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| Preface | |
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| Introduction | |
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| How Do I Know What I Want? | |
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| Should I Make a Wish List? What About a Reality Check? | |
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| What Does "Location, Location, Location" Really Mean? | |
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| How Do I Figure Out Where I Want to Live? | |
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| How Long Do I Plan to Live in My Future Home? | |
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| What Are the Different Types of Homes? | |
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| Should I Buy a New Home or an Existing Home? | |
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| Should I Buy a Home That Needs Renovation? And, What Do Brokers Mean by "Overimproved"? | |
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| How Do I Look for a Home? | |
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| How Do I Find the Home of My Dreams? | |
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| How Can I Find a Home on the Internet? | |
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| What Is the Difference Between a Real Estate Agent and a Real Estate Broker? What Is a Realtor? | |
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| How Do I Choose the Right Broker? | |
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| What Is a Seller (or Conventional) Broker? What Are His or Her Responsibilities to Me, the Buyer? | |
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| What Is a Buyer Broker? What Is an Exclusive Buyer Agent? Should I Use One? | |
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| What Is a Dual Agent? What Is a Transactional Broker? What Is a Non-agent? | |
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| What Is the Typical Real Estate Commission? | |
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| What Is a Discount Broker? When Should I Use One? | |
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| How Much Should My Broker Know About the Amount I Can Afford to Spend on a Home? | |
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| How Do I Know Whether My Broker Is Doing a Good Job? | |
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| How Can I Help in the Search for a Home if I Use a Broker? | |
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| How Should I Interpret the Home Description in the Local Newspaper or in Broker Listing Sheets? | |
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| How Do I Identify What I Need Versus What I Like in a Home? | |
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| How Do I Become Selective When Choosing a Home? How Do My Wish List and Reality Check Help Me? | |
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| When I Go to a Showing, What Should I Look For? | |
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| How Can I Remember Each Home When I've Seen So Many? | |
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| How Do I Know When It's Time for a Second Showing? | |
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| When Do I Know I've Found the Right House? | |
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| How Do I Know What I Can Afford to Spend? | |
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| How Much Can I Afford? | |
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| How Much Will It Cost to Own and Maintain a Home? | |
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| What Are Assessments? Do All Town Houses, Condos, and Co-ops Have Them? | |
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| Putting Together the Deal | |
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| How Do I Decide What to Offer for the Home? | |
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| How Do I Make an Offer? | |
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| What Goes into the Actual Offer to Purchase or Contract to Purchase? | |
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| What Is the Earnest Money? Who Holds It? When Do I Get It Back? | |
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| When I Make an Offer, What Contingencies Should I Include? | |
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| What Is a Mortgage or Financing Contingency? | |
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| What Is the Inspection Contingency? | |
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| What Is the Attorney Approval or Attorney Rider? | |
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| Negotiating the Deal | |
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| How Does the Negotiation Process Work? | |
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| How Do I Make a Counteroffer? | |
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| What Is a Home Warranty? What Kind Can I Get for New Construction? What About a Previously-Owned Home? | |
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| What Does the Contract Really Say and What Are My Obligations Under It? | |
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| Should I Hire a Real Estate Attorney? Should I Sign Anything Before My Attorney Reviews It? | |
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| How Do I Find a Real Estate Attorney? How Much Should He or She Charge Me? | |
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| Should I Close at the Beginning, the Middle, or the End of the Month? Why Does It Matter? | |
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| What Is Seller Disclosure? How Does It Affect Me? | |
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| Do I Need a Home Inspection? How Do I Find a Reputable Home Inspector? | |
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| Should I Test for Toxic Substances and Contaminated Water? | |
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| What if the Inspector Finds Something Wrong with the Home I Want to Buy? | |
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| What Do I Do if the Seller or Broker Has Misrepresented the Condition of the Home? | |
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| Possession and Other Parts of the Offer to Purchase | |
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| What Is Possession? | |
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| What if the Seller Wants to Stay in the House after the Closing? | |
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| When Is the Right Time to Terminate a Buyer's Contract? | |
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| What Is "Buyer's Remorse" and How Do I Cope with It? | |
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| Financing Your Home | |
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| How Much Can I Afford to Spend on a Home? | |
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| What Is a Mortgage? | |
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| How Do I Get Information on Mortgages? | |
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| What Is the Difference Between a Mortgage Banker and a Mortgage Broker? How Do I Find a Good Lender? | |
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| Who Are the People Involved with Making the Loan? | |
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| How Do I Apply for a Loan? Should I Apply On-Line for a Mortgage? | |
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| What Kind of Documentation Will I Need for My Application? | |
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| What Types of Circumstances Might Foul Up My Loan Application? How Can I Fix Them? | |
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| How Much of a Down Payment Will I Need to Buy My Home? | |
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| Should I Put Down the Largest or the Smallest Down Payment Possible? | |
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| What Fees Are Associated with a Mortgage Application? | |
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| What Lender's Fees Will I Be Charged for My Mortgage? | |
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| What Are Junk Fees? How Do I Avoid Them? | |
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| What Is Truth in Lending? | |
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| What Is the Annual Percentage Rate (APR)? | |
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| What Is a Good Faith Estimate? | |
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| What Is a Real Estate Tax Escrow? | |
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| What Is an Insurance Escrow? | |
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| How Can I Avoid Setting Up a Real Estate Tax or Insurance Escrow? | |
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| What Should I Do to Make Sure the Mortgage Application Process Goes Smoothly? | |
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| How Do I Get the Best Loan at the Best Rate on the Best Terms? | |
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| Playing the Mortgage Game | |
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| What Is an Assumable Mortgage? How Is It Different from a Subject-to Mortgage? | |
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| What Different Types of Mortgages Are Available? How Do I Choose the Right Type for Me? | |
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| How Small a Down Payment Can I Make? Where Can I Find a Zero Down Loan? | |
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| What Is a Fixed-Rate Mortgage? What Is an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM)? | |
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| What Is a Two-Step Mortgage? What Is a Balloon Mortgage? | |
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| What Is an FHA Mortgage? What Is a VA Loan? | |
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| What Other Sorts of Mortgages Are Out There? What Are Articles of Agreement? | |
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| What Is Seller Financing? | |
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| What Is a B-C Loan? Where Do I Get One? | |
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| Why Are Some Lenders Willing to Give Me a Mortgage for 125 Percent or 130 Percent of the Home's Selling Price? | |
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| What Is Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)? How Do I Get Rid of It? | |
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| How Does Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) Differ from Mortgage Insurance (FHA) and Mortgage/Credit Insurance? | |
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| What If I'm Rejected for a Loan? | |
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| Before You Close | |
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| When Should I Schedule My Preclosing Inspection? What Do I Do if I Discover Something Is Damaged or Missing? | |
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| When Should the Seller Move Out? | |
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| What Exactly Is the Closing? Where Is It Held? | |
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| What Are My Closing Costs Likely to Be? | |
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| What Is a Title Search? What Is Title Insurance? Why Do I Need Them? | |
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| What Is RESPA? What Does the RESPA Statement Look Like? | |
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| Do I Need HomeOwner's Insurance? What Should It Cover? | |
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| How Should I Hold Title to My New Home? | |
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| The Closing | |
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| Who Should Attend the Closing? What Should I Do if I Can't Be There? | |
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| What Are Prorations? | |
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| What Do I Need to Bring with Me to the Closing? What if Something Goes Wrong at the Closing? | |
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| What Should I Get from the Sellers at the Closing? | |
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| How Does My Deed Get Recorded? | |
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| How Should I Prepare for the Move to My New Home? | |
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| Happily Ever After | |
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| Discovering Problems After You Close | |
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| How to Lighten Your Property Tax Load | |
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| The Next House: Knowing When It's Time to Move On | |
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| The Top 10 Mistakes First-Time Buyers Make | |
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| 5 Simple Things You Can Do to Make the Home-Buying Process Easier | |
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| Contracts | |
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| General Resources | |
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| State-by-State Resource Guide | |
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| Amortization Tables | |
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| Glossary of Real Estate Terms Every Home Buyer Should Know | |
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| Alphabetical Listing of Websites | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Index | |