The bible: “How to Buy a Home in California” by Nolo. For 2 weeks, I immersed myself in this book, and it gave me a great guide on how to buy a house…in California. That last part is key, because buying in California is oftentimes much different from buying in other parts of the country.
Some of the key lessons for people just starting out are:
1) How to create a “personal financial statement”;
2) Figuring out how much home you can afford;
3) Figuring out how much down payment you can/should put down;
4) Creating an “Ideal House Profile” and “House Priorities Worksheet” for comparing houses;
5) Finding an agent and starting to visit homes-for-sale
