Elizabeth Weintraub, Sacramento Real Estate Broker

My husband headed out of town last Thursday. As I watched his car pull away, it dawned on me. Shoot. I have been so busy working that I forgot to line up a home improvement project. He never knows when he leaves what he'll find when he comes back to our Land Park home except that I will have undertaken something new and different. I do this to spare him the inconvenience. That's because all home improvement projects involve some type of lifestyle compromise, even if it's something as simple as, "Hey, I can't use the back door for a while."

I made an emergency phone call to my painters, Fresh Paint.

The top photo shows my cleared off deck prior to paint, and the bottom is the first coat. I hired professional painters because I don't have the time to do this myself. Christine, above, was one of the painters who did my kitchen. First, she power washed the deck, scraped off peeling paint and power washed the brick landing (which is remaining unpainted). It was looking all fresh and sparkly!

The problem, however, was the wind. Christine completed the first coat Friday morning and planned to come back later in the day to finish up. Except by 2 PM, the winds were blowing so hard that those little helicopter seeds were flying off trees, along with leaves and dust, and landing on my deck. I asked the painter to come back Saturday morning instead and was lucky the painters were able to accommodate that request. Otherwise, this job would not get finished before my husband returns.

How do you like the color? It's the same color that I painted the wood deck and Jacuzzi lattice. I realize some people really like Seattle red in landscaping and yards, but it seems dated to me. (update tomorrow)

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub

I never know where new business might come from, but I generally know why. Most of my business comes from one of two places: the Internet or referrals. I know that the reasons these people are contacting me are because they heard good things about me or they read my web site and are familiar with my background.

However, yesterday, my painter asked me whether homes in Land Park were selling well. I gave him a few statistics, mostly summing up that my neighborhood is fairly stable and well priced homes with character sell pretty quickly. That's when I found out that he owns several homes in Land Park.

He asked me to list one of them.

I wondered if he had read my web site. Nope. Did he talk with any of my past clients? Nope. Did he see my For Sale signs around town? Nope. He said he had worked with several of my competitors in the past but decided to no longer give them his listings. He picked me for one reason. Because I regularly refer business to him. Oh. Well. I'm not complaining. I guess it's a good thing that I am nice to my contractors, genuinely like them and appreciate their work.

But the truth is sometimes I forget that sellers often select agents just because they like them. It's still a people business.

Finding out if your prospective landlord is about to go into foreclosure is simply a good idea for any tenant who is contemplating renting. You don't have to wait until the Sheriff shows up at your door with an eviction notice. You can be notified immediately when a Notice of Default is filed by your landlord's lender, indicating that a foreclosure process has begun.

Here is how to find out if your landlord is in foreclosure.

• Call a local title company and ask for customer service.
• Give the customer service rep the property address and ask for a free copy of the first deed of trust to be emailed to you.
• Print the copy of the deed of trust, because you will need to know the document number, book, page, name of beneficiary (the lender) and name of trustor (the landlord).
• Go to http://www.foreclosureforum.com/forms/request_notice.pdf to access a free Request for Copy of Notice of Default.
• On your computer, fill in the blanks with the information above from the deed of trust, and enter your name and address in the space provided.
• Print the Request for Copy of Notice of Default.
• Sign it in front of a notary.
• Attach a check for $11 made payable to the Sacramento County Recorder.
• Mail it to the Sacramento County Recorder, P. O. Box 839, Sacramento, CA 95812-0839.

The Request for Copy of Notice of Default will be recorded upon receipt. Then, if your landlord's lender files a Notice of Default, you will receive a copy of it in the mail. Foreclosures in California take about 3 1/2 to 4 months to complete. This time period should give you ample opportunity to work out the problem with your landlord. You might also consider asking if your security deposit can be applied to rent because once the foreclosure is complete, your lease is no longer valid, and you might not get your security deposit back.

If you prefer to handle the entire procedure in person, you can go to the Sacramento County Recorder's office at 600 8th Street (at the corner of 8th and F) and pull a copy of the deed of trust. Take the Request for Copy of Notice of Default with you and fill it out at the Recorder's office. Get it notarized, pay your eleven bucks, and you'll go on record that afternoon, providing you arrive before 3 PM. The Sacramento County Recorder's office is open from 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Same-day recording hours are from 8 AM to 3 PM.

Tenants in foreclosure should know that California law gives tenants the right to receive a 60-day notice.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

I realize the law giving homeowners the right to apply, if they are qualified, for an FHA refinance at 90% of appraised value -- today's value -- went into effect on October 1, but who is funding those programs? That's what I would like to know.

I checked with my Sacramento class A FHA mortgage company today (Vitek Mortgage), and none of its investors are willing to make these loans. I'm dumbfounded.

What good is new legislation if no lenders are willing to make the loans? What gives?

I realize the law just went into effect a mere 9 days ago, but still. Shouldn't local lenders be willing to take on this type of financing that is insured by the US Government? Or has everybody gone wonky on us? This sounds like some sort of joke to me. Tell me this is not true. Does anybody have loan applications in process that appear to be solid?

I've also heard that the banks, the existing mortgage holders, will report to credit bureaus the deficiency. Why would a borrower take out an FHA refinance, give 50% or so to FHA on future appreciation, and get hit with a ding on top of it, when a borrower could just walk away on a short sale and buy a cheaper home two years later? Please explain. Something does not make sense to me.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

Here is a fact that my husband simply cannot understand: His wife does not like eggplant, especially the common globe type of eggplant. He can dip it in batter, fry it and bake it as a Moussaka, and I don't care how much sauce it's covered with, I won't eat it. Lately, he's been chopping up the eggplant in tiny pieces and sneaking it into spaghetti sauce, like I won't know the difference. And I don't.

Japanese eggplant, the long, thin, purple type is moderately passable for me when sliced in half lengthwise, cut through crisscrossed to the skin, salted, sprinkled with olive oil and grilled over a hot flame. But I prefer other vegetables grilled such as asparagus (generally available only in the spring) or peppers.

Until I tasted white eggplant, I could get by without ever eating eggplant again. The white eggplant almost melts in your mouth. The skin is a little chewy, but the flesh is creamy and sweet. We are growing white eggplant in our back-yard garden in Land Park. From seed. And it's producing a big crop, as you can see from the photo above.

You know why you can't buy white eggplant in the store? Because it bruises too easily and doesn't travel well. Grocery shoppers won't buy bruised fruit, and the purple type doesn't show bruises. That's too bad, because I suspect many people will never get a chance to try white eggplant. If you live near an organic farm, though, maybe.

Next year, why not try planting something different in your yard? Let me know if you grow white eggplant what you think of it. I'm betting you will love it. Even if you don't like eggplant.

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub