The Wall Street Journal. Complete Real-Estate Investing Guidebook

October 13, 2008
Crook, editor of the Wall Street Journal Sunday
, offers a clear, no-holds barred look at the pros and cons of owning a home—rather than renting one from a bank via a mortgage—along with its ultimate costs. The author debunks popularly held views about the wisdom of viewing a home as a piggybank and how that can easily lead to financial disappointment. Owning a home is essentially an expense, he contends, providing repeated proof that few home buyers build accessible wealth through home ownership except in bullish real estate markets. His advice on making the purchase decision, especially in a weak housing market, along with how and when to use debt to do so, are invaluable. For those aspiring to own a home and those trying to manage the affordability of their biggest asset, this is a must read. It is applicable to home buyers and owners of all economic backgrounds, and in any phase of their financial life from the newly employed to the retired.