Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Home Rich by Gerri Willis - Available

Home Rich

Increasing the Value of the Biggest Investment of Your Life

by Gerri Willis
ebook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Read a sample Read a sample
2 of 2 copies available
Your home is the single most valuable thing you can own, yet making it pay can intimidate and confuse even the savviest investor. Now, in an indispensable new book, finance expert Gerri Willis leads you step-by-step through the entire experience of buying, maintaining, and selling a home, and shows you how to come out ahead–maybe even way ahead.
Americans used to raise their families in one place, knowing that their homes would someday make them wealthy. These days, on average, people spend just nine years in a house; it’s become a medium-term investment in a volatile real estate market. Home Rich is the first book that offers simple rules specifically designed for this brave new world of home buying and selling. Here are the ways to maximize your profit, from the time you get the keys to the time you hand them over.
• before you buy: Learn about the best and safest loans available, how to finance and refinance them, and how to pick the right real estate agent (watch out for the “dual agency,” when one agent represents both buyer and seller).
• buy right: Understand what size home you need and can afford (it’s the features and the fit, not the square footage), and check out location, location, location (a school system is a tip-off to a growing neighborhood).
• keep up your investment: Make a checklist by season to determine maintenance expenses and find out how to protect against monster storms, mold, and vermin.
• upgrade in ways that count: Be practical (an updated kitchen beats a Jacuzzi), discover the new green improvements, and plant the best trees and shrubs for your zone (landscaping can add 6 to 7 percent to the value of a home).
• sell right: Inspect and repair, clear and clean, then set the correct price, advertise, and field the offers.
Home Rich addresses the needs of homeowners in all regions and at all income levels, featuring helpful case histories, practical charts, and clear instructions. Gerri Willis has written a comprehensive, reader-friendly guide for creating a special personal space that you will love living in–and that others will also value and happily pay for when the time comes for you to sell.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 26, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780345504852

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780345504852
      • File size: 2688 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 10, 2007
      Written by the anchor of Open House
      , CNN’s weekly half-hour real estate show, this book is like having a good friend on call to answer all of a first-time home buyer’s questions about the process. Willis covers questions you might be embarrassed to ask: “How much house can I afford?” or “What kinds of maintenance do I need to do to my home each season?” Divided into four sections—“Buying, Maintaining, Upgrading, and Selling”—this book walks the reader through the whole process, from providing formulas to calculate an affordable mortgage to landscaping. (Willis provides tables that list names of shrubs and their growing regions.) Bold headers allow the reader to dip in to each section as needed. With a straightforward style and concrete advice—Willis doesn’t just tell you that you should interview your real estate agent or general contractor; she lists the questions you should ask—this book will help those who are completely new to the housing market approach the field with confidence.

    • Booklist

      February 1, 2008
      Willis, a financial columnist and real estate expert, offers a handbook for managing the largest asset most Americans havetheir home. Using case studies, worksheets, and analytical tools, Willis gives detailed advice on buying, maintaining, upgrading, and selling a home, which is important information, since unlike previous generations that traditionally owned their homes for decades, our society now moves every nine years. Willis provides 12 rules for becoming home rich, including knowing how much you can afford, picking the best team of advisors, finding the right location for you, planning for improvements before you buy, and choosing your financing vehicle wisely. She concludes, using a calculator, some hard work, and common sense, you can achieve a smart investmentone that grows over time as you and your family enjoy your property. This is a thoughtful, easy-to-read explanation of the myriad factors involved in home ownership. Willis book will be a helpful resource for many library patrons.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading