One of the services I offer my Sacramento sellers is, upon receipt of an offer, I always check MLS to find out if the buyer's agent had accessed the lockbox. We can tell if the agent opened the box. If we have 10 offers on a home, and 9 of the agents showed it and one did not, the agent who did not show the home is at a severe disadvantage. Because we will tell the seller that her buyer has not seen the home. A buyer must see the home. Having said that, I did buy a house in Hawaii that my husband did not see. It's not because he didn't have a chance to view it, it's that he wasn't in Hawaii and wasn't about to fly over to the island to isnpect a property that his Realtor wife had already viewed. But most buyer's spouses are not like that. Typically there are two decision makers.Now, I h... 04/29/2019

In our days of limited inventory this spring, it is not unusual for homes to sell that are not listed in MLS. We all need to be creative to continue to prosper in challenging times. I thought of this today as I struggled speaking with customer service reps. Dealing with CSR anywhere is pretty much a PITA because you've got some guy either working in a boiler room or across the globe. Not a person who works inside the company and knows what's going on.Turns out because I had bought two Ring Doorbells, the original (which was a piece of crap and resulted in the need to purchase an upgraded model) and the Ring Doorbell 2, which works like the original was advertised to work but doesn't. That little maneuver royally screwed up Ring.com's bookkeeping, to hear them tell it. I had changed my c... 04/23/2019

We decided a while back to put all of our Weintraub & Wallace lockboxes into one account. So went down to visit Metrolist and came back to my home office to discover my membership in MLS had been terminated -- by mistake. When I asked after-the-fact for the paperwork that the clerk forgot to give to me, it did not say my membership should be terminated, so I don't know why he did it. But I had to get it reversed. Like pronto. Now that we have merged all of the lockboxes, we have to account for each of them. I have never lost a lockbox in my life, to the best of my knowledge. Never forgot to pick up a box. I certainly would not abandon a lockbox like some agents. Even when we bought our home in Land Park, now that I pause to reflect, that idiot agent left the lockbox on our house. After ... 04/19/2019

With JaCi out working hard yesterday (and today, she's taking two more listings for the team), I set aside time to finish reading Becoming, by Michelle Obama. She writes in part about how difficult it was for her husband to work in a Congress where bi-partisan efforts were constantly shut down. I can relate that to real estate and having to work with agents who openly dislike talking to top listing agents because the property is not their own listing. Similar. Not identical but similar. Everybody has their own agenda.As JaCi was driving to a listing appointment yesterday, she also received a phone call from a non-English speaking woman. She writes about that interaction today, and how she discovered new ways to communicate. We live in such a diverse city, Sacramento; at one time in 2006... 04/14/2019

My partner JaCi stopped by the house earlier in the week to chat about how we use computers in real estate. Although she is a Windows agent and I am an Apple agent, we still get along very well and our platforms do not conflict. Same principles apply. Although, I might have an easier time of navigation, fewer melt-downs, almost no freezes, seamless operations across all devices, I also realize not everybody is willing to pay Apple prices to get those benefits. Plus, people like to stick with what they know. What they know is familiar.Yet, within just a few short weeks, without every really discussing it, JaCi has slowly begun remodeling her home office to mirror how I conduct business. I did not realize that. You can read more about this in our personal blog today at this link: Blogging... 04/13/2019

As luck would have it, or perhaps we should call it fate, we did not get to see The Man Who Killed Don Quixote at the DoCo theater in Sacramento last night. This is a movie that took Terry Gilliam (Monty Python) 30 years to produce. While filming on set, there were wars and floods going on that prevented finishing the picture. Well known actors, including Johnny Depp, came and went. Finally, Gilliam finished the film, but he could not find financial support to release the film. Somehow, he got a promotion to show the film one night only nationwide. Last night at 7 PM. Starring Adam Driver.My husband was intent on viewing this movie. Why do I want to go, I asked? To see a movie by a person I don't particularly enjoy (not a big Monty Python fan like he), about a person I don't give a crap... 04/11/2019

