting. and one of the windows is newer. The front plate glass window is original. Since the home faces Land Park Drive, the sellers cleverly planted shrubs and sprinkled the shrubs with landscape lights that illuminate in the evening, lending the room a warm glow. But if you want to watch traffic, some people like to feel connected that way, you can do it from a second window. The whole house has this homey feel.

It has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. The master suite features two doors and something you don't usually find in a Land Park home -- a big walk-in closet, with a cedar floor and California closet organizers. The guest bath in the hall is pristine. There is a separate tub with what appears to be original and strikingly beautiful blue tile. The floor is blue tile, too, and the shower surround is tile, with a newer, rounded door.

In the back, you'll spot a custom-made privacy fence that is about four-feet-tall in the back but about 6-feet-high from the other side of the sidewalk. Extremely clever design. You'll find a covered flagstone patio. Around the corner from the two-car garage is a secret garden and entertainment patio. The patio has ceramic tile, mixed with lush vegetation and a mural of the ocean. Truly delightful. It will transport you to another country, another time.

2931 Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95818, is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate at $475,000. For more information, call your Land Park agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, call Barbara Dow, at 916 761 7398. Held open on Sunday, August 21, from 2 PM to 4 PM.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

Where did springtime go? This was our weather yesterday in Land Park, Sacramento. It's so cold this morning our furnace is running. I better go catch it.

My husband shot this video with his new iPhone.

It's rare that a home like this comes on the market in Land Park. This is one of those homes in Land Park that makes you fall in love the minute you walk in the door, which is how looking for a home to buy should be. You'll know instantly that this home is for you.

One of the deciding factors will be the WOW factor -- when the open floor plan hits you right between the eyes and makes your jaw drop. You can tell there was a lot of money spent to remodel this home. For example, the distressed plank hardwood floors throughout are absolutely beautiful.

The kitchen cabinet drawers are self-closing. The counters are slab granite. Some of the cabinets have glass doors and interior lighting plus task lighting under the cabinets. The backsplash is subway marble. There is a built-in microwave at counter height. The vent hood over the stove is whisper-quiet yet efficient.

Wait until you see the baths. Holy cow. The first bath has slate tile on the floor and walls. A roomy shower with a sparkling glass door that doesn't make a sound when you move it. A rainshower head inside. The master suite bath features a jetted tub, another rainshower, movable shower door although it appears stationary, and a jade color marble surround. The floor is travertine.

This home boasts 2 bedrooms, 2 baths plus a sunroom / laundry addition that is probably not included in the square footage. There is a dining room under a curved arch and wood ceiling, which is also open to the kitchen and living room. The home was built in 1939 and has the original fireplace, too.

For your convenience, the driveway is gated, although the gate doesn't sit exactly parallel to the street. There is also a one-car garage. Most of the electrical and plumbing throughout this home has been replaced, and there is also special drainage built into the elevation alongside the front of the garage.

This is a beautiful tree-canopied street and, as you know, location is everything in Land Park. This home is located in the Land Park Tract and is a block away from William Land Park, the way the crow flies. Otherwise, to drive or walk, it's about a block and a half.

1055 10th Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95818, is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate at $569,000. Only relocation makes this stunning Land Park home available for sale. For more information, call your Land Park agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, call Barbara Dow at 916 761 7398.

Open Sunday, May 8th for Mother's Day, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Bring the kids!

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

If you work for the state of California in Sacramento, then you probably know that Gov. Jerry Brown is trying to cut in half the state's fleet of cars. He hopes to save $16.5 million from our budget by stopping the state from buying new cars and selling state cars that are not needed.

Naturally, as a state employee, it would make sense to buy a home in Sacramento that is close to the state capitol. Also, as a state employee, you probably are hoping to buy a home under your means, so you might be looking at short sales.

Do I have a short sale for you? You betcha. This is a short sale in Land Park. It's about 2 miles from the capitol downtown. A brisk clip would take about 30 or so minutes. I walk downtown all the time, and I live in Land Park. Many of the homes in Land Park are within walking, biking, skating, wheelchairing distance from downtown. I throw in that last little bit because I would hate to be accused of discrimination when that is not my intent. This home is also about 3 blocks from William Land Park.

This is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, which is just under 2,000 square feet. It was built in 1941 and still retains much of the character from that era. The hardwood floors are beautiful and the room sizes are generous.

The first floor boasts a downstairs' bedroom, and the other two bedrooms are located on the second floor. The living room is big enough to support a piano, and the dining room is almost 200 square feet by itself. There is a breakfast nook in the kitchen and a built-in Sub Zero refrigerator.

Off the master is a balcony that overlooks 13th Street and the back yard. A nice surprise is the detached 3-car garage. It's sometimes difficult to even find a home with a garage in Land Park.

1300 8th Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95818, is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $475,000. Call your Sacramento short sale agent and Land Park resident Elizabeth Weintraub for more information or a private showing at 916 233 6759.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

You know what I hear some Sacramento real estate agents say about buyers? If mama ain't happy, nobody is happy -- meaning it's generally mama who keeps peace in the family. Because if you make mama happy, she'll make everybody else around her happy. And if you don't, she'll make everybody else miserable. So, if mama wants to buy a home, a particular home, maybe a home in Land Park, ya'll better sit up and pay attention.

Except it doesn't always work this way. Sometimes it's daddy who better be kept happy. It's rare that we have a compromise between the two extremes because a balance of power is not always equal.

