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100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask: With Answers from Top Brokers from Around the Country
From the most trusted name in real estate: the indispensable guide that helps first-time buyers land the home of their dreams. Now revised and updated for today's marketplace.
¸ How do I know if my broker is doing a good job? (See question #18.)
¸ How should I decide how much to offer for a home? (See question #29.)
¸ How does the negotiation process work? (See question #37.)
¸ How much of a down payment will I need to buy my home? (See question #61.)
¸ What are the different types of mortgages available? (See question #75.)
¸ What if I'm rejected for my loan? (See question #86.)
¸ What exactly is the closing? And where is it held? (See question #89.)
¸ Will I need homeowner's insurance? What should it cover? (See question #93.)
What's new in this edition?
Internet resources for home buyers: Where to shop for a loan on the web, how to apply online for a mortgage, and how to contact the agency that regulates real estate brokers and mortgage lenders in your state
Tax laws and what they mean to you: Why the Taxpayer Relief Act is a windfall for homeowners, and how you can take full advantage of it
Buying new construction: How to compare developers and negotiate the best deal
The competitive mortgage market: How to find a reputable lender, how to find a true zero-down loan, and what service premiums tell you about your loan
¸ How do I know if my broker is doing a good job? (See question #18.)
¸ How should I decide how much to offer for a home? (See question #29.)
¸ How does the negotiation process work? (See question #37.)
¸ How much of a down payment will I need to buy my home? (See question #61.)
¸ What are the different types of mortgages available? (See question #75.)
¸ What if I'm rejected for my loan? (See question #86.)
¸ What exactly is the closing? And where is it held? (See question #89.)
¸ Will I need homeowner's insurance? What should it cover? (See question #93.)
What's new in this edition?
Internet resources for home buyers: Where to shop for a loan on the web, how to apply online for a mortgage, and how to contact the agency that regulates real estate brokers and mortgage lenders in your state
Tax laws and what they mean to you: Why the Taxpayer Relief Act is a windfall for homeowners, and how you can take full advantage of it
Buying new construction: How to compare developers and negotiate the best deal
The competitive mortgage market: How to find a reputable lender, how to find a true zero-down loan, and what service premiums tell you about your loan
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
209 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
January 27, 2014
I found this in the local Goodwill Store for $0.99 and read it in one afternoon. Easy-breezy.
Despite the fact that this book is rather outdated (it was published in 1994), I was AMAZED by how much I learned. This little book will definitely be a helpful guide/reference as we consider buying a home in the crazed Southern California market.
Despite the fact that this book is rather outdated (it was published in 1994), I was AMAZED by how much I learned. This little book will definitely be a helpful guide/reference as we consider buying a home in the crazed Southern California market.
October 1, 2007
This book is the bomb. It's true, the best way to learn what you need to know to buy a house is to ask people who have bought one. However, there is SO much you need to know that it really helps to have this book on hand as a reference. I recommend buying it, not just getting it out from the library. I read it cover to cover last winter and since then I've gone back to reference it oh, about five million times. And now I'm about to buy a house and I still keep looking back for pointers. The format allows you to read what you need to and skip what you don't. And the author very often reminds you to go back and review previous sections if they contain important background information for the part you are presently interested.
It's the bomb.
Did I say that already?
It's the bomb.
Did I say that already?
April 28, 2017
This is a very good, if slightly dated (I read the 3rd edition written in 2005), book on what to look for and what to know before you buy a home.
As someone who is looking to buy this year, I feel more prepared having read this book. Mission accomplished. I would recommend it to anyone who is getting ready to take that step in their life.
As someone who is looking to buy this year, I feel more prepared having read this book. Mission accomplished. I would recommend it to anyone who is getting ready to take that step in their life.
November 5, 2017
Three years ago my husband and I realized we needed to get us and our two daughters out of our two bedroom apartment. It was a terrifying thought. We had spent a long time comparing areas, rents, amenities and school districts because where we lived in the city you can literally have half million dollar homes on one side of the street and low income, federally funded apartments on the other with everyone's kids either attending public school or charter schools together. It is an insane mix and we were tired of the problems that came with it.
The home buying process seriously sucks, much worse than trying to find a place to rent. At least if you hate your apartment you can leave in 6 months to a year; buying is much more long term.
She starts off with a list of questions you should ask yourself to make sure you are ready and are wanting to buy a house for the right reasons. She breaks each question down further providing tips and more questions in order to help you figure things out. Such as examining your finances and including bills you don’t normally think about when determining your income affordability for a house. Do you have an expense like a gym membership or weekly salon appointment that is technically a luxury but you can’t do without? Subtracting things like that will help you figure into how much you can actually afford for a mortgage. Understanding your lifestyle and what you need to keep versus giving up are a huge part that play into figuring out how much home you can ‘really’ afford and not something those mortgage calculators will reflect accurately.
When we first moved into our home our mortgage was roughly the same as our rent (which is a sad reflection on what we were paying for a 2 bedroom apartment versus a 3 bedroom house with land). We thought our lifestyle wasn’t going to change much. We kind of forgot now we didn’t have a landlord to take care of all those plumbing, electrical, etc problems so now we needed money for that. A house came with a yard which was added expense and maintenance. The list goes on. We began having to adjust our lifestyle to the home we chose so we made a lot of mistakes in the beginning.
She provides info on websites and apps that will help instead of hindering your homebuying process. Credit reports are always a fun and often misunderstood or overlooked pain that has serious repercussions for what kind of home, if any, you can get so her tips on how to have yours in tip top shape is a must read.
Despite the weighty material I found this very easy to read and take notes on the things
I loved her Top Ten List at the end of 1st time Mistakes because you should take this and blow it up to poster size then put it up wherever you’ll see it daily so you do NOT do these. After you know what not to do she provides 6 things you should do to make the process easier. She also goes into details about buying an existing home, an older home or if you build a new home which has become increasingly the way to go among millennials especially. I have multiple friends that went the way of building a new home with a builder in one of those planned developments while we bought a house a few decades older. They may have the nicer fixtures with no worries about anything breaking down any time soon but our house was a third of what they paid and we got a ton more land with our dollar whereas their yard could fit inside our house; it just comes down to what you want and what you’re willing to live with versus sacrifice.
This is the book you need if you are thinking about buying a home in your lifetime or you know someone who is because as the title suggests she lists out 100 questions you NEED to ask then provides the answers.
The home buying process seriously sucks, much worse than trying to find a place to rent. At least if you hate your apartment you can leave in 6 months to a year; buying is much more long term.
She starts off with a list of questions you should ask yourself to make sure you are ready and are wanting to buy a house for the right reasons. She breaks each question down further providing tips and more questions in order to help you figure things out. Such as examining your finances and including bills you don’t normally think about when determining your income affordability for a house. Do you have an expense like a gym membership or weekly salon appointment that is technically a luxury but you can’t do without? Subtracting things like that will help you figure into how much you can actually afford for a mortgage. Understanding your lifestyle and what you need to keep versus giving up are a huge part that play into figuring out how much home you can ‘really’ afford and not something those mortgage calculators will reflect accurately.
When we first moved into our home our mortgage was roughly the same as our rent (which is a sad reflection on what we were paying for a 2 bedroom apartment versus a 3 bedroom house with land). We thought our lifestyle wasn’t going to change much. We kind of forgot now we didn’t have a landlord to take care of all those plumbing, electrical, etc problems so now we needed money for that. A house came with a yard which was added expense and maintenance. The list goes on. We began having to adjust our lifestyle to the home we chose so we made a lot of mistakes in the beginning.
She provides info on websites and apps that will help instead of hindering your homebuying process. Credit reports are always a fun and often misunderstood or overlooked pain that has serious repercussions for what kind of home, if any, you can get so her tips on how to have yours in tip top shape is a must read.
Despite the weighty material I found this very easy to read and take notes on the things
I loved her Top Ten List at the end of 1st time Mistakes because you should take this and blow it up to poster size then put it up wherever you’ll see it daily so you do NOT do these. After you know what not to do she provides 6 things you should do to make the process easier. She also goes into details about buying an existing home, an older home or if you build a new home which has become increasingly the way to go among millennials especially. I have multiple friends that went the way of building a new home with a builder in one of those planned developments while we bought a house a few decades older. They may have the nicer fixtures with no worries about anything breaking down any time soon but our house was a third of what they paid and we got a ton more land with our dollar whereas their yard could fit inside our house; it just comes down to what you want and what you’re willing to live with versus sacrifice.
This is the book you need if you are thinking about buying a home in your lifetime or you know someone who is because as the title suggests she lists out 100 questions you NEED to ask then provides the answers.
April 21, 2020
There was some helpful information here - but it was buried in a mountain of snobbery, privilege, and condescension (especially to Millennials). The setup of question and answer format seemed like it would be easily accessible but it ended up causing a lot of redundancy. Because the author encouraged the reader at the beginning of the book to bounce around, go out of order, or just read the ones you thought pertained to you, she explains several of the basic concepts around contracts, contingencies, and brokers repeatedly. Any technological update to the real estate industry was given a classic dismissal of how millennials are ruining what’s been such a good thing (for her at least - her husband is a real estate attorney and her mom is a realtor - apparently one of the top agents in Chicago for YEARS as she frequently repeated throughout the book). At least half of the examples are from Chicago in the 80s or 90s which is extremely unhelpful considering how much the real estate industry and housing market have changed since then. I’m glad I got through it but honestly, I hope Millennials do destroy the existence of books like this by just searching the Internet - it would’ve been a better use of my time.
May 15, 2016
My mother in law found this book at a garage sale and gave it to me and my wife, who are starting the process of trying to buy a home. Unfortunately, it was the 2005 edition which made much of the information useless because it was before the 2008 housing crisis. "Do you have a pulse? You can get a massive mortgage for no money down!" Ugh.
Besides that, I found the format of this book infuriating. I read it cover to cover, because I don't know much about this stuff and wanted to learn as much as possible, but because of the "100 questions" chapters, a TON of information is repeated over and over and over again, I guess because the assumption is that the reader will just use the index to jump around from question to question.
I definitely know more about real estate, and mortgages than I did before I read this book, but it was an arduous process. If I could go back in time, I think I'd put this book directly into the recycling bin and go to my local library and check out a current book covering the same information in a more straightforward manner.
Besides that, I found the format of this book infuriating. I read it cover to cover, because I don't know much about this stuff and wanted to learn as much as possible, but because of the "100 questions" chapters, a TON of information is repeated over and over and over again, I guess because the assumption is that the reader will just use the index to jump around from question to question.
I definitely know more about real estate, and mortgages than I did before I read this book, but it was an arduous process. If I could go back in time, I think I'd put this book directly into the recycling bin and go to my local library and check out a current book covering the same information in a more straightforward manner.
October 17, 2017
This book covers all the details you need to know for home buying. Its comprehensive and easy to read format makes getting what information you need at the right time and easy matter.
The examples I feel are a bit excessive, but you can ignore them if you wish. The writing in some places could be tighter, but this is a mere quibble. Simply put, if you are buying a home, particularly for the first time, this is the book for you.
The examples I feel are a bit excessive, but you can ignore them if you wish. The writing in some places could be tighter, but this is a mere quibble. Simply put, if you are buying a home, particularly for the first time, this is the book for you.
November 20, 2024
Extremely helpful, even if the current edition was published in 2018.
March 11, 2025
This made the process easy! Great questions, answers that did not just go over my head, and great points. I would recommend to friends looking to buy.
July 31, 2019
I feel better.
December 31, 2009
This really isn't a book that you want to sit down and read straight through cover-to-cover. (I did read it cover to cover, but it took me well over a year to get all the way through, since I picked it up and put it down as our housing search stopped and started.) It's a set of questions and answers, arranged roughly in the order that someone buying a home for a first time might consider them, starting with "How do I know what I want?" and ending with "How should I prepare for the move into my new home?" The Q&A format makes it very easy to dip in and get a quick run-down on a particular subject, although I think that other books (such as Nolo Press's How to Buy a House in California) do a better job of laying out the basics of how house purchasing works.
This book is packed with useful information and links to additional resources, to the extent that it's sometimes a bit difficult to digest. It is lacking in discussion of short sales, REOs, and other issues around buying homes that are being or have been foreclosed on. This is probably not an issue in most real-estate markets, but would definitely be useful for the current market in our area. Aside from that understandable omission, I think this book is about as comprehensive as books on home buying get.
I expect to continue to refer to this book often as we wend our way through buying our first house.
This book is packed with useful information and links to additional resources, to the extent that it's sometimes a bit difficult to digest. It is lacking in discussion of short sales, REOs, and other issues around buying homes that are being or have been foreclosed on. This is probably not an issue in most real-estate markets, but would definitely be useful for the current market in our area. Aside from that understandable omission, I think this book is about as comprehensive as books on home buying get.
I expect to continue to refer to this book often as we wend our way through buying our first house.
February 18, 2020
Glink does a great job in this book articulating the history of real estate and contemporary issues pertaining to home sales and home ownership. My problem with this book is not at all that it wasn't informative; it certainly was. My problem was that Glink is awfully biased towards realtors and agents. Reading through the book was helpful in that every chapter served different scenarios and categories when thinking about buying a home, but she made sure to steer the reader to an agent; something I think she doesn't realize the extent to which she's doing it. I was impressed by the methodologies she gives all prospective buyers; she was thorough about the carefulness of contracts, being mindful of never telling an agent how much you can ultimately spend on a home (as opposed to giving a range, which she encourages). Certain chapters certainly discouraged me, but I don't think it was unnecessary discouragement in buying a home but rather harsh realities and hard truths that go into. 3 stars for thoroughness, but read the book in knowing she is both biased and unflinching in refusing to concede more to technology in 2020.
Read
June 19, 2012My coWorker lent this to me as I was figuring out home purchasing. There are so many players, the realtor, the seller, the lender, the seller's agent, and the lawyers involved. Plus, it is the largest purchase I have ever made. This book helped me feel less like a shlamiel throughout the process. It had a lot of clear explanations about the steps in the process with very helpful tips and questions to consider.
It would have been more helpful to have a book written after the housing market crash because there was not enough about understanding short sales or foreclosures which is so much more relevant now. Plus, it is such a buyer's market with low interest rates and cheaper housing prices I think there may be ways new home buyers can capitalize which is not covered in this older book.
It would have been more helpful to have a book written after the housing market crash because there was not enough about understanding short sales or foreclosures which is so much more relevant now. Plus, it is such a buyer's market with low interest rates and cheaper housing prices I think there may be ways new home buyers can capitalize which is not covered in this older book.
April 23, 2021
In typically Karla fashion, before a major life decision I have to read at least one giant book on the topic. This was a great pick! I began reading this book when we were just entertaining the idea of buying a home, and the information in this book was really helpful for us for that decision (We’re buying a home! Woot!) Though repetitive at parts (the author wrote it to work both as a start-to-finish read and a “read the relevant chapters” Q/A style) it really did answer so many questions I had, and gave me information that I didn’t know I needed but will come in handy moving forward. I feel much more confident about the home buying process and have much more realistic expectations moving forward.
January 27, 2009
I read through this entire book before I started househunting seriously. It was quite helpful. If more people had attempted to educate themselves with a book like this we wouldn't be in this huge mortgage fiasco. The book is definitely aimed at house buyers as opposed to condominium buyers; it would be nice if this author could publish the latter too, or at least include a large section on it.
February 18, 2022
It's hard to judge the book's value until I go through the buying process, or else I'd give this book 5 stars. This book was a lot more informative than the other book I've read on the topic, Nolo's essential guide to buying your first home. I particularly appreciated that this book emphasized when NOT to buy a house, rather than assuming that it is always a good decision.
September 22, 2018
A book with great content but a little bit chatty. Main points have the opportunity to be condensed in half the pages this huge edition is. There are several useful checklists for each step of the home buying process. Skim read and pick just the information you are looking for.
November 29, 2020
5 stars
Reminder to self: revisit this book often and thoroughly.
Excellent read covering all the primary considerations on a shallow to intermediate level. Definitely recommend.
Reminder to self: revisit this book often and thoroughly.
Excellent read covering all the primary considerations on a shallow to intermediate level. Definitely recommend.
Read
August 4, 2008Why so painful?
November 5, 2012
The book is very outdated now.
May 12, 2019
Both helpful and overwhelming in equal measure.
September 24, 2020
Super helpful!
July 28, 2025
3.5. The book itself is a solid 4-4.5. I enjoyed the conversational/q and a format. It explains things very well for someone who knows absolutely nothing about home buying. It covers a lot of ground and different types of things that you might not need, but are good to know going in.
The book loses stars for being outdated. Fair - it was last revised in 2018. But while that revision mentions some technology and changes since the recession, they didn't change any of the examples or base info from the 1990s. And real estate has definitely changed a lot since then. An example of someone who is now 80 years old buying a house 40 years ago just doesn't make a good example for today. Unfortunately when you know nothing aobut this topic, you have no way of knowing if the author updated other info or not so it makes it all a little suspect.
It's also clear that this author has a tone in regards to millenials, the internet coming into real estate, and how things have changed. Since that ship has clearly sailed for them - we clearly aren't going back to those awesome printed books and when realtors didn't have to tell the truth to anyone ever becacuse info was only available to them - they might want to sound a little less put out by the change.
The book loses stars for being outdated. Fair - it was last revised in 2018. But while that revision mentions some technology and changes since the recession, they didn't change any of the examples or base info from the 1990s. And real estate has definitely changed a lot since then. An example of someone who is now 80 years old buying a house 40 years ago just doesn't make a good example for today. Unfortunately when you know nothing aobut this topic, you have no way of knowing if the author updated other info or not so it makes it all a little suspect.
It's also clear that this author has a tone in regards to millenials, the internet coming into real estate, and how things have changed. Since that ship has clearly sailed for them - we clearly aren't going back to those awesome printed books and when realtors didn't have to tell the truth to anyone ever becacuse info was only available to them - they might want to sound a little less put out by the change.
May 25, 2023
I got about 65% of the way through this book when I gave up.
The first 1/3 seems to be all about picking the right broker and what a broker can & can't do (very repetitive).
There is lots of references to the market in the 1990s - which is entirely unhelpful in 2023. Most of the book is also advice for someone in a buyer's market or neutral market and I'm in a seller's market. She tells us that a buyer's market or seller's market never lasts more than a few months, but this seller's market has been going on for 3-4 years now. She also advises that offers are made while the owners are literally upstairs and your broker sits down with a cup of coffee to go over the offer --- that's not how it's done where I'm from, it's all online. These types of things made me not trust that the book was up to date or all that useful in the current home buying climate I find myself in.
The first 1/3 seems to be all about picking the right broker and what a broker can & can't do (very repetitive).
There is lots of references to the market in the 1990s - which is entirely unhelpful in 2023. Most of the book is also advice for someone in a buyer's market or neutral market and I'm in a seller's market. She tells us that a buyer's market or seller's market never lasts more than a few months, but this seller's market has been going on for 3-4 years now. She also advises that offers are made while the owners are literally upstairs and your broker sits down with a cup of coffee to go over the offer --- that's not how it's done where I'm from, it's all online. These types of things made me not trust that the book was up to date or all that useful in the current home buying climate I find myself in.
May 7, 2019
I read it from cover to cover. Where's my badge?
This huge book gives down-to-earth advice for first-time buyers, using language they can understand (with a glossary for terms they might not recognize). It took me months to get through all of the information, as I was approaching the material without much prior knowledge of the home-buying process. Did I set down the book having learned a lot? Yes. Do I still have questions? Definitely. But I am satisfied enough by how thorough the author was, as well as relieved by how she was able to break things down for me. Having read this book, I feel like I could actually go out and shop for a home (once we've finished saving up for that down payment, that is) which isn't a casual thing for me to say.
This huge book gives down-to-earth advice for first-time buyers, using language they can understand (with a glossary for terms they might not recognize). It took me months to get through all of the information, as I was approaching the material without much prior knowledge of the home-buying process. Did I set down the book having learned a lot? Yes. Do I still have questions? Definitely. But I am satisfied enough by how thorough the author was, as well as relieved by how she was able to break things down for me. Having read this book, I feel like I could actually go out and shop for a home (once we've finished saving up for that down payment, that is) which isn't a casual thing for me to say.
August 14, 2020
I thought this was written by a buyer's agent point of view but no. It's written like someone giving advice on their own home buying experiences and they are talking to you like you are 18 years old. Obviously someone looking for this book is looking for the less obvious questions to ask yourself before buying a house. The first question is, "should you buy a house or rent?"
Not interested in this boring memoir. Wanted something to the point with new information.
Not interested in this boring memoir. Wanted something to the point with new information.
February 2, 2023
I am SO glad that I stumbled on this book at the library. (I ended up buying it on Kindle soon after.) A month ago, I knew next to nothing about buying a house, but after this book, I feel like I've got a good foundation for moving forward. I think this is a must-read for anyone starting the home-buying process. Definitely an invaluable resource, and I'll definitely be looking into the author's other books in the future (for example, about selling a home) if they're relevant to me.
June 7, 2023
I've bought 3 homes, but read this book as it looked interesting. I learned a lot from it and found some of the advice very helpful. It also was useful to have her advice to contrast with things I was hearing from realtors which completely contradicts what was in the book, and which I thought made no sense.
Well written, enjoyable read and good information. Read a chapter at a time and don't rush through it.
Well written, enjoyable read and good information. Read a chapter at a time and don't rush through it.
April 2, 2023
My husband and I are about to buy a house and this book helped a lot to understand the whole process. It opened my eyes for things about being a homeowner and how to go for the right house for us at the moment. I really liked how the author updated the book to the most current facts and estimates of fees and payments.
January 5, 2025
This came highly recommended from a friend, and for good reason. It was such a helpful resource on a topic I felt very in the dark about: home buying. Very digestible material, and appreciated all the real-life case studies and stories from home buyers. I know we’ll continue to reference this as we go down the path of buying.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews