Introduction | |
House-Buying Worries | p. 2 |
The Basics of Buying a Good House | p. 2 |
A Place to Live for Almost Everyone | p. 3 |
Real Estate Websites | p. 4 |
How to Use This Book | p. 5 |
Describe Your Dream House | |
You Know the House You Want to Buy | p. 2 |
Don't Be Talked Into Buying the Wrong House | p. 3 |
Identify Your Ideal House Profile | p. 3 |
Create a House Priorities Worksheet | p. 6 |
Prepare a House Comparison Worksheet | p. 8 |
How Much House Can You Afford? | |
The Basics of Determining Housing Affordability | p. 2 |
Prepare a Family Financial Statement | p. 4 |
How Much Down Payment Will You Make? | p. 9 |
Estimate the Mortgage Interest Rate You'll Likely Pay | p. 10 |
Calculate How Much House You Can Afford | p. 10 |
Tips on Improving Your Financial Statement | p. 13 |
Get Loan Prepproval | p. 18 |
Narrowing the Affordability Gap: How to Afford Buying a House | |
Why California Houses Are Expensive | p. 2 |
Don't Buy a House at All--Rent and Invest Elsewhere | p. 3 |
Fix Up the House You Already Own | p. 4 |
Strategies for Buying an Affordable House | p. 5 |
Raising Money for Your Down Payment | |
No and Low Down Payment Plans | p. 3 |
Five Percent and Ten Percent Down Payment Mortgages | p. 3 |
Private Mortgage Insurance | p. 3 |
How Much Should Your Down Payment Be? | p. 6 |
Using Equity in an Existing House as a Down Payment on a New One | p. 8 |
Using a Gift to Help With the Down Payment | p. 8 |
Borrowing Down Payment Money From a Relative or Friend | p. 10 |
Is It a Gift or Loan? Sometimes It Pays to Be Vague | p. 10 |
Borrowing From Your 401(k) Plan | p. 11 |
Tapping Into Your IRA | p. 11 |
Sharing Equity | p. 11 |
Substituting a Second Mortgage for a Down Payment | p. 11 |
Secure Your Loan Using Stock as Collateral | p. 12 |
Working With Real Estate Professionals | |
Pros and Cons of Working With a Real Estate Professional | p. 2 |
Work With a Real Estate Professional Paid by the Seller | p. 6 |
Hire a Buyer's Broker and Pay the Commission | p. 9 |
Hire a Broker by the Hour | p. 11 |
Buy a House Yourself With No Professional Help | p. 12 |
Finding a Good Agent | p. 12 |
How Not to Find an Agent | p. 16 |
Getting Rid of a Broker or Agent You Don't Like | p. 17 |
How to Find a House | |
The Best Time to Look for Houses | p. 3 |
Check the Classified Ads | p. 3 |
Visit Sunday Open Houses | p. 4 |
Work With a Real Estate Salesperson | p. 5 |
Gain Access to the Multiple Listing Service | p. 5 |
How to Access Homes for Sale on the Internet | p. 6 |
How Your Real Estate Agent Can Use a Computer to Help You Find a House | p. 7 |
Enlist the Help of Personal Contacts | p. 7 |
Do Your Own House Scouting | p. 8 |
Enlist More Than One Agent to Help You Search | p. 10 |
Find Foreclosures, Probate Sales and Lease Option Properties | p. 11 |
Shop via TV | p. 11 |
Finding a House When You're New to an Area | p. 11 |
Online Help With Community and Neighborhood Information | p. 12 |
Finding a New House | p. 12 |
New Houses, Developments and Condominiums | |
Pitfalls and Pluses of Buying a New House | p. 2 |
Choose the Developer, Then the House | p. 3 |
Using a Real Estate Agent or Broker | p. 4 |
Financing a New House | p. 5 |
Optional Add-Ons and Upgrades | p. 6 |
Choosing Your Lot | p. 8 |
Restrictions on the Use of Your Property: CCandRs | p. 11 |
Dealing With Delays | p. 14 |
Inspect the House Before Closing | p. 14 |
Guarantees and Warranties | p. 16 |
Financing Your House: An Overview | |
How Mortgage Lenders Think | p. 2 |
Who Lends Mortgage Money? | p. 2 |
Standardized Loans--Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Secondary Mortgage Market | p. 3 |
Mortgage Types | p. 3 |
Comparing Fixed Rate and Adjustable Rate Mortgages | p. 4 |
Finding the Least Costly Mortgage--Points, Interest Rates and Other Lender Fees | p. 6 |
What Mortgage Is Best for You? | p. 7 |
Fixed Rate Mortgages | |
Should You Choose a Fixed Rate Mortgage If You Can Afford One? | p. 2 |
Not All Fixed Rate Mortgages Are the Same--Down Payments, Points, Interest Rates and Other Variables | p. 3 |
Avoid Mortgages With Prepayment Penalties | p. 5 |