Around my house, I know who rules. Without exception. It's the cats. Many homes in Land Park are occupied by cats. And right now all 3 of them are sound asleep in the family room, near me and my computer. Among them, Pia is the top cat, although she is the youngest and the only female. Pica is on the left. He's a chocolate-silver marbled ocicat. Pia, on the right, is a cinnamon-spotted ocicat. She doesn't care that Pica wants to sleep by himself on the condo. She is sitting practically on top of him.

If Pia and Pica were looking to buy a condo, Pia would go along with whatever Pica chose. She would not make the initial decision herself, but she would seal the deal. Home buyers aren't that different. But a smart Land Park agent will allow the natural order of relationships -- whatever that balance of power between the parties may be -- to dictate. Without judgment.

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub

Buyers don't care what you tell them as long as you tell them. That's my opening statement when I hand home sellers a package of disclosures to complete. It's the things you don't tell a buyer that can come back to haunt you, not what you do say.

You take a neighborhood where I live and work like Land Park. Because I live in Land Park, I have intimate knowledge about the neighborhood, which agents who live outside of Land Park probably don't know. If they don't know, they can't disclose those facts to a buyer. Although, it could probably be argued that they should know or should at least have asked questions of the seller. On the front end of my marketing, I sell the delights of living in Land Park -- the friendly neighbors, tree-canopied streets, fabulous restaurants and our special attractions such as William Land Park, the Sacramento Zoo, Fairy Tale Town, the Rock Garden, and Vic's ice cream.

But there is also a downside -- as there is with any neighborhood, I don't care where you live. For example, I know which areas in Land Park routinely flood during a hard rain. I know where the feral cats, skunks, opossums and raccoons roam. Which streets get foot traffic and the origination of that traffic. When noise factors such as trains or freeways can be present. Parking ordinances. Which trees are protected. Selling homes in Land Park means more than what we used to call selling real estate in the old days: selling carpets and drapes. That used to be the definition of residential real estate sales in the 1970s. Except nowadays it's more like selling hardwood flooring and plantation shutters.

The thing is after escrow closes, odds are something in that buyer's new home will probably malfunction. And the minute it does, the buyer is likely to immediately jump to the conclusion that the seller knew about it and purposely withheld that information or concealed that defect. It's human nature. We're a suspicious bunch of people.

So, how do you bump up the odds that you won't get sued after escrow closes? You hire an agent who can explain the inherent problems with some types of seller disclosures and can give you the right documents. You find a Land Park agent who knows the nuances of your neighborhood. I tell my sellers to disclose all material facts. If I know a material fact, I disclose it. I go into great detail about what a material fact is and why it's important. I help sellers to recollect and disclose. We talk about the Transfer Disclosure Statement.

The other day a seller objected to a point I made in a disclosure. She wanted me to remove a sentence about the possibility that a neighbor's dog might bark. No can do. The tenant told me the dog next door barked. I don't know if the dog barks. The dog wasn't barking in my presence. I noted that I did not hear the dog barking but the tenant said the dog barks. This disclosure doesn't appear in my marketing materials. It appears on the agent visual inspection, on which I obtain the buyer's signature, along with a pile of other documents after offer acceptance. I'm always thinking one step ahead of ways to protect my sellers yet conform to the law. That's my job, and I take my job seriously.

The point is it's not what you say, it's how you say it. I don't want my sellers ever ending up in court. Not if I can help it. And I can.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

I was reading another agent's blog this morning about dealing with a screwball situation and unreasonable demands. I made the comment that the icky part of the real estate business is when an agent has to choose between being honest and getting more business. Because sometimes when an agent tells a client the truth, that person is unprepared to hear it. Not only that, but because the client doesn't want to hear the truth or refuses to believe the truth, that person will look unfavorably upon the agent. An unfavorable opinion equals no more referrals. No more referrals hurts an agent's business.

So, what does an agent do? Is it wise to compromise?

I say no. I believe in telling the truth. That doesn't mean let it all hang out, but it does mean being honest, knowing full well that the honesty may not be well received. Being honest sometimes means an agent will lose business. A client may not like the agent as a result. But as like-able as one may want to be, the other side of the coin is you can't please everybody 100% of the time. It's impossible. And you can drive yourself crazy if you try.

An out-of-area seller called me yesterday about taking a listing in Land Park. He told me how much he wanted to list his duplex for and asked whether I would do it. Ordinarily, if I think a seller is listing a home too high, I will say so yet take that listing for a couple of months, just to see how it goes. Because it's possible a Bay area buyer will overpay for a home in Land Park. I don't like to be judge and jury. It's not my home. But I do need to be honest.

Based on my experience over the years of selling homes in Land Park, I can pretty much predict at what price a home will sell. I explained to this guy what similar properties had sold for and why. Didn't matter. He demanded I sell his fixer-upper duplex at $450,000; said it was my job to get that for him. He got huffy with me. No, sorry, it's not. Because it's not gonna happen. Not in this real estate market. Maybe in an alternate universe but not in this one. Well, my name is mud to this guy.

Hey, is anybody else watching Fringe? That show has become so darned confusing. I finally figured out that each show is now based in alternating universes. If the opening shots are tinged in red, it's the parallel universe. If the opening is blue sky and clear, whoa, wait a minute.

Photo: Big Stock Photo