Product Description

Find the sound investments among the foreclosures. Covering both bank-owned and government-owned properties, this book focuses on helping buyers distinguish between good foreclosure investments and those plagued with liens and other pitfalls. Readers will learn about the benefits of buying foreclosures; foreclosure timeline and process; the different types of foreclosures; finding pre- foreclosed properties; important pre-purchase pitfalls; buying at an auction; and more.

• The national residential foreclosure rate rose to from 1 to 1.23% (of all mortgages) by the end of 2003—the biggest jump in 30 years
• Foreclosures are expected to increase as interest rates rise and monthly payments on short-term variable rate and interest-only loans begin to follow (Realty Times)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #190439 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-02
• Released on: 2005-08-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

About the Author
Todd Beitler, a recognized foreclosure expert, guest lecturer, and industry consultant, is the founder of The Real Estate Library who pioneered the widely distributed magazines The New York Foreclosure Report and The Florida Foreclosure Report.
Bobbi Dempsey has written several books, including The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Home Inspections, and for numerous major magazines, including Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, Parents, Child, Pregnancy, and more.

Customer Reviews

Author needs to read Complete Idiot's Guide to English Grammar
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying Foreclosures seems to contain a lot of revelant information. Unfortunately, the English grammar in the book is so bad, it renders the book largely unintelligible. The book was obviously rushed to press, and did not undergo an editorial review. For example, streams of thought are dropped midway and left incomplete, and contradictory statements are made, leaving the reader confused. The first chapter explains the difference between Judicial and Non-Judicial foreclosures, seeming to link the difference directly to whether or not the foreclosure is a strict foreclosure. But then looking at the two tables in chapter 1, there appears to be an apparent discrepancy in the state of Michigan between judicial/nonjudicial and strict foreclosure. So this Michigan resident has no clue what to conclude from the first chapter's ramblings.

Another example is the author's interspersal of definitions in separate text boxes. Often these definitions assume the reader has a basic understanding of the concept, leaving a 'complete idiot' on the topic unenlightened. Bad grammar (verb tenses, mismatches between singular/plural, etc.) also hinder the reader's comprehension of these definitions.

I've only read through the first couple of chapters, and scanned the rest of the book quickly, and it is clear that this book is evidence that books should not be written by people who don't have a command of English grammar.

In summary, no matter how good the information contained in a book, it can be rendered uncomprehensible by bad grammar. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying Foreclosures is such a book.

CID Guide to Buying Foreclosures
Sunday, May 6, 2007

For a newbie, this is an excellent introduction. It shows you the way to proceed, if you're serious about trying. For the price, it is a bargin and should be kept as a reference. If you're like me, a yellow lighter can be quite helpfull. Well worth the price when you consider the large sums of money that can be involved.

Very Insightful
This is a very informative book. It doesn't mess around with a lot of fluff. I highly recomend it!