Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is not so much an "Essential Guide" as it is a collection of mostly-useful tips, diluted with a lot of cute fluff. For example, there is a chapter with lots of bullet point lists for handling disputes with neighbors, along with a cookie recipe so you can "Woo the Neighbors With These Chocolate-Filled Cookies".
The book tries to cover too many subjects (home maintenance, real estate finance, neighbor law, etc.) and ends up with insufficient detail. The chapter on home maintenance contains a brief schedule of things to check in each month, but what is a first-time homeowner going to get out of the recommendation to "Test the pressure and temperature valve on your water heater by opening it and allowing some water to flow out"? As with most of the tips, a bit more detail telling the reader how to do this would make the advice useful instead of just nagging.
Most of the tips are helpful if incomplete, and most first-time homeowners would benefit from skimming this book. But the book should not be considered a substitute for a real reference on any of the subjects it covers.
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