Contents of Home Sweet Home Handbook include:
- Chapter 1: Real Estate and Real Property
- Chapter 2: SFR Realty
- Chapter 3: Value and Valuation
- Chapter 4: Appraisers and Appraisals
- Chapter 5: Principals and Agents
- Chapter 6: Real Estate Law
- Chapter 7: Real Estate Contracts
- Chapter 8: Real Estate Finance
- Chapter 9: Real Estate Taxation
- Chapter 10: Real Estate Insurance
- Chapter 11: Selling SFR Property
- Chapter 12: Buying SFR Property
- Chapter 13: Mortgage Mastery
- Chapter 14: Escrow Process
- Chapter 15: Home Environment
- Chapter 16: Landlord and Tenant
- Chapter 17: Realty Reality
- Chapter 18: The Great Recession
- Chapter 19: Preventing Foreclosure
- Chapter 20: Home Styles
- Appendix A: Measures and Measurements
- Appendix B: Home Safety Checklist
- Appendix C: Home Maintenance Checklist
- Appendix D: Mortgage Checklist
- Appendix E: Contractor Selection Checklist
- Appendix F: Home Hunting Checklist
- Appendix G: House Inspection Checklist
- Appendix H: Glossary
- Index
Excerpts
Tricks of the Trade
“All buyers and sellers should exercise caution and diligence when selecting a real estate licensee to represent them in the sale or purchase of real property. Interview no fewer than three or four brokers and their salespeople. Have the broker produce a lengthy list of satisfied clients of recent sales in the same neighborhood. Do not use out-of-area brokers and agents.” ~ Chapter 5: Principals and Agents
Personal Inspection Tips
“Never let yourself fall in love with a ‘dream home’ until you have objectively considered its construction quality, amenities, current condition, and cost to buy and maintain…Don’t fall for the mood set up by real estate agents and knowing sellers through baking bread in the oven and a crackling ifre in the fireplace. Read up about houses and lots the way to evaluate homes.” ~ Chapter 12: Buying SFR Property
More about Credit Protection
“…If you dispute credit file information, complain to the credit agency. It must verify or remove any disputed information. You can also insist on having a letter placed in your cdredit file (limited to one hundred words) and the agency must, by law, include it and show it to inquirers.” ~ Chapter 13: Mortgage Mastery
“Millions of Americans are awash in credit card and long-term debt (e.g., high mortgages) with the result that leading indicators are falling (e.g., retail sales). They do not have the dollars of free income to put into stock markets. The market game seems to be played only by institutional investors who trade in and out at a moment’s notice, employing sophisticated computer programs to squeeze tiny profits margins on each trade. This is not what the stock market was originally set up to accomplish.” ~ Chapter 17: Realty Reality
“The Great Recession of 2008 – 2012 caused U.S. home values to fall 5.5 trillion dollars in a 14 trillion dollar economy…It will take political willpower to create a better home finance system. Otherwise the problem will reemerge in greater force in the future.” ~ Chapter 19: Preventing Foreclosure
Tricks of the Trade
“All buyers and sellers should exercise caution and diligence when selecting a real estate licensee to represent them in the sale or purchase of real property. Interview no fewer than three or four brokers and their salespeople. Have the broker produce a lengthy list of satisfied clients of recent sales in the same neighborhood. Do not use out-of-area brokers and agents.” ~ Chapter 5: Principals and Agents
Personal Inspection Tips
“Never let yourself fall in love with a ‘dream home’ until you have objectively considered its construction quality, amenities, current condition, and cost to buy and maintain…Don’t fall for the mood set up by real estate agents and knowing sellers through baking bread in the oven and a crackling ifre in the fireplace. Read up about houses and lots the way to evaluate homes.” ~ Chapter 12: Buying SFR Property
More about Credit Protection
“…If you dispute credit file information, complain to the credit agency. It must verify or remove any disputed information. You can also insist on having a letter placed in your cdredit file (limited to one hundred words) and the agency must, by law, include it and show it to inquirers.” ~ Chapter 13: Mortgage Mastery
“Millions of Americans are awash in credit card and long-term debt (e.g., high mortgages) with the result that leading indicators are falling (e.g., retail sales). They do not have the dollars of free income to put into stock markets. The market game seems to be played only by institutional investors who trade in and out at a moment’s notice, employing sophisticated computer programs to squeeze tiny profits margins on each trade. This is not what the stock market was originally set up to accomplish.” ~ Chapter 17: Realty Reality
“The Great Recession of 2008 – 2012 caused U.S. home values to fall 5.5 trillion dollars in a 14 trillion dollar economy…It will take political willpower to create a better home finance system. Otherwise the problem will reemerge in greater force in the future.” ~ Chapter 19: Preventing Foreclosure
