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
