Carla Muss-Jacobs
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 Realtors®), 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
Articles by Carla Muss-Jacobs
August 02, 2009
P.I.T.I. the key to helping homebuyers budget their monthly mortgage payments.
June 25, 2009
Why isn't a Freddie Mac property SELLING?? When an honest offer is not accepted . . . GEE thanks Uncle Sam!
June 11, 2009
effective changes coming in mortgage industry July 30, 2009 -- NEW CHANGES IN MORTGAGE LENDER COMPLIANCE LAWS
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA)
April 08, 2009
FDIC raised insurance limits on all deposits up to $250,000 . . . did you think it was FOREVER!?!? Think again . . .
March 20, 2009
I thought this was the Year of Our Lord 2009 NOT 1984
February 01, 2009
Does anyone remember PMI?
December 29, 2008
2008 is slowly passing up, and we are heading into 2009 -- or, as I would like to call it: 200Fine!
August 09, 2008
When the Buyer's Market is unrealistic
February 29, 2008
Who represents Whom in real estate transactions?
February 21, 2008
Can't figure out what happened to the mortgage industry? Here's a GREAT, easy to understand illustration: The "SubPrime Primer"
What most of the mortgage mess can be attributed to.
January 19, 2008
The commute to work isn't a weekend jaunt. It's a daily committment and the costs can be staggering. Want to find out how a cheaper house in the 'burbs might end up costing you MORE?
December 31, 2007
I like to tell people that my crystal ball broke a few years ago, and as such I really can’t see into the future.
But, at the close of 2007 I feel like trying my hand at forecasting what might be expected in the Metro Portland area for the New Year – or at least in the next 3 to 6 months.
Fir...
October 24, 2007
I am a Native Californian. Matter of fact, I was born and reared in So. California, so I remember fires!
Although I relocated to the Pacific NW many years ago, I remember when I was young and lived in the San Fernando Valley, fires hit Malibu Canyon. The ocean inversion layer would blow the s...
October 18, 2007
I bet you thought I was going to write an article about how to prepare your home for the fall and winter months?
It actually is a great time to do that – change your clock back one hour on November 4th, check your smoke alarms, clean the rain gutters, clean the chimney flue, change the air filt...
October 03, 2007
The dictionary defines subliminal as: 1) existing or functioning below the threshold of consciousness.
Another definition is: 2) inadequate to produce a sensation or a perception.
When we think about “subliminal” we think of messages placed subliminally in advertising. The “Buy Coke” messag...
September 19, 2007
This is a statement, not a question. Buyers make (avoidable) mistakes that can cost them money, or ultimately weaken their negotiation position.
What do buyers do wrong?
Talk TOO Much!
I’ve never been arrested, but from being an avid viewer of reality TV cop shows I do know one thing . ....
September 10, 2007
For the record, I don’t practice in Florida, and I’ve never sold a hotel in my life – except when I play Monopoly. My area of expertise is residential, not commercial.
However, I’m copying a “subject” line I received in my email the other day received by Sidestep, or Priceline, or Orbitz, or ...
August 27, 2007
This article was written for BOTH buyers and sellers. It's pertinent because in today's real estate market, no one wants to have a "Sale Fail" at the last minute. A sale fail is exactly that: A sale (read: accepted offer) has failed, and fallen out of escrow. The stigma of a BOM (back on market)...
August 20, 2007
"Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night!" [As Margo Channing in All About Eve] -- Bette Davis
Oh come on folks. Don't act all surprised. We’ve known about this for some time: The Burst of the Real Estate Bubble. It came at us in all media formats . . . featured on-line ar...