FOREWORD<br > Buying and owning a home still lies at the heart of the American Dream.<br >Every year several million Americans embark on this great adventure. But<br >for the first- or even second-time home buyer， purchasing a house， condo， or<br >co-op can be an alternately bewildering， intimidating， or tedious procedure<br >requiring knowledge and understanding of many sorts--not to mention pa-<br >tience and a little luck. Some people find the various complexities and finan-<br >cial commitments of a real estate transaction so daunting that they stay put<br >in a disadvantageous rental situation rather than actively pursue the many<br >benefits that home ownership has to offer.<br > There are a number of books currently available on the subject of home<br >buying， but many are geared to the real estate speculator or investor and focus<br >on the supposed "instant" profits to be made by leveraging a real estate pur-<br >chase. Others are general information books that often contain detailed and<br >overly technical information and terminology.<br > This revised edition of How to Buy a House， Condo， or Co-op is intended<br >to fill a pressing need in the home-buying literature for a basic primer for the<br >average first- or second-time home buyer. Its language is easy to understand，<br >its scope is comprehensive， and its aim is to provide the reader with all the<br >essential information needed to look for， negotiate， and close on a home<br >successfully. The book is divided into six sections: the buying process， the<br >search for a mortgage， buying insurance， planning for home improvements，<br >paying taxes， and finding alternate ways of owning a home.<br > We wish to stress， however， that the advice contained in this book is<br >intended for educational purposes only. Because laws， customs， and practices<br >may vary from state to state， readers are urged to seek appropriate professional<br >advice with regard to any specific real estate transaction.<br > Some 58 million Americans currently own their own homes. Given the<br >choice， most of us would elect to own our own home rather than rent. Since<br >careful advance planning is the key to a successful home purchase， we hope<br >that the information and advice in How to Buy a House， Condo， or Co-op will<br >help the consumer to realize his or her dream of home ownership.<br >~ IX "<br >