Elizabeth Weintraub • Sacramento Short Sale Agent • Land Park

I am sometimes so focused on a seller's hardship letter that I might blurt out something I should not say. A seller might tell me that his job transferred him to the East Coast, which means he has to uproot his family, tear his kids away from their friends and school, and move to some horribly distant and barren land. And I'll say: "Perfect; that's great!" Then, I find myself backpeddling to explain why I said that because I would hate to come across as a person without compassion.

Because the truth is I do care. I am saddened by the misfortune that often accompanies a Sacramento short sale. As a Sacramento short sale agent, I talk with plenty of people who are suffering. Sometimes, they tell me they have no hardship, so they don't think they will qualify for a short sale. Much depends on their lender. If their bank is Bank of America, they probably will qualify because of the Cooperative Short Sale program.

I also explain that the loss of job security is a hardship. How many people in this day and age can honestly say that they are completely secure in their line of work? Well, besides a Sacramento short sale agent, I mean. I'm probably one of the few people with job security. I look out at the horizon, and I see short sales for as far as the eye can see. But regular people, sane people who wouldn't work a short sale if their life depended on it? What do they see when they look at their jobs? It's not pretty. Until the job market changes in Sacramento, short sales will continue.

If you're looking for a short sale that would probably make a great rental, here is a short sale in Antelope. It has 3 bedrooms and  2 baths, standard issue. Attached two-car garage. Central heat and air. Brand spankin' new carpeting, and some of the bedrooms have been painted. The master bath is updated, ceramic floor, shower, vanity.

This home is situated outside of the newer home subdivisions. It's like being in the country or maybe Rio Linda. The home was built in 1985, and it's about 1,362 square feet. The roof was replaced in 2003. It has a covered patio and fruit trees in the fenced back yard.

7854 Caber Way, Antelope, CA 95843 is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $110,000. 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: Elizabeth Weintraub

Growing up in the 1950s, I had a crush on Matt Dillon. John Wayne? Oh, puhlease, no, no, no, Matt Dillon. I never liked John Wayne. I once wrote a piece about how the fine folks in Orange County should take his statue out of the airport and stick in the entrance of Newport harbor so pigeons could poop on it. That endeared me to many. But Matt Dillon had character, integrity, ethics and well, who knows what went on between him and Miss Kitty. James Arness died last week at 88.

There are no Westerns on prime-time TV anymore. That's a shame. A crying shame. There is something about the grittiness, real world, simplicity and the development of community in a Western that draws me to them. Davy Crockett, Paladin, Have Gun Will Travel, Maverick, Wagon Train. There was right and wrong, not too many shades of gray. Somebody dies, somebody lives.

With that in mind, my husband and I went to the Crest Theatre in downtown Sacramento yesterday to see Meek's Cutoff. It's a film from a woman's perspective about a group of 3 families traveling west on the Oregon Trail in 1845. Based on a true story. I'm not going to spoil the story by telling you the ending. Except to say there is no ending. Unless there is. It made me think about how spoiled we are today. How few of us would make it in a covered wagon. We rely too heavily on our luxuries.

You want luxuries -- here is a luxury condo in Antelope. It offers every amenity you'd expect to find in a condo. Gleaming hardwood floors were installed by the owner's contractor in the living and dining room when she moved in. Open floor plan. Raised panel birch cabinets in the kitchen, plus granite counters, an island and ceramic floor. Stainless appliances, and the refrigerator stays, says the seller. However, if you want a personal appliance that is not a fixture, you must ask for it in the purchase contract.

You'll find a half bath and a room with a stacked washer and dryer on the first floor (which stays), in addition to an enclosed patio through the sliding doors past the dining room. Because this is a corner unit, the enclosed patio is somewhat private. The condo features more windows, too.

Upstairs are 2 master suites, each with a respective bath. One bath has a tub over the shower and is larger than the bath toward the back, which has only a shower. But that back master suite has a much bigger walk-in closet, so take your pick.

Nice square footage, around 1,270 per the assessor. There is a detached one-car garage. The unit was built by Sixells and it's the Shasta B model. The complex is Crest at Sierra in Antelope.

7910 Walerga Road, #503, Antelope, CA 95843, is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $83,000. For more information, call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, call Barbara Dow at 916 761 7398.

photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

Housing reporter Jim Wasserman at the Sacramento Bee this morning shares his personal experience and observations. He bought an Elk Grove home in 2002 with a fixed-rate mortgage, which is worth today about what he paid for it. Several of his neighbors have gone into foreclosure. One neighbor bought at the height of the market in 2005 and the other refinanced, which is why they both lost those homes. Wasserman says his culdesac is beginning to turnaround. He appears to be optimistic that a recovery is underway.

As a Sacramento short sale agent, I see the market from a different perspective. I'm not so certain a recovery is here. Mortgage rates recently dropped to 4.375%, the lowest probably ever in some 50 years and, with the exception of mortgage refinancing activity, it's causing little stir. Buyers are writing offers and then ripping them up. Days on market are lingering. The marketplace is filled with pretend buyers -- buyers who have no handle on reality and therefore are not going into escrow.

Having said that, I offer you a remarkable opportunity to buy a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home in Antelope. This is a John Mourier home, built in 1996. It has a concrete tile roof. The garage is mostly stucco with lap siding and brick on the front. It holds two cars, with storage available in the rafters.

From the garage, you can conveniently enter the kitchen, which is great when you're unloading groceries. All the appliances in the kitchen stay such as the built-in microwave, free-standing gas stove and the stainless steel refrigerator with black sides. The cabinets are a contemporary blackened chocolate with brushed nickel hardware.

Apart from the breakfast bar and ceramic counters, there is room in the kitchen for a table. Plus, you'll find a formal dining area off the living room. There are vaults in the living room and a fireplace. Sliding glass doors lead to the back yard patio. The floors are laminate.

The master has vaults and a built-in headboard on the wall. Not only is there a closet in the master, but there's an additional closet in the master bath area, offering twice the storage space you normally find in homes this size. As an added benefit, there is additional access offered to the back-yard patio from the master suite as well. There's really nothing that needs to be done except move into this lovely home.

It's located on a culdesac. The back yard is fenced with a raised brick garden. Sprinklers are manually operated, but at least the irrigation system is in the ground. The subdivision of Northern Hills East is located north of Elkhorn and West of Waterga.

Oh, and for you feng shui followers, when you add these house numbers together, they equal the number 9. According to my manicurist, that is the luckiest number and almost magical.

4221 Oslo Court, Antelope, CA 95843 is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $160,000. For more information, call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub