Tips and Traps When Selling a Home [Paperback]

Robert Irwin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tips and Traps | Publication Date: October 1, 2003

Robert Irwin is America's #1 real estate expert. But don't take our word for it--the sales figures speak for themselves. To date, his real estate titles have sold more than one and a half million copies.

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Of all of his books, those in the bestselling "Tips and Traps" series continue to be the most popular(more than 500,000 sold), and two of those--Tips and Traps When Buying a Home and Tips and Traps When Selling a Home--have gone on to become the #1 guides in their respective subjects.

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In the seven years since those two classics were last revised the real estate market has undergone many dramatic changes. Irwin has updated these bestsellers to reflect these changes so readers can be successful in their real estate endeavors.

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This latest edition of Bob Irwin's classic Tips and Traps When Selling a Home brings new and experienced home owners up-to-speed on all the recent changes, regulations, and trends in real estate. It provides important information on market conditions, new tax advantages, toxic materials in the home, alternatives to the traditional broker, as well as proven strategies for:

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• Handling multiple offers .
• Negotiating from a position of power .
• Dealing with the new "fee-for-service" and discount brokers .
• Holding a home for investment, instead of selling .
• And much more .

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Self-help and how-to books should clarify complex issues without oversimplifying them. Irwin's books do just that. He includes timelines, check lists, and tables which document and illustrate the often thorny process of home buying and selling. In his book on home buying, he provides informative sections on buying from a builder, buying vacation homes, and buying a vacant lot. First-time buyers will find Irwin's book more readable than William G. Connolly's New York Times Guide To Buying or Building a Home (Times Bks., 1984) and somewhat more explanatory than H.L. Kibbey's First Home Buying Guide (Panoply Pr. Inc., 1988). In his book on house selling, Irwin discusses the problems encountered when offering a dwelling for sale. His "tips and traps" approach is used to acquaint inexperienced sellers with hiring a competent broker, negotiating a commission, deferring taxes on the sale, honoring disclosure obligations, and coping with a house that won't sell. Chapters like "Converting a Sale into a Rental" and "Selling a Condo or Coop" give practical advice in plain English. Mathematical examples help demystify the gains tax and seller financing sections. This volume improves upon Edith Lank's Selling Your Home with an Agent (Reston c/o Prentice-Hall, 1982). Paired with its companion on buying a home, it provides an alternative to Joel Makower's equally competent How To Buy a House and How To Sell a House ( LJ 12/1/89). The set is recommended for public libraries.
- Joan Pedzich, Harris, Beach & Wilcox Lib., Rochester, N.Y.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Don't even think of selling your house without guidance from America's leading real estate advisor!

Want the inside secrets of selling your house, condo, or co-op quickly­­for top dollar? Robert Irwin knows how to make it happen. More than 200,000 readers have relied on his Tips and Traps guides for solid advice on all aspects of real estate. Now this bestselling author updates you, the anxious home seller, on:

• Tax advantages
• Broker alternatives
• Environmental minefields
• Triumphing in down markets
• And other vital concerns!

Do you know the 7 most important seller's tips? The 4 most significant seller's traps? How to tell if now is the right time to sell? Find out here, along with inside scoop on:

• The latest economic and legal dangers of selling a home
• Cashing in on deferred sales and the $125,000 exclusion
• Selling the house yourself vs. working with traditional and new types of agents
• What to do when your home won't sell

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 3 edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007141830X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071418300
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,610,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good advice, but outdated on taxes, May 16, 2004

By 

J. M. Swisher "technical writer" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tips and Traps When Selling a Home (Hardcover)

This book provides well-written and well-presented advice on home selling. You can read chapters in detail, or just skim for the "tips" and "traps" notes. Irwin is agnostic about FSBO vs. real estate agents --- he provides advice for both situations, and guidance on how to decide which way to go.

Be wary, however, of following the tax advice in this book. It was written in 1990, and tax laws have changed considerably since then. Find another source for real estate tax advice.

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic book, June 10, 2007

By 

M. Miller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tips and Traps When Selling a Home (Paperback)

This is a good basic book on selling your house. It seems to cover all the essential points to consider.