The First-Time Homeowner's Handbook: A Complete Guide and Workbook for the First-Time Home Buyer (Book & CD-ROM)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Fantastic Information
  • excellent advice for all homebuyers
  • Feel Confident Buying Your First Home
  • Even building your own house is examined in this excellent, wide-ranging guide recommended for its easy explanations.
  • Exceeded my hopes and expectations
The First-Time Homeowner's Handbook: A Complete Guide and Workbook for the First-Time Home Buyer (Book & CD-ROM)

Manufacturer: Atlantic Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Buying & Selling HomesBuying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
IntroductionIntroduction | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Financial Planning WorkbooksFinancial Planning Workbooks | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Purchasing & BuyingPurchasing & Buying | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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  2. How To Buy Your First Home, Second Edition How To Buy Your First Home, Second Edition
  3. 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask: With Answers from Top Brokers from Around the Country (100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask) 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask: With Answers from Top Brokers from Around the Country (100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask)
  4. 10 Steps to Home Ownership: A Workbook for First-Time Buyers 10 Steps to Home Ownership: A Workbook for First-Time Buyers
  5. The 106 Common Mistakes Homebuyers Make (and How to Avoid Them) The 106 Common Mistakes Homebuyers Make (and How to Avoid Them)

ASIN: 0910627703

Book Description

The procedure of buying a home can be a scary experience. There are a lot of people to deal with, from realtors to attorneys to bankers. There's tons of paperwork with terms and vocabulary that read like a foreign language. In this new book you will find vital information and great strategies that will allow you to find your dream home faster and feel confident about the purchase. You will learn to avoid some of the most prevalent—and potentially dangerous and expensive—mistakes made by first-time home buyers.

According to Money Magazine, "Over the past five years, home values nationally have risen 65 percent while the stock market has fallen." Now is the time to get into the real estate marketplace. With the help of this comprehensive new guide, you will learn how to find the best opportunities, negotiating, financing, budgets, needs and wants, credit reports, home-buying timeline, the process of building a house, manufactured homes, real estate and mortgage glossaries, setting values, home warranties, homeowners insurance, creative financing, buying with little or no money down, closing, moving plans, walk-throughs, closing and settlement inspections, legal contracts, mortgages, what you can afford, deciding which neighborhood to choose, hiring a realtor, which government agencies can help, considerations for veterans, IRA use, hiring an attorney, the offer, calculating monthly payments, and escrow.

This comprehensive resource contains a wealth of modern tips and strategies for financing and closing on a property. The author shows readers how to find out how much they're really worth, how to uncover unknown assets, and how to enhance credit ratings within six months, provides information and suggestions on everything from no-down-payment mortgages to finding the right agent. It leads you down the path to home ownership, one step at a time. Though you may be relatively cash-poor or have a less-than-perfect credit rating, you can acquire a mortgage and find the house you've always wanted.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic Information.......2007-08-27

I just recently finished it and I feel like having taken a course on Real Estate 101. It is helpful, practical, and easy to read. It has great tools like check-off lists and sample contracts all on a complimentary CD.

We are looking into buying a house and this has given me a great base of knowledge to start making smarter decision.

Worth the $$.

5 out of 5 stars excellent advice for all homebuyers.......2007-01-11


Though this book's title specifies that it's for the first time buyer, my advice would be to pick it up and read it thoroughly regardless of how many times you've bought or built. It is a super compendium of all the steps a buyer needs to take, including information on motivation and emotions in home buying, taxes, paperwork, hiring a professional advocate such as a lawyer or real estate agent, and an in-depth discussion of how to find out your credit score. The section on credit also gives good advice about establishing and maintaining a good credit score that would be helpful for anyone trying to finance a large purchase. The information in this book should be available from the real estate agent you're working with, but it's good to know it yourself in case the agent isn't keeping your well-being in mind at all times.

I also appreciated the straightforward, matter-of-fact tone of this book. There were no embellishments, just the information in a logical, easy to understand format. It also includes a 15 page glossary, helpful for the novice. Five stars out of five.

5 out of 5 stars Feel Confident Buying Your First Home.......2006-12-21

First off, let me say that my husband and I really appreciate the CD. It has all the forms and lists we needed to feel confident when we bought our first home. From building costs and budget worksheets, to banking support, these documents were a big help.

