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If Only Selling Short Sales Was This Simple and Orderly

3 cats in a cat tree

This is how we've finally solved the cat tree problem at our home in Land Park. The problem is we've had multiple cat trees but only spots for 2 cats to sit, and we have 3 cats. We have a cinnammon-spotted ocicat named Pia. She is the cat on the bottom rung, but she rules the house.

On the second rung, I present Jackson, the flamepoint ragdoll, who is always looking for trouble because he's barely a year old. Trouble is Jackson's middle name.

On the top rung is Pica, a marbled silver chocolate ocicat. He came to live with us because breeders can't show marbled ocicats. They can only show those cats with spots. Pia, on the other hand, was a breeding cat who retired at 18 months and was looking for a good home.

We went to the movies at Arden Fair last weekend to see Hugo and stopped by Petco to pick up the crazy chicken for Pia. She loves those PureBites chicken treats. We spotted this cat tree and bought it on the spot. I've been looking for a 3-tiered cat tree for years.

See, I knew there was a reason we jumped out of the long line at the Tower Theatre. We had originally gone to the Tower to see George Clooney, but the line was out to the street. Some of the people didn't even know why they were there -- I asked a woman which movie she came to see and she told me The Defenders. It was the The Descendents. So, we'll have to go see that movie some other time.

sacramento short sale agentcerfified hafa specialist

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Certified HAFA Specialistelizabeth weintraub

 

equator certified platinum reo elizabeth weintraub

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews My Sacramento Real Estate Listings

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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.

Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.

The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.

Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

 

Jackson the Ragdoll is Not Just Another Pretty Face

When I was younger, I used to say that the only thing better than being beautiful is being smart. And if you can have those two traits combined, then more power to you -- you're lucky. Smart people get ahead, but beautiful people get promoted, and that's just the way life is. If you think looks don't matter and play no role in office politics, in school, in your career or otherwise, then you're probably a homely person.

But what happens if you are truly beautiful and you have no brain?

One of the reasons I am attracted to cats is because they are smart. Like dogs, they are loyal, but unlike dogs, they are incredibly sneaky, manipulative and well, let's just say a cat lost in the woods would never starve to death. Cats are capable of doing the unthinkable. They can open locked doors by staring at them. They don't always use their incredible brains because they don't have to. Many times they are spoiled rotten.

My cats have us wrapped around their little paws. We are at their beck and call and do whatever is asked of us. The cats make their needs known. They are excellent communicators.

Except for Jackson, the ragdoll, who lives with us in Land Park, Sacramento. He spends hours gazing at himself in the mirror. But he doesn't have the lick of common sense given to a gopher. My friend Myrl Jeffcoat calls him a "blonde" for all that entails. I'm beginning to think she is right. His favorite thing to do right now is not drink out of the water fountain like the other cats, but to splash the water all over the ceramic floor and then knock off the top of the fountain, just for the fun of it!

jackson flamepoint ragdoll

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub, Jackson the Flamepoint Ragdoll

sacramento short sale agentcerfified hafa specialist

---

Certified HAFA Specialistelizabeth weintraub

 

equator certified platinum reo elizabeth weintraub

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews My Sacramento Real Estate Listings

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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.

Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.

The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.

Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

 

Pia and the Crazy Chicken

Pia lives in Land Park, Sacramento, with her servants Adam and Elizabeth Weintraub. She also allows Pica and Jackson to live with her.

sacramento short sale agentcerfified hafa specialist

---

Certified HAFA Specialistelizabeth weintraub

 

equator certified platinum reo elizabeth weintraub

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews My Sacramento Real Estate Listings

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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.

Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.

The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.

Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

 

Spring Time in Land Park, Sacramento

Where did springtime go? This was our weather yesterday in Land Park, Sacramento. It's so cold this morning our furnace is running. I better go catch it.

My husband shot this video with his new iPhone.

sacramento short sale agentcerfified hafa specialist

---

Certified HAFA Specialistelizabeth weintraub

 

equator certified platinum reo elizabeth weintraub

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews My Sacramento Real Estate Listings

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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.

Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.

The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.

Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

 

Nothing Says I've Survived a Sacramento Winter Like a Blooming Cactus Garden in Land Park

Here is a companion to Witless Wednesday or Mindless Monday or Thoughtless Thursday or whatever you call it when somebody posts a photo with little or no text. Except I will tell you this is what you'll see in the back yards of a number of similar homes in Land Park. It's my springtime cactus garden in Land Park, just beginning to bloom:

cactus garden land park

photo: Elizabeth Weintraub

Coming up soon . . . photos from Sunset Strip - Hollywood

sacramento short sale agentcerfified hafa specialist

---

Certified HAFA Specialistelizabeth weintraub

 

equator certified platinum reo elizabeth weintraub

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews My Sacramento Real Estate Listings

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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.

Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.

The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.

Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

 

Elizabeth Weintraub's Home Office in Land Park Gets a Makeover

Elizabeth Weintraub's Home Office in Land ParkI am more excited today than I was the day I discovered I could buy sticky replacement keyboard keys to place over my worn out keys. That's because over the weekend I received a brand new desk, hutch and chair. A client gave it to me. She is moving from what was once almost a million-dollar home into smaller accommodations, and she had originally planned to leave her home office furniture behind.

Looking around at my dismal office set-up of press-board furniture, it dawned on me that I probably deserved better. Hey, it was only a few years ago that I donated my bean bag chairs and got rid of my water bed. Growing up is hard to do. Buying grown-up furniture is expensive and, not to mention, time consuming.

I asked my client if she would consider giving me the office furniture. She agreed. Well, first she had promised to leave it for the buyers, so she had to get their OK, but they were good with it. I would not have expected her to break a promise to them. We're only as good as our word. Our word is precious.

