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Summary: Very Helpful
Review: As a first time home buyer, the whole process is a mystery to me. Reading this book cleared up a lot of that.
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Summary: The best friend a home buyer could have.
Review: As a journalist covering the real estate and personal finance industries for the past 11 years, I am amazed how many real estate agents, mortgage lenders, appraisers, and title company closers fail to realize just how confusing the real estate process can be for the average home buyer.I wrote 100 QUESTIONS EVERY FIRST-TIME HOME BUYER SHOULD ASK because I felt that almost all first-time buyers, and even those of you who haven't bought a home in the past five years, basically have the same questions you need answered in order to successfully complete your purchase. I still feel this way. Although the book was published some time ago (I'm working on a completely revised edition, which will be out in January, 2000), I'm gratified that so many readers still email me to say that the book has proved enormously useful. In fact, the Washington Post recently named my book as one of the best books to buy. Most readers of my book seem to enjoy learning about the process without confusing jargon and without industry professionals talking down to them (which many do simply because they know the business so well). We have more than 150,000 copies in print of this book, and I'm delighted to have helped so many people. If you're wondering or worrying about the home buying process, if you don't understand how amortization tables work, if you don't know how to structure your offer, and if you don't know which kind of agent to work with, then this book is for you. And, as I have been for the past 5 years, I'm available to answer any further questions you may have as you go through the process. Remember, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to buy a home successfully. You just have to know what questions to ask. Good luck, ILYCE R. GLINK
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Summary: An easy read, allows quick referencing of specifics
Review: I found this book to be very informative and very specific regarding many details of my first time home buying experience. The format allows for a very quick read and for jumping around between subjects. This book should probably be purchased as soon as one finds they are thinking about buying a home. If not it might just add to the large amount of information they will have to read. One con was that the book is slightly dated because of the current market both financial and housing.
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Summary: First-time buyer's must read
Review: I fully enjoyed this book. As a first-time homebuyer I needed someone to answer my questions and the author did just that. She gives great examples and real experiences for the reader to examine. She answers questions about PMI and ways to avoid paying it, loan types and common mistakes made by first time homebuyers. Highly recommended and hopefully a new edition will be available soon.
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Summary: Fabulous Resource !
Review: I had the nerves and worries of the first-time buyer -- the housing market in my city seemed outrageous and I had no idea if I could buy what I wanted. This book walked me through a lot of the issues: what I want vs. what I need, how to find a good agent who works only for me, what to look for as I look at houses, mortgages. Everything is made simple and practical. A fabulous resource.
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Summary: Learning from Brokers about Your Biggest Investment!
Review: I happily endorse this book. The new second edition contains many new questions from the first edition, revised many other questions, and completely rewrites every answer. Things are changing fast in residential real estate, and this book will bring you up-to-date. Whether you are a first-time buyer, first-time seller, or haven't bought a home in at least five years, this book will serve your needs very well. The questions are drawn from those that brokers report that first-time buyers most often ask. The answers draw upon the experiences of many brokers. How much training does it take to become a librarian, teacher, lawyer, physician, or rocket scientist? How well would the world work for us if such training were skimped on? When it comes to buying a first home (whether condo, co-op, or fixer-upper), most people act as though you can do brain surgery without the training. Not! Even if you view this emotionally and financially important investment as one to be approached carefully, most first-time buyers will make important errors. Here are a few of my favorites: (1) Not thinking about how hard it may be to resell the home. (2) Vastly underestimating how much money will be needed to fix it up. (3) Overpaying for the home because of not realizing how to negotiate. (4) Waiting until finding one's soul mate before purchasing. (5) Spending more than you can afford, and using boxes for furniture. (6) Purchasing a home that doesn't fit your needs (where will you put 4 children and you in 2 bedrooms?). (7) Taking on a horrible commute. Interest rates are down in light of the terrible terrorist tragedy and weak economy. Unemployment is rising. Based on historical patterns, this is a good time to buy. Are you ready? Probably not, even if you think you are. But I have good news for you. If you read and apply the lessons of this book, you will be more ready than many people who have already bought homes. The subjects covered include deciding what you needs are, versus your likes; how to look; determining what you can afford; deciding what broker to use; how to work with the broker (especially what not to tell the broker, since most work for