House Selling for Dummies [Paperback]

Eric Tyson (Author), Ray Brown (Author)

Book Description

Series: For Dummies (Lifestyles Paperback) | Publication Date: March 29, 2002

If you’re like most people, your biggest investment is your house. Sell your house wisely and you not only save loads of time, but you also pocket thousands—if not tens of thousands—of dollars more than you would otherwise.  Making a big mistake in the sale of your house, on the other hand can easily cost you additional weeks—perhaps even months—of work and headache as well as half a year’s worth (or more) of your take-home income.

If you want to sell your house and don’t know where to start, House Selling for Dummies, Second Edition can show you the way. If you’ve researched this topic and would like to discover more about certain aspects of selling your home, then look no further.

House Selling for Dummies, Second Edition is a user-friendly, holistic book totally oriented to your needs as a seller. This friendly guide cuts through confusing real estate lingo and explains in plain English how to make the best possible decisi ons for your situation—whether that decision means staying in your current home rather than selling or if it means selling through a good local real estate agent. This updated edition can help you avoid making mistakes in your selling decisions and will ensure that you sell your home in the best way possible. This down-to-earth guide shows you how to:

• Research your options and the personal finance ramifications of your decision to sell or not to sell
• Decide whether you should sell your house yourself or bring in an agent
• Find the right team of real estate professionals to work with
• Prepare your house before you put it on the market
• Determine the value of your house
• Time the sale of your house
• Negotiate the sale of your house
• File your income taxes after the sale of your house

House Selling For Dummies, Second Edition includes handy checklists, Internet resources, and a variety of tools and techniques you can use when selling a home. Here is the best way to save time, money, and your sanity when selling your home—with or without an agent.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

By the same authors as Home Buying for Dummies, the new House Selling for Dummies shares all of the companion volume's virtues and likewise qualifies as the overall best choice on its topic. It provides clear and wise counsel on preparing a house for sale, setting the asking price, and negotiating with buyers. House Selling for Dummies discusses the pros and cons of selling a house without a listing agent, but authors Tyson and Brown seem to believe that most "dummies" need the professional help of a Realtor. The book offers extensive and good advice on selecting and working with an agent. --Barry Mitzman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

"You won’t find a better how-to-sell-your-home book than this one."
—Robert J. Bruss, syndicated real estate columnist, about the 1st edition
Get the latest on Internet resources, reverse mortgages, and more!

Use this up-to-date guide to get top dollar for your house!

Do you want to sell your house, but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry! America’s #1 bestselling real estate authors have revised their classic guide to cover all the latest changes in the marketplace. Using jargon-free explanations and a dash of humor, they show you step by step how to minimize the hassles – and maximize your profits.

Praise for the first edition of House Selling For Dummies®

"Packed with the proven punch of the Brown-Tyson combination . . . this book is destined to become a home seller’s best friend."
—Broderick Perkins, San Jose Mercury News

"Strategies that could generate or save readers thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of dollars on the sale of their house."
—Inman News Features

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (March 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764554255
• ISBN-13: 978-0764554254
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,026,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not one of Eric Tyson's better efforts, February 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: House Selling for Dummies (Paperback)

As an investment professional and self-confessed do-it-yourselfer, I am a great fan of Eric Tyson's "Personal Finance for Dummies" and "Mutual Funds for Dummies" which empower people to manage their own finances better. It was therefore very disappointing for me to read this book and "Home Buying for Dummies", only to find that the authors (maybe through Ray Brown's influence)pound away relentlessly at the notion that the reader REALLY should hire a real estate agent rather than doing it themself. The authors clearly have a much higher opinion of real estate brokers and agents than I do.

Anyone looking for a reference on how to figure out the finances of buying and selling homes and how to effectively choose and use a real estate agent will likely find these books useful.

Unfortunately, the "do-it-yourself" crowd needs to look elsewhere or hope for a major revision.

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't be discouraged, all you FSBOs out there!, December 6, 2000

By 

Barbara E Sabo (Viera, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House Selling for Dummies (Paperback)

While I agree with a previous reviewer that it was a little discouraging that the authors thought so highly of realtors, I just ignored that part and used all the other very useful information in this book. Short story short, our house ad went in the paper on a Friday (in what the book termed "Death Valley" season, no less) and we had our buyer the next Monday!!

The info on how to spruce up your house and how to negotiate the contract was a big help. We did it all without a realtor, got the price we were aiming for, and avoided that ridiculous commission.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for "FISBO"s., August 15, 2004

By 

P. Jamison "mortier" (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House Selling for Dummies (Paperback)

This book discourages "FISBO's" (For Sale By Owner) types in favor of hiring a real estate agent. In fact, only one chapter deals with this. I'd recommend this book to those who plan to hire an agency to sell their home. It will inform them of the various machinations of the sales process. For those looking to sell their own property, I recommend "The For Sale By Owner Kit" by Robert Irwin. It's directed soley at the "FISBO" person.