Your New House : The Alert Consumer's Guide to Buying and Building a Quality Home

by Fields, Alan; Fields, Denise

• ISBN13: 9781889392110
• ISBN10: 1889392111
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-01
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Summary

A new edition includes updated pricing information and outlines current trends in home buying, citing what current events in the dot-com industry mean for online services, and providing website listings for deals on home products. Original. 30,000 first p

Author Biography

Alan and Denise Fields are nationally known consumer advocates who have been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, and DATELINE NBC. Their books include the best-selling Bridal Bargains and Baby Bargains. They live in Boulder, Colorado.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Part I Power Home Buying: Getting Ready, Getting Set	xi
Reality Check: Bob Vila is NOT Building Your Home	1	(22)
So, Who Are You Guys Anyway?	2	(1)
Yes, You Should. No, You Shouldn't	2	(2)
Four Truths about Buying a Home No One Tells You	4	(2)
Who Should NOT Buy or Build a New Home	6	(2)
Should This Book Be Rated NC-17?	8	(1)
What Does An Average New Home Cost?	9	(3)
Nasty Surprises That Inflate Home Prices	12	(1)
The Goal: Take Control	13	(1)
Key Ingredients of a Quality New Home	14	(1)
Jargon Check: 3 Flavors of New Homes	15	(4)
Why You Should NOT Build a House Yourself	19	(1)
Introducing the Money Bombs	20	(2)
What's New In This Edition	22	(1)
How Much New Home Can You Really Afford?	23	(29)
Ultimate Reality Check: 3 Mistakes to Avoid	23	(1)
The Goal Of This Chapter	24	(1)
Stuff to Know: Points, Locks, Insurance	25	(1)
Two Paths to a New Home	26	(1)
The Golden Rule of New Home Buying or Building	27	(2)
Step-by-Step Strategies	29	(1)
How Much Profit is Fair?	30	(1)
Getting Started: How Far In Advance?	31	(1)
Sources for Construction Loans	31	(1)
Builder as Lender: Fox in Sheep's clothing?	32	(1)
Sources for The Best Rates	33	(1)
What's On the Web? Best Online Sources	34	(3)
Shopping Savvy for Online Mortgages	37	(1)
Seventeen Questions to Ask Lenders	38	(1)
Email: One-Time Closing Savings Disappears	39	(3)
Credit Scores: What's your FICO?	42	(2)
The Two Biggest Myths about the Mortgage Process	44	(1)
The Lock Game	45	(1)
Lenders with Loose Lips and Seven Other Money Bombs	46	(2)
Email: Discount appraisal problems	48	(2)
Closing Costs	50	(2)
The Building Team	52	(29)
The Designer: The Rodney Dangerfield of Homebuilding	52	(10)
Four Myths about Architects	52	(2)
Top Sources to Find an Architect	54	(2)
What Will It Cost You?	56	(1)
Reality Check: Who Can Do Without	57	(1)
Going Naked: Making Sure You're Covered	58	(2)
Step by Step Strategies	60	(1)
Fourteen Questions to Ask an Architect	60	(2)
The Private Inspector/Construction Manager	62	(13)
Key Inspection Points	63	(1)
What Will It Cost You?	64	(1)
Six Sources for Finding an Inspector	64	(1)
What's On The Web? Inspection Advice	65	(1)
Why Municipal Building Inspectors Can't Be Trusted	66	(5)
The Most Common Mistakes Inspectors Discover	71	(1)
Eight Questions to Ask an Inspector or Construction Manager	72	(1)
Agent-Captured Inspectors and Three Other Money Bombs	73	(2)
Real Estate Attorneys	75	(3)
What's On the Web? Four Law Sites	76	(2)
Other Possible Team Members	78	(1)
Who Is Not on Your Team?	78	(3)
If Dirt Were Dollars ... Finding the Right Location for Your Home	81	(19)
The Four Types of Home Sites	81	(1)
Phase 1: Steps to Scoping Out the Location	82	(1)
Phase 2: Steps for Evaluating the Actual Home Site	83	(4)
Environmental Detectives: Sleuthing the Sludge	86	(1)
Seven Costs Involved in Land Purchase	87	(1)
Siting the House: Six Smart Tips	88	(2)
20 Questions to Ask about the Land	90	(1)
Email: Get a Map!	90	(2)
The Hamburger Theory of Neighborhoods	92	(1)
Email: Lot Premiums	93	(1)
Money-Bombs: Soil Troubles & Impact Fees	94	(3)
The Bizarre World of Homeowners' Associations	97	(3)
The Ugly Truth about Real Estate Agents: Helping Hand or Scum of the Earth?	100	(27)
The Trolls of Real Estate	101	(1)
The Internet Battles the Troll	102	(1)
Bill Gates as the Big Bad Wolf	103	(1)
Who Really Needs An Agent?	103	(1)
The Biggest Myth about Real Estate Agents	104	(3)
The $7650 Taxi Cab Ride & 3 Other Money Bombs	107	(1)
The Free Upgrade Dance	108	(2)
Email: The $9000 cup of coffee	110	(2)
Our Recommendation: Use a Buyer's Agent	112	(12)
Going it Alone: Net Home Listings	114	(1)
What It Costs	114	(1)
Two Sources to Find A Buyer s Agent	115	(3)
11 Questions to Ask a Buyer's Broker	118	(1)
Email: Beware Registration Cards	118	(2)
The ``Money'' Source Controversy	120	(1)
5 Money Bombs	121	(1)
Email: Agent Fails to Present Offer	122	(2)
The Model Trap Et Other Builder Sales Sins	124	(3)
House by Design	127	(34)
``Pick a Floor Plan'' Design	127	(3)
Omission by Design Money Bomb	129	(1)
Plan Books	130	(5)
Biggest Design Goofs in Production Homes	131	(1)
What's on the Web? Home Plan Sites	132	(2)
Money Bomb: One Size Does Not Fit All	134	(1)
Designer/Drafting Services	135	(1)
Architects	136	(4)
Architects Who Live on the Planet of Unrealistic Costs	137	(3)
What Will It Cost You?	140	(1)
Twelve Steps to Designing a New Home	141	(3)
The ``Too Many Cooks'' Syndrome	144	(2)
The Top Eight Trends for New Homes	146	(1)
The Storage Squeeze	147	(1)
Eight Inexpensive Thrills	148	(1)
Lemons on the Info Highway	149	(2)
Four Things They Don't Tell You About Golf Course Living	151	(2)
Eco-Houses: They're Not Just for Granola-Heads Anymore	153	(1)
Time Ways To Make A Small House Seem Spacious	154	(2)
Manufactured Homes: Log, Modular, Panel, Post Ft Beam	156	(2)
27 Design Tips for Kitchens & Baths	158	(3)
Bring on the Builder	161	(38)
Six Good and Not-So-Good Sources for Finding a Builder	163	(2)
What's On the Web? Surfing Builder Sites	165	(2)
When Do You Hire a Builder?	167	(1)
The Dog and Pickup Truck Builder	168	(1)
The Mini-Tycoon	169	(1)
Top-Gun Builders	170	(1)
The Production Builder	171	(1)
13 Questions to Ask a Builder	171	(1)
The Square-Foot Price Myth	172	(4)
Fifteen Steps to Screening a Builder	176	(1)
Detective Work: Builder's Past Clients	177	(1)
10 Clues to Quality Builders	178	(2)
License Loopholes and Other Money Bombs	180	(2)
Evaluating Construction on the Fly	182	(2)
Builder/Architect Tension	184	(1)
Choosing a Production Builder	185	(4)
The Top 10 Biggest Builders	189	(1)
Insider Info: Web Sites	189	(2)
Deceitful Decorating & Five Other Money Bombs	191	(3)
Tips for Saving on Production Homes	194	(3)
Strategy: Use That Salesperson	197	(1)
Translating Builder-Speak to English	198	(1)
The Paper Trail: Protecting Your Rights with a Good Contract	199	(32)
How Bad Contracts Zap Good Buyers	199	(1)
Reality Check: Not Many Options	200	(2)
Sources for Sample Contracts	202	(2)
Sixteen Clauses in a Good Contract	204	(1)
What's on the Web? Legal Database	204	(2)
Email: Cost-Plus Nightmare	206	(11)
Getting Specific: Finding Out What You're Really Buying from a Production Builder	217	(3)
Money Bomb: The Lowball Allowance Game	220	(2)
The Wild World of Home Warranties	222	(4)
Lemon Law for New Homes?	226	(5)
Part II Go! Building the Home and Other Traumatic Experiences	231	(72)
Key Inspection Points, Part 1: The Skeleton House	233	(23)
Permits and Approval	233	(1)
Bogus Engineer Approval	234	(1)
Foundations	234	(8)
The Concrete Ticket Tip	235	(1)
Email: Cylinder Tests	236	(1)
Seven Steps to Foundations	236	(2)
Eco-Friendly Alternatives	238	(1)
Undercut Footings and Five Other Money Bombs	238	(4)
Framing	242	(7)
Four Steps to Framing	243	(2)
Four Eco-Friendly Alternatives	245	(1)
Warped Joists and Two Other Money Bombs	246	(1)
Engineered Wood: Miracle or Time Bomb?	246	(3)
Rough-in: Plumbing, Electrical, Heating and Cooling	249	(7)
Map of Recommendation Insulation	251	(1)
Four Eco-Friendly Alternatives	252	(1)
Four Money Bombs	252	(4)
Key Inspection Points, Part II: Finally, Finishing	256	(23)
Exterior Finishing	256	(9)
The Roof: Seven Options and Their Costs	257	(1)
Siding, Gutters and Paint	258	(3)
Plastic Wood and Other Eco-Alternatives	261	(1)
The Primer Money Bomb	261	(3)
Email: Trendsetter Perils	264	(1)
Interior Finishing	265	(13)
Windows, Drywall, Paint, Trim Work	265	(2)
Five Floor-Covering Options	267	(1)
Four Tips for the Best Cabinets	268	(1)
Countertops, Lights, Appliances and Plumbing Fixtures	269	(4)
Seven Eco-Friendly Alternatives	273	(1)
Six Money Bombs, Including New-Carpet Fumes	274	(2)
Best New Products	276	(2)
Final Grading	278	(1)
New Home 911: When Things Go Wrong And How to Fix Them	279	(16)
Top Three Reasons Why You Shouldn't Kill Your Builder	279	(1)
Inept Subs, Builder/Architect Animosity	280	(1)
Cost Overruns	281	(1)
The Shrinking Profit Syndrome	282	(1)
Infomercials: Get Home Quick Schemes	283	(2)
Take-the-Money-and-Run Builders: A Vanishing Breed	285	(1)
The Caulk Reflex	286	(1)
Legal System Snafus	287	(1)
Top Six Excuses That Builders Give for Shoddy Work and Mistakes	288	(1)
Turning the Tables: When Builder is Buyer	289	(2)
The Most Common Call-Backs	291	(1)
Email: 13 Hard-Won Lessons	292	(3)
Bargains for Home	295	(8)
Meet the Shopping 'Bots	295	(1)
Discount Catalogs	296	(2)
More Deals: Home Stores	298	(1)
Discount Lighting Sources	299	(2)
Discount Carpeting Ft Flooring	301	(1)
Discount Plumbing Sources	302	(1)
Conclusion: What Does it All Mean	303	(1)
Appendix A Product Reviews: Windows, Plumbing & More	304	(7)
Windows Brand Reviews	305	(2)
Plumbing Brand Reviews	307	(2)
Roofing	309	(2)
Glossary	311	(6)
Bibliography	317	(2)
About the Authors	319	(2)
Phone/Web Directory	321	(6)
Index	327