Most of the time when I get a call from an appraiser to view my listing, that call is coming from an appraiser I know from previous transactions. It seems most of the appraisers are in certain pools and they tend to get picked. For example, I never see or hear from an appraiser who tends to blog a lot about appraising, which makes me wonder if that guy ever does any business or much of it. But I do have a regular group of appraisers who call. Just not that one. Maybe it's because a former client threatened to sue him for publishing personal information about her property to which he was not a party, not to mention the information was private not public? Dunno.In this group, all of the appraisers are experienced and competent. For me to ask to meet them at the property to hand them comps... 04/10/2019

Do you need a real estate agent to help you to find a house or can you find your own? Well, the truth, odd as it may sound, is you need an agent but yes, you can probably find your own house. Maybe. But maybe not. However, finding the house is only a tiny part of the process. It's a huge part to the buyer, but in the overall scheme of real estate, the fun is just starting. To actually BUY that house, you will undoubtedly do better with the services of an experienced buyer's agent than trying to do it yourself. Get an agent who sells a lot of homes and you've got an agent with a plethora of experience upon which to draw. All of that knowledge will help you in ways you cannot begin to imagine.You can read more in our personal blog today at this link: Wondering About Full-Service Realtors ... 04/08/2019

Although the median sold price of homes in Sacramento at $365,000 remains the same for March of 2019 as a year ago, other factors of the Sacramento Housing report are pretty wild. For example, our pending sales over last month are up by 34.3% and our sold sales have increased by 26.3% over last month. Although our inventory dropped again. We are down 5% from February with fewer homes for sale, resulting in less selection for buyers. There is less than one month of inventory remaining, meaning without new listings we could sell everything in 30 days. Just looking at the first four days in April over this same time period last year is remarkable. Our pending sales for that period have jumped to 58.9%. It means people are buying. You can read more in our personal blog today at this link: A... 04/07/2019

My new partner, JaCi Wallace, treated our team and me to dinner last night at Ella Dining Room and Bar in downtown Sacramento. Two words: spring lamb. This restaurant is one of my top favorites in Sacramento, and what I miss most about my trips to Kona (besides the cats, my husband and friends). With the exceptions of the resorts about 30 to 45 minutes north of town, and maybe Merriman's in Waimea, there are really no good restaurants in Kailua-Kona. Not that there needs to be in paradise, but nothing really exists like the wonderful farm-to-fork restaurants we enjoy in Sacramento.On the other side of the coin, if I really get to missing fine dining when in Kona, I can always make my own. I know, novel concept, right? Now for today's blog, it is about an extraordinary one bedroom condo ... 04/06/2019

My partner JaCi Wallace just listed a home for us in Sacramento that attracted a lot of attention. We could have suggested a higher list price to the seller but the problem was the home was in original condition. Been rented for a few years. Probably no updates since the early '90s. So we had to find that "sweet spot." We received multiple offers quite a bit over list price as buyers fought for it. The amazing thing in this is if we had listed at the highest and best offer price, we probably would have received lower offers . . . if any. That's the honest-to-goodness truth that not everybody understands. You know what else people don't understand? Why it's a stupid idea, completely worthless, to submit a lowball offer in a multiple-offer situation. Yet, idiots do it. You can read more i... 04/05/2019

Now, apart from the fact they are probably violating RESPA by offering a referral fee of $200 to agents who cough up private and sensitive information about their clients, these ADT home security companies are alienating agents left and right. Except for the greedy and unethical agents, and let's face it, there are a few of those rotten apples in every profession. I just changed my email to a new account as I am merging my business, and the existing email account stays with that business. I wanted a new personal email for friends. Well, somehow a rep from an ADT company found my private email address and has begun what generally amounts to a badgering campaign. First the ADT rep emails to offer the buyer's agent a referral fee and asks for the client's information. They know the transac... 04/04/2019

Because I've changed companies, I've been busy bopping around the internet changing my profiles on various websites to accurately reflect my new brokerage and affiliation. Which means I go to places that can suck you in. Like Facebook and Twitter. I don't ordinarily frequent those websites because I consider them to be HUGE TIME SUCKS. You can spend all day there and get nothing done. And quite frankly, I have better things to do than hang out on Facebook and Twitter. Like, hey, even visiting Active Rain takes a certain amount of time, but at least I don't feel like I'm SUCKED into it.One of the things I noticed on Twitter is Hillary Clinton changed her profile photo. Take a look at it:What this tells me is she no longer feels like it's OK for people to look at her or for her to even lo... 04/03/2019

