Home Buying Kit For Dummies Book

Introduction 1

Part I: Home Economics 7

Chapter 1: Deciding Whether to Buy 9

Chapter 2: Getting Your Financial House in Order 23

Chapter 3: What Can You Afford to Buy? 39

Chapter 4: Why Home Prices Rise and Fall 67

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 149

Chapter 8: Where and What to Buy 151

Chapter 9: Assembling an All-Star Real Estate Team 191

Chapter 10: What’s It Worth 219

Chapter 11: Tapping the Internet’s Best Resources 239

Part IV: Making the Deal 249

Chapter 12: Negotiating Your Best Deal 251

Chapter 13: Inspecting and Protecting Your Home 277

Chapter 14: It Ain't Over till the Weight-Challenged Escrow Officer Sings 297

Part V: The Part of Tens 315

Chapter 15: Ten Financial "To Do's" After You Buy 317

Chapter 16: Ten Things to Know When Investing in Real Estate 325

Chapter 17: Ten Things to Consider When Selling Your House 331

Part VI: Appendixes 337

Appendix A: Sample Real Estate Purchase Contract 339

Appendix B: Sample Short Sale Addendum plus Short Sale Information and Advisory 349

Appendix C: Example of a Good Inspection Report 355

Appendix D: Glossary 375

Appendix E: About the CD 391

Index 395