About Sacramento County, CA

A Business Week reporter called this Sacramento short sale agent yesterday to ask where most of my sellers move to after closing on their short sale. I really wanted to say Pocatello, Idaho, primarily because I like the way the syllables feel rolling off my tongue when I say Pocatello, Idaho, out loud. You've got to admit it's got a nice tempo going for it. Would make a great chorus in a song about Idaho.

In truth, I told him Texas. Lots of my short sale sellers are leaving Sacramento and moving to Texas. What's in Texas, he asked? Um, how about jobs, inexpensive housing and affordable living? Plus, it's sort of flat in parts, similar in geography to Sacramento. The weather is hot in the summer, although much more humid, almost no snow.

Then, he wanted to know which freeways these Sacramentans take to reach Texas. I wondered if he thought he was talking to a travel guide at AAA. It would depend, I suppose, on the destination city. Texas is a big state. If they were moving to Houston, I guess they'd take the I-5 to I-10, but I don't travel much by car.

Other Sacramento short sale sellers either move to the Bay area to live with friends or relatives or they stay right here in Sacramento. Some buy another home. Some go back to school and take out a student loan before their credit rating falls. Others rent.

I am seeing an uptick of parents buying an investment home in Sacramento for their offspring. After all, they are probably sick and tired of watching the value of their retirement nest eggs fall month over month in stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Home prices in Sacramento are very attractive right now and interest rates are low. Sacramento real estate offers a better investment vehicle for some.

While very few Sacramento short sale sellers are able to immediately buy another home, because short sales affect credit when a homeowner falls into foreclosure, that doesn't mean their parents can't buy them a home.

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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 Sacramento. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available through bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com.

Sacramento Short Sale Agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, has the answers to your Sacramento short sale questions.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

Is it a full moon? I had to look it up and, sure enough, according to the U.S. Navy, last night at 9:21 PM, the moon was full. I shot this photo about 6 AM this morning. It's what the moon looks like setting over Land Park, Sacramento.

Although I'm not a big believer in astrology, despite my wacky attempt at a bit of humor with my Real Estate Horoscopes for 2009 -- which caused some readers to say they were never, ever, going to read another thing I wrote, not if they lived to be a million years old -- sometimes I do wonder if the gravitational pull of the moon affects human behavior.

Many of my Sacramento short sales had an extreme amount of activity yesterday. Coincydink? You tell me. How does a short sale in Sacramento get approved within 30 days? I have a few I've been working on for several months that seemed to be headed nowhere. Then, all of a sudden, a negotiator called yesterday to say he'll have short sale approval before the end of the month, and we just submitted the file 10 days ago.

By some stroke of miracle, my pile of Countrywide deactivated files suddenly were reactivated. Are the pagans dancing naked under the moon?

And to think I was complaining to my husband a few days ago, asking him to tell me again why I am a Sacramento short sale agent, to which he responded, "Because you enjoy hitting yourself on the head with a hammer?"

But this morning, all those short sale files appear headed toward closing. I presently am working on 18 contingent short sales, meaning they all have accepted offers from committed buyers. I also put another Land Park short sale buyer into escrow yesterday who had been toughing it out, waiting days for a presentation of multiple offers. Come on, Wednesday, I'm ready for ya.

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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 Sacramento. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available in bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com.

Sacramento Short Sale Agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, has the answers to your Sacramento short sale questions.

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub, Land Park, Sacramento

Last week the Sacramento Association of Realtors "Young Professionals Council" did yet another fundraiser. We attended a Sacramento Rivercats game, and had a really fun tailgate party that was sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage! Between ticket sales, the sponsorship, and donations, we raised $1,004.50 for Sacramento's Moral Values Program (aka, MVP). Up next, we are planning our 2nd Annual Bowling Tournament to benefit the California Association of Realtors "Housing Affordability Fund"...coming in September!

I am a full-time real estate broker, I own six horses and a ranch. I own Trailblazer Realty.

I just launched this new brokerage in Sacramento and tried to solicit ADVICE ONLY from a, shall we say, "well seasoned" Sacramento agent about the best way to recruit agents. She had a minor blow out!

You know, friendly advice...are we all so jaded and suspicious these days that we can't be gracious? Geez.

She got on her high horse and acted quite rude.

Dear Ms. W: Get a GRIP. Is it me, or are we real estate professionals starting to act like children?

Candace Taylor

Broker

Trailblazer Realty

www.trailblazerrealty.com

After sitting at Tae Kwon Do with the kids' yesterday afternoon, I thought about the 6 Tenets of Tae Kwon Do they repeat at the beginning and ending of every class. These basic, yet powerful words can inspire you in any profession. Enjoy!

COURTESY - Definition: A polite remark or gesture. Are you courteous in your actions, towards your clients or competitors even when they are being difficult? The old golden rule ‘treat others how you would like to be treated'.

INTEGRITY - Defnition: Firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. How we view and carry ourselves is very important in determining how others view us. Your clients want to work with someone that has a reputation of being professional and an expert in their field.

PERSEVERENCE - Definition: Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. This can be a tough one in today's market. The media gloom can bring your mental perception down like there's no hope in sight. We need to be strong and clear in our thoughts that the market will turn around and we will persevere through tough times.

SELF-CONTROL - Definition: control or restraint of oneself or one's actions, feelings, etc. It can be difficult at times to hold back comments with people who push your buttons, but in the end, being a professional and maintaining a higher level of courtesy and self control is the better choice.

INDOMITABLE SPIRIT - that cannot be subdued or overcome, as persons, will, or courage; unconquerable: an indomitable warrior. Have courage no matter what the odds are. ‘When things get tough, the tough get going'...

VICTORY - Definition: a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc. Conquer the things you set out to do no matter how big or small. This may be as simple as filling out your weekly calendar, or as big as creating your marketing plans for the next few months. The victory of completing and accomplishing your goals is extremely self rewarding!