Unofficial Guide to Buying a Home
by: Alan Perlis, Beth Bradley
Topics include: your title policy, construction perm loan, termite bond, your custom home, wood infestation report, your loan officer, homebuying process, homebuying decision, your loan amount, derogatory credit, with your agent, your home purchase, upper ratio, total gross monthly income, proposed insured, your builder, settlement agent, what your agent, buying your home, your lender, title exceptions, your real estate agent, your gross monthly income, relocation specialist, home inspected, Fannie Mae, Community Home Buyer, Social Security, Professional Association, Taxpayer Relief Act, Yellow Pages, Consensual Dual Agency Addendum, Fixed Rate Monthly, New Jersey, Terry Steel, Trans Union, Transfer of the Property, Real Estate Commission, Seat of the Pants Construction, George Washington, New York City, Note Holder, White Plains, Real Volume, Toilet Tub Shower Fan, Monthly Deposit, Loan Servicer, Environmental Law, Probate Office
Book Description
The inside scoop . . .for when you want more than the official line
No matter what your budget and taste, finding the perfect home is a daunting task. How do you even know where to start? Here youll find the inside scoop on every step of the homebuying processfrom calculating your budget to negotiating the deal and handling the closing.
The Unofficial Guide to Buying a Home, Second Edition gives savvy consumers like you a foolproof appraisal of which homebuying strategies work and which dont. This updated edition is perfect for first-time homebuyers and includes new information on using the Internet to find your home, buying condos, and utilizing government funding programs. It walks you through the entire homebuying process: from searching for a home, to making an offer, through the inspection, and on to the closing, you can be confident that your investment is sound. The guide also offers expanded coverage of the monetary issues involved in purchasing a home, including new means of determining creditworthiness and new types of available loans, as well as helping you decide how much home you canand shouldpurchase.
Vital Information that other sources cant or wont revealfrom what really motivates sellers, brokers, loan officers, and other key players in the homebuying game, to how to work most effectively with your agent.
Insider Secrets on how to make real estate law work in your favor.
Money-Saving Techniques that show you how to take advantage of tax breaks and how to time your search to exploit seasonal variations in the market.
Time-Saving Tips on streamlining the homebuying process so you find the home you want as quickly as possible.
The Latest Trends in homebuying, including up-to-date tips on using the Internet to find your home, a realtor, or a mortgage.
Handy Checklists and Charts to help you determine your budget and stick to it.
The best of the four home-buying books I read or skimmed. The key is that it is unbiased and written from the buyer's perspective, usually with humor. Most other books are not. Exposes a lot of the unseen motives from the various players in the process, particularly real estate agents. Has lots of useful tips and is more comprehensive than most similar books.
It looks like the home real estate industry is changing rapidly with the MLS/Internet and discount realtors popping up. It seems I've seen more "for sale by owner" signs and/or discount realtor signs than standard realtor signs during my recent home search. It is clear that it no longer costs a realtor 5-7% of home price to market a house with Internet (especially expensive ones), so something has to give somewhere. They ought to update this book every few years.
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