Sacramento, CA

Agents often ask me: how is it that I can write a daily blog? They want to know if I sit at my computer staring at a blinking cursor and wondering what to write. I suppose they wonder if I ever get writer's block. The answer to that question is in the negative, Spock. The thing that I struggle with on occasion is not that I have nothing to write about, it's which topic or situation I want to tackle. There are so many to choose from. Stuff happens every day. A lot of stuff.

The truth is I just write. Sometimes, when I pick a subject, the blog doesn't end up being about that topic at all. I go somewhere else with it. And you know what, that's OK. It's all right to make a U-turn in the middle of the road because I'm a real estate agent.

The way that I handle such a huge volume of real estate business, especially as a Sacramento short sale agent, is to be organized. I'm organized almost to a fault. For example, I rarely retire for the evening without filing away every single document that I've thrown on my desktop during the day. Each downloaded document has a destination. I don't want to get up in the morning to be greeted by a computer desktop littered with files. It would make my head spin.

I like a fresh start to each day. I wake up wondering what fresh new hell lies in wait. What will I tackle next? I know that I am subject to the attention span of a cocker spaniel, so I generally deal with situations immediately; that way nothing is overlooked or misplaced.

For example, when I receive documents that require signatures from both the buyer and seller, I file those documents in a "holding doc" folder, which I check daily. It tells me immediately if I've received executed contracts. If not, I follow up. I maintain a listing tracker spreadsheet in Excel to monitor progress on my listings. Every buyer has a separate folder with the buyer's name on it, not the property address, because all of my buyers are special individuals. I would never want them to be identified by the address of the home they are buying. They are people first, transactions second.

On the other hand, my short-sale seller folders are labeled with both the sellers' names and address for fast tracking. I never know when a negotiator will call and I'll need to immediately access the file. In fact, I was a little surprised yesterday when a Bank of America negotiator indicated that one particular short sale is about to be approved after working on this file for more than a year. Granted, it wasn't entirely Bank of America's fault. The first buyer had walked away sometime last fall upon short sale approval. But a new buyer immediately replaced the previous buyer, and the file was resubmitted in November. The new buyer says she'll wait indefinitely for this home because it's the exact model she wants.

Well, unless a replica comes on the market. Yeah, right. The person I feel for is the poor seller who has been waiting more than a year to put this horrible nightmare behind. For every 10 Sacramento short sales that close within a 90-day window, I'll generally get a Bank of America short sale that seems to drag on and on. But I never give up because eventually they do close. I have a digital record of just about every single action that has occurred on this transaction, which is how I know that when approval arrives, it will have happened before 90 days. Bank of America is improving its timeline for short sales.

In fact, I'll take all of the Sacramento Bank of America short sales that other agents don't want. Once you know its systems, Equator and Titanium, a Bank of America short sale isn't that much more difficult than any other short sale. They just require organization, a bit of patience, tenacity, persistence and the ability to laugh at yourself once in a while.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

We in Land Park are very fortunate to have the Regional Zoo right here in our neighborhood. They are wonderful neighbors and a real asset to our community. They are constantly offering events to promote the zoo, so I thought I would give you an update on the upcoming events you might want to take advantage of.

FEBRUARY
Regular hours begin, now open from 9AM to 4PM.
February 13th - Wildlife Stage Show - 11AM

MARCH
March 6th - Bloomin' Crazy Plant Fest from 9AM - 4PM
March 24th - Summer Camp (Members Only) Registration
March 29th through April 11th (daily) - Zoo P.I.'s Critter Caper - 11AM, Wildlife Stage Show 1:30PM
April 13th through September 6th - Wildlife Stage Show Tuesday through Sunday 1:30PM

APRIL
April 3rd - Recycle Rummage Sale 9AM - 4PM
April 3rd - Earth Fest - Party for the Planet 9AM - 4PM
April 30th - ZooZoom 30th Annual Run/Walk 7AM-Noon

MAY
May 1st - California Celebration Multicultural Day and Wildlife Diversity 9AM-4PM
May 3, 10, 17th - Senior Tea and Tours 9:30AM -Noon
May 20th - Swingin' Safari Golf Tournament

JUNE
June 12th and 18th - Family Overnights
June 17th and 24th - Twilight Thursdays Open late until 8PM
June 26th - King of Feasts Food and Wine Fundraiser 5:30PM - 8:30PM (zoo closes early at 1:30PM)

