One of my sellers called yesterday to say his home had just hit the market and he already had a bunch of phone calls from buyer's agents. They were asking to schedule appointments. Most of my listings, whether they are short sales or otherwise, are listed as "call first, lockbox." But many buyer's agents don't know what that means. They think it means to make an appointment. It doesn't. It means to call first and then go.
The seller asked if he was being rude to an agent when he let her know another agent was already showing at the time she wanted to show. Was it OK, he asked, to have 2 showings at the same time? It is a little rude to not let the agent know, but it's not rude to do it. For starters, agents are rarely on time. Second, it creates excitement and urgency. Everybody wants what somebody else wants. It's just human nature.
Here is a short sale duplex with a pool in Greenhaven. It's L-shaped, so one side faces south and the other side faces east. The south side is located on a frontage road. It is situated between Greenhaven Lake and the Sacramento River, about a half-mile west from I-5, but I could not hear any freeway noise.
Each side has two bedrooms and two baths, although the guest bedrooms do not have a closet. The south side has more updates than the east. You'll find hardwood plank floors -- the seller was not certain if the floors were 100% wood, although they looked like it to me, so buyers should verify this -- plantation shutters, and you get a view of the pool from this unit.
The east side still needs a little bit of work. For example, the guest bedroom needs a floor over the subfloor. But size-wise, they are mirror images. Each has a corner brick fireplace in the family room, dining in the kitchen, a foyer, a separate yard and a two-car garage. You can walk through one garage to the other garage and to the other unit. It's kind of nice for a family.
2 Sea Court, Sacramento, CA 95831, is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $325,000. 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
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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.
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I find showings at the same time to not be a problem although some agents I have read about make it sound like this huge deal. If one wants to look first alone that's cool. People can get bent out of shape for the most little things. The duplex with the pool looks lovely Elizabeth. Good luck with it.
If I show up to a home and it's being shown at that moment, I wait to go inside. I give the first agent there the respect I would like in return. A little privacy to take in the home and discuss whether or not my buyer likes it without feeling rushed.
I always make sure that the agent knows that there will be someone there at the same time and give them the option. I also, ask each agent if I get a call with a showing at or near the same time, what their preference would be, out of professinal courtesy. But that is our market.
The multiple simultaneous showings is a dilemma. It is better for the seller because it creates the excitement and pressure of high demand for the house. However, it could alienate a good buyer and their agent.
I am a big fan of multiple showings at the same time. It always creates a buzz of urgency.
I lock the door behind me when I am showing and keep the key in my hand.
California is such a different country in real estate...we cannot call a room a bedroom without a closet...no such thing as call and show...a prosperous spring to you !
Hey Sally: We can't call a room a bedroom without a closet, either. Unless we do. An appraiser won't. Although on this particular property, the public records show it as two 2-bedrooms, so I don't know what happened with the closets. I know for certain Unit 1 has no closet in the guest bedroom; I'm not so sure about Unit 2.