The First-time Homeowner's Survival Guide: A Crash Course in Dealing With Repairs, Renovations, Property Tax Issues, and Other Potential Disasters

by Sid Davis

For many new homeowners, the euphoria that comes with buying the perfect new house can soon turn into total panic. First-time buyers often feel overwhelmed by the amount of maintenance their new home requires―not to mention the nasty problems and surprises that seem to be lurking around every corner (and in every wall). Finally, author and real estate guru Sid Davis provides the antidote for the common worries that plague every new owner. From easy repairs to seemingly insurmountable projects, readers will discover sanity-saving advice • improving roofing, siding, walkways, and driveways • fixing or replacing appliances and fixtures • refinancing tips and traps • reducing the costs of home ownership and maintenance • lowering property taxes • working with contractors and not getting taken • insurance tips • budgeting for the unexpected Owning a home should be exciting, not terrifying. Now with this reassuring guide, novice homeowners can experience all of the joy, and none of the trepidation, that comes with having a place of their own.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published July 11, 2007

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of mixed feelings about this. The first two chapters were great. Educational and specific but not overwhelming. I actually have a basic understanding of how electricity and plumbing systems work now!

The rest of the book is more generic, but that's not necessarily bad. The problems are 1) this book is very outdated, such that entire sections are no longer relevant and 2) it is for homeowners in the USA, even citing things like specific tax codes, so if you live somewhere else, it will not be worth reading.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers so many topics related to homeowner-ship. It was published more than 15 years ago and much of the information seems dated. I really appreciated the breakdown of cost explanations, and pictures of different systems in the home. Overall I think it is helpful.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The information might be dated, but I thought this was helpful as an introduction to the different topics I should research more thoroughly (but might not have otherwise known to ask about).

[raccoon reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bit out of date, but a lot of the advice still holds- so long as you can ignore the 2006 website dates (yikes. I didn't even bother looking at them). With a good outline and a lot of important topics covered it would do the author well to reissue an up to date version. All apologies if there actually is a 2013 or 2014 one.... I didn't see it listed on goodreads list as of the time of my reviewing this one.

Either way, a big bummer for me is that when we bought this house we were in a financial position to actually make changes to it and books like this inspired me. But with a drastic reduction in our income all repairs are off. Which is a bit scary when you own an older home like we do!

[Amber Pacheco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me at learning how to read my meter. I liked the tips on handling wiring and electricity and home maintenance issues you should not ignore.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read several books in this same topic area- legal and financial aspects of owning a home, and how to handle maintenance. I would recommend several other books over this one.

[mwr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit better than the 'guide' that I just finished. Clearer descriptions of what needs to be done when you'd doing various tasks.

[Natala]

work