A couple of days ago, a baby giant anteater was born at the Sacramento Zoo in Land Park. This was a first for the Sacramento Zoo. I was mesmerized by the photo of the giant anteater and thought about going over to the Zoo to see if I could snap a photo. But the infant is confined to close quarters in a den with its mother, Amber, so the best that I can do is give you that link where you can see the actual photo for yourself.

The baby giant anteater looks just like an alien. And you know I’ve seen my fair share of aliens. So, I know exactly what they look like. Just kidding, I have no idea what an alien looks like, but if aliens were to come to Earth, I bet they would resemble giant anteaters. Neither the Sacramento Zoo’s website nor the Sacramento Bee article disclosed the gender of this newborn giant anteater. I wonder why.

I was thinking about this as I showed homes in Land Park yesterday. Did you know that a mother anteater is pregnant for 180 days? That’s as long as a listing agreement. Well, I do take one-year listing agreements, but those are generally short sales. My regular contract period for a traditional sale is 6 months. Not that it takes me 6 months to sell homes in Land Park, but it could take 45 days to get an offer, depending on the price range, and another 45 days to close. I am required to get a listing extension if closing runs over that time period, so being the efficient person that I am, I make my listing agreement durations longer than necessary to avoid additional paperwork.

It was cold yesterday, too. And wet. My feet were freezing. It was my own fault for not wearing boots and choosing ballerina flats instead. Two of the homes I showed had no heat. So, while my buyers were wandering around in the back yard in the rain, I grabbed a cellphone call. Sometimes I look at my phone when it rings to see who is calling, but I was too cold to take it out of its holster; I answered the call on my Bluetooth Jawbone.

The caller was a home seller in Iowa. She had been doing research online and said every website she went to led her back to me. That’s the downside of enjoying a strong Internet presence. Strangers from all over the country call me. This woman could not sell her home. Buyers had been telling her over and over that although they liked the home, the bedrooms were too small. What could she do to sell it?

I tried to explain that homes with undesirable features tend to sell for less than desirable homes. I asked her to think about why she bought the home in the first place because, whatever the reason, that’s why a buyer will purchase it now. I suggested she lower the price.

Turns out she built the home. Well, lady, I hate to say this, but you built your bedrooms too small.

Photo: Big Stock Photo

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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. DRE License # 00697006.

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

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.

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