$15.95 / Perfectbound
ISBN: 9781608445752
132 pages
Also available at fine
bookstores everywhere

Introduction

THE PURPOSE OF this book is to make the largest purchase of your life as simple as possible. Buying a home today is like breakdancing in a minefield – one wrong move, and the whole thing can blow up in your face! After reading this book, you will be able to grace your way into your first home without the risk of everything going to pieces.

In all seriousness, the word “challenging” comes to mind for a first-time homebuyer in today’s market. From the search, to the financing, to the numerous hurdles and pitfalls, the foreclosures and short sales, the buyer-seller dynamics, what your friends are telling you to do, what your agent is saying, what your significant other is telling you, and so on, it’s tough to navigate your way safely into your new home.

Coming from the standpoint of a Professional Realtor that works everyday with first time homebuyers, this book provides an accurate and realistic account to give you the best perspective as you embark down the path of homeownership. This is not a dummy-book or an idiot’s guide! This book is filled with real world accounts of great examples of what to do and what not to do so when it comes to your first place, so you can learn from my collective experience and benefit as a result. This book will guide you through each and every step of the homebuying process, from the minute you decide on buying a home all the way to the close of escrow. The process is part of the adventure! This is the largest purchase of your life, but a good education will reduce your stress level and make the process fun and exciting.

When I first got into real estate, I was also in the market to buy my first home with my brother. I figured I would use myself as a guinea pig for my first real estate transaction; if I messed up, I would only be hurting myself. This was a long time ago, and back then all I needed to get a loan was to fog a mirror and tell the lender how much money I needed! Obviously, things have changed since then, but I remember how much of a whirlwind the home buying process was. My parents were involved to some degree in the home selection process, but when it came down to the nitty-gritty details, my brother and I didn’t really get the guidance we needed; we just jumped in and hoped for the best. I didn’t know whether I was making the best decisions, and after finding the home we eventually bought, it was difficult to comprehend all the documents that were thrown at us. I didn’t know how to interpret everything and separate what was important from what was not important. As I was my own real estate agent, I had no one but myself to lean on.

We still own that house, and since then my team and I have helped countless others buy their first homes. From my own experience and the experiences of my many clients, I have collected a wealth of knowledge to make you a savvy homebuyer. This book will arm you with knowledge of what to do, what to expect and what questions to ask when buying your first home. Simply put, my goal is to make you look less like a first-time novice, and more like a seasoned veteran real estate buyer.

When I think about the main issues that come up with most of the first-time buyers I am helping today, it comes down to a few simple (simple, not easy) issues. Most of these have to do with failures to manage communication and emotions. These two factors are of utmost importance, but how can you be expected to know what to do when you haven’t bought a home before? After reading this book, you will have gained an understanding of what works and what doesn’t, what to do and what not to do. This book will help you find out how to go about making your first home purchase a positive and rewarding experience. This process is only as stressful as you allow it to be! With the right mindset (realistic, reasonable, and positive) and the necessary information and help, you are sure to have success with your big purchase the first time!