- Find Online
- Information Guides
- Finding Home: Real Estate Resources
Finding Home: Real Estate Resources
Buying and Selling
Building a Home
| 728.37 Louche | Louche, Dan | Tiny house design & construction guide : your guide to building a mortgage free, environmentally sustainable home |
| 728.37 Dickinson | Dickinson, Duo. | The house you build: Making real-world choices to get the home you want. |
| 690.837 DeCristoforo 2007 |
DeCristoforo, R. J.. | Housebuilding: A do-it-yourself guide. |
| 690.837 Scutella | Scutella, Richard M. | How to plan, contract, and build your own home. |
| 643.7 Davis | Davis, Sid. | Your eco-friendly home : buying, building, or remodeling green |
| 692.8 Lester 2009 | Lester, Kent | The complete guide to contracting your home |
| 690.837 Ramsey 2007 | Ramsey, Dan | The complete idiot's guide to building your own home |
| 690.837 2006 Heldmann | Heldmann, Carl. | Be your own house contractor : save 25% without lifting a hammer |
Going Condo?
| Call Number | Author | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 643.12 Evans | Evans, Denise L. | How to buy a condominium or townhouse: Practical advice from a real estate expert |
| 643.12 2007 Irwin | Irwin, Robert. | Tips and traps when buying a condo, co-op, or townhouse |
Financial and Legal Considerations
| Call Number | Author | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 332.722 Reed | Reed, David | Mortgage confidential : what you need to know that your lender won't tell you |
| 332.72 Garton-Good |
Garton-Good, Julie. | All about mortgages. |
| 332.722 White | White, Brent T. | Underwater home : what should you do if you owe more on your home than it's worth? |
| 332.722 Holton | Holton, Lisa. | The everything guide to mortgages : find the perfect loan to finance the home of your dreams |
| 332.72 Tyson | Tyson, Eric. | Mortgages for dummies. |
For e-Books, Audiobooks, and Streaming Videos on Home Ownership, browse Overdrive, Hoopla, and Credo.
The Boston Sunday Globe contains real estate advertisements and http://www.boston.com/ has even more listings.
The Metrowest Daily News offers a homebuying supplement on Fridays, or visit www.metrowestdailynews.com.
Digital Magazines
Did you know you can access current and back issues of popular magazines with your library card and Zinio? Download the Zinio app on your mobile device or read in your computer's browser. No holds, no checkout periods, and no limit to the number of magazines you can download.
Look here first for more info
Minuteman Library Network databases can be used from the library computers, or from home if you live in Framingham.
Home Improvement Collection. Even the smallest home improvement project can be daunting: with this collection of nearly 100 home improvement focused titles, hobbyists and professional carpenters alike will immediately put their projects on a more solid foundation. Coverage includes such topics as architectural techniques, tool and material selection, zoning requirements, and many more.
Consumer Reports. Provides ratings, recommendations and advice on consumer products and services.
Gardening, Landscape and Horticulture Collection. A collection of more than 80 journals focused on key issues in gardening, landscaping, and other areas of horticulture, with the addition of over 20 subject specific reference sources from Delmar, this collection provides information for gardening enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Credo. CREDO is a user-friendly search engine designed to help with research on thousands of topics. Just enter your search query (as you would in Google), and CREDO instantly scans millions of entries from over 70 publishers. Consider it your own private online reference library. Search results are drawn from the entire research collection, including images and sound files, enabling you to get relevant answers from a number of sources at once. Each reference title can also be accessed individually. New editions and new book titles are added regularly.
Titles of interest in Credo:
Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement, 2009
Teach Yourself: Master Basic DIY, 2010
Handy Answer: The Handy Personal Finance Answer Book, 2012
Overview; Choosing a Massachusetts Community
Massachusetts Government.
The state site has a plethora of information and tips on buying and building homes, including information about local communities. From the home page select "Home, Family and Veterans" , then "Home Ownership." In this section, you'll find information about selling and building under "Buying a Home in Massachusetts." First time home buyer information is here.
The Department of Revenue has info on every community in Massachusetts here.
Massachusetts Department of Education
Links to school district profiles, testing results, and charter school information.
Buying a Home
Fannie Mae's Homepath
Lots of help for homebuyers, including help finding lenders and information on mortgages. Check the calculator section to calculate your buying power using a tool that allows you to view different financial scenarios.
Bankrate.com
Up-to-date mortgage rates from over 4000 financial institutions.
Building a Home
Town of Framingham Zoning Bylaws
Massachusetts State Building Code
American Institute of Architects
Architectural news and a database to search for architects.
Homeowners Against Deficit Dwellings
For the homebuilder who has encountered problems or wants to avoid them: a list of builders and any complaints filed against them, information about faulty materials and techniques, articles about home construction.
For professional assistance locating the information you need:
- Telephone the Main Library Reference Department at 508-532-5570, extension 4361.
- Email your questions through our Ask A Librarian page.
- Visit the Main Library or the McAuliffe Branch for free access to the Internet and databases, and for assistance with research.
To arrange a speaker or a group tour highlighting the library's practical information resources, call 508-532-5570, ext 4347, or email Michelle LeMonde-McIntyre at MLeMonde-McIntyre@minlib.net.