The home office furniture is beautiful. Stunning. My new desk is 33-inches deep. Plenty of room for all of my equipment. If I had gone to a furniture store and stroked the wood in person I could not have found a better collection of home office furniture. It's so wonderful to be able to open a file cabinet drawer and not have to balance it with my knee.

It's the little things in life that can bring enormous enjoyment. Thank you, Deb. And thank you for choosing me to be your Sacramento listing agent.

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub

P.S. And below, are two recent photos shot by my husband of our new kitten, Jackson. I must need my head examined to have adopted a kitten. He is a terror. He is worse than the energizer bunny. But I love him to pieces.

Jackson flamepoint ragdoll kittenjackson flamepoint ragdoll kitten

sacramento short sale agentcerfified hafa specialist

---

Certified HAFA Specialistelizabeth weintraub

 

equator certified platinum reo elizabeth weintraub

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews My Sacramento Real Estate Listings

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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.

Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.

The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.

Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

 

Are Men Really From Mars?

women from venus men from marsYou know that book Women Are From Venus and Men Are From Mars? The author of that book, btw, John Gray, looks very similar to that creepy guy who was once married to Bree Vandercamp on Desperate Housewives. But with that aside, the Women-Venus, Men-Mars thing has practically become a household phrase, and John Gray has probably made a boatload of money for himself with that catchy term.

He was in the right place at the right time. I remember when his book came out, and some feminists at the time didn't agree with Gray's premise because they somehow thought he was undermining the mission. Although Gray never really indicated one sex was superior to the other, just that they were different. If you really need another example, though, I'm gonna share one with you.

Remember my neighbor who could not sell her home in Land Park because she has 3 kitchens? She has since moved away and rented it out. The person who is renting it turns out to be the buyer of a home I sold several years ago in South Land Park. I represented the seller, not him. See, this is really a small world, especially in Sacramento.

He came over yesterday to ask if he could use our phone. Seems he needed to call the property manager because his dog managed to get him locked out of the house. Or, at least that was his story, and he was sticking to it. It was raining, and my husband answered the door. My husband asked our neighbor if he needed a jacket. "No, I'm fine; it's not that cold," he said. "I'll go wait in my back yard." And he left. My husband closed the door.

I overheard this exchange, grabbed my cell and ran out in the rain after him. He was indeed standing in his back yard in the rain. I had to drag him back to my house.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

sacramento short sale agentcerfified hafa specialist

---

Certified HAFA Specialistelizabeth weintraub

 

equator certified platinum reo elizabeth weintraub

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews My Sacramento Real Estate Listings

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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.

Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.

The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.

Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

 

A Ragdoll Kitten Will Come Home to Land Park

flamepoint ragdoll kittenI don't know if we ever fully recover after a death of someone we love, but we do find ways to manage that empty spot in our lives. The pain gets easier to bear and it dissolves into happier memories of more pleasant times. For example, I can now talk more openly about the death of my cat, Brandon, without big fat tears rolling down my cheeks, and that's definite progress.

In fact, it's been more than a month now since I said goodbye to Brandon. So, I am proud of myself that my emotional state is such that I am able to adopt a new cat. Check out his photo on this page. Picking him up in 2 weeks. It took me more than a year to adopt a new cat after my previous cat died. That was in 1991, when Brandon came to live with me. Twenty years later, time passes a lot of faster than it did then, and I guess time becomes more precious.

Just for the record, we already have two cats, Pia and Pica, but they are our cats, ocicats, and not my cat.

My new kitten is a flame point ragdoll. He presently lives in San Diego. So, I'm flying down in two weeks to meet him at the San Diego airport. I will personally carry him in the cabin back to Sacramento because I don't want him flying in cargo. He will make his home in Land Park.  I realize pets are transported in cargo all the time, but I can't help but feel it's too hard on them and too frightening.

I'm thinking about naming him Jackson. What do you think? Isn't he precious?

Photo: G. Strobel

sacramento short sale agentcerfified hafa specialist

---

Certified HAFA Specialistelizabeth weintraub

 

equator certified platinum reo elizabeth weintraub

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews My Sacramento Real Estate Listings

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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.

Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.

The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.

Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

 

Who Rules the Home Buying Decision?

pia and pica

You know what I hear some Sacramento real estate agents say about buyers? If mama ain't happy, nobody is happy -- meaning it's generally mama who keeps peace in the family. Because if you make mama happy, she'll make everybody else around her happy. And if you don't, she'll make everybody else miserable. So, if mama wants to buy a home, a particular home, maybe a home in Land Park, ya'll better sit up and pay attention.

Except it doesn't always work this way. Sometimes it's daddy who better be kept happy. It's rare that we have a compromise between the two extremes because a balance of power is not always equal.

Around my house, I know who rules. Without exception. It's the cats. Many homes in Land Park are occupied by cats. And right now all 3 of them are sound asleep in the family room, near me and my computer. Among them, Pia is the top cat, although she is the youngest and the only female. Pica is on the left. He's a chocolate-silver marbled ocicat. Pia, on the right, is a cinnamon-spotted ocicat. She doesn't care that Pica wants to sleep by himself on the condo. She is sitting practically on top of him.

If Pia and Pica were looking to buy a condo, Pia would go along with whatever Pica chose. She would not make the initial decision herself, but she would seal the deal. Home buyers aren't that different. But a smart Land Park agent will allow the natural order of relationships -- whatever that balance of power between the parties may be -- to dictate. Without judgment.

Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub

sacramento short sale agentcerfified hafa specialist

---

Certified HAFA Specialistelizabeth weintraub

 

equator certified platinum reo elizabeth weintraub

Elizabeth Weintraub reviews My Sacramento Real Estate Listings

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 the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.

Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.

The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.

Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.