Home Buyers' Resources
A select list of resources available at the Flint Public Library

General Home Buying

100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask: With Answers From Top Brokers From Around the Country
by Ilyce R. Glink (333.33 Gl)
Key home buying topics are discussed in this book, including prioritizing needs and wants, determining affordability, negotiating a deal, financing the home, and closing on the deal.

How to Buy a Home When You Can’t Afford It
by Robert Irwin (333.33 Ir)
This home buyer's guide discusses topics, such as income analysis, no-down and low-down financing programs, mortgages for people with bad credit, and creative ways to cover closing costs.

Tips and Traps When Buying a Home
by Robert Irwin (333.33 Ir)
As the name indicates, this home buying guide points out tips and traps to consider when buying a home. It also advises on how to work with brokers, inspectors and lawyers and explains how to make an offer on a home.

H&R Block Just Plain Smart Home Buying Advisor
(333.33 H)
Written for all home buyers, this book will help you find and finance the home of your dreams.

A Survival Guide for Buying a Home
by Sid Davis (333.33 Da)
Learn the best strategies for finding and buying a home while saving money every step of the way.

Bargain and Foreclosed Properties

Buying Real Estate Foreclosures
by Melissa Kollen (332.63 Ko)
Learn all you need to know about buying foreclosed properties.

The Complete Guide to Investing in Foreclosures
by Steve Berges (332.63 Be)
Everything you need to know in order to profit from buying foreclosed properties.

Keys to Buying Foreclosed and Bargain Homes
by Jack P. Friedman (333.33 Fr)
This updated and easy-to-read guide to the current real estate market presents the advantages and disadvantages of buying foreclosed and bargain properties. Lending institutions, the Farmer's Home Administration, auctions, and urban homesteading are also described in this book.

Quick Cash in Foreslosures
by Chantal Howell-Carey (333.33 Ho)
A step by step approach to finding and buying foreclosed properties

Internet Home Buying and Mortgages

Buy Your First Home
by Robert Irwin (333.33 Ir)
Computer savvy first time home buyers can use this guide to help navigate the home buying process and to find useful online resources that will make the home buying process easier.

How to Find a Home and Get a Mortgage on the Internet
by Randy Johnson (333.33 Jo)
This book offers up-to-date explanations of how the Internet can be used to simplify the home buying process and how buyers can avoid costly mistakes when shopping for or financing a new home.

Mortgages

How to Get the Best Home Loan
by W. Frazier Bell (332.7 Be)
This home loan guide offers information on buyer qualifications, various loan options, origination fees, discount points, mortgage refinancing, and more.

All About Mortgages: Insider Tips for Financing and Refinancing Your Home
by Julie Garton-Good (332.7 Ga)
This easy-to-follow guide to the mortgage loan process is filled with practical advice and solutions to many home loan questions. This updated edition includes helpful Internet sites, names, and contact information for consumer lending organizations, and other useful resources.

Tips and Traps When Mortgage Hunting
by Robert Irwin (332.7 Ir)
Irwin guides shoppers through the maze of mortgages.

investing in real estate

Building Wealth One House at a Time
by John Schaub (332.63 Sc)
Learn how to successfully invest in rental houses.

The African American Guide to Real Estate Investing.
by Larryette Kyle DeBose, Black Life (333.33 DeB)
A leading real estate expert takes would be investors through the process of choosing, buying, owning and selling real estate property for profit.

The Millionaire Real Estate Investor
by Gary Keller (333.33 Ke)
Straight-forward advice on how to build wealth by investing in real estate.

Profit by Investing in Real Estate Tax Liens
by Larry B. Loftis (332.63 Lo)
Earn safe, secured, fixed returns by investing in tax liens.

Web Sites

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Rural Development
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/common/program_info.htm#SFH
This government agency administers Section 502 loans, which are primarily used to help low-income individuals or households purchase or repair homes in rural areas, including Genesee County.

Federal Home Loans
http://www.fha-home-loans.com/index.htm
A commercial site which presents a good explanation of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans.

Michigan State Housing Development Authority (M.S.H.D.A.)
http://www.michigan.gov/mshda
M.S.H.D.A. makes available low interest mortgages, and provides down payment and home repair assistance.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.)
http://www.hud.gov/buying/index.cfm
Contains information for home buyers, including financing options and home buying programs available through the Federal Housing Administration. Also lists H.U.D. homes.

Department of Veterans Affairs
http://www.homeloans.va.gov/
Home loan program specifically for veterans. Loans are often made without any down payment and offer low interest rates.

Local Resources

Habitat for Humanity
G 5191 Saginaw Rd.
Flint, MI 48507
Phone: 810-603-1366

http://www.geneseehabitat.org/contact.htm
Habitat for Humanity builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner.

Metro Housing Partnership, Inc.
Address: Mott Foundation Building
503 South Saginaw Street
Suite 519
Flint, MI 48502
Phone: (810) 767-4622
Metro Housing Partnership works in conjunction with community-based nonprofits to expand and enhance affordable housing initiatives in Flint and Genesee County.

Mission of Peace Housing Counseling Agency
Address: Windmill Place
877 East Fifth Avenue
Flint, MI 48503
Phone: (810) 232-0140
http://www.usol.com/~vincent/
Mission of Peace provides home ownership counseling, credit rebuilding assistance, and technical and monetary assistance for eligible participants.

Salem Housing Community Development Corporation
Address: 3216 M. L. King Avenue
Flint, MI 48505
Phone: (810) 785-5340
http://www.salemhousing.org
Salem Housing strives to improve family living conditions by providing safe, decent, and affordable housing for families of limited income.

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