Home Buyer's Checklist: Everything You Need to Know--but Forget to Ask--Before You Buy a Home (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "In older homes, the windows sometimes jam..." (more)
Key Phrases: professional inspector check, any watermarks, professional home inspector, Does It Have, Are There Any Cracks, Are There Any Leaks (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Everyone who has bought a home knows that an official inspection is no guarantee against unpleasant surprises, and that, ultimately, the burden to ask the important questions about the physical aspects of a home is on the home buyer. But buying a home is one of life's most stressful, emotionally fraught activities, and it's easy to see why many home buyers fail to anticipate the kinds of exasperating and expensive problems that can crop up after closing.

Written by bestselling real estate author (more than 1 million books sold) Robert Irwin, Home Buyer's Checklist levels the playing field by equipping home buyers with a comprehensive list of questions pertaining to all the physical aspects of a house that may not be covered in an official inspection. From basement to attic, pantry to lawn, Bob walks readers through every room, nook, cranny, closet and keep, asking important questions about windows, screens, doors and door frames, fireplaces, light fixtures, moldings, and much, much more. And, drawing upon his many years of experience in the business, he provides pointers on how to deal with each problem, including information on how much it will cost to fix, how to estimate its short- and long-term consequences, how it should impact on the negotiating process, and more.

From the Back Cover

America's Number One Real Estate Expert gives you the tools you need to uncover the REAL story behind any house.

Surprises are only fun if it's your birthday, not after you make an offer or buy a home and "SURPRISE"--it needs a lot more work than you thought. Unfortunately, if you ask most homeowners they'll have a war story about their house that begins with, "I never looked closely or asked the agent or seller about that...!" Or "I didn't realize how much replacing the damaged floors would cost." It's easy to get flabbergasted when you're house hunting and forget to ask important questions or overlook crucial details. Let Robert Irwin, America's number-one real estate writer let you take charge of your home search with Home Buyer's Checklist, a step-by-step, room-by-room, top-to-bottom guide that shows you exactly how to "precheck" a house before you make an offer.

• Consider or Eliminate­­When you're looking at a dozen homes, find out when it makes more sense to forget it than to buy it.
• Ask the Inspector­­Know which potential problems to later point out to your inspector so that they become the seller's headache and not yours
• Neighbors and Neighborhoods­­Invest in quality of life (Green Lawns: YES­­Cars on Lawns: NO) and you will add value to your home
• Your Home's Life Span­­Learn how to asses the quality and durability of your home in order to avoid costly surprises down the road

Take this book with you when you look at homes and let it suggest what you must ask about each house. With practical and no-nonsense advice, Robert Irwin answers the question: "Where do I begin?" Begin HERE!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071373802
• ISBN-13: 978-0071373807
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #259,694 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Name says it All, August 8, 2005

By	S. D. Bell - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Exactly what it says...a checklist for nearly every item you could think of that you would want to check out before buying a house. Almost too many details but easy to use. A good investment if purchasing a house.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but ould have been shorter, January 6, 2007

By	A. Kansal (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

As a first time home buyer, this book is indeed useful. I learned about things I would never have thought of myself, and some of the things given are useful further to detect when maintenance may be due on certain items even after the purchase. It eductes te buyer about some basics of construction practces which help evaluate the condition of the home. Reading it wil not eliminate the need to get a professional inspection done on the property you are seriously considering or making an offer on, but will be helpful on the first visit or an open house for the prospective property.

Whether this is the best book around on the subject: probably not. The author does repeat stuff and gets wordy at places.

5.0 out of 5 stars Exhaustive checklist, October 4, 2009

By	S. Kulangara (LA, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

The good: This is a very important resource for the 1st time home buyer. A plethora of check lists covering almost all aspects of home-buying. It's definitely thorough and detailed for a starter like me. I found it very informative and eye-opening.

The not-so-good: There are a total of 208 pages of checklists! I can't see myself going thru each of the 208 pages of checklists for every house I might be interested in. Also, I'll need to buy at least a dozen copies of this book and spend hours at each house thoroughly examining it and recording the findings in the pages of each copy.

The bottom line: As thoroughly informative and valueable as this book is to me, I will only use it to educate myself to be an better home inspector/buyer for the house I might like. I intend to dig in more and do not hesitate to recommend it! It's worth the money and effort.