Portland, Oregon - City of Roses . . .

Carla Muss-Jacobs
When all we hear is the gloom and doom of the financial markets, the housing markets, the credit markets . . . it's nice to know that there are some POSITIVE news out there. When the Wall St. balls bounces high, low, up, down in nanoseconds . . . fortunes are made, lost, come and go . . . there are constants which still remain in life.

We have all got to stop and smell a rose . . . or two! And where is Normal Vincent Peale when you need him?!?!?

Here's some positive, upbeat news, and since it reflects Portland, Oregon in a sweet, positive light, I hope you all pose to smell the City of Roses.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Portland In Top Ten Cities Where Your Dollar Goes Furthest

Money goes further some places in the United States than it does in others.

Housing, in particular, has remained most affordable in the South and the Midwest. That´s because of less stringent building, an abundance of land and growing populations in the South, says Daniel McCue, a research analyst at Harvard´s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

To determine the cities that offer the best quality of life for the least amount of money, Forbes magazine calculated the ratios between a city´s median home price and its median household income. It also factored in projected job growth. And it compared median income to Moody´s Economy.com´s cost of living index.


Here are the 10 cities that it found to offer the best value.

Cities Where Residents Get the Most for Their Money

Austin, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

Indianapolis, Ind.

Houston, Texas

Charlotte, N.C.

Columbus, Ohio

Dallas

Minneapolis/St. Paul

Denver

Portland, Ore.

Source: RealtorŪ Magazine Daily Real Estate News, October 15, 2008

Even if you don't live in one of these cities, there's still plenty of things to be thankful for. Now is a good time to smell the roses, count your blessings, consider some of your favorite things. We are going through a very patchy time. My business has fallen off tremendously. But, hope springs eternal. I predict our Spring '09 will bring out lots of buyers, and our market will bloom nicely!

Please visit me at www.EBAPortland.com

Hang in there EVERYONE!! Everyone has a story to tell, and yet, we still have much to be thankful for. Please consider the plus side, and while you're at it . . . kill your TV!
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Carla Muss-Jacobs

Carla Muss-Jacobs, ABR, CEBA, e-Pro, Broker/Owner of EBA Portland, LLC. an EXCLUSIVE BUYER AGENCY located in Portland, Oregon. She practices the "true" form of buyer agency: 100% buyer representation, 100% of the time.

WHY? Buyers have been underrepresented in the market. Listing agents represent the Sellers ... not the Buyers. Whatever a buyer says to the listing agent (at an open house, calling on a For Sale sign) may actually hinder the buyer in further negotiations.

Buyers have "emotions" with a home purchase. "You find the house you love ... I'll do the rest," focusing on the true bottom line in real estate: the legal aspects of contracts, the material and substantive issues involved in a home purchase.

Carla has a B.S. in Social Science, over 15 years in the legal industry as a legal assistant/paralegal. She is a Certified Legal Secretary (1987) through the Beverly Hills Bar Association.

Carla is an Accredited Buyers Agent and e-Pro (through the National Association of RealtorsŪ), and a Certified Exclusive Buyers' Agent (through NAEBA, the National Assoc. of Exclusive Buyer Agents, a non-profit established to assist BUYERS!)

An EBA by choice, she knows both sides of the transaction, and is happy to answer general real estate questions with knowledge of the ever-changing markets. (Licensed in Oregon).

EBA Portland