Customer Reviews

Buying a Home: The Missing Manual

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The list above authored by Nancy Conner covers the essentials of the book. But if you want the thinking behind the advice, you need to buy the book.

Other reviewers have noted the contents in sufficient detail, I'll just make a couple comments.

As is true of most "missing manuals," the writing is clear and to the point, the inevitable "gotchas" are well covered. For most of us, the process of buying a home is frightening and intimidating, this book will help reduce the anxiety level created by the process.

It is particularly helpful in detailing the closing costs associated with a home purchase.

This is an excellent resource to obtain before you begin to look for a home, and it will help guide you through the process of making the biggest financial investment of your life.

Highly Recommended.

Caveat Emptor: Let the buyer beware. For no one is this adage more true than for those of us in the market for a new home! And for anyone new to the game, or maybe who landed in a money pit in their previous purchase, this book deserves a prominent place on your reading list ASAP. Nancy Connor covers every step of the often daunting real estate purchase, beginning with the often overlooked question, "Is home ownership right for you now?"

Like many in the Missing Manual series, this book is written in clear, concise prose that is easy for the real estate novice to understand, while never speaking down to the reader. We have the e-book version which in the Stanza reader can be annotated, as well as shared via email. Perhaps the one thing that may be missing in this Missing Manual is mention of the one website that provides most of the information (past sales, taxes, assessments, time on the market, whether it has been delisted, relisted, price changes, etc.) Ms. Connor recommends buyers have in hand when evaluating their home options: Redfin.com. We hope it will be included in future editions.

We happened upon "Buying A Home: The Missing Manual" when we were already half way through the process -- we had budgeted our closing costs, interviewed buyers' agents, gotten pre-approved by our lender, and were 2 months into home tours. After reading this Manual, we are far better armed with checklists and questions for the most crucial steps to come: making and negotiating offers, home inspections, dealing with contingencies, and closing. While we wish we had had this Manual before we began our odyssey on the the stormy sea of real estate negotiations, we are grateful now to have a another guide to see us past the sirens and reefs ahead.

"Buying a Home: The Missing Manual" is a good starting point for many first-time home buyers's due diligence. The book is divided into four parts:

*PREPARING FOR HOME OWNERSHIP discusses the pros and cons of owning a home and the financial groundwork that needs to be in place before purchasing a home.

*FINDING YOUR HOME looks at creating a 'wish list' for your home, the people you'll need to hire along the way (real estate agents, home inspector, etc.), and the different avenues available for finding a home.

*FINANCING YOUR HOME could be called 'The Mortgage Section,' and discusses this aspect in detail. There's also a thorough chapter on closing costs.

*NEGOTIATING AND CLOSING THE DEAL addresses issues such as how and what to offer for a home, the ins and outs of a home inspection, and the nitty-gritty of closing.

The best thing about this book is its practical approach to home buying, which includes the encouragement to "do the math" on home buying. I found the chapters on Closing Costs and Home Inspections particularly useful.

The writing uses a straightforward, no-nonsense tone that is appropriate for the material. On a few occasions, the author repeats a piece of information over and over within a short span, which I found irksome. But overall, I think this is a good book for a first-time home buyer who needs a clear, accessible guide on the home-buying process.

(A heads-up for those outside the USA: "Buying a Home: The Missing Manual" is written for those buying property in the United States; being from Canada, there were sections of the book that simply didn't apply to me.)

Pros: Thorough, clear, practical.

Cons: Repetitive on occasion; may not be suitable for non-US home buyers.

[FULL DISCLOSURE: Based on a review copy of the ebook.]

I'm never owned a home, but I'd like to. From renting, I've gotten a pretty good idea of what I want and don't want in a home, but there are a number of things I hadn't considered until reading this book. I also didn't realize just how complicated the financial aspects are, and how many people need to be involved to make sure everything goes right!

Buying a Home: the Missing Manual covers all aspects of the process, from deciding if buying a home is the right decision for you, to finding the right home, figuring out financing, negotiating with the seller, and taking possession. It's not a book I'd read for fun (I was sent a review copy for Vulcan Ears Book Reviews), but it's one that I'll be keeping to refer back to when the situation arises. There are a lot of specifics that I expect will come in handy, from listing sites where you can browse homes to explanations of each of the various types of loans available.

If you're planning to buy a home soon and haven't been through the process before (or even if you have), I recommend this book.

I am about to move to new location and (gulp) buy a house there. While I've owned before, the amount to digest in the whole process is still quite daunting, and I jumped at the chance to read a review copy of this book.

This book gives thorough description of all the steps, from setting a price range, to finding an agent, to making an offer, to financing and closing. I appreciated the no-nonsense tone, since many reference books are overloaded with attempts at humor. There is a section on translating common listing phrases to reality -- "cozy" means cramped, for example. I expect to refer to this many times in the following months. Highly recommended.

As a first time home buyer, there are many issues for me to consider. And naturally people will focus on the appraisal of the market value of the houses. However, to buy smart, we got to start with the right loans and payment strategy. Missing guide does a good job on summarizing the items in the closing costs for both applying for a mortgage and for finally buying the house. The links of missing guide are also helpful where it shows various forms and explains how each cell of the forms relates to any kind of cost. It also provides form templates where people can use to compare closing costs for different loans.

Having said the good things about the book, it is really just for first time home buyers. It did not cover issues like how to leverage, about cash flow, how to craft for a lease if you wanna be a home owner and know other various ways to make profit on the property. So advanced buyers for investment buyers may want to choose other books.

Book was helpful for us: first time homebuyers. The information is current for the post housing bubble era. It gives comprehensive lists of questions to ask various people and provides handy links to useful websites. The main benefit for us was that the book gives relevant, independant advice in one place for the entire end to end home buying process.

Are you thinking about buying a home? Then this book is for you! Buying a Home: The Missing Manual walks you through everything you need to know about the process of purchasing a home, from selecting a real estate agent, to closing (and even a little beyond).

Having started the process of buying a home a few times before, I can honestly say I wish I had this book back then. I would have avoided some of the pitfalls that plagued both of my experiences. I didn't even know the questions to ask, and Buying a Home gave me questions to ask and answers to some questions I didn't even know to ask.

I seriously recommend this book to anyone who is contemplating home ownership - whether you get the digital or dead tree version, if you think you will buy a home in the future, Buying a Home: The Missing Manual is a wise investment.