I'm not one of those agents who carts around a bucket list in her head or on paper. That's probably because concerning most things, if I want to do them, I do them. I've been that way my entire life. I have a unique ability. I say "unique" because I know a lot of people who can't do it. That unique ability is to grab a thought and act on it. I can grab A and intuitively can map out a plan to get to Z. Then, off I go.
Maybe that's part of what makes me a good Sacramento short sale agent. I have no problem putting together a plan of action for a client. Every short sale is different. Because every client is different, their lenders are different, their types of loans are different, and there are a bazillion combinations that could result in varying outcomes. You can take something simple like a Bank of America short sale and, depending on the type of loan, you could choose from 32 different options.
I like to work really really hard and then get away for a day or two. Take a weekend trip somewhere. Focus on something else. That way, when I return to work on Monday, I'm fresh and roaring to go. I don't get burned out. Because doing Sacramento short sales is an intense profession.
My husband had an urge to catch the final leg of the Twilight Singers tour. We were close to front row and center at the Twilight Singers' Portland tour a few months ago. Their last show for this year was at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. It's almost impossible to turn down a travel opportunity to visit the Greatest City in the Country. I live in California so I favor the West Coast over the East, it's a given.
I figured as long as we were going to the show, we should include another activity. We had never been to Alcatraz. Couple of friends of ours who used to live in the City had never been there, either. So, we met up to go to the show and tour Alcatraz. There is one tour and one tour only that is the official place to get tickets, Alcatraz Cruises. Ferries leave every 30 minutes from Pier 33.
Alcatraz was a federal maximum security prison from 1934 to 1963. Photos of celebrity inmates line the entrance to the ferry. Let me tell you, Machine Gun Kelly was not a bad looking guy. Once on the island, you get an audio tour, which comes with the cost of your ticket. The tour has actual recordings of inmates, and it tells stories, points out bullet holes in the walls and the floor from famous escape attempts and brings the experience to life. You also get the opportunity to walk into a Block D treatment room. These cells have no light. I stood inside for a while to try to get a feeling of what it would be like to be a prisoner. Apart from being really cold in the winter, I could probably survive being thrown into the hole for 3 weeks.
Heck, I'm a Sacramento short sale agent. I can survive anything.
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.
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The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
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Thanks for the great Alcatraz pictures, Elizabeth! I was a Correction Officer for 13 years- It's a different world inside the "Big House"!
Interesting photos.
Looks like the type of prison we should go back too. Maybe if it was a little less like living at home there would be fewer repeat offenders.
How many prisoners did you correct, Steve? I am betting -- I could be wrong here -- that you probably prefer doing home inspections.
Hi Than: I think prison changes some people and others, well, it probably empowers them, which has little to do with the system. People are basically who they are. Some just don't get caught in the first place, like bankers on Wall Street.
Elizabeth, interesting perspective on life on the inside and compared to short sales! I'd take a short sale any day...looks like a good excursion to glimpse history.
I remember visiting Alcatraz in the late 90's while visiting San Francisco. That place had a creepy vibe, but it was a lot of fun.
Thanks for sharing Elizabeth. Great pictures.
Hi Elizabeth, the island is so beautiful from far away - inside looks creepy, maybe even haunted but an interesting place to visit, I think.
So cool! That place is amazing and I've been to San Fran numerous times but never taken the tour. Going again in late October and I just might do it. I hear there is a scary night tour too.
Unfortunately, most inmates are beyond correction, Elizabeth! Our prison systems don't do much to reform them, they simply protect society from them for a while. There is no real deterrent to a life of crime! And you guessed it: Doing home inspections is much more rewarding!
Elizabeth,
I have seen it only in movies, I still never been to the West Coast. Cool pictures. I thought the island was much larger, but it does not look large on the photo.
I lived in Central California for almost 5 years. I would frequent the San Francisco Bay area, but never visited Alcatraz. So that's what it looks like. Interesting but scary looking pictures. I remember seeing a documentary years ago about the prison. It was a National Geographic presentation.
Hey, I'm glad you guys enjoyed the pictures! Yeah, it's not a very big island, Jon. There is more to it than just the prison. Families of prison guards lived on the island, too. The kids took the ferry every day over to the City for school.
I didn't find the experience scary or creepy, though. You want creepy, go to Ha Noi Hilton.
Alcatraz is definitely on my to-do list next time we visit our son in S.F. Good to know about the ferry/ticket info!
Half the days of every year my husband walks into the walls of a prison at 5:30 a.m. and then out again at 6 to well whenever they decide he can go.
Hi Colleen: It's funny how even people who live in SF have never been to Alcatraz. I think people should look around their own towns at tourist attractions and ask themselves why they haven't done some of those things. In fact, even better, they should just do it. When I went to Mpls for the State Fair this month, I went to the top of the Foshay Tower. I was born and raised there yet I had never been to the top of the Foshay.
Hi Tammy: It must be kind of weird for your husband to interact with prison inmates all day and then emerge to a different world. Oh, I bet lots of people would say there is no difference between that and a regular job, now that I pause to reflect. For many, going to work means walking into prison, wherever it is.
I should also add that for others visiting San Francisco, if you would like a truly delightful experience, I recommend booking one of the corner suites such as the Telegraph Suite at the Fairmont. It costs maybe twice as much as a regular room, but for a special occasion, it might be worth it. It's not that outrageous, and you get panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge.
Hi Elizabeth. I've lived in SF 24 years. My one and only trip to Alcatraz was in 2001 when my brother and his wife were visiting. It was well worth it. Sharing the experience is what makes it so great.