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How to Buy a House in California
 
 
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How to Buy a House in California (Paperback)

by Ralph E. Warner (Author), Ira Serkes (Author), George Devine (Author) "This book is full of practical, up-to-date information about the financial realities, legal rules and real estate industry customs you must understand to successfully purchase..." (more)
Key Phrases: total monthly carrying costs, approximate remaining balance, transfer disclosure statement, Civil Code, San Francisco, Ideal House Profile (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)


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Editorial Reviews

Review
Invest in this book...it's virtually impossible to think of anything left out...they anticipated every question buyers might have. -- Robert Bruss, syndicated real estate columnist

This book can’t be too highly recommended for home buyers and home owners. -- San Francisco Examiner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"A valuable resource for California homebuyers and real estate professionals throughout its many editions." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Nolo; 4th edition (October 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0873373561
  • ISBN-13: 978-0873373562
  • Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,115,963 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence:
This book is full of practical, up-to-date information about the financial realities, legal rules and real estate industry customs you must understand to successfully purchase a California house. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
total monthly carrying costs, approximate remaining balance, transfer disclosure statement, family financial statement, pest control inspector, marginal house, counter counteroffer, probate sales, affordability gap, escrow holder, associate licensee, escrow credit, real estate websites, backup offer, documentary transfer tax, pest control report, developer guarantees, pest control inspection, specialized inspections, comparable sales data, periodic cap, lease option contract, preapproval letter, negative amortization, preliminary title report
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Civil Code, San Francisco, Ideal House Profile, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Los Angeles, Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement, Ralph Warner, California Association of Realtors, House Priorities Worksheet, Multiple Listing Service, Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement, Department of Veterans Affairs, San Diego, Federal Housing Administration, Government Code, Public Resources Code, Board of Realtors, Denis Clifford, Frederick Hertz, Mary Randolph, Putting Your Offer, Robin Leonard, Buyer Buyer, Central Valley
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent reference for first-time CA buyers, June 15, 1999
By A Customer
If you've bought a house before, some parts of this book may seem somewhat elementary. And, admittedly, a lot of the information about how much you can afford is available on the web on various home-buying sites. On the other hand, I found the location-specific information very helpful, and the advice in the book is solid and reliable.

The real winners are those who are preparing to buy a house for the first time. This book will take you through pretty much all the steps, from thinking about what you want in a house and finding good neighborhoods, through figuring out how much you can afford. It's an excellent reference guide for somebody who's just starting to think about buying, and will be useful all the way through closing. IIf I had to choose just one book on buying a house, it would be this one.

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource well worth it's retail price., December 29, 1997
By jmatthews@kpmg.com (Irvine, California) - See all my reviews
This well-written, concise resource helped us to buy our first home in California, with neither the seller nor us (the buyer) using a real estate agent. As a result of having read this book, we were able to cut $10,000 off the price of our home, and convinced the seller to accept our offer even with a contingency on the sale of another property. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering buying a home in California.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars As usual, the only book you'll need., January 18, 2002
By A Customer
I used the Nolo Press tenants' rights book in the past to (successfully) sue my deposit-greedy/law-breaking landlords. I just used this book to buy my first home in the competitive Bay Area (yes, it's still highly competitive even in these "tough times"). Nolo's book is accurate and insightful, written in a voice that's accessible and, at times, fun and tongue-in-cheek. The organization of information, as usual, is right on. And the links and helpful sidebars are fantastic! Don't waste your money on other books. I swear this one is the only book you'll need.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Usability Limited by Format
While I appreciate the thoroughness and helpfulness of the text, this book depends on the reader to fill in multiple written exercises to help them assess their needs and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lee

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Buy A House in California
An encyclopedic gathering of issues and options necessary to buying a house in California. Easy to search and understand. I've never read anything better.
Published 2 months ago by Orlie H. White

2.0 out of 5 stars Mostly common sense stuff...not much new
I was disappointed in this book, especially after all the good reviews about it. I don't consider myself to be an expert by any means on home buying, yet I found that 95% of the... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Brian Stepanek

4.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
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. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Cynthia

5.0 out of 5 stars Agree with the other opinions
I won't waste your time with repeating the same things everyone else has said. This is the best book for first-time home buying in SoCal; you won't lose money or time with this... Read more
Published 16 months ago by G. Thiemecke

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Resource
I purchased this book because I was a first time home buyer and the information and tips I got from this book were wonderful. Read more
Published 21 months ago by J. Siebold

5.0 out of 5 stars Demystify the Maze
This book rocks! It is well written, clearly organized, full of incredibly useful insights and obviates the need for any other books. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Michael Billing

5.0 out of 5 stars I have nothing bad to say about this book.
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. Read more
Published on March 18, 2006 by Stacy Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars Prepared for the LA Market-Whoa!
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... Read more
Published on February 1, 2006 by Kim Fisher

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and easy to understand
This book explains all the little nuances about buying a house. I read the whole thing and parts of it more than once before I bought my first house. Read more
Published on January 27, 2004 by ratbert2k

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