5 Books Every Homeowner Should Read

The decision to buy a home is a huge one to make. It will likely be the single most expensive thing you’ll buy, be the most significant loan you’ll ever take out, and be one of the biggest responsibilities you’ll ever take on. But with homeownership, you’ll get financial and personal stability, a valuable addition to your assets, and a plan for the future. If you’re looking to become a homeowner, it helps to gather the knowledge you’ll need.

There will be a lot to learn and understand about the home buying process and ownership. But, before you dive in, it’s better to learn what you can so you know what you’re getting yourself into. So here are our picks on the essential books every potential homeowner should read.

Buying a Home: The Missing Manual by Nancy Connor

First-time buyers will have much to consider, and Connor’s book will take you through the most pressing issues. The Missing Manual guides you through buying from start to finish. How to figure out what kind of home you want, choose the right neighborhood, assemble a real estate team, how mortgages work, and everything else until the closing day. This will be a great introduction to the terminology and steps for those new to the home buying process.

Buying a Home: The Missing Manual

Keep Calm – It’s Just Real Estate by Egypt Sherrod

Connor’s book goes through all the nuts and bolts of the buying process. But it’s a process that can still seem intimidating. That’s where Sherrod’s book comes to the rescue by providing a down-to-earth approach that makes it easier to get your head around it all. Sherrod, the host of HGTV’s Property Virgins, offers a balanced mix of facts, advice, and humor to show that buying a home needn’t be the brain-inducing tumor that many fear it is. In addition, each chapter is devoted to one aspect of the process, making it easy to go back for guidance when needed. The glossary at the back also provides an invaluable reference on the many terms you’ll encounter down the road.

Keep Calm – It’s Just Real Estate

The Mortgage Encyclopedia by Jack Guttentag

The mortgage will be most people’s biggest part of the home buying process. There will be a lot of fancy terms to understand and make sense of. Even if you break down all the steps and intricacies of a mortgage application, the process is so inherently complex that it will take some time to comprehend fully. This comprehensive reference book makes it a little easier by breaking it down for you. It’s very far from being a riveting read, but if you apply yourself to it, you’ll be fully armed when it comes time to apply for a mortgage.

Keep Calm – It’s Just Real Estate

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo has become quite the household name in the last few years, and now she has her own Netflix show to boot. Since its publication in 2014, her runaway bestseller has sparked a cult-like following for the “KonMari Method.” If you want your future home to stay clean and organized, this book can put you in the perfect mindset. Her advice is to gather everything you own, organized by category, and keep only those things that “spark joy.” New homeowners will soon discover how important it is to keep things organized and maximize your space. Kondo’s book will help lay the seeds to ensure you do it as a lifestyle habit.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Black & Decker the Book of How-To

Home repair and maintenance is a vital part of protecting your investment. Unless you’re planning to buy a co-op or condo apartment, you will undoubtedly have to do a bit of home repair. However, to save yourself a truckload of money, you need to know at least some basic stuff. Black and Decker’s guide provides an overview of everything you’re likely to encounter as a homeowner. Each ‘how-to’ guide comes with photos to explain every step of the way, and it never overwhelms you with complicated details you don’t need to know.

Black & Decker the Book of How-To