Comments about O'Reilly Media Buying a Home: The Missing Manual:

I'm never owned a home, but I'd like to. From renting, I've gotten a pretty good idea of what I want and don't want in a home, but there are a number of things I hadn't considered until reading this book. I also didn't realize just how complicated the financial aspects are, and how many people need to be involved to make sure everything goes right!

Buying a Home: the Missing Manual covers all aspects of the process, from deciding if buying a home is the right decision for you, to finding the right home, figuring out financing, negotiating with the seller, and taking possession. It's not a book I'd read for fun, but it's one that I'll be keeping to refer back to when the situation arises. There are a lot of specifics that I expect will come in handy, from listing sites where you can browse homes to explanations of each of the various types of loans available.

If you're planning to buy a home soon and haven't been through the process before (or even if you have), I recommend this book.

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Buying a Home: The Missing Manual:

Caveat Emptor: Let the buyer beware. For no one is this adage more true than for those of us in the market for a new home! And for anyone new to the game, or maybe who landed in a money pit in their previous purchase, this book deserves a prominent place on your reading list ASAP. Nancy Connor covers every step of the often daunting real estate purchase, beginning with the often overlooked question, "Is home ownership right for you now?" Like many in the Missing Manual series, this book is written in clear, concise prose that is easy for the real estate novice to understand, while never speaking down to the reader. We have the e-book version which in the Stanza reader can be annotated, as well as shared via email. Perhaps the one thing that may be missing in this Missing Manual is mention of the one website that provides most of the information (past sales, taxes, assessments, time on the market, whether it has been delisted, relisted, price changes, etc.) Ms. Connor recommends buyers have in hand when evaluating their home options: [@]. We hope it will be included in future editions. We happened upon "Buying A Home: The Missing Manual" when we were already half way through the process -- we had budgeted our closing costs, interviewed buyers' agents, gotten pre-approved by our lender, and were 2 months into home tours. After reading this Manual, we are far better armed with checklists and questions for the most crucial steps to come: making and negotiating offers, home inspections, dealing with contingencies, and closing. While we wish we had had this Manual before we began our odyssey on the the stormy sea of real estate negotiations, we are grateful now to have a another guide to see us past the sirens and reefs ahead.