Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: I read this book from cover to cover before buying my first home last year. The information is invaluable, especially the section on how to find a sound realtor (I did, and she was able to negotiate a good price for me) and how not to buy more house than you should. The author also tells you what to look for in a house and alerts you to pitfalls that the first-time home buyer might be completely unaware of, and walks you through how to obtain a mortgage and the various steps involved in bidding on a house and closing the deal.
This is a must-read for someone who has never bought a home (be it a house or a condo) before and is immensely educational and helpful.
Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Only buy this book if you really are a dummy
Review: This is the first "for dummies" book I've ever bought. It's also going to be the last. They're not kidding with the title. Instead of stating their point simply and clearly, the authors patronize the readers with silly stories. For example, instead of saying something like "do not buy a house that's too far from your work," the authors spend a paragraph telling a story of some poor dummy who did buy a house too far from his work and ended up hating everything. Oh, and BTW, if you need a book to tell you that you shouldn't buy a house that's far from your work, then this book is for you. The information presented is oversimplified, incomplete, and sometimes just incorrect. Moreover, this book will not help you at all if you're dealing with an unusual market, such as SF Bay Area, NYC, LA, etc.I'm not in the real estate business, nor do I have any vested interest in anybody buying or not buying this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but there's a better one
Review: Having read both this volume and the Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying and Selling a Home, I recommend the idiot's guide over this one. The main reason is because the latter is better written and easier to understand. Home Buying for Dummies is very comprehensive but reminds me of my own Ph.D. dissertation: heavy on theory but little on practicalities. The idiot's guide presents information in a way that make it easier to digest and follow. In short, this is a good advice primer for first-time home buyers, but I think you get a better book and also a better value if you buy the complete idiot's guide version. (I'm not affiliated with any authors or publishers, nor do I even know or have met them in any manner.)
Rating: 
Summary: Good information
Review: This book had some very good information when I wanted to buy a house. Had good tips and was written in an easy to understand language. However, I didn't have good enough credit to get a big loan, so I found did a rent to own instead. Good site: www.nkinvestments.com Nick
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