Buying a home is, in the authors' words, both a romantic journey and a business venture. For most families, it's the largest single investment they will ever make. The purpose of this book is to transform home buyers--especially first-time buyers--into smart consumers who can evaluate a property objectively as step number one in deciding whether or not to buy. The authors take their readers by the hand through the maze of mortgage shopping, dealing with real estate agents, and hunting down that perfect dream house. Some of the many questions they help prospective buyers answer are: Consideration of family needs: how many rooms, what kind of neighborhood, access to schools, shopping, and the like Is the home affordable? Considerations include the size of the down payment, the size and type of mortgage, projecting monthly payments, and allowing for unforeseen expenses Making an offer and negotiating with sellers and real estate agents The close, settlement, and escrow Remodeling: adding to a home and making improvements Investment Property: understanding market values Selling a home . . . and much, much more Because this book addresses a national audience, it is necessarily general when making reference to local situations. However, the authors offer practical advice on how readers can find reliable local professional assistance in their quest to purchase a home.

This fourth edition includes updated prices and new trends in home buying, more Web addresses, and the best Web sites for deals on products like carpet and lighting. Illustrations throughout.

Most credit books promise quick fixes and easy solutions to bad credit, but the truth is there is no quick fix when it comes to credit. Your best strategy as a smart consumer is to understand your credit inside and out. Credit expert John Ulzheimer can give you all the tools you need to master the world of credit, before or after you get into trouble, and take the power back into your own hands. Topics covered include: • The difference between a credit score and a credit report • The best way to deal with collection agencies • How to monitor your credit report • Protecting yourself from identity theft • The impact of student loans on your credit score • How to opt out of unwanted credit card offers The Smart Consumer’s Guide to Good Credit answers all of your questions about credit (including the ones you didn’t even know you should be asking!) and yes, even explains the best ways to work toward improving a bad credit score.

Save your time and money by becoming an informed home buyer! This book provides you with hands-on, agent-in-the-field, advice and real life stories (some humorous) to back up the tips and information provided. Learn all of the home buying steps from A to Z, including a Glossary that explains real estate terms in easy to understand language. Organize your home search, choose your team, find out how to avoid manipulators, and predatory lenders. Learn what questions to ask and red flags to watch out for! What to do in a multiple offer scenario, what is earnest money, what are the extra steps in a condo purchase, institutional lender vs. a mortgage broker, what is dual agency and is it in your best interest? Whether you are a first time home buyer or a repeat home buyer, this book has great, no-hype, detailed, insider information; something for everyone! Written by a veteran real estate Managing Broker who has taught hundreds of free, certified home buyer classes.

Buying or selling a home is one of the most important financial decisions most families will ever make. Yet most people are unprepared for the process, and they wind up stressed out and disappointed.Smart Buy, Strong Sale will help you avoid problems, and make the most of every opportunity. From researching the market to closing the deal, it's all covered in plain English.Get practical, proven techniques from someone who has done hundreds of deals. Learn how to find the best people to help you, from lenders to realtors, and how to make the most of your real estate team. There's no fluff or hype, it's everything you need to buy or sell a home.

The inside scoop . . .for when you want more than the official line No matter what your budget and taste, finding the perfect home is a daunting task. How do you even know where to start? Here you'll find the inside scoop on every step of the homebuying process-from calculating your budget to negotiating the deal and handling the closing. The Unofficial Guide to Buying a Home, Second Edition gives savvy consumers like you a foolproof appraisal of which homebuying strategies work and which don't. This updated edition is perfect for first-time homebuyers and includes new information on using the Internet to find your home, buying condos, and utilizing government funding programs. It walks you through the entire homebuying process: from searching for a home, to making an offer, through the inspection, and on to the closing, you can be confident that your investment is sound. The guide also offers expanded coverage of the monetary issues involved in purchasing a home, including new means of determining creditworthiness and new types of available loans, as well as helping you decide how much home you can-and should-purchase. Vital Information that other sources can't or won't reveal-from what really motivates sellers, brokers, loan officers, and other key players in the homebuying game, to how to work most effectively with your agent. Insider Secrets on how to make real estate law work in your favor. Money-Saving Techniques that show you how to take advantage of tax breaks and how to time your search to exploit seasonal variations in the market. Time-Saving Tips on streamlining the homebuying process so you find the home you want as quickly as possible. The Latest Trends in homebuying, including up-to-date tips on using the Internet to find your home, a realtor, or a mortgage. Handy Checklists and Charts to help you determine your budget and stick to it.

Home Prices Are Too High Buying a home is the pinnacle of adulthood, but as we all aware, home ownership isn’t exactly easy to navigate, especially for younger folks. Unless you’re completely debt-free, get help from parents, and disciplined enough to live below your means to save money, buying your first home in the future can seem more like a fantasy than an actual possibility. In “The First Time Home Buying Guide”, we will be mainly focus on why and how to save up our money to have the down payment for our first home purchase, so we can be prepared when there is a home buying opportunity in the future. What is a Downpayment? A down payment is a big sum of money you need when buying a home. You may borrow money from the bank in the form of a home loan or mortgage, but a portion of the total cost must come directly from you. The down payment acts as an insurance of sorts for your lender. It is Not just About HOW to Save, But WHY You Should Save As we all know, there’s a correlation between inflation and home prices. If we don’t save up now, the global home price will slowly keep going up. Now is the time to be prepared and save up, so when there’s home price correction underway, you will have the purchasing power to own a home. The truth is that we all know how to save, but most of us are not aware of the reason why we need to save and that becomes problematic. In this book, we will go in depth on this topic. We will also be sharing unique ways to save up for a down payment and ways to save a lot faster than an average person. This is What You Are About to Discover.. ✔ Why is Saving so Important in General? ✔ Why is it Important to Own Your Home, Rather Than Rent? ✔ Budgeting and Keeping Track of Your Spending ✔ Extreme Ways to Save Fast ✔ The Important Things You Should Know Before Buying a Home Would You Like To Know More? --Don't Gamble on the Future-- Download now and Learn The Quickest ways to Save! Scroll to the top of the page and select the Buy Now button.