A guide for first-time home buyers describes what to look for in a real estate agent, how to choose the best mortgage, how to evaluate a neighborhood, and how to detect hidden costs.

All the information first-time homebuyers need to understand and avoid the 106 common mistakes in purchasing a home or condo . . . Written especially for first-timers, this eye-opening guide turns you into an educated consumer, ensuring that the home or condo you buy is both a comfortable place to live and an investment that steadily appreciates in value. Compiled from the experiences of hundreds of homebuyers, real estate agents, home builders, and mortgage lenders, it alerts you to the 106 common mistakes in home buying, illustrates them in practice, and shows how to prevent them from happening to you. Now revised and expanded, this invaluable resource covers everything from negotiating with sellers and making the down payment to shopping for the best mortgage and handling the closing. Discover how to save time, money, and frustration by avoiding: Mistake No. 20: We thought we could make higher returns investing in stocks. Mistake No. 36: The sellers named the price, we named the terms. Mistake No. 72: We thought our agent represented us. Mistake No. 74: We didn't know we could withdraw our offer. Mistake No. 83: We pushed to get the absolute best deal we could. Mistake No. 105: We didn't buy. We were afraid of making a mistake. Written by one of the nation's leading real estate experts and packed with hundreds of valuable tips and suggestions, The 106 Common Mistakes Homebuyers Make, Second Edition is the book to have for a smooth, successful, and emotionally rewarding homebuying experience.

The only guidebook that shows you how to finance any property--with or without bank approval Would you like to discover all of the many ways that you can finance real estate? Want to learn how to cut your financing costs, avoid pitfalls, and negotiate the best terms? Then let Gary Eldred's 106 Mortgage Secrets All Borrowers Must Learn--But Lenders Don't Tell, Second Edition guide you. Fully updated, this practical guide explains how today's changing mortgage market really works. Unlike other mortgage guides, this book goes beyond traditional bank-originated loans and shows you how to benefit with seller financing, assumables, subject-to, wraparounds, lease options, foreclosures, and other money-saving possibilities. 106 Mortgage Secrets also protects you from the sharp practices of loan reps that have recently sparked Congressional hearings and multiple state investigations. In addition, Eldred shows how and why the right financing decisions can add tens (and sometimes hundreds) of thousands of dollars to your long-term net worth. With these 106 secrets, you'll build the confidence and the knowledge to: * Increase your borrowing power * Obtain the lowest interest rate * Understand the true pros and cons of ARMs * Cut (or eliminate) the cost of mortgage insurance * Save big with seller financing, assumptions, foreclosures, and REOs * Strengthen your credit profile and credit score * Avoid getting taken... by the fine print and garbage fees * Steer clear of scams and unprincipled loan reps and lenders * Accumulate wealth through homeownership and investment properties Simple, concise, and comprehensive, this book reveals everything property buyers need to know--especially the 106 financing secrets lenders too often omit.

THE BESTSELLING GUIDE TO REAL ESTATE INVESTING Now in its fifth edition, Investing in Real Estate is the straightforward guide that helps you start growing your fortune by investing in houses and small apartment buildings. Successful real estate investor Gary Eldred shows you how you can outperform the stock market by investing in residential real estate--the surest and safest way to build assets. This updated edition covers all the new trends and tactics in real estate investing, including how to shop for properties outside your home market and how to use option arms to achieve positive cash flow. As always, you'll find all the information you need to start investing now, as well as up-to-date tips on negotiating deals, spotting market trends, and using the Internet as a research tool to find and buy properties. Let the authors show you how to: * Buy with a low or no-money down payment * Build wealth without paying income taxes * Find the neighborhoods and properties that will appreciate fastest * Add value to your properties with smart improvements * Choose the best financing for your investments * Protect your net worth with LLCs and other legal strategies Whether you need money for your child's college tuition, a prosperous retirement, or a higher quality of life, Investing in Real Estate, Fifth Edition is the best guide available to help you start building real wealth right now.

The bestselling guide to real estate, newly revised for today’s investors More than ever, investing in property today will set you on track to conquer financial uncertainty and build your long-term net worth. Investing in Real Estate, Seventh Edition offers dozens of experience- proven methods to convert these challenging times into the best of times. Whether you want to fix and sell or buy, improve, and hold, market savvy real estate investor Gary W. Eldred shows you how to achieve your goals. He provides time-tested ways to grow a profitable portfolio and shows you how property investing can deliver twenty-two sources of financial return. You’ll learn how to negotiate like a pro, read market trends, and choose from multiple possibilities to finance your properties. This timely new edition also includes: Historical context to emphasize how bargain prices and near record low interest rates now combine to offer unprecedented potential for short- and long-term profits Successfully navigate and meet today’s loan underwriting standards How to obtain discounted property prices from banks, underwater owners, and government agencies How to value properties accurately—and, when necessary, intelligently challenge poorly prepared lender appraisals Effective techniques to acquire REOs and short sales on favorable terms within reasonable time frames How to market and manage your properties to outperform other investors And much more! Join the pros who are profiting from today’s market. All you need is the knowledge edge provided by Investing in Real Estate, Seventh Edition—the most favored and reliable guide to gaining the rewards that real estate offers.