From why you want to own your own home, what to do when you find the one you're looking for, and what to expect at closing, this handbook walks you through the process. This step-by-step guide shows you how to fill out the attached forms and gives you confidence that is sure to eliminate any buyer's remorse you would have felt after your purchase.

Overall, the book was very helpful and will be a useful tool for anyone going through the process for the first time. Buying your first house doesn't have to be scary. This handbook makes the process an understandable and exciting experience.

5 out of 5 stars Even building your own house is examined in this excellent, wide-ranging guide recommended for its easy explanations........2006-12-12

The First-Time Homeowner's Handbook: A Complete Guide and Workbook for the First-Time Home Buyer comes with 30 forms on a convenient cd-rom and covers the entire experience of buying a home, from understanding terminology and confusing points to avoiding common, expensive mistakes. Chapters cover the basics from how to look and assess to financing and closing. Even building your own house is examined in this excellent, wide-ranging guide recommended for its easy explanations.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

5 out of 5 stars Exceeded my hopes and expectations.......2006-11-09

I was a little nervous about buying yet another book on how to buy my first home. After all, if I had spent all the money I spent researching the concept on my down payment... Well, ok may that's a bit of an exaggeration. I was still skeptical I could learn anything new, but I was wrong. This book is different from other guides in that it provides accessible information for me, the everyday Joe Q. public person. I don't have a trust fund to take care of my bills, my credit isn't pristine for the past billion years, and my credit-to-debt ratio reflects 8 years of college from a working class environment. Yet, this book gave me answers, strategies, and lots of helpful information that was more than just hope. It made it seem possible. Nothing is just glossed over; rather there are comprehensive guides, tools, and strategies to make owning your own home a reality. The forms included on the CD are a bonus as well! And in PDF format for a win so it's simply filling it out on screen, printing and moving forward with no excuses left! I can't wait till I finally close!
Mortgage-Free!: Radical Strategies for Home Ownership (Real Goods Solar Living Book)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • READ ME! Home ownership and mortgage freedom is the American dream
  • Excellent resource for those who want to live debt free!
  • I'm halfway through - and already I can tell this book's a keeper!
  • Good General Overview limited in detail
  • Enpowering Book!
Mortgage-Free!: Radical Strategies for Home Ownership (Real Goods Solar Living Book)
Robert L. Roy
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Buying & Selling HomesBuying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Do-It-YourselfDo-It-Yourself | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Building ConstructionBuilding Construction | Construction | Civil | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0930031989

Amazon.com

The origins of the word "mortgage" are Old French and translate roughly to "death pledge." Rob Roy takes a radical approach here to help the reader understand how mortgages work; explains clearly how, if you have a mortgage already, you can maximize your equity sooner and save tons of money; and how, if just starting the process of acquiring a home for yourself, there are clear alternatives to a standard bank mortgage that will save you massive amounts of money, time, and financial headaches.

Roy covers the following subjects in detail: the grubstake--the essential financial asset that will stay with you for life; how to find land that you love and can afford; how to seize control of the house-building process; how to clarify and simplify your ideas of what you really need; and how to construct a low-cost home. Included in the book is Roy's own personal story of mortgage-free living, as well as those of others. His wry humor makes for an entertaining read, and his ideas, examples, and advice are clear-headed, logical, and hopeful. His financial calculations and charts are clear and imminently sensible while being real eye-openers. Your banker may not want you to read this radical book, but it amounts to a guided, rational plan for home ownership and financial liberation, and will no doubt soon be considered a classic. --Mark A. Hetts

Book Description

This is a banker's worst nightmare—a book that tells you how to live without being enslaved to financial institutions.
Chelsea Green has produced a formidable series of books on innovative shelter. But every alternative building strategy, no matter how low-cost or environmentally benign, requires a complementary financial strategy. the accepted path is to go hat-in-hand to a big financial institution, such as a bank, to borrow a lump sum that is repaid over many years. By the time the loan is repaid, the homeowner will have paid several times the original amount in interest.
The literal meaning of "mortgage" is "death pledge." Author Rob Roy is offering an escape route from a lifetime of indentured servitude. Mortgage-Free! Radical Strategies for Home Ownership is a complete guide to strategies that allow you to own your land and home, free and clear, without the bank. Included is detailed advice about:
  • Clarifying and simplifying your notions of what's necessary
  • Finding land that you love and can afford
  • Taking control of the house-building process, for the sake of sanity and pleasure
  • Learning to take a long-term perspective on your family's crucial economic decisions, avoiding debt and modern-day serfdom.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars READ ME! Home ownership and mortgage freedom is the American dream.......2006-11-15

