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HOMEBUY
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1994-09-08
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The Homebuyer's Guide for Windows Version 1.01
by Carl Dolmetsch
The packaging is unpretentious, a very simple (not elaborate)
User's Manual, and 2 disks. I decided to give it the ultimate test
by installing it, firing it up and trying to use it without knowing
anything about it. I did this for two reasons: First, a common
conception these days is that software should be so easy that it
doesn't require any reading to be able to use it (the "show me"
mentality). Second, I wanted to see for myself what this software
was without being contaminated by any publication hype or hoo-haa.
This software passes the grade on all accounts. It is
immediately easy to use with considerable help inside the program.
The primary purpose of this software is to assist people in making a
home buying decision. There are few things in this world that are
more complicated than buying a house (controlling federal spending
and reversing global warming come to mind). Granted, we manage to
make it a complicated process. Be that as it may, most of us who
have been through the experience at least once have come out of it
with our heads spinning. The Homebuyer's Guide simplifies the
process and displays the results in an easy-to-understand format.
It is not surprising that Realtors and Mortgage Bankers are
beginning to use this software. Once initial figures are plugged
in, the reality of the situation quickly becomes apparent to the
prospective buyer.
The Homebuyer's Guide divides the process into five major steps,
each identified by a large "Radio" button at the top of the screen:
Preparation, Home hunting, Financing, Offer, and Closing. Each
"Radio" button represents an available pull-down menu of options.
Options are displayed in blue and red. Blue options are text which
explain the home buying process at that given step. Red options
require data input and report out results. For example, the process
begins with an explanation of the buy vs. rent decision. The user
is then guided to a worksheet to plug in real numbers in their own
buy vs. rent assessment. From this, the user is guided through a
series of discussions to "prequalification" (always one of my
favorite steps). By this point, the prospective buyer has a pretty
good visual representation of the way things stand.
Although rich in detail, The Homebuyer's Guide is easy to use
and understand. The results of it can provide the prospective buyer
with that "independent source" of information to validate or
invalidate what the real estate agent or mortgage banker is saying.
I wish that I had it available when we were buying our houses
and even before -- when we were first assessing the rent vs. buy
decision! I ran a couple of analyses through the system. The
first, I based on a rent decision of twenty years ago. Had I chosen
a buy option, the house would have been paid off by now, and I would
be $50,000 ahead! Using the system to track our most recent house
purchase, I found that we had made a good selection in terms of
neighborhood and projected appreciation.
Tetra Solutions, Inc.
821 Alameda
Belmont, CA 94002
(415) 802-9896
Suggested retail price: $49.95