This book provides a lucid, readable and highly practical introduction to the entire process. The book covers the pros and cons of using attorneys; offers useful tips on finding the best real estate agent for the sale; and in clear language explains the avalanche of legal terms that can overwhelm even the most educated buyers and sellers. The book is loaded with charts and to-do lists (e.g., examples of home inspection forms, checklists for moving day, etc.) that make it a useful resource in many ways.

If my wife and I had used a book like this when we bought our home five years ago, we’d have been able to negotiate conditions that would have saved us at least $4500. Fortunately, we won’t be so ill-informed next time.

This book is much more than your typical “how to” book. It is truly a comprehensive guide that can help you survive the buying or selling (and closing) of your home. You may even profit if you take this advice to heart and structure the deal correctly.

I’ve bought and sold several times before reading this book. I got this book as I was preparing or my last move. It was my best moving experience yet and I even managed to reduce the closing costs for my new home which paid for this book many times over. What an unbeatable combination – an enjoyable read and saving money!

More than a basic explanation of the real estate closing process, Your Real Estate Closing Explained Simply delves into the entire process of buying or selling a home from start to finish. Readers will get detailed information about deciding whether or not to use various professionals like real estate agents or attorneys, important information about the different inspections the property should undergo, guidance about financing of the home, and even helpful tips for moving day.

One would think that a book about a legal transaction would make for pretty dry reading. That’s simply not true with Your Real Estate Closing Explained Simply. Speaking in terms that anyone could understand, Blain takes care to break up particularly complicated sections of the book with helpful anecdotes to illustrate that section.

Your Real Estate Closing Explained Simply took all of the mystery out of the real estate closing process. I’m certain, now, that the next time I buy or sell a home, I won’t toss and turn during the night before the closing. I can sleep soundly knowing that I already know what’s going to take place the next day.

How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent in Your First Year, written by Susan Smith Alvis, is the perfect book for anyone who is undertaking or considering a career as a real estate agent. Written in a conversational tone that makes for a quick read, this book gives the reader step-by-step instructions for everything from how to set up his business, how to find clients, how to deal with other realtors, and how to, ultimately, close a deal with clients.

As an added benefit, How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent in Your First Year is also filled with great tools for the beginner real estate agent. The glossary of terms is a comprehensive listing of real estate terms and their meanings. The included telephone scripts and canvassing letter formats will prove to be solid starting points as the reader begins to develop and increase his own client base. The section of the book titled “A Day in the Life of a Real Estate Agent” also provides valuable descriptions of the types of things a successful real estate agent does and even how often he does them. What more instruction could you ask for?

How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent in Your First Year is one book that should become a part of any new real estate agent’s reference library. Its no-nonsense advice and well-developed reference section will make the reader glad to have it on his bookshelf.

Whether you’re buying or selling, there’s a lot of work to do from start to finish. This book walks you through everything you need to know, from the obvious to things you may not have thought of, like easements, surveys and various clauses. It also shows you the flip side of the coin too. If you’re buying a house, you’ll not only learn about your end of the matter but where the seller is coming from, and vice versa. It’s an all-encompassing bible for real estate deals.

Numerous checklists and charts spread throughout the book assure that you won’t forget anything during the closing process. They can also open your eyes to problems and pitfalls you may have otherwise missed. It could potentially end up saving you money, or at least give you piece of mind. The state-by-state review at the end of the book is a timesaver, providing you with information you would have otherwise had to research yourself.

Michelle Blain not only knows her stuff, but also adds a personal touch that leaves the reader with the feeling that a good friend just gave them valuable, trustworthy advice. She touches on all aspects of closing and is reassuring that with the proper precautions, buying or selling a home can be done without huge hiccups.

This book is essential to navigate through the very personal process of buying and selling a home.

Rating: 5

Understanding the Real Estate Buying Process can be overwhelming for many, thus hindering many consumers from moving ahead in obtaining one of their greatest dreams….homeownership.

“Your Real Estate Closing Explained Simply: What Smart Buyers & Sellers Need To Know” is a brilliantly written book with such simplicity that even a child could understand it.

This book will do just what it suggests. It will produce smart buyers and sellers.

In this book, the Real Estate buying and closing process is explained very simply and thoroughly from start to finish. Blain, with ease, explains what a Real Estate Agent is and even provides charts, diagrams and even various real estate forms to assist both buyers and sellers in their quest of understanding real estate more thoroughly. She even demonstrates how to figure out how much house a buyer can afford.

After reading this book, the average consumer will be well-informed and knowledgeable about the real estate industry. This book gives the consumer the confidence he or she needs to be more than ready to take the leap into homeownership.

Michelle Blain not only comprehensively covers the Real Estate buying process from beginning to end, but she offers an extensive amount of additional information in all facets of the real estate topic. This book is so well structured and written, that it holds your attention from start to finish. I highly recommended this book to anyone who’s thinking about investing in real estate. This book is surely a five star.

If you are a buyer or a seller who is interested in knowing exactly what goes on in the sale of a property, aside from just signing the papers you are presented with – this book is for you. Blain drills down into all of the paperwork, clauses and contingencies from the beginning of the “deal” (the initial purchase offer) through the closing and transfer of the property. Clearly explaining each step along the way, she covers the roles and responsibilities of the buyer and seller, real estate agent (including the pros and cons of doing it yourself), mortgage brokers and title agent. You know all of those “fees” that you pay when you close on your house? Blain not only gives you definitions for them, she also tells you which ones are negotiable.

Throughout the book, real life case studies reflect the wisdom of paying close attention to the details as you move throughout the proceedings, as well as illustrate the particulars in the sometimes overwhelming concepts involved in closing on your purchase. The book also gives specifics on the financial side of the deal, from how to value the property to the types of home loans available. Several worksheets and flow charts are provided throughout the book – great tools in determining how much home you can afford and which step comes next. Blain also thinks outside of the box, covering creativity in acquiring a home for those who might have less than perfect credit or no down payment available. She gives several methods to help get you into that dream home, such as a shared ownership, lease-purchase or a joint tenancy. The book also offers tips to improve your credit and how lenders view you and possible financing you might not be aware of, including a great section on Rural Housing Service programs.

The final chapter contains a state-by-state review of real estate facts, such as if property taxes can be paid in installments, which party is responsible for closing costs and who is permitted to do real estate closings in that locale. This is particularly helpful information if you are moving to another state, where you might not be as familiar with the real estate laws and may be relying solely on a local agent. Blain also provides sample legal documents such as an Agreement to Purchase, General Warranty Deed and Assumption of Loan in the appendices.

Blain’s book provides extensive information about a somewhat confusing and often tedious process in an understandable and clear way. That being said, this book is not an easy read, nor something the average person would sit down and read for pleasure. It is, however, a book you will be happy to have on your bookshelf and will refer to time and again during any of your real estate purchases.

Of all the steps involved in buying or selling a personal residence or investment property, “the closing” is by far the most confusing, intimidating, and to most people, completely baffling of all. Almost everybody has been involved in one or more closings, and yet few of us can remember many details since we fail to understand exactly what’s going on. I believe that Realtors and real-estate attorneys help perpetuate this confusion as a means of ensuring the typical consumer’s dependency upon them during the closing process. Well with this excellent manual, you can graduate from being a “typical consumer,” to being a near-expert in all elements of “the closing.”

As I stated in an earlier review, I’ve read and reviewed numerous real-estate investment books here on Amazon. Most of them have been more inspirational than truly informative. This book, along with Charlie Rose’s Inspect Before You Buy (which I read one after the other), succeeds because it does not attempt to be an all-in-one “become a real-estate expert” guide. Instead, it gets deep into the details of the closing process — everything from making an offer, to escrow, to titles and title insurance, etc.

One thing that has prevented me from taking the plunge into real-estate investment is my lack of confidence when it comes to things like closing. Other real-estate books, for which closing is maybe a chapter (more likely a sub-section of a chapter) present closing as if it’s no big deal, but fail to provide the reader with the information and details that make him really believe that it’s no big deal. This book breaks down every aspect of closing in plain English, in a way that makes me feel like I’m ready to go to the negotiating table with any veteran Realtor or real-estate attorney. It is highly recommended!