Product Description

If you think that you′ll never get a first foot onto the UK property ladder, think again! This readable guide shows you how to buy your first home without having to borrow more than you can afford. Clued–up first–time buyers will understand the pros and cons of a wide range of alternative routes to home ownership, from the legal intricacies of buying with friends to part–rent part–ownership schemes. It′s the biggest financial decision of your life and it′s tough at today′s prices, but if you′re prepared to compromise a little then there are plenty of options.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #167852 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-10
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
“…easy to understand advice for first–time buyers looking to get on the property ladder…” (Southampton Daily Echo, 6^th October 04)

“…packed with invaluable tips and insider advice…empowering guide…” (North East House Hunter, 15^th October 04)

“...First–time buyers ... can now turn to a book for help...simple yet comprehensive...” (Daily Record, 13^th November 2004). 

“…shows you how to buy your first home, without borrowing more than you can afford…” (moneywise, March 05)

North East House Hunter, 15th October 04
"...packed with invaluable tips and insider advice…empowering guide..."

Daily Record, 13th November 2004
"...First-time buyers ... can now turn to a book for help...simple yet comprehensive..."

Customer Reviews

Good first time guide, slightly oversimplified
This is a pretty good basic guide, but its a little repetitive and lacks some useful detail. On top of that its now slightly outdated - copywright 2004. It has a very comprehensive mortgage section, which details all the different types of mortgage you could get, and how to choose which one best suits your circumstances - so if you are looking for advice on a mortgage this is the book for you. It has info on keyworker and council schemes, but if like me you are not eligible for these they are fairly irrelevant. It also gives some tips on budgeting during the process of buying a house, but not nearly as many effective ways as I had hoped. For example, there is a comprehensive section on how to save on legal fees by doing your own conveyancing, where you might save a maximum of £1000, and which she doesn't really recommend. However, she skims over the idea of buying direct from a seller (as opposed to an agent) where with a little negotiation you could stand to save the agents fees, which can be between 1 and 2 % of the property. She makes mention of buying at auction - again an area where you can make big savings - but the section is not very useful. There is a chapter on buying a wreck and doing it up, which is quite useful - she goes into the finance and project management requirements, giving approximate costs of basic improvements such as rewiring, but these are 2004 costs. She also goes into the various surveys that need to be done, but there is very little info on the new homebuyers pack (which now have to include some of these surveys), again because this was published in 2004. Its a good start point for fist time buyers, but its not an effective guide for making savings.

Comprehensive and reliable
I found this book to be really helpful in explaining what to look for when buying a home, how to pay for it, and how the house buying process works (or not). It has an easy to read format, mixing facts with useful examples, whilst still being comprehensive. I notice that there is also a "buying a home for dummies", but I'm not sure if there is a need for two separate books. After all, unless you run a private equity fund, you're very likely to be on a budget.