Synopses & Reviews
A new edition of America s #1 bestselling home-buying guide
The Third Edition of Home Buying For Dummies is better than ever. It takes the pain out of choosing, negotiating for, and buying a home with practical, real-world advice that really works. With expert guidance from personal finance guru Eric Tyson and real estate maven Ray Brown, this up-to-date and friendly guide gives homebuyers all the information they need to find and finance their dream home.
This book covers virtually everything a home buyer needs to know, from getting personal finances in order to bidding on a property and closing the deal. The authors walk readers through the entire process, helping them determine how much they can spend and how to boost their credit scores, select the right type of mortgage, effectively use agents and brokers, research neighborhoods and home values, and find the best online real estate resources. This new Third Edition covers recent changes in tax law and mortgages that affect buyers and sellers. Basic topics include:
- Financing a purchase
- Understanding credit scores
- Selecting the right mortgage product
- Researching properties and neighborhoods
- Appreciating valuation techniques
- Evaluating the pros and cons of different types of housing
- Assembling a real estate " team"
- Negotiating the best prices and terms
- Looking at the tax picture
- And much more!
Eric Tyson is a nationally recognized personal finance counselor, as well as the author of Personal Finance For Dummies (0-7645-2590-5), Investing For Dummies (0-7645-2431-3), and Mutual Funds For Dummies(0-7645-7191-5).
Ray Brown (San Francisco, CA) is also the coauthor of House Selling For Dummies (0-7645-5425-5) and Mortgages For Dummies (0-7645-7192-3). He is a veteran real estate broker with more than three decades of hands-on experience.
Synopsis
Though fun and exciting, buying a home can also be complicated and confusing—and most people learn the hard way that a wrong move can cost dearly. In order to find the perfect home at the best price, you must have skill, foresight, and a little guidance from experienced professionals.
Home Buying for Dummies, Third Edition provides just that! Packed with invaluable advice in an objective, down-to-earth style that will have you sitting in your dream home in no time, this friendly guide contains everything you need to know to play the home buying game. It has the tools you need to:
- Improve your credit score and select a mortgage
- Choose a time and place to buy
- Determine the price you want to pay
- Assemble an all-star real estate team
- Make use of the wonderful world of the Internet
- Negotiate your best deal
- Inspect and protect your home
- Handle and become responsible for the title
- Cope with buyer’s remorse
Featured in this guide are tips and tricks on things you should do after you seal the deal, as well as things you ought to know about real estate investing. Also included is advice on how to sell your house, as well as a sample real estate purchase contract and a good inspection report. Don’t get chewed up by the real estate market—Home Buying for Dummies, Third Edition will lead you to the home you want!
Synopsis
"If you are considering buying a home, don't fail to read this excellent new book."
Robert Bruss, real estate columnist, about Home Buying For Dummies, 1st Edition
In the market for a home, but don't know where to start? Not to worry! From financing, mortgages, and credit scores to closing the deal, bestselling real estate authors Eric Tyson and Ray Brown walk you step by step through the entire home-buying process.
Discover how to
- Harness the Internet to help in your search
- Determine how much home you can afford
- Select the right type of mortgage
- Work with agents, brokers, lenders, and lawyers
- Research neighborhoods and home values
Synopsis
The current edition was written before the housing bubble burst and the mortgage crisis hit. The 20-25ew and revised coverage
Home Buying For Dummies,4th Edition, includes
- Hands-on instruction for buying a new home in various markets, including a “down” real estate market.
- Expanded coverage for readers who are considering both selling their existing house and buying a new one.
- Revised coverage on the cyclical nature of real estate markets.
- Expanded coverage of mortgages, including how the subprime crises and constriction of credit affects homebuyers, and how readers can manage and improve their credit rating.
About the Author
Ray Brown, a real estate professional for more than 30 years, hosts a real estate radio show in San Francisco.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
Part I: Home Economics.
Chapter 1: Deciding Whether to Buy.
Chapter 2: Getting Your Financial House in Order.
Chapter 3: What Can You Afford to Buy?
Chapter 4: Why Home Prices Rise and Fall.
Part II: Financing 101.
Chapter 5: Understanding and Improving Your Credit Score.
Chapter 6: Selecting a Mortgage.
Chapter 7: Mortgage Quandaries, Conundrums, and Paperwork.
Part III: Property, Players, and Prices.
Chapter 8: Where and What to Buy.
Chapter 9: Assembling an All-Star Real Estate Team.
Chapter 10: What’s It Worth?
Chapter 11: Tapping the Internet’s Best Resources.
Part IV: Making the Deal.
Chapter 12: Negotiating Your Best Deal.
Chapter 13: Inspecting and Protecting Your Home.
Chapter 14: It Ain’t Over Till the Weight-Challenged Escrow Officer Sings.
Part V: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 15: Ten Financial “To Do’s” After You Buy.
Chapter 16: Ten Things to Know When Investing in Real Estate.
Chapter 17: Ten Things to Consider When Selling Your House.
Part VI: Appendixes.
Appendix A: Sample Real Estate Purchase Contract.
Appendix B: Example of a Good Inspection Report.
Appendix C: Glossary.
Index.