How to Buy a House in California
How to Buy a House in California
Buy a home in the Golden State with the most complete guide available.
A thorough, practical guide to every aspect of buying a house, How to Buy a House in California will help you make informed decisions that can save you thousands of dollars. With this bestseller in hand, you’ll learn how to:
The 12th edition is completely updated to reflect the changing housing market, including an updated discussion about what to look for when buying a foreclosed or bank-owned home. Plus, you’ll get the most up-to-date criteria lenders now require when you’re shopping for a mortgage.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars How to Buy A House in California
An encyclopedic gathering of issues and options necessary to buying a house in California. Easy to search and understand. I’ve never read anything better.
2 Stars Mostly common sense stuff…not much new
I was disappointed in this book, especially after all the good reviews about it. I don’t consider myself to be an expert by any means on home buying, yet I found that 95% of the information this book presented was common sense stuff. I read the book from cover to cover (besides the appendixes, of course), and while the book confirmed a lot of stuff that was in my mind, I got very little new information from it. Unless you have been living under a rock, I don’t think you will need this book.
4 Stars Love this book
I read a few buying a house guides but this one is nearly complete w/ all the process and paper works. It goes into detail and typical process, fees and situations. However I think the book should add in a chapter with short sale and REOs for current economy.
5 Stars Wonderful Resource
I purchased this book because I was a first time home buyer and the information and tips I got from this book were wonderful. There was a tip about calling local title companies to find out who they think are good local real estate agents. I called for a recommendation, and it worked wonderfully! I found a great agent using that tip and I am extremely pleased with how everything worked out. The extra knowledge I acquired from this book was very helpful throughout the whole home buying process. It is an easy and fun book to read. The authors give stories from their personal experiences and also provide explanation of terms, etc. I would recommend it to any one who is going to buy a home.
5 Stars Agree with the other opinions
I won’t waste your time with repeating the same things everyone else has said. This is the best book for first-time home buying in SoCal; you won’t lose money or time with this book. Gratuitous advice if you are buying in SoCal for the first time:
1. Things are done a little differently out here, so DO NOT listen to people from other states regarding need for a lawyer on every purchase; the escrow agency takes care of most of those details unless a problem arises. Just follow the book…it will guide you well.
2. If the home inspection report mentions a horizontal furnace related to Consolidated Inc. in the past, DO have your furnace inspected even if the serial number does not show a recalled NOx rod (see your home inspector, or a CA home inspection manual)…the Consolidated/Premier furnace that came with my place needed to be replaced despite not being on the recall list because of a fire hazard (eep!).
3. It’s also handy to have a home inspection manual anyway so that any repairs you perform as a DIY’er won’t cause problems down the road on resale, if needed.
Filed under: Mortgage Book Reviews
