Buying a Home

The Missing Credits; About the Author; About the Creative Team; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Should You Rent or Buy?; About This Book; About the Outline; Part I: Preparing for Home Ownership; Chapter 1: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Home Ownership; 1.1 The Pluses of Owning a Home; 1.2 The Minuses of Owning a Home; Chapter 2: How Much Home Can You Afford?; 2.1 How Much Can You Invest in a Home?; 2.2 Get Prequalified or Preapproved; 2.3 What Lenders Look For; 2.4 Improve Your Chances of Getting a Loan; Part II: Finding Your Home; Chapter 3: Choose Your Style of Home and Neighborhood; 3.1 Your Lifestyle???Now and Down the Road; 3.2 Your Style of Home; 3.3 The Condition of Your Home; 3.4 Find Your Neighborhood; 3.5 Create a Wish List; Chapter 4: Assemble Your Real Estate Team; 4.1 Real Estate Agents; 4.2 Your Mortgage Provider; 4.3 Your Real Estate Attorney; 4.4 Your Home Inspector; 4.5 Other Real Estate Professionals; Chapter 5: Shop for Your Home; 5.1 Select Homes to Tour; 5.2 Bargain Hunting; 5.3 What to Look for on the Tour; 5.4 Evaluate the Neighborhood; 5.5 Compare Homes; Part III: Financing Your Home; Chapter 6: Finance Your Down Payment; 6.1 Why a Down Payment?; 6.2 Calculate Your Down Payment; 6.3 Alternatives to Paying 20 Percent Down; Chapter 7: Compare Mortgages and Other Financing Options; 7.1 Mortgage Basics; 7.2 The Mortgage Process; 7.3 Types of Mortgages; 7.4 Choose the Term of Your Mortgage; 7.5 Government Financing Programs; 7.6 Creative Financing Options; Chapter 8: Choose and Apply for a Mortgage; 8.1 Find the Right Lender; 8.2 Get the Best Mortgage; 8.3 Gather Documents and Information; 8.4 Do the Paperwork; Chapter 9: Know Your Closing Costs; 9.1 Kinds of Closing Costs; 9.2 Add It All Up; 9.3 How Much Will You Pay?; 9.4 Reduce Your Closing Costs; Part IV: Negotiating and Closing the Deal; Chapter 10: Make an Offer; 10.1 Figure Out What the Home Is Worth; 10.2 What Goes Into an Offer; 10.3 Negotiating: The Art of the Deal; Chapter 11: Prepare for the Closing; 11.1 Check Off Contingencies; 11.2 All About Titles and Deeds; 11.3 Survey the Property; 11.4 Homeowner's Insurance; 11.5 Get a Home Warranty; 11.6 Prepare to Move; 11.7 Take the Final Walkthrough; Chapter 12: Inspect the Property; 12.1 What a Home Inspector Does; 12.2 Find a Good Home Inspector; 12.3 What Happens at an Inspection; 12.4 Understand Your Home Inspection Report; 12.5 Specialized Inspections; 12.6 If Problems Turn Up; Chapter 13: Close the Deal; 13.1 Countdown to Closing: 24 Hours to Go; 13.2 What If the Closing Gets Delayed?; 13.3 What Happens at a Closing; 13.4 A Mountain of Paperwork: What It All Means; 13.5 Your HUD-1 Form; 13.6 What If Something Goes Wrong?; 13.7 After the Closing;