Start making money today--with the ultimate guide for first-time investors No matter what the market does, real estate stilloffers plenty of money-making opportunities. In this new edition of The Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing, Gary W. Eldred presents the toolsand knowledge new investors need to get started profitably. Packed with smart money-making strategies and real-life stories from successful investors, this edition also covers the latest information on financing, foreclosures, cash flow, and much more. You'll not only master the basics of investing, but also discover specialized techniques that the pros rely on to grow their long-term wealth. Concise yet comprehensive, this practical guide shows you how to: Find great deals on properties with big potential Get started with low- or no-down payment financing Utilize creative financing options and otherpeople's money Buy low-cost foreclosures and REOs Make value-adding improvements to any property Craft winning offers and negotiate like a pro Manage rental properties hassle-free Flip investment properties for fast profit In addition, Eldred shows you how to tailor your investment strategy to make money almost anywhere, in any type of market. With proven techniques, timeless principles, and totally up-to-date information, The Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing, Second Edition is the perfect place to start building a prosperous future--today.

The single legal resource every homeowner should have at hand . . . THE HOMEOWNER'S LEGAL BIBLE Owning a home is a dream come true for millions of Americans. But there's more to being a homeowner than just finding and financing the right house. In fact, closing on your new home is only the beginning of a long involvement with what is probably the most valuable asset you'll ever own. A multitude of legal issues-including taxation, insurance, and financial considerations-can and will arise over the course of the life of your home, and you'd better be prepared to deal with them. This book is the ultimate resource for responsible homeowners, designed to help you avoid pitfalls and take full advantage of the considerable benefits of being a homeowner. Every vital legal topic of homeownership is covered, including: * Buying your home, from financing to closing * Tax ramifications and advantages of homeownership * Insuring your home against liability and protecting it with security measures * Leasing or renting your home to tenants * Selling your home * Estate planning and bequeathing your home to an heir * And much more So put The Homeowner's Legal Bible on your shelf and put your mind at ease, because you'll be prepared to deal with any complication-or opportunity-that comes your way.

A major new title from the author of the bestselling 50 Classics series which have sold over 100,000 in the English language. 50 Prosperity Classics is the first book to highlight the landmark titles in this fast-expanding field, illustrated by the phenomenal success of The Secret. It focuses on the great works on wealth, entrepreneurship, personal finance, investing, economics and philanthropy, providing guidance and encouragement to develop the millionaire mindset, become a wealth creator, make wise investment decisions and - once you've made it - give a little back. Insightful commentaries on each classic, biographical information on the authors, plus a guide to further key titles provide a unique overview of this fascinating subject The phenomenal success of The Secret has helped many people discover a field of writing that seems new but actually goes back a century. 50 Prosperity Classics covers many of the great writings on wealth and abundance - encompassing books on the psychological aspects of creating wealth; more worldly titles on the nuts and bolts of personal finance, entrepreneurship and investing, and thought-provoking economics and political economy. 50 Prosperity Classics is about making your money and making it work for you, but it does not just show readers how to get rich , it also highlights why the creation of wealth can mean the fulfillment of personal potential and peace of mind. 50 Prosperity Classics gives concise summaries of each book s main points, their origins and what each can offer the reader on the path towards a life of abundance, organized according to four elements: ATTRACT IT Master the inner game of wealth and abundance with books such as Rhonda Byrne s bestselling The Secret, Charles Fillmore s Prosperity, Napoleon Hill s The Master Key to Riches CREATE IT Learn from the secrets and strategies of wealth creators such as Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Conrad Hilton, Anita Roddick and Donald Trump MANAGE IT Discover the nuts and bolts of personal finance and investing such as Benjamin Graham s The Intelligent Investor, Suze Orman s Women and Money, Dave Ramsey s Financial Peace Revisited and Peter Lynch s One Up on Wall Street SHARE IT Understand the flow of wealth and how to give something back with inspiration from Andrew Carnegie's The Gospel of Wealth, Paul Hawken's Natural Capitalism and Lynne Twist's The Soul of Money