The New Complete Book of Home Buying [Paperback]

Michael Sumichrast (Author), Ronald Shafer (Author), Martin A. Sumichrast (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2004

How to uncover the best houses, and avoid the lemons, in today's tricky housing market

Real estate is soaring, and prospective buyers want information that is both authoritative and easy to understand. The New Complete Book of Home Buying combines proven techniques with updated strategies, including how to use the Internet effectively, whether to buy a new or existing home, what to watch for in an older home, and more. A complete revision of the classic The Complete Book of Home Buying, this new edition arms you with the knowledge you need to get the most house for your money in today's ultra-competitive housing market.

Hands-on, helpful features include:

• Checklists, mortgage tables, and other valuable tools
• Dozens of up-to-date investment and tax strategies
• Tips and techniques for first-time buyers

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

One of the most popular home buying how-to's ever, now revamped and updated to meet the needs of today's home buyer

A home purchase is an investment, quite possibly the largest investment you will ever make, and you should treat it as such. The classic Complete Book of Home Buying, first published in 1980, recognized that fact and gave more than 130,000 Americans the information they needed to ensure their home investment was both financially smart and personally satisfying.

Now, The New Complete Book of Home Buying comprehensively updates that book's information for today's dramatically transformed markets. Whether you are new to the market or have bought and sold several times, this completely revised classic will give you the vital information you need to:

• Shop for the best mortgage, and negotiate the best house deal, to minimize your out-of-pocket costs while maximizing long-term appreciation
• Create a checklist to make certain a house has the features you want, with no expensive repairs just over the horizon
• Save time and money by instantly finding what you need on the Internet, including directions to hundreds of hard-to-find websites

More than any other investment, a well-chosen house is your key to building wealth and achieving financial security. Before you buy another home, let The New Complete Book of Home Buying give you the tools you need to guarantee that purchase is the best investment you'll ever make.

About the Author

Michael Sumichrast is a former chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders.

Ronald Shafer is a former editor and writer for the Wall Street Journal.

Martin A. Sumichrast has extensive experience in real estate.

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (August 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071444874
• ISBN-13: 978-0071444873
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #380,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read., September 7, 2005

By 

William Kiser - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Complete Book of Home Buying (Paperback)

This is a must-read for anyone considering home ownership. I was able to learn many important things as well as pull together what I already knew. In fact I nearly read the whole book the night I received it. The book is also well written as the author is able to keep things flowing.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars okay if you live in Nebraska and/or don't have access to the internet, March 18, 2007

By 

Carissa K. Dougherty (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Complete Book of Home Buying (Paperback)

This book, while thorough in its generalities, is really not helpful to an internet-savvy, mid- to upper-market buyer. Most of the information provided is in the form of anecdotes which are interesting but give little practical advice for someone with more specific questions. All of the advice in the book I had seen online at any number of home-buying sites, so the book was pretty much useless. The other bad thing was the data provided as examples; I think the author kept the data he used from the 1980s edition for home prices! Coming from a larger market (Chicagoland), I found the sales price examples ($150,000 for a four-bedroom?) laughable and the "average" statistics (there's no way the average size of a house in the neighborhoods we're looking at is over 2,000 sq. ft.) really kind of ridiculous. Overall, this may be a good book for someone in a small market who knows little about home buying -- but probably not appropriate for someone who is buying in an area where the "average" home price is over $250K. Try Sid Davis's book, A Survival Guide for Buying a Home.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Now Have A Plan!, May 12, 2007

By 

Bonnie Cehovet (Shelton, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Complete Book of Home Buying (Paperback)

This is an absolutely essential book for anyone looking to purchase a home. Written with just the right touch of humor, the authors offer practical advice written in a manner that does not talk down to the reader.

The authors discuss the fact that a home needs to be looked at as an investment, how and where to conduct your search for a house (including the Internet!), the difference between single family homes, condominiums, and town houses, and much, much more!

There are imporant Internet resources included in this book, as well as check-list developed by the authors not only for comparing houses, but the life expectency for various parts of the house, as well as comparing loan options.

This is a book to be used, not just read. A definite keeper!