Home Buying for Dummies, Third Edition

This book felt like a great resource as we read through it pre-purchase, but, as the process began to solidify, we were disappointed to find that rules and laws vary so much state to state that our information was either erroneous, not fully explained, or unrealistic. We just bought our first home (in Texas, so you have an idea of what area is completely inapplicable to the book) and could not find one real estate agent who even knew what an activity list was, let alone maintained one. We had a long list of questions for the sellers, but maybe 5 of the 50 were answered at all, let alone to our satisfaction. Granted, the books says "walk away" from things like this, but, when pressed into a homebuying timeline due to job relocation, who has the luxury of waiting? It is a great resource for those that have the time for a few dozen "walk aways," but, for the rest of us, it will be of little use. (Although, I use it now to remind me to kick myself when I find yet another thing that did not go according to plan.) Our first home purchase went surprisingly smooth and we love our new house, but I found little of that can be blamed on good content of this book.

My wife and I purchased this book to help us in our hunt for our first home. We were total novices about the entire home buying process since we had always been apartment dwellers. I read through the book several times over the course of a month. The book armed me with good questions to ask my realtor and the seller's agent as well. It was particularly invaluable when addressing mortgage loans and funding alternatives.48 hours from now my wife and I will close on our first home. This book gave us confidence in our decision making by helping us evaluate a wide variety of criteria we would not have otherwise thought of. The peace of mind this book gave is worth many times more than we spent for it.If you are buying a home as a novice, you simply MUST purchase this book. Even if you are a veteran home buyer, I really believe this book will have value for you as well.

Easy read very informative.

I bought this book and "A Complete Idiot's Guide..." If you want in depth details on buying a home, then this is the book for you. The other one was too fluffy and general and didn't really explain anything. I knew NOTHING about buying a home and this book takes you step by step and teaches what you need to know. Should buy or rent? Are your finances in order? What can you afford? They answer all your questions before you even leave chapter 1!It's a great book. It's very easy to read and understand and when you're done with it, you'll feel like a pro! I just bought my first home, and I own it all to this book.

I highly recommend this book for the new homebuyers out there. I never realized how much terminology I didn't know in the real estate world. I was able to skim through the book fairly quickly and flagged the terms that related to my needs which alleviated some of the stress of homebuying. I felt that I was educated enough not to get ripped off. The tips were very useful and the layout was clear and consise. Read this book before you get an agent or a loan officer.

Bought this book when we started our first home buying process. It walks you through every step and answers all the questions you didn't think of, or feel silly asking.

I was hoping that by reading this book I would be able to buy a home on my own without a realtor, however, although truly informative, I doubt that it provided me with enough information to be that independent. Definitely a good book, but needs to be back up with other sources.

I bought this and several other books when we were considering buying a home just so I could see what I needed to be prepared for. Unfortunately that was put off. It was a very simplistic and easy to follow book that did not weigh you down with information because buying a home can get very stressful.