This may be the best comprehensive guide for home buyers. "Home Buying for Dummies" is coauthored by Eric Tyson, author of several other books in the For Dummies series, and Ray Brown, a long-time real estate professional. Like other books in the series, this one is an easy and even entertaining read. But it does not gloss over details in pursuit of simplicity. Home Buying for Dummies covers all the bases, providing clear explanations and reasonable judgments on how to select a mortgage, hire a real estate agent, find the right house, and negotiate a good deal. The book goes further than most in providing helpful, specific information. For example, in discussing ways to save money for a future down payment, "Home Buying for Dummies" even includes the phone numbers for various mutual funds appropriate to different investment time frames. --Barry Mitzman
This book is going to be sooooooo helpful to my husband and I in the coming months as we look to buy a house. I've read it, and my husband is reading it right now. We will be first-time home buyers, and I recommend this to anyone who is in our situation. Jumping into this is scary especially with the housing and mortgage situation being what they are right now. This book seems to covers it all... how to pick and use an agent, what to expect from negotiations, what all the closing costs are, all the options for mortgages, etc., etc. Very helpful to us dummies!!