Elizabeth Weintraub • Sacramento Short Sale Agent • Land Park

Right in the middle of my buyers' home inspection in South Land Park last month, I had received a text message that another client's offer was accepted. We had but a mere hour to return the signed counter offer. So, I rushed back to my Land Park home office to pull the offer off the FAX (why can't agents email them?) and send the counter offer to the agent. Then I hopped back in my car to return to the home inspection.

Zipped up to the curb. Crunch. I heard a noise. Jumped out of the car and looked around near the curb but I couldn't find anything. We finished up the home inspection 90 minutes later, and I returned to my car. On my windshield was a note with a name, address and phone number. It said: "Dear Realtor, you broke my sprinkler head; I replaced it. Please be more careful."

I felt awful. I had damaged someone else's property.

I immediately called the owner and left an apologetic voice mail message. Then I asked my husband how much sprinkler heads cost, but he didn't know. So I Googled sprinkler heads. Looked like they cost under $10. Still, it's the principle of the thing; it's not the money. It's my Midwestern upbringing. When you do something wrong, you've got to make it right.

So, I wrote a handwritten note to the owner, apologizing as best I could for breaking his sprinkler head, inserted a $20 bill and mailed it. A few days later, I received an email from the owner, thanking me for taking responsibility. Turns out he works at the same law firm as another client to whom I sold a home in East Sacramento.

Yesterday, my South Land Park buyers signed loan documents. We were waiting for the completion letter from the sewer company confirming that the sewer line had been replaced. Without the completion letter, closing would be delayed. I checked with the sewer company.

The sewer company said the sewer line took an unexpected turn in the front yard and actually connects to the next-door neighbor's sewer line. They could not complete the work without receiving permission from the neighbor to dig in the neighbor's yard. One of their workers put a note on the neighbor's door, but the neighbor did not respond. The sewer company asked if I knew how to get in touch with that neighbor.

Guess which neighbor that turned out to be?

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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 Sacramento. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available through bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com.

Sacramento Short Sale Agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, has the answers to your Sacramento short sale questions.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

In California, pest inspectors approve their own work. On the surface, you might assume that it makes sense for a pest inspector to sign off on a job -- since the inspector knows what to look for and all, but when you dig a little deeper, it seems a bit insane. This is how it works: first, the pest inspector looks for termites, powder post beetles, dryrot and so forth in the home. If the pest inspector finds damage, he or she issues a report describing the work that needs to be done. Then the pest company typically subcontracts the structural work, applies its pesticides and when the work is finished, issues a completion report.

The completion report is good for three months and remains on record at the Pest Control Board for two years. The problem that arises is when I have a home re-inspected, often the second pest inspector finds more work, stuff that was missed. A buyer's only leverage is to insist that the first company go back out and fix the problems. Naturally, the first company is reluctant to do this, so then we have to threaten to report it to the Pest Control Board because it issued the completion certificate.

Don't you believe that every pest completion should be issued by an independent third party?

Home buyers for a South Land Park home asked for a pest re-inspection because the listing agent ordered a pest report and received a completion certificate before the home was sold. So, the completion report had expired by the time my buyers went into escrow. Sure enough, the pest company sent out a different inspector dude who discovered not only did the house still have subterranean termites underneath, but the new piers that were poured were sitting directly on the ground without any footings!

We signed loan documents last night because the buyers are leaving town for the holidays. The work has yet to be completed. Discovering this little fiasco has made the buyers feel uneasy, so the listing agent came to the closing to bring documentation assuring them the work would be finished and done to code. I feel comfortable that the work will be done correctly this time; although, this is my first transaction with this agent, I've worked with his daughter on a South Land Park townhome 4 or 5 years ago, and I worked with his son on a home in Land Park. His entire family is in real estate. Very nice, hard-working and ethical agents.

I bet as nice as those agents are, they will never hire that particular pest company again. Word gets out in Sacramento, and I know who the bad pest companies are. When I see a report issued by one of them, you can bet I'm calling for a re-inspection. The pest inspection business in California should be overhauled and more closely regulated, but I'm betting we'll see that happen when pigs fly.

The Short Sale, by Elizabeth Weintraub, coming from publisher Archer Ellison in January 2009.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

Is it possible to hire a home inspector who does such a terrific and thorough job that listing agents cringe when they hear his name? I have heard grumblings from previous home buyers who had hired a bad home inspector. And, of course, the person they blame is the buyer's agent. They believe that an agent-referred home inspector will not disclose potential and / or glaring problems in the home simply to save a relationship with the buyer's agent.

Got to say it's a possibility. There are agents who don't want buyers to receive a thorough home inspection because when defects are discovered, the buyer might cancel the transaction. If the transaction cancels, the agent won't get paid. Although it's against the law for a real estate agent to do business that way, some do. Some agents recommend home inspectors who produce two- or three-page reports. They want the inspector to tell the buyer that defects are no big deal. The home inspector complies because the home inspector wants more referrals from the agent. 

I'd be sticking my head in the sand if I didn't admit these sorts of things go on in the business. It's outrageous, unethical and against the law. It's not in the buyer's best interest, and those agents and inspectors should be flogged and barred from real estate.

The fact is home inspectors in California are not licensed. Anybody can slap on a tool belt and print business cards.

While I want my home buyers to receive the very best home inspection that is possible, I also believe in allowing the buyers to choose their own home inspector. It's their future home, and they are paying for the inspection; it's their decision to make.

I have put together a list of reputable home inspectors, the guys and women I have personally worked with who have gone that extra step to provide superior information and service to buyers. I encourage my buyers to call all of them, interview them, ask about guarantees, rates and experience, and then make a selection. If they don't like any of the inspectors, I direct buyers to four other web sites where they can do further investigation.

I want every single defect disclosed to buyers. Not only because it is the ethical thing to do, but if a defect is discovered after closing, I can be of little help at that time. The time to find out about a problem is before closing so we have time to get it fixed, ask for a closing cost credit or cancel the transaction. I work hard to ensure my clients are thrilled with my performance at closing. Happy clients equal future referrals.

Most inspectors belong to an inspector trade association, which sets minimum requirements and offers continuing education programs, but membership in a trade association is no guarantee of expertise. Some are former builders. All boast glowing recommendations with years of solid experience.

My favorite is a forensic investigator (builder, consultant and home inspector) who is often called as an expert witness by prosecutors to win court cases involving home inspection lawsuits. He is thorough to the bone and leaves no stone unturned. He's also more expensive than the others, but he's worth it.

His reports are personally typed. Many inspectors use forms. This home inspector does not. Instead of submitting pages of disclaimers, his reports contain solid facts, narrative disclosures specific to the property and run 20 pages or more. He also mails via USPS color prints (not digitals) to the client. Actual color photographs. How old school.

He performed a home inspection for Sacramento buyers in South Land Park. Many of the homes in South Land Park are 40- to 50-years old, built on raised foundations. His report uncovered structural issues that I'm fairly confident another inspector may have missed. As a result, we negotiated the repair of those issues, running thousands of dollars, which the seller has agreed to pay. When I mentioned to the listing agent that this inspector was a forensic investigator, the agent replied that he had never read such an extensive home inspection report. Then he added, "Don't ever hire that home inspector again." He was joking, I hope.

The Short Sale, by Elizabeth Weintraub, coming from publisher Archer Ellison in January 2009.

Photo: Caylyn Wright, used with permission