Product Description

This one-of-a-kind resource gives you all the practical and insightful information you need to find your ideal home and get it at a great price. You’ll avoid common mistakes with step-by-step guidance on the buying process, as well as useful tools like checklists and guidelines and vital information on everything from financing to negotiations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #714849 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

From the Back Cover
The Ins and Outs of Home Buying—from the Experts at NAR

Written by real estate expert and author Blanche Evans, The National Association of Realtors® Guide to Home Buying is based on the expertise of NAR, the country's largest and most reliable organization for real estate professionals. For the first time ever, this indispensable guide shares NAR's comprehensive inside expertise with home buyers like you—so you can get the best possible return on your biggest investment.

This one-of-a-kind resource gives you all the practical and insightful information you need to find your ideal home and get it at a great price. It features useful tools like checklists and guidelines and practical advice on everything from mortgage and financing alternatives to picking a great location to negotiating with sellers. You'll avoid common pitfalls with step-by-step guidance on every stage of the buying process, as well as handy tips on:

• Working with professionals—and when you can do it yourself
• Choosing a home that fits your life and family
• Picking the right mortgage product
• Making an offer the buyer can't refuse
• Handling appraisals, inspections, title policies, and insurance
• Dealing with homeowner associations and management companies
• Doing the final walk-through and closing

There are plenty of books that will help you buy your home, but only one book based on the combined expertise of NAR. Don't take chances with your biggest investment! Tap into this valuable resource and find your dream home.

About the Author
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® is the largest trade organization in the United States with over 1.2 million members and is one of the leading advocates for home ownership. NAR has long been the nation's most reliable source of information and support for real estate professionals.

BLANCHE EVANS is Publisher of Agent News and Associate Editor of Realty Times, the Internet's largest independent real estate news service. She is the author of two other books on real estate and is considered one of the most influential names in the industry.

Customer Reviews

A must-have for new buyers!
My experience is that real estate books are either overly technical or redundant. This one; however, stands out from the competition. It was an easy read and provided lots of examples. This book allowed me to forego Google searches and provided great websites to check out. Although I've purchased a home before, it was several years ago. This time around, I want to have as much knowledge as possible for this huge transaction. Buying a house is not scary. It does; however, require a smart consumer. Never assume realtors or lenders will tell you absolutely everything you need to know. Be proactive, read books, attend seminars, access your credit scores, etc. This is a good reference book for your arsenal!

Much better books available
I had a hard time making myself finish this book. At times, this book seems to read as a sales pitch for the National Association of Realtors. There are tons of statistics throughout the book that were completely useless to me as a first-time homebuyer (example: "But only 39% of households have children under the age of 18, ...."). Why do I care? The only person who may like all the stats is an investor using them to look at trends in the market. I also found a few paragraphs that seemed to be there only to fill up space, such as the one that gave me the history of how the ranch-style home evolved and the names of the guys who were attributed with creating it. That information doesn't help me to buy a home, or even decide if I would like a ranch-style house.

This book would be better than nothing if you had no other options, but I personally will be taking it to the used book store and selling it. The only things I found somewhat useful were a couple of the checklists that consolidated some of the information that was otherwise spread out, such as the list of questions to ask a home inspectors before hiring one.

I have so far read two other books that are MUCH better:
The 106 Common Mistakes Homebuyers Make (and How to Avoid Them)
The First-Time Homeowner's Handbook: A Complete Guide and Workbook for the First-Time Home Buyer (Book & CD-ROM)