Elizabeth Weintraub • Sacramento Short Sale Agent • Land Park

An agent emailed yesterday to say he tried to show a listing but the sellers did not call him back. He asked if I could help him to get an appointment. Look no further than the red sparkly shoes on your feet, Dorothy. You've always had the power to go home. Just click your heels together and repeat after me: There's no place like home, there's no place like home.

I am astonished at the number of agents in Sacramento who don't know what "Call First, Lockbox" means when they read it on a listing. Some of them think it means to call the listing agent. It means you call the seller, leave a message and go. It does NOT mean you call the seller, explain who you are, talk about how long you've been in the business and offer up your professional market opinion, describe who your buyers are and their occupations, offer a plethora of showing times and options, recite 3 telephone numbers, repeat, and then wait patiently for the seller to return your phone call.

You leave a message and go.

But bring your MLS printout so you know how to disarm the security alarm, for crying out loud. I put those types of listings into pending status the minute I get an offer because, sure enough, those alarms are triggered almost every day. It's tough for a seller to decide whether to arm a security alarm but they can be assured an agent will probably set it off. I do it myself, sometimes. I'm not immune, either.

Here is a wonderful starter home in Natomas that presents a fabulous opportunity for some lucky buyer to call home. This is a Beazer home, the Reflections model, in Gateway West Village. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with a centralized open floor plan. The kitchen is the focal point of the home.

It's located off Duckhorn near Saintsbury. The layout is longer than it is wider. You enter through the formal living room, and there is a formal dining area. The kitchen has tiled counters and bar seating plus a breakfast nook. The family room is toward the back yard. Two bedrooms are down one hall and the master is off another hall.

The home was built in 2000, but the sellers later added the covered brick patio in the back and landscaping. There are trees in the yard. You also get central heat and air, indoor laundry, plus an attached 2-car garage, not to mention, if your kids are elementary age -- what a terrific opportunity to teach them to spell their address! Their learning curve will be way above that of other kids.

2760 Chateau Montelena Way, Sacramento, CA 95834, is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $169,000. For more information, call your Sacramento short sale agent. For a private showing, call Linda Swanson, at 916 607 0111.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

Another Sacramento short sale seller emailed me yesterday, asking if Moi was interested in taking his listing. He didn't give his address, just his name. Being the resourceful person that I am, I checked him out before I called him. I asked what he was planning to do with the underwater home he owned in Natomas, since that wasn't the property he called me about, and was he aware that the home in Rancho Cordova had hard-money loans that looked to be rate and term? Oh, and btw, is he upset with his agent because the home had been on the market for 6 months already? Why hasn't he received any offers?

I freaked him out. He wanted to know how I knew all of that when all he said was he owned a home in Rancho Cordova. Like I said, I'm resourceful. It's part of what makes me a good Sacramento short sale agent.

And here is a short sale home you'll love because it's so darned affordable. It's probably one of the most affordable neighborhoods in Natomas, sitting just south of Elkhorn and East of Bridgecross. These homes are like a collection of Carmel homes, attractive and there was some thought that went into building them. This home sits in one of the best locations, against the back of the subdivision by open fields, so little through traffic.

This Northpointe Natomas home has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and it was built in 2003. It has ceramic tile floors, along with wood-like laminate and carpeting. The kitchen is open to the family room, turning that space into a great room concept. There is a fireplace in the family room.

You'll find ceiling fans, dual pane windows and a tile roof. There is also a two-car attached garage that faces the front, with a garage door opener. If you've always wanted to live in a newer home in Natomas, this is your chance to buy a home without an HOA in a nice location.

1825 Zurlo Way, Sacramento, CA 95835, is offered exclusively as a short sale by Lyon Real Estate at $145,000. For more information, call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, call Linda Swanson at 916 607 0111.

Photos: Linda Swanson

Some people get out of bed in the morning and say they wish they didn't have to go to work. Other people say they wish they had a job. When I wake up, I say, "I'd like nothing better than to list a Wachovia short sale today." Well, yesterday, my wishes were granted.

There is a silver lining in being a Sacramento short sale agent. That bright light is Wachovia. This is a bank that has its short sale department primed and ready to process the transaction. Unlike some short sale banks -- those that lose paperwork, shred files and cause massive delays -- many approvals from Wachovia are issued within 2 to 3 weeks of receipt.

Here is a ground floor opportunity for first-time home buyers in Sacramento. This home is an upper-floor corner unit. It has a balcony that offers an expansive view of the Bella Rose complex; you can see almost everything that goes on from this location. It's a one-bedroom, one-bath condo, with an open floor plan.

The kitchen and bath have granite counters. In the bedroom, the seller has installed a super cool ceiling fan. The refrigerator and washer and dryer stay with the home. It's in impeccable condition, plus this condo comes with 2 parking spaces. Close to shopping, restaurants and the freeways. Minutes to downtown Sacramento.

The HOA dues are $253, which include a flood insurance premium. You have a clubhouse and a pool. But best of all is the price. This 2004 home is for sale at $63,000, although I would not be surprised to see it sell for more. One lender. Wahovia.

4200 East Commerce Way, #122, Sacramento, CA 95834

Offered Exclusively by Lyon Real Estate at $63,000, subject to lender approval.

Elizabeth Weintraub, Sacramento Short Sale Agent, 916.233.6759

Talk about views. The sellers of this Natomas short sale home enjoy tremendous views of the Coastal Range, and there are empty lots all around. Some day builders will resume construction in this part of Natomas, but it's unlikely to happen for a while.

This Hampton's Village home was built by KB Homes in 2007. At the time, the sellers were expecting a park and more homes to go up across the street, but that vision did not materialize. As a result, there are few neighbors and an unobstructed view to the west.

The first floor is pretty much an open floor plan, with a tiled entry, family / dining / kitchen. You'll also find plantation shutters throughout, an attached 2-car garage, separate laundry room and guest bath. Go up the stairs and you'll enter a loft area, presently used as a children's play area, which leads to Jack-and-Jill bedrooms, plus a master suite at the far end.

It's a 3- to 4-bedroom, 3-bath, boasting 1,733 square feet, per the assessor. The patio is stamped concrete, and the sellers have drawn plans that call for turning that space into an outside oasis.

5280 Kankakee Drive, Sacramento, CA 95835

Offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $200,000

Call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, 916.233.6759, for more information.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub