The Wall Street Journal. Complete Home Owner's Guidebook

by CROOK, DAVID

• ISBN13: 9780307405920
• ISBN10: 0307405923
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2008-12-30
• Publisher: Crown Business
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Your Map for a Brave New Real-Estate World The days of real-estate maniawhen you really couldn't go wrong with buying a home, then selling it in a few years for a lot more than you paid for itare over. Inflated prices and the "subprime" mortgage crisis have finally burst the bubble. Now, more than ever, it's important for current and prospective home buyers to understand just what they're getting into when they take that plungeand to think smarter when it comes to making the most of their biggest asset. The Wall Street Journal. Complete Home Owner's Guidebookshows readers how to become savvy home buyersand eventually ownersnot only in this new, uncertain era but in any market: Understand the benefits and pitfalls of owning versus renting Make sense of the housing marketask the important questions, factor in the unforeseen costs, and explode the big myths of home ownership Take advantage of current opportunities if you're a first-time home buyer Overcome the challenges if you're looking to trade up or cash out on your home for retirement Make the best profit on your home in any market Understand why your homeyour number one assetreally isn't such a great investment From the Trade Paperback edition.

Author Biography

DAVID CROOK is the editor of The Wall Street Journal Sunday and author of The Wall Street Journal. Complete Real-Estate Investing Guidebook. He developed Home Front and Property Report, the residential and commercial real-estate sections of The Wall Street Journal. David and his family divide their time between homes in New York City and rural Connecticut.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Your Biggest Asset	p. 1
Why in the World Do You Want a House?	p. 12
Home Owning in a Troubled Market	p. 35
Managing Your Biggest Debt	p. 61
Making Your Debt Work for You	p. 93
How to Buy a Home	p. 113
Settling In	p. 151
Free and Clear	p. 177
The Pursuit of Happiness	p. 200
The Life Expectancies of Various Home Components	p. 213
A Home Owner's Maintenance Checklist	p. 219
Glossary: Home Talk: Terms and Concepts of Home Owning	p. 229
Bibliography	p. 243
Acknowledgments	p. 247
Index	p. 249
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.