I get a lot of emails about buying and selling homes in Land Park. That's because I live in Land Park, and I specialize in Land Park. Out of any neighborhood in my four-county Sacramento area, I know the various Land Park neighborhoods the best. I do so much in Land Park that I am Zillow Land Park agent as well. But I've also been in the business for more than 30 years. Last month I earned top agent at Lyon Real Estate out of the 900-or so agents in the company. As a Life Member of Master's Club and a Top Producer, I must be doing something right or you would think.
That gets me noticed by sellers and buyers. Especially sellers who want to sell in Land Park. They see my For Sale signs in Land Park and they find me online. I also have clients call me because of stuff I write for The New York Times-owned Homebuying website at About.com. You'll find thousands of pages of content. It's hard to search for any real estate-related term and not find something I wrote online in the top results. I'm not bragging, it's just how it is. I've been at it a while.
So, when a prospective seller emails me to say they would like to interview me about selling his or her home in Land Park, I am not surprised. But I am wary when they don't act like a seller.
I have discovered that sellers are either actively searching for an honest and experienced Land Park agent, or they want confirmation of sales price. If they want confirmation of sales price, they will generally ask for a CMA and not want to meet. I don't blame sellers because they don't always know how the real estate industry works. My job is to figure out which sellers are serious and who want to hire the best Land Park agent. Those are the sellers I want to work with.
I have really good intuition. I can sense when something is amiss. Like last week a seller emailed and asked to meet. She didn't ask any of the qualifying questions, just mentioned she was interviewing agents. My intuition told me she had no plans to hire me. She had already made up her mind to hire some friend. She's in the business of buying homes and flipping them and she has no agent? I was fairly certain she was not entirely truthful with me. I felt a little guilty that I did not take the time to put together a marketing package or any of my regular materials. I ran a fast CMA with 3 comps, clipped it together and dashed out the door. I always try to give a benefit of doubt. Because what if I am wrong? I could be wrong.
We met. She spent most of her time talking about the house and the work she did. When I mentioned she should do a virtual tour, she whipped out her iPad and wrote it down. That was interesting. I tried another. I said she should print four-color flyers on 100-bond paper with a glossy coating. She wrote that down.
People ask me: am I not worried that I am giving away all of my secrets when I write my blog or articles for About.com? See, the thing is no two people will ever perform alike. Regardless of the information they have. There is no competition. It's not something I ever worry about. Nobody is me, and I am not them. We all develop our own style based on our own strengths and experiences. I am a baby-boomer writer, a flashback from the '60s, with a graphic arts designer / remodeling background who has been in real estate since college. That's a very weird combo.
This seller never asked me for a sales price. She never asked how I would market her home. I live within blocks from her flipper house. I know the neighborhood hands down. She never asked me about the neighborhood, except to announce that where my home is located is a scary place. News to me. I also sold a nearby Land Park home recently that is very similar to her flipper, but it has dramatic differences, which I tried to discuss but she was not interested in the comparison. I began to wonder why I was there. I listened to this seller tell me how much she admires me and my work, how she reads my blogs and my articles, and is so impressed.
The agent she will hire could be her boyfriend. Hard to say. Maybe a cousin. But this is not the ideal way to sell a home in Land Park.
---
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.
You don't think she was a FSBO? Or do you not have many of those out there in Land Park?
Nah, there aren't very many FSBOS in Land Park. I don't think she is a FSBO but I suppose she could be. She didn't strike me as the kind of person who has time to deal with the myriad of phone calls one gets for these types of properties -- it's a lot of work to sell in Land Park. You need a complete marketing plan. If it was easy, every Joe would stick a sign in the yard.
Elizabeth
From your years of experience, you have developed a sixth sense for these things. But she may just surprise you. Let's hope she comes to her senses and calls you to sign a contract. Good luck.
Elizabeth:
I agree, form you what you say, she doesn't sound like she wants you to list her home. She is just fishing for information. Who knows, she may realize you would be the best choice to sell her home.
Hi Pacita: It would be nice if everybody would treat everybody else the way they would like to be treated, but the truth is they don't.
Hi Evelyn: Some people make the mistake of thinking that listing agents always work with buyers, so they're not wasting that agent's time, even if they have no intention of hiring that agent. I'm not much interested in what's for sale in Land Park because people can ask whatever they want. What's for sale in Land Park is what my friends gossip about over cocktails at Riverside Clubhouse. I pay attention to what competes with my listings, is pending or sold. Focused.