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How To Buy A Home

The document provides resources and references for each chapter of a book about buying a home. It includes websites for tools to estimate mortgage payments and home affordability, find real estate agents and listings, get information on various financing options, understand closing costs, make offers, and prepare for inspections and closing on a home.

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Angelica Moore
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197 views

How To Buy A Home

The document provides resources and references for each chapter of a book about buying a home. It includes websites for tools to estimate mortgage payments and home affordability, find real estate agents and listings, get information on various financing options, understand closing costs, make offers, and prepare for inspections and closing on a home.

Uploaded by

Angelica Moore
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Home Catalog Missing CDs Authors About Contact

Buying a Home: The Missing Manual Errata


By Nancy Conner View Errata for this book

Submit your own Errata

Missing CD-ROM
Part 1: Preparing for Home Ownership

Chapter 1. The Benefits and Drawbacks of Home Ownership


Mortgage calculator to estimate PITI payments:
• RealEstate ABC

Info on the national Flood Insurance Program:


• FloodSmart.gov

Chapter 2. How Much Home Can You Afford?


Free online money-management tools:
• Mint
• Quicken

Download free household budget templates:


• Bankrate.com
• Spreadsheet123

Track your spending with a free budget planner spreadsheet:


• Spreadsheets123

Get an idea of how much you can afford to borrow:


• Homefair
• Bankrate.com

Order your free credit report online:


• AnnualCreditReport.com
• Bankrate.com

Order your free credit report by phone:


• 1-877-322-8228

To request your free annual credit report in writing, use the form here:
• https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/requestformfinal.pdf
• Print, complete, and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

Videos on how to improve your FICO score:


• VideoCreditScore

Part 2: Finding Your Home

Chapter 3: Choose Your Style of Home and Neighborhood


Read about manufactured home federal government's manufactured home standards:
• Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Code

Check out neighborhood school districts:


• Find a School

Review neighborhood demographics:


• Sperling's Best Places

Download your home Wish List form:


• Home Wish List Form

Download a form to list things you don't want in a home:


• Things I Don't Want Form

Set your home priorities:


• Home Priorities Form

Chapter 4: Assemble Your Real Estate Team


Reviews of local real estate agents:
• Homethinking
• Incredible Agents

State disciplinary agencies for real estate agents:


• www.abanet.org/cpr/regulation/directory.pdf

Chapter 5: Shop for Your Home


Online real estate agencies:
• Realtor.com
• Trulia
• Yahoo Real Estate
• Zillow

National real estate agencies:


• Century 21
• Coldwell Banker
• GMAC
• Prudential Real Estate
• RE/MAX

Find listing agents and "For Sale By Owner" sellers:


• Craigslist

Determine home comparable values:


• Trulia
• Zillow
• City Data

Find foreclosures:
• Bid4Assets
• Foreclosure.com
• ForeclosureS.com

Find government-seized properties for sale:


• Department of the Treasury
• Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association)
• HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
• RealtyTrac (subscription-based service)

Bid online for foreclosed (and other) properties:


• REDC

Auctions of bank-owned (REOs) and other properties:


• Williams and Williams

Find out whether a former owner has a state-granted right to buy back a foreclosed house:
• Innovest Resource Management's Foreclosure Forum

Review the federal lead disclosure form:


• Lead Disclosure Form

Review the Indiana seller disclosure form:


• Indiana Seller Disclosure form

Review the Texas seller disclosure form:


• Texas Seller Disclosure form

Part 3: Financing Your Home

Chapter 6. Finance Your Down Payment


Learn about investment-grade bonds:
• Personal Investing: The Missing Manual

Find the limit on FHA loans in your area:


• FHA Mortgage Limits

Chapter 7: Compare Mortgages and Other Financing Option


Try a simple-to-use amortization calculator:
• Bankrate.com

Figure out your ARM mortgage with this ARM calculator:


• Interest.com

Track the major indexes that the banking industry uses:


• Bankrate.com RateWatch

Determine monthly principal and interest mortgage payments:


• www.mortgagecalculator.org

Find out what the FHA-insured loan cap is for your area:
• FHA Mortgage Limits

Find lenders that handle FHA-insured loans:


• U.S. Department of Housing Local Homebuying Programs

Locate FHA-approved lenders in your area:


• HUD Lender List

See if you qualify for a VA home loan:


• Military.com Homebuying

Find a local public housing authority home-buying assistance program:


• U.S. Department of Housing Local Homebuying Programs

Search for government programs that offer assistance with housing (go to "Quick Benefits", then click "Housing"):
• Benefits.gov

Chapter 8: Choose and Apply for a Mortgage


Check a lender's track record with federal agencies:
• Federal Trade Commission
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (search for federally insured lenders)
• National Credit Union Administration

Check for complaints about online lenders at these consumer review sites:
• ConsumerAffairs.com
• Complaints.com

Longtime online lenders:


• Ditech
• EverBank
• LendingTree
• Quicken Loans

Find local lenders:


• Bankrate.com

Find a mortgage broker:


• National Association of Mortgage Brokers

Watch mortgage rates:


• Bankrate.com

Get a sense of the highest your ARM payments could rise:


• Interest.com

Read the Uniform Residential Loan application:


• Uniform Residential Loan Application

Review the terms of a Good Faith Estimate:


• Good Faith Estimate form

Chapter 9. Know Your Closing Costs


Use the California Land Title Association's free Title Wizard to compare title insurance companies and rates:
• California Title Wizard

Find average closing costs by state:


• Bankrate.com
Part 4: Negotiating the Deal

Chapter 10: Make an Offer


Estimate the value of neighboring homes and your target home for free:
• Domania
• RealEstateABC
• Zillow

Buy a report that estimates the value of neighboring homes and your target home:
• Electronic Appraiser
• Homesmart
• RealtyTrac

Chapter 11: Prepare for the Closing


Learn about the federal government's National Flood Insurance Program and your flood risk:
• FloodSmart

Assess the chances that an earthquake will shake you up:


• FEMA Earthquake Risk Table

Check out earthquake maps:


• U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Maps

Review home warranty assessments:


• Ripoff Report
• Consumer-Affairs.com

Find American Moving and Storage Association certified movers:


• Promover.org

Read consumer reviews of movers:


• MoverReviews.com
• Yelp

Contact your local Better Business Bureau for complaints about a mover:
• Better Business Bureau

File a change of address form:


• USPS.com

Get a copy of the final walkthrough checklist:


• Final Walkthrough Checklist

Chapter 12: Inspect the Property


Check your state's license requirements and regulations for home inspectors:
• American Association of Law Libraries (click the Libraries link)

Search for certified home inspectors:


• International Association of Certified Home Inspectors
• National Association of Home Inspectors

See an example of a home inspection report:


• Sample Home Inspection Report

Read state-by-state information about radon:


• EPA

Find local home energy raters qualified to do a professional energy audit:


• Energy Star

Chapter 13: Close the Deal


Check out what a HUD settlement form looks like:
• HUD-1 Settlement Form

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