10 Steps to Home Ownership : A Workbook for First-Time Buyers

Rating:
Summary: A must have for the new homebuyer
Review: I am a 25 year old looking into buying a condo in Chicago. I just finished the book and it taught me so much about what to expect going into this major purchase. The author explains what you can reasonably assume a bank will loan you, different financing techniques and important emotional and financial issues you will have to resolve before choosing a home. Its easy to read and engaging. I usually have a short attention span for manuals, but I read this cover to cover in a week. I never lost interest. If you're a renter and at the point where you're starting to think you want to buy, read this book for some great tips and advice so you don't fall into any "gotchas" ahead.

Rating:
Summary: A nice aid to figuring out how to buy that first house...
Review: I bought this book about a year before I started looking for my first house (when I knew ABSOLUTELY nothing beyond the fact I wanted to buy) and I found this book to be an indespensible aid. The real beauty of it, for me at least, is Ms. Glink's ability to get you thinking about all the myriad issues involved in buying a home (including the biggie - do you even want to do it) in a constructive way with language that is easy to understand. I love that she includes the emotional issues (that are so often overlooked) alongside the financial, legal and practical issues. The breakdowns of real-estate language and the worksheets are nice touches, too. I have recommended this book to everyone I know who utters that magic phrase, "I'd love to buy a house someday...".

Rating:
Summary: A nice aid to figuring out how to buy that first house...
Review: I bought this book about a year before I started looking for my first house (when I knew ABSOLUTELY nothing beyond the fact I wanted to buy) and I found this book to be an indespensible aid. The real beauty of it, for me at least, is Ms. Glink's ability to get you thinking about all the myriad issues involved in buying a home (including the biggie - do you even want to do it) in a constructive way with language that is easy to understand. I love that she includes the emotional issues (that are so often overlooked) alongside the financial, legal and practical issues. The breakdowns of real-estate language and the worksheets are nice touches, too. I have recommended this book to everyone I know who utters that magic phrase, "I'd love to buy a house someday...".

Rating:
Summary: Valuable Read for the First-Time Buyer
Review: I recently read Ilyce Glink's "10 Steps to Home-Ownership" and came away impressed. She has great worksheets, and an objective, no-nonsense approach to the home ownership process. I recently closed on a home in the Southern California area and used "10 Steps" to prepare me for the process. I found myself referring to Eric Tyson's "Home Buying for Dummies" more than this book once I activeley looked for a home. However, I felt "10 Steps" was a good starter for the process and the worksheets made me comfortable with what I wanted and how much I can afford. One small complaint: she includes 70 pages of interest rate amortization tables which could be easily translated on one page.

Rating:
Summary: Good for buying homes, but not apartments...
Review: This book is an invaluable resource for someone looking to buy their first home: Glink takes the reader through the home buying process step by step, and the amortization tables in the appendix definitely come in handy. However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for someone looking to buy a co-op or a condo. When I was looking to buy a co-op apartment in the city, I found the CO-OP BIBLE to be much more helpful--it was the book I turned to when I needed help with every aspect of that process.