20 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Home

This book is a quick, uncomplicated read about homebuying. It covers most of the basics one should consider when purchasing a home. However, I thought some of the questions ( such as Questions One and Two and Questions Seven and Eight) could have been combined into three concise questions questions. Still, the book made one very important point: get everything in writing. Although the text was too short to talk about the ins and outs of mortgage finance and protecting oneself in homeownership, again, the book did bring up most of the key points. However, the book failed to enlighten the prospective homeowner about several important issues: 1. Any insurance that you are obligated to purchase in concert with the home purchase serves to protect the lender, and not you. Future editions of the text must endeavor to elaborate on this point, and let the reader know about universal title insurance (which protects you and the bank against claims of ownership) as well as the various types of home insurance (some policies only cover flood and fire, while others cover things like mold). In the book's defense, they did mention the voluntary purchase of a home warranty, which I must admit, was a new concept to me. However, once again, and I stress this with force, EVERYTHING YOU ARE OBLIGATED TO PURCHASE SERVES THE BANK'S INTEREST, while those things you voluntarily elect to purchase protects your interest. 2. There are many non-profit organizations that assist first-time homebuyers in purchasing a home. Some are comprehensive, offering homebuyer education as well as financing. Others simply provide downpayment assistance, while others limit themselves to advocacy. You can get a list of those organizations in your area that assist folks in purchasing a home from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Future editions should also mention that this list can also be obtained, free of charge, from county or state housing agencies. 3. Future editions of this should make the reader aware of the various homeownership alternatives and their merits and de-merits. It would be nice to know what the differences are between a manufactured home, a regular house, a condo and a co-op type deal are. Readers of this book would do well to treat this book as a basic primer on home buying. More advanced readers can skip this book and read something like Homebuying for Dummies or The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homebuying, both of which one may find to be a bit more comprehensive. For those of you who have never owned a home, and know nothing about homebuying, this book serves as a good starting point for your homebuying education.

I found this book to have all the important information in buying a home. The authors covered all and every aspect of buying a home and each aspect was explained in great detail. I would recommend this book for anyone who has no clue to what is involved in purchasing a home, however, if you have been through the "house buying" process before, which I have, there is not much to be learned in this book. I thought I would learn something new since it has been many years since I purchased a home, so I was a bit disappointed.

Finally, a book about buying a home that speaks to me in plain language and covers every part of the decisions and actions that must be considered when buying a new home. The coverage includes info for buyers looking for a next home and first-time buyers as well. This book doesn't try to include every single bit of information on every subject, but it does include the basics and where you can get more information, should you need it. Absolutely outstanding self-help guide for this often daunting endeavor.