Title Details

About the Author Kathleen Sindell, Ph.D., has more than 20 years of experience in financial services and is the founder of a firm that provides management consulting to the financial services industry and authoritative publications about management, finance, and real estate in the e-commerce environment. She and her colleagues work with organizations to deliver effective business solutions for new ways of conducting business and managing finances in the emerging electronic environment. She is the former Associate Director of the Financial Management and Commercial Real Estate Programs for the University of Maryland, University College Graduate School of Management & Technology. Dr. Sindell recently completed the third edition of A Hands-On Guide to Mortgage Banking Internet Sites, a directory published by Mortgage Banking magazine. She is the author of Investing Online for Dummies, 2nd Edition (IDG Books), and The Handbook of Real Estate Lending (McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing). She is also the editor of the book Essentials of Financial Management Kit (Dryden Press). Dr. Sindell developed the Lending Solutions Decision Support Program to identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate the credit quality of real estate loans. This software application is based on her hands-on experience as a Real Estate Vice President for American Savings & Loan and as the Construction Lending Services Manager for Perpetual Federal Savings Bank. She has taught more than 25 graduate-level courses in financial management; she lectures for the New York Institute of Finance; and she is a well-known speaker at regional and national conferences. Dr. Sindell is on the adjunct faculty of The Johns Hopkins University, School of Professional Studies and Education, where she teaches graduate-level financial management courses. She has provided seminars to senior bank examiners and real estate instructors from the Federal Reserve and various other regulatory agencies. She received her B.A. in Business from Antioch University, an M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance from California State University at San Jose, and a Ph.D. in Administration and Management from Walden University, Institute for Advanced Studies. Dr. Sindell lives and writes in Alexandria, Virginia. She is interested in your comments about this book and can be contacted at her Web site (www.kathleensindell.com) or send e-mail to [email protected].

The Unofficial Guide Reader's Bill of Rights.

The Unofficial Guide Panel of Experts.

Introduction.

I. So You're Thinking About Buying a Home.

1. Preparing to Buy a Home.

2. Creating a Financial Game Plan.

3. Is Now the Right Time to Buy a Home?

II. Shopping for a Home Without Leaving Your Computer.

4. Finding a Neighborhood Next Door or Across the Country.

5. Using a Real Estate Agent.

6. Finding Your Dream Home Online.

III. Getting Financing with the Help of the Internet.

7. Online Mortgage Advice and Lending.

8. Avoiding the Down Payment Cash Crunch.

IV. Closing In on Your New Home.

9. Online Help with Appraisals, Inspections, and Insurance.

10. Negotiating and Closing the Deal.

11. Costs and Tax Benefits Associated with Buying a Home.

V. The Real Estate Road Less Traveled.

12. The Internet and Do-It-Yourself Rear Estate.

13. Getting Online Help with Becoming an Owner-Builder.

VI. Wrapping It Up, Moving In, and Moving Out.

14. Getting Moving Help Online.

15. Online Help for Making Your House a Home.

16. Marketing and Selling Your Home Online.

VII. Appendixes.

A. Glossary.

B. Online Home Buying Resource Directory.

C. Home Buying Bibliography.

Index.