The brilliance of HB For Dummies is taking important factual information, condensing (but not oversimplifying) it, organizing it, and labeling it with headers and bullets making the info. easy to find. It seems every angle and potential situation is noted here for home buyers, sellers, or anyone contemplating this major undertaking. The chapters are organized perfectly for you to go immediately where you want to go in this book.
Think of all of the millions of people who purchased their first home recently (2002-3), motivated by the lowest interest rates in decades. Many of them have likely paid higher and/or unnecessary fees, or had the process slowed because they weren't willing to read 30 minutes a week to get the basics down.
The duties of all of the 7 most common players in a home purchase and sale are described. The RE Agent, Broker, Lender, Property Inspector, Escrow officer, Financial and Tax Advisors, and Lawyer (if latter need be) are included. What should be expected of them, negotiating fees, which party pays them, and what actions are considered the norm and reasonable are detailed. And of course: all of the potential red flags, and how to spot them are enumerated also. What 11 questions should you ask the Real Estate Agents you interview to represent you? Find out here.
Most folks don't keep track of the details of the current home
values more than the generalities of it being a cold, sluggish, warm or hot market. There are instructions in this book on specifically how you can get comparable pricing of the values of what you are looking for in a home in the community you live in.
For some of the nuts and bolts, in the financing chapter for example, there is a list of 22 items you need to bring to a mortgage lender: original copies of the 8821 Form, inspection report, the closing cost worksheet, and various sections of the U.R.L.A. will give you confidence of having at least the basic background knowledge so you can know what to expect when you begin the process. How much will Homeowners insurance cost you? It's here. Doing your homework before-hand is much better than learning as you go along, which can surprise, sadden, cost more, and at times intimidate the first (or 2nd time) buyer.
In the back of the book there are appendixes that contain more original documents, such as the Purchase Contract. There is a comprehensive glossary of terms, and an index.
Another helpful book is "The 106 Most Common Mistakes Home Buyers Make (And How To Avoid Them)" by Eldred. But HB For Dummies has much, much, more. HB For Dummies provides the most bang for buck.
48 hours from now my wife and I will close on our first home. This book gave us confidence in our decision making by helping us evaluate a wide variety of criteria we would not have otherwise thought of. The peace of mind this book gave is worth many times more than we spent for it.
If you are buying a home as a novice, you simply MUST purchase this book. Even if you are a veteran home buyer, I really believe this book will have value for you as well.
I'm not in the real estate business, nor do I have any vested interest in anybody buying or not buying this book.