    Let's face it. It is the American dream -- having no mortgage and owning the property that you have. The book describes how to live within your means and being happy. Other urban places that people pay millions of dollars for a condo might find their busy lives as something to live for, but an equal amount of unhappy people in urban places are committing suicide because they don't know how to get out of the hole. Buying land cheap, building a cabin, and living in it is the best way to go, especially with cheap wireless Internet these days.

    Other recommended titles that helped me purchase land cheaply:
    Investing Without Losing (ISBN: 0978834607 NOT on amazn, on other stores)

    5 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for those who want to live debt free!.......2006-10-11

    Very encouraging to know that it can be done. Rob gives a lot of useful info on how live mortgage free. My husband and I are going to do it!

    4 out of 5 stars I'm halfway through - and already I can tell this book's a keeper!.......2006-09-20

    So I was reading today our of "Mortgage-free, radical strategies for home ownership." I like the book, the author gives a pretty round view on ways you can get away with doing exactly what the title tells you. Almost all of his ideas start out with you gathering up a grubstake and buying a piece of land - which is okay, but I can't even afford the land I want, so that's a bit of a problem for me. Perhaps I should think more modularly and buy a small piece and acquire more adjacent to it when I have more cash.

    Anyhow, today he discussed underground homes. That was an interesting subject - basically this is just taking house berming to the maximum and setting your house down so far that once you backfill around the home, the roof is still enough below the original grade that you can plant a living roof - or just cover the damn thing with dirt and let biology ensue, with native plants reclaiming the disturbed environment. Very low environmental footprint - great way to hide from spyplanes and helicopters, but does require some industrial strength digging to get down to to where you need to be, and we've already noted that digging like taht costs money and what's more its not a remote-friendly technology. But, if you had an underground home with a masonry stove you'd be pretty set for whatever the weather could throw at you and I would expect the dwelling to last quite a long time indeed.

    He also stressed the importance of being fluid, or rather the foolishness of planning what type of home you want before you've acquired your homesite. So much of what type of home, building technique, power source and siting is dependent upon your homesite and its ammenities, topography, harvestable and recyclable resources that really doing any kind of planning before you're onsite is likely to be more of a hindrance then a help when it comes to getting the best house for your situation. This was something I was already thinking (it is how I've been trained to look at gardening and orcharding: live with the land for a year before planting to find where the plants should go) but it was nice to see it written out elegantly by the author.

    I still think I'm leaning towards a strawbale or cordwood dwelling. Cordwood could actually be reasonably remote-friendly and is easier than building a log cabin by a long site. Really you're just going to have to get your cement in - you can handsaw the cordwood rounds for the walls and move them about easily enough. I think I should start small, and get a small piece of land and build a little living shed on it and see what I can do. Like the book says - its better to use the same technique and screw up on a small dwelling at a cost of $500, than on the main house at a cost of $5000.

    I'm learning a lot - and I feel the book was definitely worth the purchase price already.

    Dominic Ebacher
    ebacherdom.blogspot.com

    5 out of 5 stars Good General Overview limited in detail.......2005-08-01

    Mr. Roy's book is a great primer on thinking about different strategies for owning a home that don't involve the normal process. The book is primarily based on the idea that if one can or wants to live a life outside of the consumerist norm then it is possible to own a home. Primarily, he advocates that the person who wants to own a home and not spend the next thirty years of their lives as an indentured servent to the bank that they should do as much work as they can themselves. Anyone who is interested or willing to do the work in building or renovating a home, has a low income, wants to maintain a simple life but doesn't know where to start will find this book has useful ideas to get you started. Those who desire to live in the best neighborhoods, are uninterested or unwilling to do the work on their own home, or not likely to accept a simple lifestyle will likely scoff at the notions this book presents.

