Home Buying for Dummies, Third Edition provides just that! Packed with invaluable advice in an objective, down-to-earth style that will have you sitting in your dream home in no time, this friendly guide contains everything you need to know to play the home buying game. It has the tools you need to:

• Improve your credit score and select a mortgage
• Choose a time and place to buy
• Determine the price you want to pay
• Assemble an all-star real estate team
• Make use of the wonderful world of the Internet
• Negotiate your best deal
• Inspect and protect your home
• Handle and become responsible for the title
• Cope with buyer’s remorse

Featured in this guide are tips and tricks on things you should do after you seal the deal, as well as things you ought to know about real estate investing. Also included is advice on how to sell your house, as well as a sample real estate purchase contract and a good inspection report. Don’t get chewed up by the real estate market—Home Buying for Dummies, Third Edition will lead you to the home you want!

In short, this is a good advice primer for first-time home buyers, but I think you get a better book and also a better value if you buy the complete idiot's guide version.

(I'm not affiliated with any authors or publishers, nor do I even know or have met them in any manner.)


A must for new buyers   February 17, 2000
 71 out of 84 found this review helpful

This book is amazing. I never considered buying a "for Dummies" series book because I thought they would be overly simplisitic, but this book proved me wrong. The authors do an awesome job of presenting just enough detail on every aspect of buying a home- I kept catching myself having a questions, then reading on to the net chapter and finding the answer. You may be tempted to skip around from chapter to chapter, but I've found that reading this book from the beginning is almost necessary since things like understanding which mortgage to get and how much of a house you want are all dependant on answers you arrive at in early chapters. I've just finished the book and feel well prepared and educated to tackle the house-hunting task now. A definite read.


The Best   April 17, 2003
 50 out of 66 found this review helpful

The Best Available For Lookers/buyers/Sellers - Everyone

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.


Good, but too general and Californian   May 5, 2000
 48 out of 72 found this review helpful

For a general overview of homebuying, this book is well written,easy to read, and well-designed in typical Dummy style. But for more detailed and down-to-earth practical advice and examples, we liked Eldred's 106 Mistakes Homebuyers Make. We found the Mistakes' book much easier to apply. The Dummies' authors seem not to be aware that most first-time buyers do not live in California. Overall, though, both (or either) of these books can really help prepare you for the trials and tribulations of what to expect (and watch out for) when buying a home.