JULY
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29th - Twilight Thursdays Open late until 8PM
July 2, 10, 16, 31 - Family Overnights
July 24th - Ice Cram Safari All you can eat ice cream 4PM - 8PM (zoo closes early at 1:30PM)

AUGUST
August 7th and 13th - Family Overnights
August 12th - Member Evening 5:30 - 8:30

SEPTEMBER
September 10th through October 31st - Wildlife Stage Show 11AM
September 13th and 20th - Senior Tea and Tours -9:30AM - Noon

OCTOBER
October 2nd - Wild Affair Gala, Dinner and Auction 5PM - 10PM (zoo closes early at 1:30PM)
October 18th - Senior Tea and Tours 9:30AM - Noon
October 30th and 31st - Boo at the Zoo 4:30 - 8PM (zoo closes early at 1:30PM)

NOVEMBER
November 1st - Winter Zoo hours begin 10AM - 4PM
November 6th through February 2011 - Animal Encounters 11AM
November 11th - Veteran's Family Day 50% discount admission with a valid military ID 10AM - 4PM
November TBA - Recycle Rummage Sale 10AM - 4PM
November 25th - Zoo closed - Happy Thanksgiving!

DECEMBER
December - Toys for Tots Bring one unwrapped new toy and receive a free child's admission
December 11th - Holiday Magic - Animal Enrichments 10AM - 4PM
December 24th - Pajama Party at the Zoo Free Day 10AM - 1:30PM (zoo closes early at 1:30PM)
December 25th - Zoo closed - Merry Christmas!

Funerals make you hungry. Either that, or they make you cry. Last Saturday, I attended a funeral with my husband in downtown Sacramento. After the service, we went to Jim-Denny's Hamburgers Chili for lunch. This is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that has been a 76-year tradition in Sacramento. We've been meaning to go there for years and, in fact, did stop by a few years ago but it was too crowded, so we left.

Now, if you go to a Catholic funeral, they generally feed you. But the funeral we went to was Lutheran. I actually have very little experience with funerals. I realized that fact when I reached my mid-30s. I don't know how a person can be on this planet for 30-some years without going to a funeral, but I had managed it.

As a result, I reached out to my girlfriend who had more experience than me. I asked her to guide me through funeral etiquette. Clearly, somebody I knew would die soon, and I didn't want to be caught off-guard. I thought it would be easier to attend a funeral for a person I did not know, so I picked a death notice out of the newspaper, circled the date of the funeral on my calendar and considered that my practice funeral.

Here are some of the things that I learned:

• A death notice is generally an invitation in disguise to go to a funeral
  
• You don't have to wear black.
• Stuff some tissues in your pocket.
• If you don't know the family, don't sit with them.
• It's OK to cry.
• It's OK to sing, but not all by yourself.

I was pretty sure it's not a good idea to leave your cellphone on, so when we walked into St. John's Lutheran Church on Saturday, I turned my phone to "silent." The cantor had a beautiful voice, and I was mesmerized. But not so much that I didn't feel my cellphone vibrate. No, no, no, don't touch it. Bzzt. Bzzt. But I couldn't help myself. I looked around. We were sitting in an end pew. People would probably think I was praying with my head bowed. I did the unthinkable. I slowly slipped my cellphone out of my pocket and glanced at my email. Now, I'm probably going to hell for that.

But soon the guilt was overturned by the sense of hunger. Which is what led us to Jim-Denny's Hamburgers Chili. Going there just seemed appropriate for some reason. This little restaurant is located on 12th Street between H and I Street. Here is a photo of the interior. It's the size of a cable car and dates back to 1934. The signs on the wall advertise fancy ham, fancy hamburgers, back when anything better than ordinary was called fancy.

A handwritten sign next to the old wall phone warned customers that if they sit next to the phone and it rings, they must answer it and take an order. I was glad my husband had that seat. We arrived at 11:45, 15 minutes before lunch. Everybody at the counter, which is the only place to eat, were busy stuffing gigantic omelets into their mouths. The servings were humongous, along the lines of what you get at the Market Club in Land Park.

I ordered the 5-cent hamburger with raw onions, lettuce, tomatoes and no pickles. You can see it in the photo above. Well, you won't see the onions because the waiter forgot to give them to me. He also put mustard on the bottom bun but the top bun was dry. My husband got the Superburger with bacon and requested no cheese. They gave him a burger with cheese.

