Table of Contents
   Acknowledgmentsp. xix
   About the Authorsp. xxi
   Introductionp. 1
   The Million-Dollar Questionp. 5
      Our Homes Are Our Castlesp. 7
      An Engine to Prosperityp. 8
      Uncle Sam Wants You to Be a Homeownerp. 10
      The Million-Dollar Questionp. 13
      Slow and Steady Wins the Racep. 15
      The Bottom Linep. 15
   Your Home is an Investmentp. 17
      Investment Versus Speculationp. 17
      Your Home Dividendp. 19
      The Nifty Fiftyp. 23
      Waiting to Buyp. 24
      It Is Hard to Time the Stock Market and Housing Marketp. 24
      Taking the Long-Term Viewp. 25
      Don't Day Trade Homesp. 26
      Your Home Is an Investmentp. 29
      A Home to Call Their Ownp. 29
      Look at the Whole Picturep. 30
      What Am I Supposed to Look at Again?p. 31
      The Bottom Linep. 32
   Now is a Good Time to Own a Homep. 33
      A Home in Fishers, Indianap. 34
      Cash is Kingp. 38
      The Lynch's Southern California Homep. 43
      Your Home Is Not an ATMp. 46
      The Millionaire Paupersp. 47
      Housing as a Portfolio Decisionp. 49
      Homes North, South, East, and Westp. 51
      The Bottom Linep. 54
   Finding a Home and Closing the Dealp. 55
      How Much Home Can You Afford?p. 55
      How to Choose a Homep. 59
      How to Choose a Realtorp. 61
      Is the Price Right?p. 63
      This House Will Be Sold on November 11p. 63
      The 6 Percent Fortressp. 64
      Moving Merchandisep. 67
      Happy Clientsp. 69
      The Closerp. 70
      The Times They Are a Changingp. 70
      Match Thisp. 72
      Realtors: Can't Live With Them or Without Themp. 72
      Negotiating Boldlyp. 74
      Good Things Come to Those Who Waitp. 75
      Regression to the Meanp. 76
      The Bottom Linep. 78
   Debt Doesn't Have to Be a Four-Letter Wordp. 79
      Using Loans to Live Beyond Your Meansp. 80
      How to Invest Like Warren Buffettp. 81
      Loans Create Leveragep. 82
      Leverage + Compounding = Wow!p. 84
      Loan Paymentsp. 85
      The Unpaid Balancep. 85
      Comparing Loans: The Total-Payments Errorp. 87
      The Right Way to Think About Loansp. 88
      Bad News, You Won the Lotteryp. 89
      Can You Make Money Borrowing at 12 Percent to Invest at 7 Percent?p. 90
      The Bottom Linep. 91
   Choosing the Right Mortgagep. 93
      Finding a Lenderp. 93
      Getting Preapprovedp. 95
      Saving for Your Down Paymentp. 97
      Mortgage Termsp. 101
      Mortgage Ratesp. 102
      Anchoringp. 103
      Mortgage Pointsp. 107
      Sure, I'll Lend You Moneyp. 109
      30-Years, 15-Years, or?p. 109
      Adjustable Rate Loansp. 110
      Creative Financingp. 113
      Buying a House with Creative Financingp. 114
      Biweekly Mortgagesp. 115
      Graduated Payment Loansp. 116
      The Bottom Linep. 119
   Refinancing and Home Equity Loansp. 121
      Heads You Win, Tails I Losep. 121
      Prepayment Penaltiesp. 123
      Does Refinancing Pay?p. 123
      The Break-Even Refinancing Ratep. 124
      Wake Up, Little Susiep. 126
      The Time Value of What?p. 126
      Mental Accountingp. 128
      You Can Sell Your Home Without Selling Your Homep. 129
      Say No to Credit-Card Debtp. 130
      One Way to Pay for Collegep. 131
      The Bottom Linep. 132
   Remodelingp. 133
      Sunk Costsp. 133
      Does Remodeling Pay for Itself?p. 135
      Remodel Sooner, Not Laterp. 139
      Make It Bigger, Not Betterp. 140
      What's a Remodeling Project Really Worth?p. 141
      Leaky Windowsp. 144
      I'd Rather Do It Myselfp. 145
      Paying By the Job or By the Hour?p. 147
      The Big Job in Walthamp. 147
      The Bottom Linep. 148
   Rental Properties and Vacation Homesp. 151
      You Used to Pay the Landlord, Now You Are the Landlordp. 151
      Adverse Selectionp. 152
      Moral Hazardp. 152
      Long-Distance Landlordsp. 154
      Ah, the Tax Codep. 156
      Fishers, Indiana, Againp. 156
      If I Bought It, It Must be Worth the Price I Paidp. 160
      A Home with Two Rentalsp. 161
      Those Darn Taxesp. 162
      The Investment Value of a Vacation Homep. 163
      The Bi-Coastal Renkensp. 165
      The Bottom Linep. 166
   Letting Your Home Take Care of Youp. 167
      HRAsp. 167
      Life Is a Journey: From Porterville and Indio to Thatcherp. 170
      Should You Raid Your IRA to Pay Off Your Mortgage?p. 171
      Reverse Annuity Mortgagesp. 173
      Grandma Fordp. 173
      What Do I Owe You?p. 175
      RAMed by a RAM?p. 176
      The Bottom Linep. 177
   Selling Your Homep. 179
      Home Dividends, Againp. 180
      Curb Appealp. 181
      Clean It Up!p. 182
      Pictures on the Wallp. 183
      Loss Aversionp. 184
      Waiting for the Right Pricep. 186
      Our Price Is Firm, But the Terms Are Negotiablep. 187
      The Bottom Linep. 187
   Afterwordp. 189
   An Owner-Occupied Home in Fishers, Indianap. 191
   A Rental Home in Fishers, Indianap. 195
   Your Homep. 199
   Indexp. 205