    The main thrust of this book advocates that people choose not to participate in the suburban "keeping up with the Jones's" lifestyle. For some this may be a revolutionary idea. This, of course, is not a new idea but is not one that is commonly embraced by Western civilization. For those that are already outside of the consumerist mainstream this book will probably not cover any new ground. He does provide a sensible arguement against the "death-pledge" (the Old French etymology for "mortgage"). There are a great many people that believe that the only way they can ever own a house is through the 30 year loan route. Mr. Roy makes a case that if one has the desire, discipline and patience that they can own a home without going to the bank to get a loan.

    The book provides a general set of strategies that are primarily useful in rural area. The author recommends that one lives a simple lifestyle, builds on land that would not be considered particularly valuable by others, the home is built by the owner using as many salvaged (inexpensive but high quality) materials as possible, and that the builder reduces as many living cost as possible. One example of cost reduction is the use of some sort of temporary structure on the property while the home is being built in order to reduce or eliminate the cost of renting or paying on a mortgage in another home.

    The book provides a good overview of methods that have been used to achieve home ownership in rural areas. It does address the idea of the same sort of idea in urban areas by saying that it's not bloody likely. This reviewer tends to agree with that but others may have differing opinions.

    5 out of 5 stars Enpowering Book!.......2005-07-01

    As a novice to the idea of mortgage-free home ownership, I found this book very inspiring and enpowering. As one of the other reviewers stated, this is not a book for your typical American consumer. But, if you're ready to step out of that lifestyle towards financial freedom, read this book. It is practical and easy/fun to read. I liked the personal testimonies and the different resources Rob Roy suggests throughout.

    For other inspiring ideas, stories, and photos check out "Homework-Handbuilt Shelter" by Lloyd Kahn.
    Home Buying for Dummies
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Home Buying for Dummies
      Eric Tyson , and Ray Brown
      Manufacturer: HarperAudio
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Audio Cassette

      GeneralGeneral | Business | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      SalesSales | Business | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Reference | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      Buying & Selling HomesBuying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      SalesSales | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: 0694519413

      Book Description

      Are you considering making one of the largest investments of your life - buying a home?Do you get headaches thinking about budgets, mortgage calculations, inspections, and appraisals?Well, there's no need to stress!

      Home Buying For Dummies™ takes the trauma out of buying a home and provides you with expert tips, advice, and suggestions for all aspects of buying a home.With sound financial advice from Eric Tyson, bestselling author of Personal Finance For Dummies™ and Investing For Dummies™, and frontline real estate insights from real estate veteran Ray Brown, you'll have the tools and resources at your fingertips to make the right decisions.

      On this audiobook, you'll find advice on how to:

      • Assess your financial picture and determine how buying a home fits into it
      • Understand closing costs
      • Select the best mortgage for you
      • Research neighborhood and home values to avoid paying too much
      • Understand the pros and cons of buying different types of housing
      • Assemble the right team to help you put the deal together
      • Hone your negotiating skills
      Blacks Found in the Deeds of Laurens & Newberry Counties, Sc: 1785-1827: Listed in Deeds of Gift, Deeds of Sale, Mortgages Born Free and Freed, Abstracted ... Deed Books A-L and Newberry County, Sc Deed
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Blacks Found in the Deeds of Laurens & Newberry Counties, Sc: 1785-1827: Listed in Deeds of Gift, Deeds of Sale, Mortgages Born Free and Freed, Abstracted ... Deed Books A-L and Newberry County, Sc Deed
        Margaret Pecham Motes
        Manufacturer: Clearfield Co
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        GeneralGeneral | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books
        South CarolinaSouth Carolina | United States | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: 080635156X
        Everyone's Money Book on Real Estate (Everyone's Money Book)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Everyone's Money Book on Real Estate (Everyone's Money Book)
          Jordan E. Goodman , and Jordan Goodman
          Manufacturer: Kaplan Business
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          GeneralGeneral | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
          InvestmentsInvestments | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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          4. Everyone's Money Book on Retirement Planning Everyone's Money Book on Retirement Planning
          5. Everyone's Money Book on Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds (Everyone's Money Book) Everyone's Money Book on Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds (Everyone's Money Book)

          ASIN: 0793153808
          Release Date: 2002-08-20

          Book Description

          Do your housing homework and find the best real estate deals.

