100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask: With Answers from Top Brokers from Around the Country

How much training does it take to become a librarian, teacher, lawyer, physician, or rocket scientist? How well would the world work for us if such training were skimped on?

When it comes to buying a first home (whether condo, co-op, or fixer-upper), most people act as though you can do brain surgery without the training. Not!

Even if you view this emotionally and financially important investment as one to be approached carefully, most first-time buyers will make important errors. Here are a few of my favorites:

(1) Not thinking about how hard it may be to resell the home.

(2) Vastly underestimating how much money will be needed to fix it up.

(3) Overpaying for the home because of not realizing how to negotiate.

(4) Waiting until finding one's soul mate before purchasing.

(5) Spending more than you can afford, and using boxes for furniture.

(6) Purchasing a home that doesn't fit your needs (where will you put 4 children and you in 2 bedrooms?).

(7) Taking on a horrible commute.

Interest rates are down in light of the terrible terrorist tragedy and weak economy. Unemployment is rising. Based on historical patterns, this is a good time to buy. Are you ready? Probably not, even if you think you are.

But I have good news for you. If you read and apply the lessons of this book, you will be more ready than many people who have already bought homes.

The subjects covered include deciding what you needs are, versus your likes; how to look; determining what you can afford; deciding what broker to use; how to work with the broker (especially what not to tell the broker, since most work for the seller); how to decide what to offer; how to negotiate; getting the best financing; checking out the house; handling the closing; and even dealing with problems after the closing. You also get help with which professionals (such as buying agents, lawyers, and home inspectors) to use, how to select them, what they will cost, and how to work with them.

I have bought or helped buy three houses, am an attorney, and am a licensed real estate agent. I found several areas where this excellent book extended my knowledge. I know it will save you thousands of dollars . . . and probably even more in avoided emotional trauma!

The book does this by posing questions, providing worksheets, steering you to Internet resources, and describing case histories.

No book from the buyer's perspective can however hope to dispel the incredible naiveté that we all have when we first purchase a home (all 2 million a year who are like lambs being led to the slaughter). For that purpose, I suggest that you also read another book, How to Sell Your Home Fast, which is an excellent description of what intelligent, prepared sellers will be doing to get you to buy their home and pay too much. Beneath all the friendly chit-chat with the sellers, realize that your are usually being carefully maneuvered to act against your own interest.

By the way, this book does not do enough to warn you about hidden house faults. Home inspectors are not the entire answer. They usually get their referrals from brokers, and will usually not tell you the worst of what can happen lest brokers stop recommending them. Spend some extra money and have people you know well and trust who are expert in electrical, heating, air conditioning, structural, roofing, plumbing, soil, and environmental hazards take a look also. They will find things that you can use to get the price lowered to cover the cost of repairs. My experience is that you will save about [amt.] for every [amt.] you spend in this way.

I also recommend that you find 10 people who are a lot like you who purchased a home similar to what interests you about five years ago. Ask them what they did right and what didn't work out so well.

After you explore all of these choices, you may want to consider what I did once . . . rent with an option to purchase. All of my rent went towards the down payment. I found I loved the house, saved money, and had few problems with repairs. I later sold it for a nice profit.

Also, spend time in the yard of your potential new home at all hours of the day and night. You may be surprised by some of the positive and negative features. In one home, I discovered that a dozen deer came by across a creek at 7:30 a.m. Seeing them every morning became my favorite part of every day.

After preparing by knowing what the right questions are, look for all of the potential problems and opportunities in making large decisions. Then sleep on your decision for three nights. You'll know what to do then!

If you read one book on home buying, read this one...   April 14, 1999
28 out of 30 found this review helpful

This is without a doubt, the most well-written book on home buying I have read, and I've read several of them. First of all, the actual quality of the writing is first-rate, making an enjoyable read. Second of all, each chapter clearly outlines a strategy for dealing with a particular aspect of house buying and makes clear all of the pitfalls and problems you might run into and how to deal with them.

I would rarely give a book 5 stars here, but this one truly deserves it.


Excellent for Overview of Buying process   May 6, 2002
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

While, this book doesn't go into the specifics it is excellent for anyone thinking about buying their first home. I would recommend buying this book a few years before you actually want to purchase and then buy another (more detailed book), closer to purchase. There were several things that didn't even occur to me when saving up for deposit, and the mortgage application process. This book has put me on the right track to purchase a home.


Overwhelming in its thoroughness   June 10, 2004
May V. Ray (Mogollon, NM)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

Wow! I bought this book and "Home Buying for Dummies." This is by far the better book. As my husband and I embark on this tenuous journey of home ownership, we are nervous to the point of being panicked, especially since we live in a very hot, overpriced market. This book is doing wonders to calm our nerves and abate our fears. Education is a powerful tool.

Glink's book is well-organized and about as thorough as it gets. I haven't yet found a question I had that she didn't answer in the book. The book is so jam-packed, though, that I found it's best to just look up my specific questions (once I got the "basics" covered). Otherwise, you may find yourself wading through vast amounts of information that don't apply to your situation.

I am very happy I bought this book. The information is probably the next best thing to having a trusted friend or family member in the business.


The best I have read yet   June 4, 2004
Jaewoo Kim (Santa Monica, CA)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

I have read 5 books on home buying in preparation of purchase of a new home and this book has been the best of them (I also recommend "How to save Thousands of Dollars on your Home Mortgage"). The book deals with mortgage, realtors, home inspection, price negotiation, and closing. Unless you are a real estate professional, you will learn plenty from this book. It also helps the author is a very fluid writer and her explainations are precise and easy to understand.

My only gripe is despite its 500 pages, the book is too short! The last 150 pages are spent on appendix and the book has a large print. Yes, the book is concise but at the expense of being more comprehensive. But I am being picky here, you will not regret picking this book over others in the market.