Fixed Rate Mortgages' Lengths and Payment Schedules | p. 5 |
Most Fixed Rate Loans Aren't Assumable | p. 7 |
Short-Term Fixed Rate Mortgages With Balloon Payments | p. 7 |
Two-Step Mortgages | p. 8 |
Buydown Mortgages--The Seller Subsidizes Your Payments | p. 8 |
Adjustable Rate Mortgages | |
Are ARMs a Decent Consumer Choice? | p. 2 |
Loan and Payment Caps | p. 4 |
Negative Amortization | p. 4 |
ARM Indexes and Margins | p. 6 |
Assumability | p. 6 |
Prepayment Penalties | p. 7 |
Hybrid Adjustable Rate Mortgage | p. 7 |
Summing Up--What Good ARMs Look Like | p. 7 |
Government-Assisted Loans | |
Veterans Affairs Loans | p. 2 |
Federal Housing Administration Financing | p. 4 |
California Housing Finance Agency Programs | p. 6 |
Cal-Vet Loans | p. 7 |
Municipal Financing Programs | p. 9 |
Private Mortgages | |
Get a Loan From Friends or Relatives | p. 2 |
Shared Equity Transactions | p. 6 |
Second Mortgages--Financing by Sellers | p. 6 |
Second Mortgages--Financing by Private Parties Other Than the Seller | p. 8 |
Obtaining a Mortgage | |
Gather Information on Mortgage Rates and Fees | p. 2 |
Shopping for a Mortgage Online | p. 3 |
Work With a Loan Broker | p. 4 |
Interview Lenders | p. 5 |
Complete the Mortgage Rates and Terms Table | p. 6 |
Apply for and Get a Loan | p. 11 |
Get Your House Appraised | p. 13 |
Buying a House When You Already Own One | |
Check the Housing Market Carefully | p. 2 |
Bridge Financing: How to Own Two Houses Briefly | p. 6 |
Tax Breaks for Selling Your Home | p. 7 |
How Much Will You Offer? | |
How a Contract Is Formed | p. 2 |
Decide How Much You Will Offer | p. 2 |
What Is the Advertised Price? | p. 2 |
How Much Can You Afford? | p. 3 |
What Are Prices of Comparable Houses? | p. 3 |
Is the Local Real Estate Market Hot or Cold? | p. 5 |
Is the House Itself Hot or Cold? | p. 7 |
What Are the Seller's Needs? | p. 8 |
Is the House Uniquely Valuable to You? | p. 8 |
How Much Are You Willing to Pay? | p. 9 |
Making the Final Decision | p. 9 |
Putting Your Offer in Writing | |
What Makes an Offer Legally Valid? | p. 2 |
Offer Form Terminology | p. 2 |
How to Fill Out the Contract to Purchase Real Property Form | p. 3 |
Presenting Your Offer and Negotiating | |
State Your Intent to Make an Offer | p. 2 |
Present Your Offer | p. 3 |
Bid on Two or More Houses | p. 4 |
Pick a Negotiator | p. 4 |
The Seller's Response to Your Offer | p. 7 |
Negotiate by Counteroffers | p. 13 |
An Offer Is Accepted--A Contract Is Formed | p. 13 |
Revoking an Offer or Counteroffer | p. 14 |
Making a Backup Offer | p. 14 |
After the Contract Is Signed: Escrow, Contingencies and Title Insurance | |
Open Escrow | p. 2 |
Remove Contingencies | p. 5 |
Obtain Hazard Insurance | p. 11 |
Obtain Title Report and Title Insurance | p. 13 |
Conduct Final Physical Inspection of Property | p. 15 |
Closing Escrow | p. 15 |
Check Out a House's Condition | |
Short History of California House Inspections | p. 2 |
Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement | p. 2 |
Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement | p. 9 |
Earthquake and Seismic Disclosures | p. 9 |
Environmental Hazards | p. 11 |
Lead | p. 11 |
Disclosure of Deaths and/or AIDS | p. 12 |
Disclosure of Military Ordnance | p. 12 |
Local Disclosures | p. 12 |
Inspecting the Property Yourself | p. 12 |
Arranging Professional Inspections | p. 13 |
Are the Repairs Really Needed? | p. 18 |
Who Pays for Defects? | p. 19 |
Ask for a Home Warranty | p. 20 |
Legal Ownership: How to Take Title | |
One Unmarried Person | p. 2 |
Two or More Unmarried People | p. 2 |
Married Couple Owning Together | p. 4 |
Married Person Owning Alone | p. 7 |
Partnership | p. 8 |
Placing the Property in a Living Trust | p. 8 |
If Something Goes Wrong During Escrow | |
The Seller Backs Out | p. 2 |
The Seller Refuses to Move Out | p. 2 |
You Back Out | p. 3 |
The Seller Dies | p. 3 |
You Discover a Defect in the Property | p. 3 |
The House Is Destroyed by Natural Disaster (Fire, Earthquake, Flood) | p. 4 |
House-Hungry Martians Take Possession of the House | p. 4 |
Finding a Lawyer | p. 4 |
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