A guide that’s a bit text-heavy but filled with appealing advice for house hunters.
A real estate expert offers his thoughts on the most important aspects of buying a home.
Debut author Morrison was a home inspector in Greater Boston for 25 years and a contributor to numerous publications covering real estate and construction. In this book, he shares his expertise with readers who may be buying a home for the first time or looking to improve their experience in an increasingly tough market. The author lays out the pitfalls that many homebuyers often fall into—including choosing the wrong agent to work with, not hiring a real estate attorney, not conducting a thorough inspection, or making the wrong decisions when choosing a mortgage—and then structures his chapters around each topic. “By the time you finish this guide,” he promises, “you will know how to assemble a team of real estate professionals that will advocate for your best interests.” The book includes some helpful charts and graphs that explain the basic math of mortgages to house hunters, breaking down income levels and corresponding payments and interest rates. Mainly, though, it’s filled with Morrison’s personal wisdom, as when he advises home purchasers to seek the help of an attorney early in order to make the whole process go as smoothly as possible. He also makes clear arguments against choosing friends and family members as agents, attorneys, and lenders. Instead, he urges readers to ask loved ones to recommend other professionals—and then do homework on each one they suggest. Morrison also warns that one should be skeptical of buzzwords, such as “green,” when evaluating what previous owners have done to improve a home’s efficiency. However, although Morrison’s prose is succinct and efficient, its density makes it more than a 30-minute read despite the promise of the book’s title. More visual elements, checklists, and charts might have helped to make the book even more dynamic and accessible.
A guide that’s a bit text-heavy but filled with appealing advice for house hunters.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-64188-024-4
Page Count: 108
Publisher: i30 Media
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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