Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Book Reviews

The Skinny on the Housing Crisis What Every Homeowner and Homebuyer Needs to Know By Jim Randel Illustration: Jeannette Zolan Rand Publishing (2009), 269 panels ISBN 10: 098189352X ISBN 13: 978-0981893525

Reviewed by Israel Drazin - April 27, 2010

This volume in the current series of eight generally humorous and always informative books addresses a subject that is currently in the news because of the housing price slump since 2006. The book won first prize in the annual book competition sponsored by the National Association of Real Estate Editors.

Randel points out that people should not believe everything they see on TV or read in the newspapers or what real estate salespeople or mortgage brokers' claim. He describes the tricks that are used to sell and finance houses. He emphasizes that buyers need to beware of so-called "standard forms." He also explains such things as:

• Why did lenders lend to people who would probably be unable to repay the loan?
• What is the meaning of names like "piggyback mortgage"?
• What kind of scams did sellers commit?
• How can people learn the true value of properties?
• Are there too many real estate agents and is this causing a problem?
• Where should people go to get a building inspector, an appraisers, and an attorney?
• What happens to a mortgage loan after the borrower signs it?

Randel dramatizes his presentation by having a husband and wife discuss the benefits of investing in a house purchase. The husband is gung-ho, while the wife is cautious in the beginning, but then mistakenly agrees to the purchase.

Dr. Israel Drazin is the author of fifteen books, including a series of five volumes on the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, which he co-authors with Rabbi Dr. Stanley M. Wagner, and a series of four books on the twelfth century philosopher Moses Maimonides, the latest being Maimonides: Reason Above All, published by Gefen Publishing House, www.gefenpublishing.com. The Orthodox Union (OU) publishes daily samples of the Targum books on www.ouradio.org

The Skinny on Real Estate Investing, Part 1, by Jim Randel.
This book gives you an overview of the topic, outlining questions to help you determine if real estate investing is right for you. In this book you will learn the basics as Randel sets the foundation for investment strategies.

The Skinny on Willpower, by Jim Randel.
Ever wish you could speed read every book written on a particular topic? Well, now someone has done that for you. The Skinny on Willpower is a substantive analysis of the subject of self-discipline, told in story format.