Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home

Everything a buyer needs to know to buy a first home, with insider tips and advice from the experts!

Rental prices have gone through the roof, more homes are coming up for sale, and buying a home remains a sound investment. But how do you know whether you’re ready? And what steps should you take in the weeks or months ahead to find, buy, and move into your new home? Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home will help you find the right place to live and invest in — and enjoy the process, too.

Filled with interesting facts, real-life stories and insights, and common pitfalls to avoid, this book provides everything you need to select the right type of home, the right mortgage, the right agent, the right inspections — and much more. Get the inside scoop on:

deciding between a house, condo, co-op, or townhouse

exploring your local market for the best value

creating and managing a realistic homebuying budget

qualifying for and securing loan financing

getting the right inspections and insurance

negotiating with sellers or new home builders

successfully closing the deal, and more.

Read through the real-world experiences of over 20 first-time homebuyers, as well as valuable insights from a team of 13 real estate professionals, including:

real estate brokers

attorneys who specialize in real estate

a home inspector

a neighborhood researcher

a mortgage specialist

and more!

The 6th edition of Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home is fully updated to reflect the dramatically changed U.S. housing market, with emphasis on how to assess the state of your local market and local homes’ true worth before making an offer and negotiating the terms of the deal. Download forms for book at Nolo.com