          Despite the hurdles and headaches sometimes presented by owning your own home, most Americans aspire to stop renting, and many in fact do! Almost 2/3 of all Americans own the home in which they live. Personal finance expert Jordan Goodman's new book Everyone's Money Book on Real Estate teaches everyone from the first time homebuyer to the investor what they need to know about real estate.

          The Mortgage Answer Book
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            The Mortgage Answer Book
            John Talamo
            Manufacturer: Sphinx Publishing
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
            MortgagesMortgages | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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            2. Mortgages 101: Quick Answers to Over 250 Critical Questions About Your Home Loan Mortgages 101: Quick Answers to Over 250 Critical Questions About Your Home Loan
            3. The 106 Mortgage Secrets All Homebuyers Must Learn--But Lenders Don't Tell The 106 Mortgage Secrets All Homebuyers Must Learn--But Lenders Don't Tell
            4. The Millionaire Mortgage Broker: How to Start, Operate, And Manage a Successful Mortgage Company The Millionaire Mortgage Broker: How to Start, Operate, And Manage a Successful Mortgage Company
            5. What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know about Cash Flow... And 36 Other Key Financial Measures What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know about Cash Flow... And 36 Other Key Financial Measures

            ASIN: 1572484802
            Release Date: 2005-05-01

            Book Description

            Most people consider their home the largest investment they will ever make. However, it is the loan to buy the house that can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to your overall cost. Depending on the loan you choose, your $200,000 house could cost you $400,000-or even $600,000-before you are done paying for it.

            The Mortgage Answer Book breaks down the complex mortgage industry with straightforward, easy-to-follow advice on finding the loan that is right for you.

            -Does the fixed rate or adjustable rate mortgage make more sense for me?
            -Which payment plan can knock years off my loan?
            -Why are government loans not always the best bet?
            -When can a higher interest second mortgage actually save me money?

            Whether you are a first-time home buyer or refinancing for the third time, The Mortgage Answer Book will help match your needs with the best loan.
            Refi Bust: Mortgage Brokers Gone Wild!
            Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
            • BOOK REVIEW: `Refi-Bust' Rips Into Crooked Mortgage Brokers; If a Loan Offer Sounds Too Good to be True, It Is, Says Former Ohio
            • Long awaited book for the common folk
            • A pleasant surprise
            • Thanks for this shocking truth!
            Refi Bust: Mortgage Brokers Gone Wild!
            David Lawrence
            Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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            3. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Mortgage Broker (Complete Idiot's Guide to) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Mortgage Broker (Complete Idiot's Guide to)
            4. Mortgage Ripoffs and Money Savers: An Industry Insider Explains How to Save Thousands on Your Mortgage or Re-Fi Mortgage Ripoffs and Money Savers: An Industry Insider Explains How to Save Thousands on Your Mortgage or Re-Fi
            5. Art of Commercial Mortgage Brokering Art of Commercial Mortgage Brokering

            ASIN: 1419635816
            Release Date: 2006-06-20

            Product Description

            Homeowners or would-be homeowners are often at the mercy of predatory and unscrupulous mortgage brokers. Find out how to protect yourself-and your home-in onetime mortgage broker David Lawrence's highly entertaining and shocking Refi-Bust: Mortgage Brokers Gone Wild! Buying your first home? Thinking of refinancing the home you have now? Already have a mortgage, but are unsure of what you signed? Are you sure you're getting a good deal or have you been unknowingly tricked into a nightmare? There's no place like home and this book can serve as a valuable tool to help you make better decisions and avoid becoming a mortgage broker's next prey.

            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars BOOK REVIEW: `Refi-Bust' Rips Into Crooked Mortgage Brokers; If a Loan Offer Sounds Too Good to be True, It Is, Says Former Ohio.......2006-08-03


            Mark Twain on bankers: A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.

            Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
            Huntington News Network Book Critic

            Hinton, WV (HNN) - In the case of a mortgage broker - at least the predatory, unscrupulous ones described by David Lawrence in "Refi-Bust: Mortgage Brokers Gone Wild!" (Booksurge Publishing, $18.95, 174 pages, paperback) -- the "Mr. Egos" and "Big Mels" he describes will gladly sell you another umbrella for $2,000.

