Leading real-estate author Robert Irwin provides home builders with valuable money-saving tips to building a home from the ground up in Tips & Traps When Building Your Home. Featuring a self-test to determine whether the reader is more suited to hiring it all out or doing some of it alone, this user-friendly guide outlines the perilous traps that often come with building your own home. Irwin helps readers determine whether or not to hire out the entire process or whether to act as the primary contractor. Once that is decided, Irwin then helps builders determine: How building and contracting effects home-owners' insurance Whether or not to hire an architect If building plans need to be presented to the local zoning board Contractors' and builders' adherence to electrical codes, sewage codes, and occupancy codes

Home sweet home or money pit? The second edition of this national bestseller shows readers dozens of Tips and Traps to be aware of when purchasing a home. Learn how to deal with brokers inspectors, and lawyers--ask the right questions and learn when to make an offer. 20 illustrations.

Build a quality home - and save money at every stage of construction! &break;&break; You dream about building a perfect home. But you just don't see any way to come up with that kind of money. &break;&break;So bring down the cost. Be your own general contractor and save on every aspect of building your home. Do some of the easier work yourself and the savings can soar even higher. You can do it without compromising quality. &break;&break;Part-time work, big-time equity! &break;&break; Build Your Dream Home for Less is jammed with construction information, including the smallest money-saving detail. Keep your regular job, work on the side as general contractor, and build in equity as you build your home. &break;&break;Woodson has organized his book to match the progress of your project, from weighing the decision about wearing the general contractor's hat all the way to moving in without marrying anything. Here's just a taste of what you'll find inside: &break;All you need to know about being your own general contractor &break;How to work with materials suppliers &break;What to keep in mind when selecting subcontractors &break;A close, cost-conscious look at each phase of construction &break;Materials options, and pros and cons of each &break;An appendix with sample forms and contracts &break;&break;You dared to dream, dare to try? &break;&break; This is a dollars-and-cents book. And a build-it-right book. You'll learn how to recognize quality at each stage of construction. Build Your Dream Home for Less is the book you need to make your goal a reality.

Don’t lose your ho me to foreclosure! Do a short sale! Robert Irwin, one of America’s most trusted real estate experts, provides the tools you need to avoid foreclosure—and protect your credit, your wealth, and your peace of mind. How to Use a Short Sale to Stop Home Foreclosure and Protect Your Finances removes the complications and stress often associated with short selling a property. Using real-life success stories, Irwin explains how a short sale works and walks you through the process step by step. You’ll learn how to: Convince lenders to engage in a short sale Deal with a loss mitigation committee Get a loan modification Find an agent Manage issues with the IRS Beat the deadlines that can doom a short sale It contains all the paperwork you’ll need to execute a short sale, along with listings of helpful outside resources. How to Use a Short Sale to Stop Home Foreclosure and Protect Your Finances provides everything you need to get out from under—without spending a dime of your own money.

Robert Irwin is America's #1 real estate expert. But don't take our word for it--the sales figures speak for themselves. To date, his real estate titles have sold more than one and a half million copies. Of all of his books, those in the bestselling "Tips and Traps" series continue to be the most popular(more than 500,000 sold), and two of those--Tips and Traps When Buying a Home and Tips and Traps When Selling a Home--have gone on to become the #1 guides in their respective subjects. In the seven years since those two classics were last revised the real estate market has undergone many dramatic changes. Irwin has updated these bestsellers to reflect these changes so readers can be successful in their real estate endeavors. This latest edition of Bob Irwin's classic Tips and Traps When Selling a Home brings new and experienced home owners up-to-speed on all the recent changes, regulations, and trends in real estate. It provides important information on market conditions, new tax advantages, toxic materials in the home, alternatives to the traditional broker, as well as proven strategies for: Handling multiple offers Negotiating from a position of power Dealing with the new "fee-for-service" and discount brokers Holding a home for investment, instead of selling And much more

An updated edition of Robert Irwin's popular, practical guide to the basics of investing How to Get Started in Real Estate Investing presents a step-by-step system that walks you through your first purchase and helps you build on that success. Updated to reflect today's market realities, this second edition is the reliable, hands-on guide every first-time investor needs.

You can have the home of your dreams! This comprehensive guide walks you through every decision and addresses all the details that most homeowners don't even know to consider. In this step-by-step, room-by-room handbook, Susan Lang considers every aspect of your homebuilding or remodeling project, such as how to Hire the right architect, interior designer, and builder Design each room to perfectly fit your family's lifestyle Plan ahead so all your storage needs are met Determine the perfect placement for light fixtures, switches, and electrical outlets Save money by avoiding costly design revisions or building change orders You'll find helpful forms and checklists that will keep you organized and assist you in clarifying your needs. And if you're worried that building your dream home might turn into a nightmare, Designing Your Dream Home covers the most common mistakes that homeowners make and shows you how to avoid them. Susan Lang has thought of everything, so you won't have to.