[.ca] 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask: ... (ISBN 1400081971)

From Amazon.com:
Buying a home requires skill in a variety of areas. There's negotiating, financing, inspecting a home, and understanding legal contracts. It's really too much for most people to do by themselves, which, as you know by now, is why most of us pay good money to hire real estate agents, mortgage brokers, home inspectors, and other professionals to help with the process. But that doesn't remove the buyer from the role of project manager, whose job is to understand what each specialist is meant to do and recognize when one of those key players is not doing his or her job right. Books such as 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask help the novice gain a solid understanding of the basics involved in this often complex process. The questions in this second edition of author Ilyce R. Glink's book also make buyers think about their decisions. If you want to buy an older home, for example, do you understand that older windows may need caulking or new sashes, that bathroom tiles may need regrouting, and that an older home may need rewiring, a new hot water heater, or a new furnace right away? Other questions range from the routine (How much can I afford? How do I make an offer?) to some that are hard to anticipate (What if the seller wants to stay in the house after the closing? Who should attend the closing?). Chapters are devoted to key topics, including figuring out what kind of house you want (this effort starts with a "wish list" and improves with a "reality check"), knowing what you can afford, putting together and negotiating a deal, financing your home, closing on the deal, and then doing what it takes to live happily ever after. Of course, living happily ever after requires understanding when it's time to move on to your next home, a process that may find you dusting off this book in the coming years. --John Russell

The best I have read yet:
I have read 5 books on home buying in preparation of purchase of a new home and this book has been the best of them (I also recommend "How to save Thousands of Dollars on your Home Mortgage"). The book deals with mortgage, realtors, home inspection, price negotiation, and closing. Unless you are a real estate professional, you will learn plenty from this book. It also helps the author is a very fluid writer and her explainations are precise and easy to understand. My only gripe is despite its 500 pages, the book is too short! The last 150 pages are spent on appendix and the book has a large print. Yes, the book is concise but at the expense of being more comprehensive. But I am being picky here, you will not regret picking this book over others in the market.

Overwhelming in its thoroughness:
Wow! I bought this book and "Home Buying for Dummies." This is by far the better book. As my husband and I embark on this tenuous journey of home ownership, we are nervous to the point of being panicked, especially since we live in a very hot, overpriced market. This book is doing wonders to calm our nerves and abate our fears. Education is a powerful tool. Glink's book is well-organized and about as thorough as it gets. I haven't yet found a question I had that she didn't answer in the book. The book is so jam-packed, though, that I found it's best to just look up my specific questions (once I got the "basics" covered). Otherwise, you may find yourself wading through vast amounts of information that don't apply to your situation. I am very happy I bought this book. The information is probably the next best thing to having a trusted friend or family member in the business.

Great book for first time home buyers:
My husband and I will be looking for our first home soon, so I picked up this book at the library. I think it is very helpful in explaining all the terms and steps you will have to go through when looking for and purchasing a home, but it has so much information it can be overwhelming. I would skim through it first and look at the questions that pertain to you instead of trying to read it word for word. Overall it is helpful if you're new to home buying and have no idea what to expect or do!

Good stuff.:
Ilyce R. Glink, 100 Questions First-Time Homebuyers Should Ask (Three Rivers Press, 2000) The title of this book, perhaps, does it something of a disservice. The information to be found here is useful for anyone in the process of looking for a new home. Sure, a good deal of it will be more useful to those who haven't been through the process before (the section on different types of mortgages, and different breeds of mortgage brokers, is likely to be especially helpful), but since buying a new home isn't something one does on a weekly, or even a yearly, basis most of the time, there's stuff in here that might make for it being a good refresher course when it comes time to sell. (As well, it may remind the sellers of the state of mind of the homebuyer and invoke a little sympathy.) Much of it may seem like common sense, but let's not forget that the vast majority of humanity are notably devoid of that particular capacity. Good stuff, well worth reading. ****

Forget 'Dummies'. Listen to Ilyce!:
I'm in the process of learning about buying a home. I've read 5-6 books on the subject. Some books explain things a bit but still leave you with questions. Other books seem to "preach" their philosophy but that may not be right for everyone. By far the best book, I've read has been "100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask, Second Edition : With Answers from Top Brokers from Around the Country" by Ilyce R. Glink. This book is incredibly easy to read, but thorough enough to answer the questions that the other books left me asking. Whether you're a first time buyer or someone looking to brush up on home buying...this book is for you.