An original 'DeadlineNews.Com recommended' title.

---

Product Description

The most complete guide to buying a home in the Golden State

A thorough, practical guide to every aspect of buying a house, How to Buy a House in California will help you make informed decisions that can save you thousands of dollars. With this bestseller in hand, you'll learn how to:

choose a house and neighborhood

find the right agent

get the most up-to-date information on mortgage options and rates

take advantage of creative financing strategies - from

seller financing to government loans

figure out how much down payment you can afford

make an offer and negotiate with confidence for the best price

buy a new house in a development

inspect a house for physical problems and environmental hazards

juggle buying and selling houses simultaneously

successfully go through escrow

The 11th edition is completely updated and provides an easy method for calculating how much house you can afford. Plus, you'll find the current rules for government-assisted loans and the latest resources.

List of Forms:
Ideal House Profile
House Priorities Worksheet
House Comparison Worksheet
Family Financial Statement
Directions for Completing the Family Financial Statement

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114971 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 413 pages

Review
"A compendium of home-buying information, from choosing your castle to escaping escrow unscathed." -- San Jose Mercury News

"A valuable resource for California homebuyers and real estate professionals throughout its many editions." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"Berkeley-based Nolo, the highly respected do-it-yourself legal publishing company, has an excellent book entitled How To Buy A House In California... [which] has many sections for folks looking to buy a home on a budget..." -- Tom Vacar, Consumer Editor, KTVU

"Invest in this book... it is virtually impossible to think of anything they left out because they have anticipated every question home buyers might have." -- Robert Bruss,syndicated real estate columnist

"One of the most detailed real estate books you will ever read.... Filled with practical advice..." -- Los Angeles Times

Review
"A valuable resource for California homebuyers and real estate professionals throughout its many editions."

Review
"Invest in this book... it is virtually impossible to think of anything they left out because they have anticipated every question home buyers might have."

---

Customer Reviews

An excellent reference for first-time CA buyers
If you've bought a house before, some parts of this book may seem somewhat elementary. And, admittedly, a lot of the information about how much you can afford is available on the web on various home-buying sites. On the other hand, I found the location-specific information very helpful, and the advice in the book is solid and reliable.

The real winners are those who are preparing to buy a house for the first time. This book will take you through pretty much all the steps, from thinking about what you want in a house and finding good neighborhoods, through figuring out how much you can afford. It's an excellent reference guide for somebody who's just starting to think about buying, and will be useful all the way through closing. IIf I had to choose just one book on buying a house, it would be this one.

An excellent resource well worth it's retail price.
This well-written, concise resource helped us to buy our first home in California, with neither the seller nor us (the buyer) using a real estate agent. As a result of having read this book, we were able to cut $10,000 off the price of our home, and convinced the seller to accept our offer even with a contingency on the sale of another property. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering buying a home in California.

As usual, the only book you'll need.
I used the Nolo Press tenants' rights book in the past to (successfully) sue my deposit-greedy/law-breaking landlords. I just used this book to buy my first home in the competitive Bay Area (yes, it's still highly competitive even in these "tough times"). Nolo's book is accurate and insightful, written in a voice that's accessible and, at times, fun and tongue-in-cheek. The organization of information, as usual, is right on. And the links and helpful sidebars are fantastic! Don't waste your money on other books. I swear this one is the only book you'll need.