The Sweet and Bittersweet Nature of Buying a Home in Sacramento

Yesterday, I had 2 closings: one in Curtis Park and another in Carmichael. These listings were not short sales, which in itself is a feat in this market. The bulk of my listings are Sacramento short sales. On top of this, I handled 2 simultaneous home inspections: a home in Land Park and another in South Land Park, plus I conducted a final walk-through of a home in South Land Park. That hectic schedule left me with very little time to play my new computer game: Plants vs. Zombies.

I've made it through all the levels of this game, except for some of the puzzles and mini-games. This is not a mindless game like Bejeweled; it requires strategy. After winning all the levels, some 60 games, I discovered that you can start over at Level I. Because in round two, some of the plants are automatically selected for you, which means you can play Plants vs. Zombies again by implementing a different strategy. It's a bit like selling real estate: although each transaction may have similarities, the mix of clients makes each transaction unique.

At my final walk-through in South Land Park, I spent a little over an hour with a buyer, talking about her new home and the changes she wants to make. It is important to me that all of my buyers are thrilled when escrow closes and that all of their questions are answered.

In this particular situation, the buyer inherited money from her father's estate. This home was her father's final gift to her which, after I said that, brought tears to the buyer's eyes. She expressed a mix of emotions, both very happy and yet a tinge sad.

She was thrilled because the sellers gave her much of the 1960's furniture in the home, she got a good price (while beating out multiple offers) and it was exactly the type of home she wanted. But it's also difficult to get through the first couple of years after losing a parent. Both my husband and I are orphans, so I know how it feels first hand. Often I do a final walk-through in 10 minutes, but this time I felt it was imperative to spend more time in the home and with the buyer.

We talked about what it's like to help a buyer find that perfect home, and I shared examples of the dramatically different types of buyers I'm working with at the moment. She said, "I think you sell homes based on your intuition." She's right, in part. But I also do not think of myself as a person who sells homes. I blurted out: "I don't sell homes to anybody. I simply give buyers what they want."

I thought about that statement as I drove home, with that insane music from Plants vs. Zombies running through my head. Don't you hate it when you get a song stuck in your head and you can't shake it loose? I think that's what makes being a real estate broker so personally rewarding and enjoyable for me. As sappy as it sounds, we do make dreams come true for our clients.

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub, Fall in Land Park