Home Buying Kit for Dummies (Paperback, 6)

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Started with Buying a Home 5

Chapter 1: Deciding Whether to Buy 7

Chapter 2: Getting Your Financial House in Order 21

Chapter 3: What Can You Afford to Buy? 37

Chapter 4: Why Home Prices Rise and Fall 65

Part II: Financing 101 79

Chapter 5: Understanding and Improving Your Credit Score 81

Chapter 6: Selecting a Mortgage 95

Chapter 7: Mortgage Quandaries, Conundrums, and Forms 123

Part III: Property, Players, and Prices 147

Chapter 8: Where and What to Buy 149

Chapter 9: Assembling an All‐Star Real Estate Team 187

Chapter 10: What’s It Worth? 215

Chapter 11: Tapping the Internet’s Best Resources 235

Part IV: Making the Deal 245

Chapter 12: Negotiating Your Best Deal 247

Chapter 13: Inspecting and Protecting Your Home 273

Chapter 14: It Ain’t Over till the Weight‐Challenged Escrow Officer Sings 293

Part V: The Part of Tens 311

Chapter 15: Ten Financial “To Do’s” After You Buy 313

Chapter 16: Ten Things to Know When Investing in Real Estate 321

Chapter 17: Ten Things to Consider When Selling Your House 327

Part VI: Appendixes 333

Appendix A: Sample Real Estate Purchase Contract 335

Appendix B: Sample Short‐Sale Addendum plus

Short‐Sale Information and Advisory 347

Appendix C: Example of a Good Inspection Report 355

Appendix D: Glossary 375

Index 393