A comprehensive guide to protecting--and increasing-- home investment value The latest in the hugely popular Tips and Traps series, Tips and Traps for New Home Owners contains all the information you need to move in, financially operate, and successfully maintain your first home. From financial record keeping and obtaining insurance to surviving the move-in and ensuring home value, real estate expert Robert Irwin provides practical, real-world advice that: Shows ways to maximize investment expenditures, including minimizing taxes, timing refinancing, and more Outlines ways to avoid home ownership pratfalls, from a thorough premove checklist to an annual maintenance schedule Offers expert guidance in home improvement and modernizing for every part of the house Explains how to evaluate a homes current value and future price

Bob Irwin's hugely popular Tips & Traps real estate books have helped steer thousands of buyers, sellers, and beginning investors through every kind of real estate investment imaginable. Now Irwin is back to show real estate buyers, sellers, and small-scale investors how to master the negotiating skills needed to get the best deal possible in their real estate transactions.

Home sweet home or money pit? The second edition of this national bestseller shows readers dozens of Tips and Traps to be aware of when purchasing a home. Learn how to deal with brokers inspectors, and lawyers--ask the right questions and learn when to make an offer. 20 illustrations.

This New York Times bestselling book is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up your home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts and millions of hits per month on their blog YoungHouseLove.com, Sherry and John Petersik are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Packed with 243 tips and ideas—both classic and unexpected—and more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

A comprehensive guide to protecting--and increasing-- home investment value The latest in the hugely popular Tips and Traps series, Tips and Traps for New Home Owners contains all the information you need to move in, financially operate, and successfully maintain your first home. From financial record keeping and obtaining insurance to surviving the move-in and ensuring home value, real estate expert Robert Irwin provides practical, real-world advice that: Shows ways to maximize investment expenditures, including minimizing taxes, timing refinancing, and more Outlines ways to avoid home ownership pratfalls, from a thorough premove checklist to an annual maintenance schedule Offers expert guidance in home improvement and modernizing for every part of the house Explains how to evaluate a home's current value and future price

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.

America is in the midst of the greatest real estate buyer's market in history. Yet, many home buyers get taken advantage of every day by unscrupulous sellers, real estate agents and mortgage lenders. This book is your defense against those "wolves in sheep's clothing." Nothing is more powerful an educated buyer. With the knowledge gained from this book, anyone can become an expert home buyer - not matter if this is their first or thirty-first house purchase. How to Buy a House the Right Way is a complete home buying guide for both first-time home buyers and those who have bought several homes. Mark Kennedy, a 20-year real estate and mortgage industry veteran, shares all of his tips, tactics and secrets for making the home buying process both smooth and enjoyable. After all, buying a new house is supposed to be fun! Mr. Kennedy discusses all aspects of home buying, from the mortgage process to finding and buying the right home. This book, updated in 2012 for today's real estate and mortgage market, includes great information, such as: everything you need for a successful mortgage transaction (including what not to do); how you can still buy homes for as little as $100 down; how to shop for your home the right way; home buyer traps to avoid; and much more. He even shares the secret tricks and scams that mortgage lenders have used for years to steal money and profits from unsuspecting buyers. This book can save you time, money and frustration in your next home purchase. Don't allow yourself to be an uneducated buyer. This book is the second printing of How to Buy a House the Right Way and is part of Mark Kennedy's Smart Living series, which also includes The Credit Repair Black Book - Credit Repair Secrets and Strategies the Credit Bureaus Won't Tell You (available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions).