How to Buy a Home When You Can't Afford It

by Robert Irwin

Good news for those who think they cannot scrape together a down payment and get approved for a mortgage

This latest book from million-selling real estate author Bob Irwin brings a ray a hope to the millions who dream of owning their own homes but who either aren't sure they can afford one or lack the "official" financial qualifications for a mortgage. Pitched exclusively to the needs of this market, How to Buy a Home When You Can't Afford It is a treasure trove of innovative tactics, tips, strategies, and methods for finding financing and closing on a home. Irwin shows readers how to determine how much they're really worth, how to uncover hidden assets they never new they had, and how virtually anyone can improve his or her credit rating in just six months. He then cuts right to the chase with dozens of proven options,

First-time home owner benefits Creative ways to cover closing costs Bargaining down sellers Obtaining "sweat equity" government homes

Genres: Nonfiction

230 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2002

About the author

Robert Irwin’s career in the real estate industry encompasses more than three decades of experience as real estate broker, landlord, and consultant to lenders, agents, and investors. He is the bestselling author of more than 50 books on real estate, including The Armchair Real Estate Investor, Fix It, Stage It, Sell It - Quick!, Buy Your First Home, The For Sale By Owner Kit, McGraw-Hill’s Tips & Traps series, and the latest edition of Buy, Rent, and Sell. A long-time voice of authority, Robert Irwin addresses landlording, investing, and homebuying issues with crystal clarity.

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buying a home is a stressful experience, especially when you know little about what is needed. I believe there is a large group of people who come from backgrounds where parents and grandparents help them and/or get the homes for them. But if you come from the bottom of the ladder, the very idea of purchasing a house is simply mind-boggling.

Although this is from the early 2000s, it still proved to be helpful in understanding the process. There's info on how to negotiate a mortgage, the different down payment options, and the all-important FICO scores. After the 2008 recession, some of this may be a little less relevant, but it still remains a very good first book on home-buying, especially if you're on your own with no assistance. I know I grew up with the idea that I would never own a home because of the expected huge down payment that would be needed, or as the author states, to save for your down payment since kindergarten.

What I liked most about the book were the "trap" sections where Irwin explains what to look for when anything sounds too good. Good lessons and very instructive.

Book Season = Year Round (inch by inch)

[Clarissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was somewhat helpful in beginning to understand the basic steps to finding and buying a home, including options for lower (or in our case, single) incomes. However, with a copyright date of 2002, the person reading it in 2017 will need to take it with a grain of salt and follow it up with some more vigorous research.

[BradMD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valuable information and well written.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps because this was the second book of home buying that I've read in 2 weeks, this one just didn't do much for me. Although it did cover the idea of buying land and having a house bulit and how to do it. And I guess it helped to cement the numbers of real estate in my head a little better.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has lost a lot of relevance due to the housing market changes of the past few years.