Asking All the Right Questions
By Broderick Perkins

The home-buying task is such an emotional, eye-glazing journey few buyers in the throes of the ordeal can remember to ask all the right questions.

Unasked questions, of course, are unanswered questions and that's just about the worst kind of question a buyer can have in the midst of what's likely the most expensive, extensive transaction he or she will ever complete.

Stop the nail biting."100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask" (Times Books-Random House, $17) takes the guesswork out of trying to remember what to ask.

From question number one, "Should I Make A Wish List?" -- to 100, "How Should I prepare for the Move To My New Home?" -- Chicago-based author Ilyce R. Glink offers a timely tome of queries to guide your home-buying quest.

The second edition of the best-selling real estate guide builds on the success of the first -- a compilation of questions first-time home buyers raise again and again, according to both buyers and sources the award-winning Glink has interviewed for her real estate columns and radio shows.

Taking a cue from buyers in the trenches, rather than considering only what she thinks buyers ought to read, gives the book an immediate intimate appeal for first time home buyers, though anyone can benefit if you haven't been in the market for the past few years.

Packed with six years of additional research, the book also reflects today's trends, thinking and real estate market activity, quite changed from six years ago when she penned the original edition.

The result is a book twice as heavy (in weight and insight) and twice as informative.

"I've included information from what is probably hundreds of new interviews. I consulted with owners of Web companies, technology companies, attorneys and brokers and discussed how they see the future of the industry," said Glink on a recent book signing tour.

Along with well-researched answers to every question, Glink adds telling anecdotes, first-timer tips, sample contracts, an extensive list of informative Web sites, a state-by-state resource guide and the obligatory amortization tables and glossary.

A tool chest to build a successful transaction,"100 Questions" doesn't overlook cursory readers who want answers faster than a full read of the hefty 500-plus page book can provide.

With a handful of quick takes, the book's Appendix II, "5 Simple Things You Can Do to Make the Home-Buying Process Easier," responds to that home buyer with a need for speed.

• Get pre-approved. Pre-approval assures you that you are shopping for what you can afford. It also lets the seller know you are serious. That's crucial in a hot market.
  
  
• Work with a buyer broker. You use a broker for stock purchases, a tax professional to prepare your taxes, and a financial counselor to help you put your money to work. Why not use a specialist to represent you in what's likely the most expensive purchase you'll ever complete? You can bet the seller will be represented. Level the playing field.
  
  
• Know thy neighborhood. You aren't just buying a home. You are buying a community too. Before you buy, get to know your neighbors and the neighborhood, by day and by night.
  
  
• Protect yourself. Consider hiring an attorney, even if one isn't required. The real estate transaction is largely a body of regulated codes you'll need help deciphering. Unless your agent is also a member of the bar, practicing law isn't his or her calling.
  
  
• Have reasonable expectations. Don't expect perfection in a 40-year old home, even if the seller has gutted and renovated it. Just because you joined a bidding war and paid more than the list price doesn't guarantee a trouble-free home.