            The characters depicted by Lawrence, who worked as a mortgage broker in Ohio, could have come from the typewriter of David Mamet, who depicted shady real estate salesmen so brilliantly in "Glengarry Glen Ross" a Pulitzer Prize-winning play that was made into a wonderful 1992 movie starring Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin and Alan Arkin.

            When I suggested to Lawrence in an email that the characters also reminded me of a 2000 film called "Boiler Room" about an unscrupulous bunch of young Wall Street stock brokers (starring Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Affleck), Lawrence said his fictional mortgage broker Mr. Ego had his crew of mortgage brokers watch "Boiler Room" for inspiration!

            Here is Lawrence's description of Big Mel: "Big Mel was the ultimate in macho. A baby-faced 20-year-old kid wearing fancy gold cufflinks, gaudy jewelry, expensive European suits and an expensive watch. With his slicked back hair he actually looked like a Mr. Ego clone. Ironically, Big Mel was only big in spirit, as he stood only five-and-a-half-feet tall. As stereotypical as this may seem, he actually looked like Mr. Ego's `Mini Me.'"

            Lawrence, defending honest mortgage brokers - yes, he actually believes there is such a breed and describes his experiences working for an honest mortgage broker - says that crooked, greedy mortgage brokers, along with many homebuilders providing their own financing, and yes, many commercial bankers - are responsible for the nearly 1 million home foreclosures each year in the U.S.

            What the heck is a mortgage broker, anyway? Lawrence defines them as "An individual or firm that matches borrowers to lenders and loan programs for a fee, or anyone who acts as a go-between and gets a fee or other compensation."

            That's the definition of any broker, whether it be for stocks or real estate. Simple enough, but the fee is the problem, in my view. A loan officer at a bank, which is where I advise people to go, is generally on salary - not subject to the high pressure "produce or be fired" atmosphere prevailing at the boiler room mortgage brokers described so vividly by Lawrence.

            All too often homeowners seeking to refinance their homes and pay off student loans, credit card debt, medical bills, etc. are the proverbial lambs led to slaughter by mortgage brokers who lie, cheat and steal - all for the all important fee that leads to a six-figure annual income for men and women in their teens and 20s. Many of the people Lawrence worked with wore $800 suits, drove $100,000 Porsches and lived in dilapidated one-bedroom apartments in the "bad parts" of his Ohio city.

            Lawrence describes "10-pounders" - loan fees of $10,000 - and "20-pounders" - those of $20,000 - that motivate the sweatshop operators of a largely unregulated industry. Ohio mortgage brokers ran wild until 2002, when the Ohio General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 76 that Lawrence says was supposed to "clean up" the mortgage brokers in the Buckeye State. Like a lot of legislation, the intentions were good, he writes, but the crafty brokers soon found ways to skirt the licensing and education requirements contained in Bill 76.

            There's a lot of technical material in the book about loans that even experienced loan officers have difficulty comprehending. The material is important, but I think the essential message of "Refi-Bust" is to not trust anything a broker tells you. Or maybe the old Ronald Reagan mantra, "Trust, but verify."

            I've always been an opponent of interest-only loans, adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) and the bait-and-switch approach used by TV advertisers - you know the ones -- but if you must get something like this, check it out with a responsible attorney, he advises. As Lawrence says over and over again, "there are no 1 percent loans."

            My advice, based on decades of covering real estate at metropolitan newspapers and online, is not to get into a house you can't afford, don't rack up unsustainable credit card debt and sell the house and move into an apartment if homeownership has become too much to handle. Life is complicated enough without housing affordability worries driving you crazy.

            A good, but often overlooked, source for housing finance in West Virginia is the West Virginia Housing Development Fund, www.wvhdf.com The phone number is 1-800-933-9843. I wrote about his organization, headed by Joe Hatfield, when I covered business news at the Beckley newspaper. Other states have similar bodies that provide housing finance at reasonable rates to ordinary working people who want decent, safe and sanitary housing, not starter castles to impress people they don't even know.

            The audience for Lawrence's often entertaining book should be homeowners thinking of refinancing (be very, very careful! This is the road to perdition in too many cases); prospective homeowners tempted by absurdly low teaser payments that probably don't include taxes or homeowner insurance and just about anyone tempted by the offers than jam everyone's mailbox daily.

