The frugal homeowner's guide to buying, selling & improving your home

by Julie Garton-Good

Surveys nationwide find that affordable home ownership is a priority with Americans. Everyone has questions about refinancing, stretching their home buying dollars, and cutting closing costs. Designed around author Julie Garton-Good's syndicated newspaper column over the past decade, The Frugal HomeOwner's Guide to Buying, Selling, and Improving Your Home tackles these tough questions and provides prudent, frugal answers. It shows the reader how to: -- use online resources to shop for or sell a home -- negotiate closing costs with the seller and the lender -- decide to improve or move: when to remodel or maximize home equity -- measure the impact of inflation on home equity. There's an entire segment that addresses consumers who fall behind on their mortgage payments, explaining their rights when dealing with lenders. It even includes tips for protesting property taxes!