Rating: 
Summary: This is a great gift for a first-time homebuyer
Review: This book is a WONDERFUL reference tool for those new to the home-buying process. It gives a very detailed, yet highly comprehensible account of how your house works, things to think about when entering into your new relationship with a home...it really does an excellent job of covering alot of bases. It can seem overwhelming, but really, this book is broken down so at least you feel like you have a good understanding of all the issues home ownership brings to the table.Probably the most useful portion I found a little too late was the chapter on home inspection. I really wish I had this book when I was going through the inspection process. It gave a lot of insight as to the processes, questions to ask, etc. I realize I got very lucky with my inspection, but next time, I'm telling you I will have that portion memorized! The only part I found not useful were the sections meant more for rural housing. Being on a city sewer, electricity, etc., she gave a lot of detail into septic systems, oil heating, etc., that had no application for me with this house. But again, if I look at buying a property not accessed by many modern or city services, I will have a good foundation for knowledge. Really, you just can't go wrong in purchasing this book.
Rating:
Summary: So that's what that is...
Review: This book is not a how-to fixit book, and thank goodness. I'd read a dozen of those and I still didn't understand how my furnace (or anything else) works. Then I read Papalos' book and finally I understand. My house is no longer a scary mystery to me. I came across this book after I had already been in my first house for a number of years. I don't know if I would have bought a different house had I been armed with the knowledge from this book, but I surely would have handled my new ownership differently. One of the best aspects of this book is its conversational, humorous style. As a virgin homeowner I repeatedly felt embarrassed or frustrated because I couldn't speak knowledgably to repairmen or home improvement store people. Papalos has been there, too, I think, and her humor encouraged me that I "wasn't alone." Finding myself chuckling as I read about plumbing traps and sacrificial anodes was certainly refreshing. The descriptions are straightforward in ordinary language, and the terms and jargons are demystified. Since some house systems vary with geography and house age, Papalos did her research and addressed all the systems (forced air, gas, electric, oil, heat pump, *and* baseboard heat, for example). I disagree with another reviewer that this book applies only to a northeastern homeowner; I thought it was quite thorough in addressing the variations. I also like her "systems" approach to explaining the house (plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, etc.) and how she addresses issues beyond physical construction of the house, such as pest control (termite picnics). She alerts the reader about some important maintenance tasks, though there is more of this kind of information for some topics than others. This isn't a home maintenance how-to book, though, so this is a very minor criticism. I bought copies of this book for each of my three new homeowning siblings. I hope it helps them come to appreciate their houses the way I have mine.
| 
