70 Things First-Time Home Buyers Need to Know
Published on 28. September 2010
212 pages
978-1-59652-961-8 (ISBN)
Description
Are you looking into buying your first home but don't know where to start? 70 Things First-Time Home Buyers Need To Know breaks down all the complicated real estate legalese and provides you with the straightforward knowledge you need to decide whether you should buy, how to locate the right home for you, and how to navigate the process from negotiation through closing, including: comparing single-family and condominium ownership and benefits; selecting the right real estate professional for your needs; using the Web to search for your home; negotiating price and repairs; and understanding surveys, title insurance, appraisals, and all aspects of the closing process. Unlike the overwhelmingly large books to read on the subject, 70 Things will easily guide you in finding the perfect home.
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Jim Kimmons
70 Things First-Time Home Buyers Need to Know
Book
11/2010
Turner Publishing Company
€16.50
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
As a real estate broker and freelance writer, it's my good fortune to reside in Taos, NM, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. My freelance writing encompasses a wide range of business related topics, Web work and print media. I've ghost written five books, but also have my own books out now in print and eBook formats.
As the Real Estate Business Guide writer for the New York Times website at About.com, I write business management and marketing articles for real estate and mortgage professionals as well as real estate investors. I've written home improvement material for magazines, including a cover story for "Energy of the City," the magazine for Washington Gas.
Being a bit of a tech nerd, I've also written extensively about technology, and how to use it in business. My eBook, "Small Business In The Cloud" presents more than 100 resource links for free or very low cost cloud computing and mobile solutions.
Of course, if you're in Taos, NM, look me up. I'm a working real estate broker. My experience doing the work and writing about it inspired me to write "70 Things First Time Home Buyers Need To Know," published by Turner Publishing in September 2010.
As the Real Estate Business Guide writer for the New York Times website at About.com, I write business management and marketing articles for real estate and mortgage professionals as well as real estate investors. I've written home improvement material for magazines, including a cover story for "Energy of the City," the magazine for Washington Gas.
Being a bit of a tech nerd, I've also written extensively about technology, and how to use it in business. My eBook, "Small Business In The Cloud" presents more than 100 resource links for free or very low cost cloud computing and mobile solutions.
Of course, if you're in Taos, NM, look me up. I'm a working real estate broker. My experience doing the work and writing about it inspired me to write "70 Things First Time Home Buyers Need To Know," published by Turner Publishing in September 2010.
Content
- Intro
- Praise for 70 Things First-time Home Buyers Need To Know
- Dedication
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Epigraph
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1 - Should you buy or rent?
- 2 - Your home is not a retirement investment
- 3 - Be selling when you're buying
- 4 - Kitchens can be remodeled-neighborhoods are harder
- 5 - Condo or single-family home?
- 6 - The cheapest home in the neighborhood could be the best one to buy
- 7 - Energy efficiency: ask for it
- 8 - Before the search, get prequalified
- 9 - Mortgage basics
- Fixed rate mortgages
- Adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs)
- Special payment plans to cut interest
- MIP (mortgage insurance premium)
- 10 - Selecting a mortgage broker or lender
- 11 - Mortgage fees are negotiable
- 12 - Escrow and how it works
- 13 - Know what's going to happen with real estate taxes
- 14 - The best available mortgage for most of us
- 15 - If you're rural, the USDA could be your best friend
- 16 - Homepath-your path to a foreclosure home purchase
- 17 - The truth about short sales
- 18 - Getting home-listing information on the Web
- Realtor.com
- Zillow, Trulia, and others
- IDX: the best local resource
- 19 - Getting full home information delivered as it happens
- 20 - How Web listings can be incorrect-or not for sale at all
- 21 - Avoiding being referred until you're ready
- 22 - Search a little higher asking price-you will be offering less
- 23 - Agents, brokers, associate and managing brokers?
- 24 - How real estate agents get paid
- 25 - Who's your perfect real estate professional?
- Don't make the easier information mistake!
- 26 - Agent referrals from friends or relatives
- 27 - Why you usually don't want to be referred agent-to-agent
- 28 - Understanding agency and representation
- Do you want an agent?
- 29 - "Buyers are liars," but it's changing
- 30 - A buyer's agent should always give you a CMA
- 31 - Buyer agency agreements: should you sign one?
- What they're promising to do
- 32 - If you have a buyer agent, make sure to tell other agents
- 33 - Sit on the furniture in staged homes
- 34 - When you're getting close, go see it again . . . and again
- 35 - Is a bid war for you?
- 36 - The C.L.U.E. to a home's history
- 37 - What your agent must disclose to you
- 38 - The property disclosure
- 39 - Lead base paint in homes built before 1978
- 40 - Getting environmental information
- 41 - Listen to your agent, but the offer price is your decision
- 42 - Anything can be negotiated
- 43 - Negotiation with throw-away contingencies
- 44 - How much earnest money?
- 45 - Counter offers: they aren't just about price
- 46 - If you're tough on price, be prepared for trade-offs later
- 47 - Don't bring the moving van too early
- 48 - Dates and deadlines do matter
- 49 - The interest rate lock
- 50 - With all of these professionals involved, mistakes don't happen . . . right?
- 51 - Choosing a home inspector
- 52 - The inspector's shadow-that's you
- 53 - There may be multiple inspectors
- 54 - Homeowner's insurance
- 55 - Title insurance and the title binder or title commitment
- 56 - Easements
- 57 - Restrictions, covenants, and zoning
- 58 - Special condominium considerations
- 59 - What's a survey and what's not
- 60 - What if the home you're buying encroaches on another property?
- 61 - Repair negotiations after the inspection
- 62 - The appraisal
- 63 - Even if you did get a great deal, don't expect the appraisal to prove it
- 64 - Changes usually require paperwork
- 65 - Mediation before litigation
- 66 - What if the seller balks for no good reason?
- 67 - The walk-through before closing
- 68 - Deed and legal description
- 69 - Closing doesn't mean possession
- 70 - The closing
- Conclusion
