How to Find a Home and Get a Mortgage on the Internet [Paperback]

Randy Johnson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471380725 | ISBN-13: 978-0471380726 | Publication Date: November 3, 2000 | Edition: 1

• Preview your new home on the Internet
• Get comparative sales information
• Qualify for the right loan

The do-it-yourself guide to home-hunting on the Web

Looking for a home? The Web offers you a wealth of resources–everything, that is, except a professional’s advice. Now veteran mortgage broker Randy Johnson gives you the expert guidance you need to be a smart online shopper. In this clear, step-by-step guide, Johnson demystifies the homebuying process, explaining just how homes are appraised and priced, how the mortgage industry is structured, what a professional agent can and can’t do for you, and more. Then he leads you online to the most useful Web resources for homes and mortgages. Using the Internet and this book, you’ll have everything you need to make an intelligent decision about one of the most important choices of your life.

Use Cyberspace to Find Your Ideal Space!

• How to find the right home on the Web
• Research communities online–learn what the neighbors won’t tell you
• Sites that help you figure out what you can afford and what kind of mortgage is best for you
• Getting a loan on the Web–pitfalls, cheats, and shady tactics to watch out for
• Selecting a reliable agent
• How to plan smart so you pay off your mortgage the month you retire

Editorial Reviews

Review

An up-to-date book that explains how to use the Internet to simplify the home quest and how buyers can avoid costly mistakes when home shopping and financing. -- Robert J. Bruss -EXCERPT from The 10 best real estate books of 2000

It's a pleasure reading a book written by an author like Johnson. On my scale of one to 10, this excellent well-organized, well-written book rates a solid 10. -- Robert J. Bruss - Tribune Media Services

From the Author

While writing my first mortgage book, it was obvious to me that the Internet was going to be a major force in the future, governing how many people get real estate and mortgage information. Three years later, this is certainly true, with ten of thousands of real estate web sites serving millions of homebuyers. However, navigating even the popular sites is not intuitively obvious and can be quite time-consuming. Also there are a number of less well-known sites that also have valuable information.

I felt that consumers needed a guide to make their search for information more productive and more efficient. This book explores each site in detail, showing the reader how to find quickly the information relevant to his or her needs.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (November 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471380725
• ISBN-13: 978-0471380726
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,967,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What You Don't Know Will Hurt You!, December 17, 2000

By 

judy gardner (Spokane, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Find a Home and Get a Mortgage on the Internet (Paperback)

Having purchased two previous homes, I thought I knew all there is to know: you call up a realtor who takes you around to see houses and you pick from a 30-year or a 15-year fixed rate mortgage. Wow! Was I wrong! Thanks to Randy Johnson's latest book on using the internet to find a home and get a mortgage, I now know that there are many types of mortgages available, many of them better- tailored to most people's needs than the two I've already named. I've learned the difference between a "mortgage banker" and a "mortgage broker" and that I may save thousands of dollars by using the services of an Upfront Mortgage Broker, one who agrees to sign a pledge to act in the best interests of the customer. I now know about the advantages of automated underwriting and the difference between rate versus fee when shopping for a mortgage. Imagine my astonishment to learn that paying points for a lower rate is a good strategy that may save me thousands of dollars in the long run! The author has made a highly technical subject easy to understand through charts and personal examples. I now have access to scores of helpful internet sites and forms to download. True to the book's title, I have shopped for a home in another state, qualified for a loan and am about to obtain a mortgage, all while sitting in front of my computer! If you, too, want to SHOP SMART for a home or mortgage, this is the book for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On target info for perspective home buyers., January 9, 2007

By 

Samuel M. Cummings Jr. "Invictus" (CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Find a Home and Get a Mortgage on the Internet (Paperback)

Johnson's attempt to educate perspective home buyers on the use of the Internet to find homes and mortgages is a "must read" for home buyers.
It seems to give the home buyer control over most aspects of his/her "dreamquest." It is a "do it yourself" demostration, a "problem solving aid" which equips the reader with some of the tools necessary to get the job done. The potential careful reader quicky discovers that the Internet can ease or solve most problems dealing with the purchase of a home!