Book Description
A PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
The first simple guide to understanding the real estate closing process
Closing and escrow are among the most importantand least understoodcomponents of a real estate transaction. The Complete Guide to Your Real Estate Closing takes the mystery out of the confusing, expensive process by giving real estate professionals, investors, and consumers a step-by-step explanation. In simple, everyday language, the book explains closing documents and paperwork, what to do when something goes wrong, mortgage options, how to save money on title insurance, problems that can occur on a title report,
and much more. With sample forms, work sheets, and more, this sophisticated but accessible book covers:
- Insider tips on how to save moneyfrom a closing professional
- Who does what: the real estate agent, lender, title company, closing officer, attorney
- State-specific information for all 50 states
Customer Reviews:
Could be better.......2006-03-22
Very good book; could have gone a little deeper into the mechanics of the closing process.
Practical, Real-World, Current Information.......2005-10-10
This book is an easy to read, step-by-step guide through that 'magical' period called 'Escrow.' Explanations are easy to understand yet thorough. I highly recommend this book.
Complete and Easy to Read........2005-01-11
Sandy Gadow's real estate closing book explained the part of the buying process which confuses most people, and where most of the costly mistakes can occur. I was able to understand the concepts and explanations which are provided, and felt confident enough to ask questions which I am sure saved me several hundreds of dollars. Before reading Sandy's book, I was intimidated by the professionals involved in a closing: for example, the attorney and closing agent, even the inspector involved. Knowing what questions to ask, I felt comfortable making lists of questions to ask, and which answers I needed. Although real estate laws vary state to state, this book does an excellent job of being all-inclusive for each state. Whether called "escrow", "closing" or "settlement", this book covers the essentials of a real estate deal.
In each chapter are "Tips" and "A Typical Misunderstanding" which lighten the reading and make the subject matter easy to follow along. The chapter on handling Tax-Deferred Exchanges was a welcome addition to the book. I was prompted to buy Sandy's book after watching her on CNN's show, "Open House."
I would recommend this book to anyone buying property, considering entering the escrow profession, or anyone interested in the investment aspect of real estate. I am now a real estate professional and am grateful for Sandy's book. I know the book helped me and I have recommended it to many of my friends and colleagues.
Good book, but...........2005-01-04
...it's the same book as her previous books - only the title has changed. If there were any minor editing done to the book, I didn't notice. If you've read or purchased one of her previous books don't waste your time or money.
Truth in Advertising.......2004-11-08
Gadow does an excellent job of providing a comprehensive view of a California Real Estate Closing. The subject matter is appropriate and well written. The illustrations, tables, charts and forms all useful. The only real problem with a volume like this is that all real estate is essentially LOCAL in nature.
Thus, many of Gadow's points and concepts are inapposite to other parts of the country. I found myself annotating my copy with local exceptions to Gadow's statements (I am a Real Estate Attorney in the Washington, DC metropolitan area). As with any volume with this much information there are certain errors that may have not been caught by the editors. For example, Gadow talks about obtaining multiple termite inspections. "Shopping for a clean termite inspection" and failing to disclose the known existence of termites is a patent violation of the Seller's duty to disclose known defects and could subject the homeseller to serious liability for any resulting damages incurred by the buyer.
Nevertheless, for the layman this book is an essential resource and I wish everyone of my clients would read it before coming to our office for their settlements.
Book Description
Take the fear out of buying your first home
For many, the process of buying a home for the first time can seem intimidating and overwhelming. How to Buy Your First Home is your resource for information on the subject. This book guides you through the entire process, including:
Preliminaries-Renting versus buying, determining what you can afford, deciding where to live
Searching for Your Home-What to look for in a home, hiring a realtor
Finances-Mortgage basics, government agencies, home loans for veterans
The Buying Process-Weighing your mortgage options, hiring an attorney, making an offer, inspecting and appraising your home
The Future-Caring for your home and increasing the value of your investment
Included within the text are Attorney Tip boxes that highlight important facts. Click on This boxes will guide you to helpful websites for additional information about calculating costs, locating homes in your area and more.
Extensive appendices include a glossary of important terms, contact information for state offices of real estate regulation and sample worksheets to help you as you make your decisions.
Written by an experienced attorney, How to Buy Your First Home is the resource that will take the mystery out of buying a home.
Customer Reviews:
GREAT guide for a first-time buyer.......2006-07-31
My roommate works at the library and brought me home a dozen different books on how to go about buying your first home and what you would need to know (including the dummy/idiot books which I normally love). After taking a look at this one, I sent all the other ones back and ordered it from amazon because it is by far the easiest, most comprehensive, and overall helpful guide for a first-time buyer. It answers all questions and can just be used as a good reference. It's questions and answer format makes the book very easy to pick-up and less daunting-- some of the books seems like a giant boring novel!! I even gave this book as a gift to a friend considering buying a place of his own.
