Home Buying Kit For Dummies (7^th Ed.)

Home Buying Kit For Dummies, 7th Edition simplifies and explains the home-buying process to new home buyers everywhere. Authors Eric Tyson, MBA and Ray Brown inform and educate readers in the simple, straightforward and incisive style the For Dummies series is known for across the world.

This book covers all the topics necessary to tackle the purchase of a home with confidence, including:

• Complete coverage of new US tax rules and strategies
• What's happening with home financing given the high home prices and fluctuating economies found in many markets
• How to compare renting and buying in light of new rules regarding mortgage interest and property tax write-offs
• Updated coverage of internet resources and how to best utilize them as a buyer

The 7th Edition of Home Buying Kit For Dummies offers brand new content of particular interest to millennial homebuyers, as well as freshly updated online companion content.

Introduction 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 

Eric Tyson is a personal finance writer, lecturer, and former management consultant to Fortune 500 financial service firms.
Ray Brown is a real estate professional with over four decades of hands-on experience and a public speaker on residential real estate topics.