the seller); how to decide what to offer; how to negotiate; getting the best financing; checking out the house; handling the closing; and even dealing with problems after the closing. You also get help with which professionals (such as buying agents, lawyers, and home inspectors) to use, how to select them, what they will cost, and how to work with them. I have bought or helped buy three houses, am an attorney, and am a licensed real estate agent. I found several areas where this excellent book extended my knowledge. I know it will save you thousands of dollars . . . and probably even more in avoided emotional trauma! The book does this by posing questions, providing worksheets, steering you to Internet resources, and describing case histories. No book from the buyer's perspective can however hope to dispel the incredible naiveté that we all have when we first purchase a home (all 2 million a year who are like lambs being led to the slaughter). For that purpose, I suggest that you also read another book, How to Sell Your Home Fast, which is an excellent description of what intelligent, prepared sellers will be doing to get you to buy their home and pay too much. Beneath all the friendly chit-chat with the sellers, realize that your are usually being carefully maneuvered to act against your own interest. By the way, this book does not do enough to warn you about hidden house faults. Home inspectors are not the entire answer. They usually get their referrals from brokers, and will usually not tell you the worst of what can happen lest brokers stop recommending them. Spend some extra money and have people you know well and trust who are expert in electrical, heating, air conditioning, structural, roofing, plumbing, soil, and environmental hazards take a look also. They will find things that you can use to get the price lowered to cover the cost of repairs. My experience is that you will save about [amt.] for every [amt.] you spend in this way. I also recommend that you find 10 people who are a lot like you who purchased a home similar to what interests you about five years ago. Ask them what they did right and what didn't work out so well. After you explore all of these choices, you may want to consider what I did once . . . rent with an option to purchase. All of my rent went towards the down payment. I found I loved the house, saved money, and had few problems with repairs. I later sold it for a nice profit. Also, spend time in the yard of your potential new home at all hours of the day and night. You may be surprised by some of the positive and negative features. In one home, I discovered that a dozen deer came by across a creek at 7:30 a.m. Seeing them every morning became my favorite part of every day. After preparing by knowing what the right questions are, look for all of the potential problems and opportunities in making large decisions. Then sleep on your decision for three nights. You'll know what to do then!
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Summary: 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask
Review: I have not finish this book yet nor have not purchase my home, but for the small time I spent searching to make the first move everything this book tells you to do that is what you will encounter. When I asked my agent to hunt for homes, I was able to understand what she was talking about. I tried to speak to a FSBO and I did what the book said and it work. I feel like I am in school learning about real state broker.
I have a lot of self confidence with this book. I tried many years ago when I was young to purchase a home and at the end I gave up I was scare. Now I don't think I will give up I referred this book to other three people already and they are happy as I am. Wish Ms. Ilyce R. Glink the best of luck on her next book.
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Summary: The best I have read yet
Review: I have read 5 books on home buying in preparation of purchase of a new home and this book has been the best of them (I also recommend "How to save Thousands of Dollars on your Home Mortgage"). The book deals with mortgage, realtors, home inspection, price negotiation, and closing. Unless you are a real estate professional, you will learn plenty from this book. It also helps the author is a very fluid writer and her explainations are precise and easy to understand. My only gripe is despite its 500 pages, the book is too short! The last 150 pages are spent on appendix and the book has a large print. Yes, the book is concise but at the expense of being more comprehensive. But I am being picky here, you will not regret picking this book over others in the market.
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Summary: Helped settle my nerves!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The author included helpful annecdotes to illustrate the points she was making. The book is formatted very clearly, with great insets for first time buyers, or those buying new construction. I also really like the 20/20 hindsight blurbs. This helped me gain confidence in my quest for home ownership. Her writing style is light and easy to read, but not flippant. She acknowledges the stress you are going through and does a good job of putting it in perspective - at least for me. A lot of what I read didn't seem to be applicable to today's Seattle, but it still gave me a great overview of what I was going to face.
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Summary: Highly recommended for home buyers
Review: I recommend this book to anyone thinking about buying a home, even if you're not a first-time buyer. It's easy to read and contains a lot of great advice. I didn't always follow the book's advice, but I feel much more confident about my home purchase from having read this book. It helped make me a more intelligent buyer.
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