Good first book on buying a home.......2005-02-26
This is a basic book on home buying intended for the first time buyer. It's' fairly brief, only about 130 pages (minus the appendices), so it's a quick read. If you're a second time buyer it would probably be too basic for you, but I was looking for a quick primer before starting to read more technical books on investing in real estate.
It covers the essentials of mortgages, the bidding and negotiation process, working with agents and inspectors, the major government agencies that participate in the mortgage market, such as HUD, VA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and so on. Although you don't need to understand it to purchase a house, the secondary market is briefly discussed so you'll know what that is when you hear real estate professionals mention the term.
Most of the information is quite practical, such as how to deal with real estate agents (don't let them act like mothers-in-law and let them decide what's best for you in the way of a house, no matter how well-meaning their intentions), and inspectors (don't insist on being present during the inspection, it'll just distract them).
After the chapters devoted to the mechanics of buying the house, there's a chapter basically on "What now?" After the happy glow of buying your first house wears off, you'll now have to face the reality of doing the required maintenance and repairs, keeping up the lawn and landscaping, making sure you save enough to pay taxes, and so on. There are even useful hints on how to conserve energy and how much you can save by having old furnaces and air conditioners replaced, and the author says hers paid for itself in about 18 months, although the initial cost was daunting (about $2500). But it was worth it over the long run.
Finally, there's a chapter on foreclosure and what to do if you find yourself in that situation. There's help available in that many cities or state government agencies can help with either grants, money or advice. The book also has a glossary, and two appendices of useful worksheets such as comparing house features and mortgage lenders, a HUD-1 worksheet, and a VA guaranteed loan application form.
The book is clearly and concisely written and should give anyone a basic understanding of the home buying process. After this I went on to reading more advanced books on investing in real estate and it was useful for getting the basic knowledge quickly and easily.
Book Description
'The World's Easiest Pocket Guide' brand is filling a vacuum in the bookselling marketplace with an introductory level series on subjects affecting important lifestyle issues. Each product features a highly recognizable author writing on topics of his or her expertise. Shortly after leaving home or college, most young adults are unprepared for making practical life decisions and planning for their futures. Leading financial expert Larry Burkett has created this practical pocket guide to help young adults make sound financial decisions from the start. Filled with bite-sized chunks of trustworthy advice, readers will be better equipped to choose the right first job or career.
Book Description
Should I buy a house, condominium, or co-op? How do I find the best mortgage and financing options? How can I read between the lines of the seller’s disclosures? How do I find a fixer-upper?
With more than 50,000 copies in print, Robert Irwin’s classic guide, Buy Your First Home!, continues to answer these and hundreds of other questions for first-time homebuyers. In this crisp, updated third edition, Irwin presents all-new information about the homebuying process, financing options, budgeting, and taxes-plus reorganized chapters that give first-timers the facts they need to make key decisions.
Speaking with a voice of experience and authority, Irwin shares more stories of some of his own mistakes and successes, while offering take-to-the-bank insights, easy-to-use checklists, and comprehensive how-to advice for first-time buyers. He discusses everything a first-time buyer needs to know, from the initial rent versus buy decision, to credit, mortgages, inspections, real estate documents and what they mean, all the way through to the move. Then, when it’s all done, the paperwork signed, the large checks turned over, Irwin also helps first-time homeowners deal with the nearly common feeling of ""buyer’s remorse"" that often overcomes them at the end of the process.
Buy Your First Home! walks readers carefully through every step of the process, so that they can cross the threshold into their first home with confidence. A must-have reference for the first-time homebuyer’s library.
Highlights
Buy Your First Home! shows readers how to survive the homebuying process and thrive afterward, including how to:
•Determine ""need to have"" features and an affordable price range.
•Scope out available properties using the Internet.
•Handle pitfalls and delays, such as loss of important documents or problems in an inspector’s report.
•Negotiate fees and terms successfully with lenders.
Customer Reviews:
Don't Bother.......2005-01-17
I found this book to be very disappointing. For one thing, it is very generic, offering no real, specific advice that you couldn't have thought of yourself. But my main problem with it is that it is all over the place; for example, the chapter on "Selecting the Right Mortgage" is three chapters after the chapter on "Making the Offer to Buy" and two chapters after the one on "Learning from Disclosures on a Home Inspection." Sure, as long as you know the order in which you should read this book (Chapters 1, 4, 3, 11, 12, 2, 7, 6, 13, 5, 8, 15, 17, 14, 16), it's not too confusing. But why bother with the maze? Go ahead and spend the extra $6 on "Home Buying for Dummies," which I found to be a thousand times better than "Buy Your First Home."
