How to Buy a House in California, 10th Edition [Paperback]

Ira Serkes (Author), George Devine (Author), IRA Devine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2005 | ISBN-10: 1413300677 | ISBN-13: 978-1413300673 | Edition: 10th

The most complete guide to buying a home in the Golden State.

A thorough, practical guide to every aspect of buying a house, How to Buy a House in California will help you make informed decisions that can save you thousands of dollars. With this bestseller in hand, you'll learn how to:

choose a house and neighborhood find the right agent get the most up-to-date information on mortgage options and rates take advantage of creative financing strategies – from seller financing to government loans figure out how much down payment you can afford make an offer and negotiate with confidence for the best price buy a new house in a development inspect a house for physical problems and environmental hazards juggle buying and selling houses simultaneously successfully go through escrow The 10th edition, completely updated, explains how to use the latest mortgage financing options – such as no-interest loans – without getting burned. It also covers how to research a home's insurance history, deal with problems with newly built homes, and to what extent a buyer can trust inspection reports provided by a seller.

Home buyers beyond California: Even though this book provides state-specific forms and information for Californians, most of the material in it can help home buyers in the other 49 states as well. Don't buy a house without it!

Editorial Reviews

Review

A compendium of home-buying information, from choosing your castle to escaping escrow unscathed. -- San Jose Mercury News

A valuable resource for California homebuyers and real estate professionals throughout its many editions. -- Laurie Brian - San Francisco Chronicle

One of the most detailed real estate books you will ever read...filled with practical advice... -- Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Attorney Ralph Warner Ralph Warner is a co-founder and e-publisher of Nolo.com and one of the pioneers of the self-help law movement. A graduate of Princeton University and the Boalt School of Law (U.C. Berkeley), he is the author of many books and articles aimed at making our legal system more accessible and democratic.He and his wife, Carol, represent Berkeley, Albany, Kensington, El Cerrito and other East Bay home buyers and sellers, and offer nationwide referrals to other buyer brokers. Both Ira and Carol have been awarded the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation by the National Association of Realtors. This is the highest professional designation of residential specialty in the industry. Co-author of How to Buy a House in California, Ira is also an Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), one of only 4,000 in the United States.

George Devine, California Real Estate Broker George Devine is a licensed real estate broker and a widely respected educator in the real estate field. He holds a B.A. from the University of San Francisco, and an M.A. from Marquette University, and has pursued additional studies at San Francisco State University, Seton Hall University and other academic shrines. Currently, he teaches real estate at the McLaren School of Business at the University of San Francisco, where he was named the Outstanding Adjunct Professor in 1991. For several years, George wrote the popular "Real Estate Handbook" column in the weekly Real Estate Guide section of the San Francisco Progress. He is the author of For Sale By Owner and co-author of How to Buy a House in California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: NOLO; 10th edition (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413300677
• ISBN-13: 978-1413300673
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #587,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prepared for the LA Market-Whoa!, February 1, 2006

By 

Kim Fisher "Savy shopper" (los angeles, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Buy a House in California, 10th Edition (Paperback)

This book is the only book you will need if buying a home in California. I am in my early thirties and knew nothing about the housing market in California until reading this easy and thorough guide to California home buying.

It provides a detailed and easy to understand guide to preparing oneself for entering theCalifornia housing market. The book is broken down in comprehensible, step by step chapters covering a wide range of subject areas. There are plenty of worksheets designed to help in your home search (practical and financial) as well as plenty of real life examples that illustrate common inquiries, pitfalls and scenarios.

I live in Los Angeles and was very intimidated by the insanely competitive housing market. This book has gotten me over these worries and am now working confidently with an amazing broker in looking for the house that's right for me. Don't bother with other guides, this is honestly the only one you will need!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I have nothing bad to say about this book., March 18, 2006

By 

Stacy Miller (Bury St. Edmunds, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Buy a House in California, 10th Edition (Paperback)

I will be a first time homebuyer shortly and this book is really helping me put things into perspective and feel confident about purchasing a home. Easy to read. Easy to understand. Easy to find specific information. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love this book, November 12, 2008

By 

Cynthia (Fremont, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Buy a House in California, 10th Edition (Paperback)

I read a few buying a house guides but this one is nearly complete w/ all the process and paper works. It goes into detail and typical process, fees and situations. However I think the book should add in a chapter with short sale and REOs for current economy.