Description
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 1
Part 1: Getting Started with Buying a Home 5
Chapter 1: Deciding Whether to Buy 7
Chapter 2: Getting Your Financial House in Order 21
Chapter 3: What Can You Afford to Buy? 37
Chapter 4: Why Home Prices Rise and Fall 67
Part 2: Financing 101 81
Chapter 5: Understanding and Improving Your Credit Score 83
Chapter 6: Selecting a Mortgage 99
Chapter 7: Mortgage Quandaries, Conundrums, and Forms 129
Part 3: Property, Players, and Prices 155
Chapter 8: Where and What to Buy 157
Chapter 9: Assembling an All-Star Real Estate Team 197
Chapter 10: What’s It Worth? 227
Chapter 11: Tapping the Internet’s Best Resources 247
Part 4: Making the Deal 257
Chapter 12: Negotiating Your Best Deal 259
Chapter 13: Inspecting and Protecting Your Home 287
Chapter 14: It Ain’t Over till the Weight-Challenged Escrow Officer Sings 309
Part 5: The Part of Tens 325
Chapter 15: Ten Financial “To Do’s” After You Buy 327
Chapter 16: Ten Things to Know When Investing in Real Estate 335
Chapter 17: Ten Things to Consider When Selling Your House 343
Part 6: Appendixes 351
Appendix A: Sample Real Estate Purchase Contract 353
Appendix B: Sample Short-Sale Addendum plus Short-Sale Information and Advisory 365
Appendix C: Example of a Good Inspection Report 373
Appendix D: Glossary 393
Index 411