Starting Place.......2003-11-03
I bought this book just to get aquainted with the real estate business. This book lacks the detail that I was looking for, but for the person who is not big on reading, I would recommend this book. Also, the author reverts back to 'big cities' such as New York, New York, and New York... as you can see, this can get a bit annoying. He also has a hard time finding the sex of the people he speaks of; one moment the buyer is a female and in the next paragraph the buyer becomes a male. (It gets confusing trying to figure out who he is referring to when he says "she"). Hope this helps!!
Useful but a bit basic.......2003-03-26
We just recently bought our first house. I did use this book often to check out definition of terms, but it was just a bit to simplistic for me. Don't get me wrong- I had no experience in this area (I didn't even know what earnest money was), and I didn't even fully realize what the process was. Still, I found this book to just be a bit to basic. The basics are definitely necessary, but a bit more depth is definitely needed.
Great book for newbies to house buying!.......2002-01-26
This book was straightforward, informative, and reassuring as it walks you through the big house-buying process. We found not only was it informative at first read, but useful as a reference as well. Also, it is quite thin (179 pages) so it was easy to read through quickly and learn what you want/need!
Highly recommend for newcomers to the house-buying market, especially if you find the whole process somewhat overwhelming. This will ease your mind and walk you through it all.
Good to start with a short book first.......2001-12-29
I started trying to figure all this out by reading a book of 100 questions and answers about home buying (by Glink). Boy was that confusing!
If you're a busy professional like me, you first need an executive summary and then you can go into the detailed analysis. This book is an executive summary. It gives you the whole picture first so you have a road map in front of you. You can read it in 2 casual sittings and at the end of it you are not overwhelmed by data. You get a holistic sense of what the process is about.
Now you can fill in the gaps by reading one of the longer books.
Book Description
Investing in real estate may seem challenging, especially when you're single. But millions of single women are doing just that-and you can be one of them!
With single mom Donna Raskin and prominent real estate entrepreneur Susan Hawthorne at your side, you'll learn how to invest your hard-earned money wisely, no matter how volatile the real estate market may be. The Single Woman's Guide to Real Estate lays out the best investment strategies for you, helping you to buy property that you'll enjoy-and profit from-for years to come. Whether you're buying your first home, re-entering the market after a divorce, or looking for that perfect condo for your retirement, this clever, comprehensive one-stop resource provides the answers and advice you need to make your dream of home ownership a reality.
Customer Reviews:
A Heaven Sent! .......2006-08-05
I'm in the process of buying my first home- as a divorced- mother of one. By all intents and purposes, I've always been a self-confident girl and then woman, but home-buying scared me so much. This book gave me the information I needed to ask the right questions, and had lots of practical insight. I loved the pros and cons of different mortgages types (there are so many options now) and also the individual "real women" writings that detailed other women's experiences. More importantly, I thought and felt that this book was written especially for me- addressing lots of the fears of single womanhood and homeownership and empowered me with all of the information that I needed. Reading this book was also affirming for me- I now know I'm doing the right thing by investing in a property for my new family. I know I'm setting a wonderful example for my daughter too. Its the ultimate act of self-love and self-care.
I totally recommmend this book.
Finally...someone has addressed this exploding trend!.......2006-04-24
I've been patiently waiting for this book. The trend has been growing for several years(and Fannie Mae says it shows every sign of growing more). And there are certainly a great number of "home buying" books available. But Donna Raskin and Susan Hawthorne have focused specifically on the challenges for single women homebuyers. And they have explored in detail the emotional challenges of this journey (as well as the mechanical aspects). Thank you! I have already ordered two copies from Amazon to be sent to my two daughters, Amy 31, and Jenny 27.
Customer Reviews:
helpful guide.......2000-10-06
I found this book very helpfull, it tells about evry step of the home buying process. I found the details about closings and the chapter on agents especially enlightening. Knowing the rules behind "seller's agents" and "buyer's agent" is not as simple as it seems, something I would otherwise not have realized. I feel better prepared to begin searching for a house having read it
Amazon.com
Janice Papolos describes her own first-home experience this way: "Part of the problem was that I had a mystified awe of the house. I swear there were times when I viewed it as more intelligent and powerful than we were.... There was a time or two in which I felt the house was being downright vindictive."
Ranked as "Most Useful to Homeowners" by The Wall Street Journal, Papolos's humorous and helpful book is the definitive guide for the first-time homeowner. Few experiences in life are more intimidating and complicated than one's first home purchase, especially when the new homeowner is perhaps a bit inexperienced with home repair and maintenance, as many (if not most) are. Starting with the basics of what you need to know to make sense of the initial, prepurchase home inspection, Papolos heads right into the "Inner Mysteries"--the plumbing and electrical systems--then on to heating and cooling, septic systems, insects and other pests, security concerns and measures, proper ventilation, child-proofing, and much, much more, topping it all off with an annual calendar of seasonal maintenance, advice on paint colors, and a thorough index for easy reference.
The goal is to remove the intimidation for the homeowner, and at the very least, permit him or her to talk knowledgeably with home-repair professionals, as necessary, without coming across like an idiot. This is a great reference book for any new homeowner, and probably would open the eyes of many longtime homeowners, as well. --Mark A. Hetts
Book Description
The Virgin Homeowner is Janice Papolos's answer to the house buyer's blues. Using her own experience, Papolos initiates readers into all the workings of a house. She moves from the initial terror of home inspection to the mysteries of plumbing and electricity, stopping at all points along the way--including septic systems, roofing problems, insect infestations, environmental issues, childproofing, ventilation, and fire safety. In addition, Papolos offers clear instructions on how to handle minor household repairs and helps the new homeowner to understand the quirky vocabulary essential for having an intelligent conversation with a repair person or contractor. Best of all, The Virgin Homeowner provides readers with the confidence and piece of mind they need to make owning a home more of a dream and less of a nightmare.
Customer Reviews:
Not for everyone.......2007-05-02
I found no value in this book. Reading it felt like a chore instead of a learning experience. The way it was written, it felt like the author was talking to her girlfriends at a Sunday morning get together.
A lot of reviewers seem to enjoy the book, unfortunately, I'm not one of them.
This isn't a how-to book, it's background information!.......2006-05-04
I recently bought an older condo and having been raised in a traditional family (Often told to "go help my mother") I wasn't prepared for the hows and whys of how houses and their appliances work. I needed a basic education.
This book will give you the background on how various parts of your home work - the electrical system, the water/drain/vent system, your plumbing, appliances - everything! I'm loving finally knowing what some of these things do.
As other reviewers have mentioned, it's NOT a how-to book. I don't think this was designed to help the homeowner diagnose and FIX a problem. It's more to help us understand how they work so we can at least rule things out and communicate to a repairman without being intimidated.
It is probably more appealing to women since it's written by a city girl who moved to the suburbs and realized she knew nothing about this stuff. I feel I can relate to her, maybe that's why I enjoy it even more!
Is this a novel?.......2005-05-17
This book contains very few pictures. Basically it's for novel-lovers, not for handy-man. I noticed most good ratings for this book are from women ...
Buy this before you buy your home........2005-01-17
For the non-mechanically inclined girly-girl who has always lived in an apartment - this one's for you. A fast read will give you the knowledge to prepare yourself for the unknown which could have been known. It will keep you from looking like a complete nut in front of the house-savvy. It will help you feel confident when there's an emergency. It doesn't tell you how to FIX the toilet, but you can know where the water shut off valve is. If you didn't know that houses have water shut off valves (um, I didn't), then you really should buy the book.
Not very helpful at all.......2003-10-21
My husband and I recently bought our first home, so I ordered this book in the hopes that it would give us helpful details on how to maintain it, make minor repairs, and accurately troubleshoot. I am very, very, VERY disappointed in the book. While it gives decent descriptions of the various aspects of your home, such as heating and cooling systems, it does no more than that. I thought I was getting something more in-depth than just descriptions. For instance, how do I MAINTAIN my air conditioner properly? I've heard that you should hose down the outside unit every so often, for example - yet there's nothing about that in the book. I don't feel any more educated about my home and how to keep it safe and well-maintained than before I got this book. This was almost a complete waste of money and I don't recommend it.
Average customer rating:
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Buy Your First Home Now
Peter G. Miller
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0062733966 |
Average customer rating:
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Como Comprar Su Primera Casa/ How To Buy Your First Home (Guias Practicas)
Diana Brodman Summers
Manufacturer: Sphinx Publishing
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Como Conseguir Trabajo en los Estados Unidos (Guias Practicas)
ASIN: 157248487X |
Book Description
The newest title in our Spanish series Guías Prácticas, Como Comprar su Primera Casa is the Spanish translation of the most important information found in our top-selling real estate title-How to Buy Your First Home.
Making the right decisions about buying a first home can help save money and worry. This easy-to-understand guide walks the reader through the entire home buying process.
Books:
- The Credit Secrets Bible
- The Credit Secrets Bible
- The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks
- The First-Time Homeowner's Handbook: A Complete Guide and Workbook for the First-Time Home Buyer (Book & CD-ROM)
- The Fix Your Credit Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to a Lifetime of Great Credit
- The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance
- The Globalizers: The IMF, the World Bank, And Their Borrowers (Cornell Studies in Money)
- The Gluten Connection: How Gluten Sensitivity May Be Sabotaging Your Health--And What You Can Do to Take Control Now
- The Guerrilla Guide to Credit Repair: How to Find out What's Wrong with Your Credit Rating and How to Fix It
- The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL
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