Two powerhouse top producers, Elizabeth Weintraub and JaCi Wallace in Sacramento real estate, merged business models to create a new Super Team. Since 2002, the year that Elizabeth moved to Sacramento, the teams' combined sales to date excceed $387 million.  We sold about 1,200 homes over that period of time.The new Super Team is Weintraub & Wallace Realtors at RE/MAX Gold. We are both working from the Midtown office on Capitol and 20th as well as the newer Sierra Oaks office on Fair Oaks Blvd.Please call us to experience our exceptional service. Call 916-233-6759. We respond quickly to text and email. You can read more in my perosnal blog today at this link: Introducing Weintraub & Wallace at RE/MAX Gold.  04/02/2019

Whenever some redneck yells about a person who cannot speak English well because it is not their native language, I want to ask how many languages do you speak, buddy? The best I can do is muster a few phrases in Spanish, French and Italian, but if it weren't for Pig Latin, I really cannot speak fluently in any other language except English. I know of a person who learned 18 languages. Am in awe of that individual. As there are days I cannot find that noun I'm looking for. But that's being an old fart. However, did not really consider a language app to use with non-English speaking clients. Although, now that I pause to think about it, I used to communicate with our gardener in Hawaii through copying and pasting long translated volumes of text. Similar, but not the same thing.You can re... 04/01/2019

One of the super fun things about merging my business with another agent in Sacramento (we are forming a Super Team!) is the fact we can trade war stories along the way. We share many of the same puzzlements but at least we can laugh about it. Like how come buyer's agents tend to advise their buyers to "wait" on writing an offer. They wrongly believe that the number of offers makes a difference in what a seller will accept.Rather than be assertive, they take the opposite approach. They say, oh, let's wait until after the open house to make an offer. Then we can be strongest and best. Um, I don't think so. In fact, the opposite. Snooze-you-lose syndrome.You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Why The First Offer Often Wins in Sacramento Real Estate. 03/31/2019

In the olden days, like a dozen years ago, my demeanor was a lot more polite than it is now. When I answered my phone, I would engage in a conversation with whomever was on the other end of the phone. If I received a telemarketing call, I asked nicely to be removed. Explained I had no interest in their product or I was being better served elsewhere. Probably my Midwestern upbringing.Today, however, I have no patience for that crap. The people who irritate me most are usually mortgage brokers, just calling to congratulate me on my remarkable success as though I had no idea of what I have accomplished or that I would welcome the advances of a new mortgage broker searching for business, NOT. There is only one solution. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Damned If You... 03/30/2019

Because I sold such a boatload of short sales since 2005, cummulatively more than any other agent I can find in a 7-county area according to Trendgraphix, I had been hoping the negative equity situations were now a thing of the past. However, I keep finding evidence that we are not completely out from under yet. After 14 years! Mindboggling that there are home owners who still cannot sell for the price they paid back then. And there exists a variety of logical reasons for these situations. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Some 2005 Sacramento Home Buyers Are Still Underwater. 03/27/2019

When I showed up for my first (and probably last) vinyasa class, I wasn't dressed appropriately. They also did not like my Target yoga mat because it had a bit of padding. Plus, everybody seemed to be covering up their mat with what looked like a Native American blanket. Or maybe the blankets are from Mexico or Alaska. Hard to say. Turned out I knew the woman sitting directly behind me. Although she recognized me before I figured out who she was. She asked if I was wearing a sports bra (ha, ha, ha) and suggested if that was the case, I would be happier if I removed my t-shirt. The heat was unbearable.Hey, I made it through an entire 30 minutes of that class before I passed out cold. Progress.You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Yoga for Old People in Sacramento. 03/26/2019

Cost of LivingCost of living is the total amount of money one would spend to maintain a particular standard of living in a given area. This includes a variety of factors including food, healthcare, transportation, housing, taxes, etc. Individuals and families planning to move into a city should consider the cost of living to make an objective analysis of whether moving would be a good decision. Although not the only thing you should consider, knowing how much you would need to spend to stay in an area is a good indication if a move would be right for you.Check out our original neighborhood page at https://sacramentohomesre.com/sacramento-cost-of-living/. Cost of Living IndexWe have curated standard indicators for cost of living in the city of Sacramento in comparison to the state and na... 03/20/2019