The french fries were pretty good, though. Sliced very thin and crispy without being too crunchy. The fries reminded me of those served at the drugstore where I used to go after school in the 1960s. In fact, the hamburger brought back those memories, too. Pretty tasty food for a 12-year-old. But now that I'm an old goat, my taste buds have matured. I prefer thicker hamburgers, like the Waterboy Deluxe Burger, made from ground chuck. Perhaps I should have ordered the megaburger?

By the time we slid out of our seats, $20 poorer and a bit fatter than when we walked in the door, there were so many people standing behind us that I couldn't reach my bag on the floor. I grabbed the handle and tugged it between the stools, almost knocking some guy in the face. That's when I realized my cellphone was still turned to "silent." Ah, the sweet bliss of no phone calls about my Sacramento short sales for two solid hours. It was back to business. If we go back to Jim-Denny's, though, I will definitely order the megaburger.

I should also mention that the funeral was for a real estate agent who worked at my midtown office of Lyon Real Estate. I suspect he forgave me for looking at my cellphone. He was the type who would understand. He was a good egg and will be missed. You know, we just don't have enough good eggs in this world.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

Whenever I leave the comfort of my home-based office, I try to plan my driving route to incorporate stops along the way so I can maximize my time. For example, if I need to drop off dry cleaning, I'll do it on my way to my midtown Lyon Real Estate office, rather than make a separate trip to the dry cleaners. That explains why I never have anything to wear.

Because I had to drive out the 99 freeway yesterday to put a lockbox on another Elk Grove short sale listing, I figured I'd stop at a few furniture stores on my way back to look at bedroom furniture. I'm still on a quest for a new bed and dresser. I know exactly what I want, the dimensions, type of color and finish, style, even down to the type of construction.

I walked into Signature, which took over the space on 55th that was previously occupied by Levitz. Like most furniture stores, the cheaper stuff is at the front, and the quality stuff is on display at the back. I found a halfway decent bedroom set at the very back and tracked down a salesperson to ask for the dimensions. He couldn't tell me. His answer was, "If it doesn't fit, I'll take it back." His focus was on selling me and he wasn't listening.

Next, I went to Beck's. Walked all the aisles and finally stopped a salesperson who walked right by me without making eye contact. She asked who greeted me at the front door. Why, nobody. I explained what I was looking for, and while she was very polite and nice, she didn't know her product line.

Further up the road at American Furniture Galleries, a salesperson said hello when I walked in the door. He grabbed a tape measure so he could figure out the width of his dressers. I was surprised that he didn't know the dimensions of his inventory. He showed me expresso finishes when I told him I wanted brown cherry. Finally, he handed me the tape measure and wandered off.

OK, so I'll go downtown to Macy's. The first salesperson did not know the difference between an Eastern King and a California King bed. He became frustrated and suggested I pick out what I wanted, and he'd write it up. I wanted to buy two pieces of furniture that would fit in a specific space along my wall. I spied another salesperson and approached him. I explained my dilemma. He listened. Showed me a set that would fit. Explained why it would fit. He even looked up compatible pieces that were discontinued on his computer.

All of this made me realize how frustrated some Sacramento home buyers must feel while they are out homebuying. Especially those buyers who know exactly what they want. Some real estate agents tell buyers to look at online listings and to let the agent know when a home suits their fancy. Are we guilty of throwing inventory at home buyers, expecting them to come back to us when they're ready to buy and we'll write it up? Are we order takers?

Or do we listen to our home buyers' wants and needs and try to find that perfect home for them? Do we research the background and history of that home so our buyers can make an informed decision? Or do we tell them that after it closes, if they don't like it, we'll sell it again for them?

I have the ability to fine-tune MLS searches for my buyers. For example, if they want to look at homes in Land Park, in a very specific neighborhood, I can manually draw a map search for them based on street boundaries. I can narrow the search based on certain criteria, say, by sending only those listings within that neighborhood that have 2 baths, a fireplace and hardwood floors. If a buyer prefers a one-story home, I'm certainly not going to show the buyer two-story homes.

After I spend a few hours showing homes, I have extracted so much information from my buyers that if they haven't found a home they like during our first tour, I now know exactly what type of home they want. I can see it in my mind and spot it when I find it in MLS. I search through inventory for them. I email my thoughts on new listings to my actively searching buyers. We talk. Interact. And they find their dream homes.

But, boy, do I feel sorry for them when they go furniture shopping.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

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