            David Lawrence is an author who has over ten years experience in the mortgage business as a loan officer, manager and former owner of a prestigious mortgage company. In other words, he was in the belly of the beast for a decade!

            The book is entertaining, but more important, it has information that could prevent you from making the most costly financial mistake of your life.

            I recommend "Refi-Bust" without reservation. Don't wait for the movie! I've cast in my mind Vin Diesel as Mr. Ego and Giovanni Ribisi (he was in the recent remake of "The Flight of the Phoenix", playing the aircraft engineer) as Big Mel.

            Author's web site: www.RefiBust.com

            The reviewer covered real estate at The Milwaukee Sentinel and the Los Angeles Times. He has been a member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors since 1971 and was president in 1984.

            5 out of 5 stars Long awaited book for the common folk.......2006-07-16

            I just want to say I gave this book 5 stars because of it's wealth of information on the mortgage loan sharks as well as the warning flags it presents when applying for a mortgage. Finally, someone out of the mortgage industry challenging & exposing the dark side. And it's done in a way that the common folk like myself can understand.

            For years, I have listened to programs like Larry Burkett's "Money Matters" and The Dave Ramsey Show on "Debt Management" and how only the banks get wealthy on our debt. But Dave Lawrence goes beyond those radio programs and exposes heart wrenching stories of debt & wealth all orchestrated by these loan sharks that no one else seems to want to talk about.

            There is alot to absorb in this book, I highly recommend it to everyone. Hat's off to David Lawrence

            4 out of 5 stars A pleasant surprise.......2006-07-16

            When I saw this book, my intital reaction was here was another cheap expose'written by someone who has an axe to grind. But the book is more than that - It is a chilling look into an industry that truly has "gone wild". The writing is clear and impassioned and this has much to do with the author's empathy for the consumer and his genuine desire to change the industry. His efforts are laudatory and he really sticks his neck out to accomplish that. I sure hope corrupt brokers get wind of his book and are ashamed to know this book is out there now exposing their sleazy charade. Buy this book, and recommend it to your friends. Don't get caught unaware of the unscupulous underbelly of this industry. Mr. Lawrence could be another Eliot Spitzer.

            5 out of 5 stars Thanks for this shocking truth!.......2006-07-15

            I was shocked to find out that many in the mortgage business put personal incentives ahead of the client's best interests. I was horrified to find that I was taken advantage of by people I actually trusted. Now I am armed with the truth and won't let that happen again.
            The Equity Sharing Book
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              The Equity Sharing Book
              Elaine St. James , and Diana Bull
              Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              Public FinancePublic Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
              GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
              MortgagesMortgages | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
              St. James, ElaineSt. James, Elaine | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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              ASIN: 0140126589
              Amortization Book
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Amortization Book
                Inc Dugan
                Manufacturer: Jubilee Publishing Group
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                MortgagesMortgages | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                ASIN: 0932453716
                The Ultimate Home Buyer's Book
                Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                • Lives up to its title!
                • Wish I bought this first!!
                The Ultimate Home Buyer's Book
                Wade Grassedonio
                Manufacturer: Bigger Picture Publishing
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                Buying & Selling HomesBuying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                GeneralGeneral | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                InvestmentsInvestments | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                IntroductionIntroduction | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                GeneralGeneral | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                ASIN: 0977631001

                Product Description

                Everything you need to know...fast! Buying a home does not need to be intimidating or confusing. You can take control of the home buying process. You can be confident in all of your decisions. Learn: the 8 steps of the home buying process, how to avoid the most common mistakes, tips and tricks of the pros, how to develop a vision for your new home and loan, how to pick the right realtor and loan officer and much, much more!!!

                Customer Reviews:

                5 out of 5 stars Lives up to its title!.......2005-12-08

                Fantastic book. Clear, concise, informative. The author has a real knack for guiding the reader simply through a complicated process. I'd highly recommend it to anyone considering buying a home or getting a loan. Very useful as a quick reference guide too!

                5 out of 5 stars Wish I bought this first!!.......2005-12-08

                I was given this book halfway throught the home buying process and it sure would have been nice to have it on the front end! There are so many people telling you what to do (realtor, loan officer, title co.'s, etc.)and this book helps you know who really is supposed to be doing what. I recommend it even if you think you know it all because you have bought a home before!

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