How to Buy a Home Without Getting Hammered

Rating:
Summary: skeptical
Review: As a prior David Weekley homeowner, I was amused to discover this title among the construction offerings. Based on Mr Weekley's reputation as one of the country's largest privately-owned builders, I purchased an almost-new Weekley home in Florida. Within a year of moving in, the roof was buckling, structural and design errors, water intrusion and toxic mold forced us to evacuate the home. The only hammering I heard from Weekley representatives, was the hammering of contractors working on leaks and other structural defects.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reference!
Review: I would highly recommend this book to anyone buying their first or second home, or who's been burned on any home buying experience. This book contains helpful information and guidance beyond the basics. I was given this book by Weekley Homes while in the process of hunting for my second home. Although intitially skeptical, thinking it was only going to "tout" his own homes, I found it completely unbiased. I actually found the perspective from the homebuilder extremely helpful and found his many years of experience reflected in the information. Not many books on buying homes delve into covering the home itself like this one does. It gives you information to be aware of in the process that other homebuilders might not want you to be aware of. The book is also very comprehensive in covering the financial aspects of buying a home. It's an easy read but packed with relevant information.

I did end up buying a Weekley Home and love it, and appreciate the fact that this book along with the Weekley people helped make the whole process easier. I buy this book to give to my family and friends who are thinking of or are currently searching for a home. It worked for me so it should work for them, and I want to keep my own copy!

Rating:
Summary: A great resource for home buying!!!
Review: My fiance' and I are looking to buy a home within the next few months. We both read David Weekley's book and found it to be more than helpful! We now know what to look for and what questions to ask when buying a resale home. After reading this book, we now feel confident to begin the search for our starter home.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good as a second book on home buying
Review: Please ignore the reader from Bothell, WA who apparently does not get the pun in the title of this book and proceeds to levy some b.s. criticism on a book he/she apparently didn't really read.

This book is geared toward buyers of new homes, especially construction homes, but has information that can help any home buyer. I myself am looking to buy a condo and I especially enjoyed the chapters on "curb appeal" (exterior) and floor plans. The latter topic is covered in a lot of details with examples of good layouts and bad layouts. You may not totally agree with what the author says should be a good floor plan -- and I don't -- but it's great to know what the latest trend in floor planning is and what angles (no pun intended) you should see a home from.

The book covers from why you should buy a home to what to do if you are unhappy with your newly bought home. Again, the target audience is really potential buyers of new homes, so there's a lot of information on that, like seeking out a builder's reputation, working with salespeople (as opposed to real estate agents), etc.

I recommend this book as a second book for getting home-buying advice. For more in-depth coverage of mundane home-buying topics such as mortgages and dealing with agents and closing, check the Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying and Selling a Home.