Rating: 
Summary: A must have for all home buyers...
Review: Any book that starts out with the following test question is worthy of anyones permanent library:
1. Take this book in your right hand.
2. Postition the spine of the book so that it faces you.
3. Whack yourself in the head three times.This book is a brutally honest look at real estate agents, the common misconceptions of the home-buying process, and all the other pitfalls first-time buyers might fall into. Alan and Denise walk you through the entire process of buying or building a home with clear and pointed questions for anyone you may bump into during your investment (buyers agent, real estate agent, architects, builders, etc) - the pull-out cheatsheet in the back is a great tool to have around. The only complaint I have about the book is that there are numerous spelling errors and mistakes in the book that make the reading somewhat difficult - I'd expect this to be better for a 3rd edition. Overall - a top notch read.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this first.
Review: As a real estate attorney and owner of an exclusive buyer brokerage firm, I recommend this book to clients without reservation. Although the tone may be a bit cynical at times (which is justified at times), you'll know more and be better prepared without a doubt.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book...All questions were not answered
Review: I am a first time buyer and wanted to make sure that I was getting the best deal at every end of the process. I read this book and although many parts of it were good, it did not apply to my situation. This book is excellent for those that are building a custom built home with a builder. If you are looking to buy a production home (centex, KB, pulte) this is not the book you will want. I found some of the examples to be informative, but overall I will need another book to answer my questions. I hope my review helped.
Rating:
Summary: An informed consumer's best resource
Review: I am an architect and a former building inspector. Over the past few years I have given copies of this book to friends and relatives as they embark on their homebuilding adventure. This book says it like it is and it does not gloss over or romanticize the home building process. (Yes, its the American Dream, your castle - but is it built on a swamp or will it blow down in the first wind storm? It is also probably your most valuable asset. So how do you keep the dream from becoming a nightmare? Read this book!) You will learn who all the key parties are, their interests and biases. You learn how to keep control of the project (hey, its your money!) The humor keeps you reading (and functions as comic relief on those subjects that would drive an uniformed consumer to tears or suicide). The authors have lived the nightmare and allow the reader to learn from their mistakes. This book is a minor investment realtive to the cost of a new house - you owe it to yourself to buy it and read it before you ever visit a model home, hire an architect, or sit down with a home builder!
Rating:
Summary: Overall, every 1st time buyer of a new home should own this
Review: I purchased this book about 5 days ago; I read about 60% of it to date. While the book is (arguably) weak in some areas and, though surely well meaning, some of the advice simply will not work insofar as trying to control the monies (handling draws!) when dealng with a new home builder, overall the book is an absolute "must" for the new home buyer.
I feel it should be made clear that a builder who absconds with a customer's monies will likely be prosecuted for fraud under a criminal statute or under one legal theory or another. Still, this book is a Gold Mine for anyone contemplating running the new home construction gauntlet. The authors should be commended for what they brought to the public vis a vis this really great book.
Hoping not to sound "dogmatic" or sound like a "pitch man" for this book--I am a TECHNICIAN, not a politician!!--if you are contemplating having a new home built, or, for that matter, if you are contemplating buying a "spec house", this book (along with "Build it Right") is a MUST. The cost is totally, I mean totally insignificant (means it costs you nothing--for all for all practical purposes) in relationship to the cost of a new home and in relationship to the benefit that you should be able to derive from this book. Even assuming that you cannot save any money in dealing within the new home industry at least you will understand better how you have been screwed (if indeed you have been "screwed"!) or indeed it will help you better understand how you have been sized-up and lined-up to get screwed!
We had a new home built here in Michigan and overall I am happy to say that we had a good builder, one who is ethical and who indeed builds a great home (particularly so in view of his prices!). Yet, overall this is not your typical experience.
Buy the book; period! If you cannot "afford" this book then you cannot afford a new house. Trusting this makes Sense!
John A. Tirone
Attorney at law
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I read three books: Cellers to Ceilings, Build It Right, and Your New House. All were good, but Your New House was by far the best of the three. Your New House was very thorough with information from beginning to end in building (and buying) a new home. Lots of information to protect the consumer and includes websites for additional information and products. Highly recommended reading!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have For Any Home Buyer
Review: I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE BUYING/BUILDING A NEW HOME. Much of the information can also be applied to buying an older home or remodeling. This is not a how-to book, this book goes into detail on the process of building/buying a new home. YOUR NEW HOUSE covers costs, contracts, architecture, buying land, mortgages, design, inspections, real estate agents, and the list goes on. The authors are obviously experienced in this field, and give useful tips on what to look for in quality construction as well as relevant real-life examples of how things can go wrong. Useful and informative web sites are provided for every topic. After reading YOUR NEW HOUSE, I feel well prepared to begin my home search armed with an abundance of information that will save me money and ensure that I buy a quality home. DON'T BUY A HOME WITHOUT READING THIS FIRST!!
Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful
Review: I suppose there's some valuable information in here, but it could probably be reduced to a very brief checklist. Much of the book seems to be anecdotes about this "friend" who had this "absolute nightmare" building a home and how that proves that "you should always get it in writing" or something equally prosaic. They will misinform you that anchor bolts--in every house--are only required in earthquake zones and that the concrete compressive strength rating, e.g. 3000 psi, refers to its *weight*. In other words, know little about how houses are actually built, and so have exaggerated fears about what might go wrong. You're better off avoiding freelance writers capitalizing on the research for their own houses; choose a book from an architect, lawyer, realtor or builder with a few decades' experience instead.
Rating:
Summary: No Book is "absolutely useless"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Respectfully, the reviewer who purchased several homes and now works w/an architect and builder is to be commended. This area, this business is a learning process: nobody, "not nobody" knows it all; we learn and grow with each Real Estate project we become involved with. For some, hopefully a small few, this book may be "useless", but I can tell you that for most, if not the Lion's Share, the book will add at least one (or more) great points to your knowledge. No, there are no "hidden" gems of wisdom or inside knowledge or instant revelations, and please dont look for them in this book. In that respect I am sorry one reader/ purchaser was disappointed, but you cannot win them all. You need to put this whole process into perspective: for the money, a 1st or maybe even 2nd time home buyer should get his/her/their money out of this book many times over. Frankly, I wish I had written this book (assuming I had the vast experience of these fine authors!) BUT my end of this biz seems to be more so number-crunching. I applaud the authors for a really neat book; thank you and keep them coming: I'll buy the next one (through amazon!).
John A. Tirone
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Useless
Review: This book is about building a home, not buying a home. The descriptions of the book made it seem like it was for both. We have no intention of building a home from scratch, and thus the book was of no use to us. The Fields' books are dynamite,and I'm sure this one is too. But folks need to be clear what the book is about. I wouldn't recommend to people who are just planning on buying a home--only if you plan on engaging in a nightmare of contractors and such.
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