Why can't the news media show up on my doorstep the day after the housekeeper comes? That was my question yesterday as I scurried to pick up the cat toys and stuff the dirty dishes into the oven before the news reporter got here. But I finally gave up and figured we'd film some area that wasn't totally messed up -- like my desk! I keep a pretty tidy desk. It's organized. As a Sacramento short sale agent, I have to be organized or I'd go insane, trust me on this one.
So sometime this morning and possibly throughout the day, you'll see my smiling face on News 10 ABC. I gave an interview yesterday about flood insurance and the National Flood Insurance Program in Sacramento. I hope to god I didn't say anything awful about Natomas, like: what do you expect if you buy a home in a swamp? That's something I would say. So, I'll probably get pelted and beat up today by Natomas residents.
Here is a new listing in Carmichael that is probably located in a preferred risk area, but I haven't checked it out. And just for the record, let me say that much of Sacramento is in a 100-year flood plain. This means you have a 1 in 100 chance of a flood in any given year or a 1% possibility. It doesn't mean it will flood only once in 100 years.
But the plain and simple truth is in Sacramento we are sandwiched between two rivers, dependant on levees that could break and, if the Folsom dam goes, we're history.
This home is a short sale. It's beautiful. I'm not just saying that because it's my listing. It's really pretty. The living room and family room at the moment comprise one large room, almost 26 feet in length. But they are actually 2 rooms, a formal living room with bay windows, and a family room with a fireplace and French doors leading to the back yard.
There is a dining area off the family in the kitchen. The kitchen is also enormous and has been updated. Yup, you want granite counters, you got 'em. Ceramic floors, check. Plenty of cabinets, a pantry and a built-in office desk, too.
The master suite was once two bedrooms but has since been combined into one big room. Plus, you've got 2 other good sized bedrooms as well. If all of this is not enough to make you want to see this home, the piece de resistance is the back yard. It's a showcase. A quarter acre, according to the Sacramento County Assessor. There is a gazebo, which would look even better with a Jacuzzi! An arbor, lots of fruit trees, lemons, oranges and extensive landscaping.
Imagine sitting on your covered deck and sipping margaritas this summer while you watch the kids or the dogs romp about the yard. The sellers say you will love the neighbors. What's not to like about Carmichael? This home sits back from the main street on a secluded dead-end. So don't let the address fool you.
3925 Garfield Avenue, Carmichael, CA 95608 is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $195,000. Call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759 for more information. For a private showing, call Linda Swanson, at 916 607 0111.
photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
I started looking into flood insurance for our home this week. We live next to a "water management area" that...in all seriousness, is a 100 year floodplain just 100 yards to the south of my home. However, the water rushes NORTH, past my home. How the area right next to me is NOT considered a floodplain is beyond me, but I'm getting insurance. We've had some serious bouts with heavy rainstorms that have had me on edge.
Hi Chris Ann: It's the floods from heavy rain that people forget about. I want to say: Look up. The sky. Stop worrying about the rivers and ocean. Water evaporates from those bodies of water, reaches the clouds, and then it rains. Sometimes a lot. Enough to cause floods.
Elizabeth, I think it is great you got that interview on Flood Insurance, an area most people know nothing about.
Surprisingly, we've got more than 48 hits in MLS already and 20 agents have called my buyer's agent for more information. The sellers thought it might take weeks to get an offer, maybe even months. I suspect I'll get a handful of offers within the next couple of days. Flood insurance or not, who cares?
I'm relatively fortunate, in that my lot is at a higher elevation than the flood plane several feet lower, which is just a couple of blocks away. That area is part of the American River Bikeway/Parkway. However, they are letting tremendous amounts of water out of Nimbus Dam currently. This has been a bumper year for rainfall in the Greater Sacramento area. Having grown up in Sacramento, I remember the lay of the land before it was populated as much as it is today with cement and highrise. I was skeptical when they began developing parts of Natomas as they did. And of course, we now know there where some major shenanigans performed by developers and some political forces to build homes where they aren't entirely safe.
What a lovely home for the price!
I spent 15 minutes during a market today trying to explain FEMA flood zones to an older couple. They swear they have never had a flood, and I believe them but the FEMA maps are what they are. They can be adjusted with a survey and an appeal...definitely better than trying to sell a house that shows up in blue on the maps. I really like your 1% chance per year explanation.