Home Girl: The Single Woman's Guide to Buying Real Estate in Canada.

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

The mechanics of buying a house are no different for a single woman than for anyone else, but there may be an additional psychological hurdle to overcome. Bouw plays up the fear of taking a big financial step alone to give a special slant to this overview of the purchasing process.

In short, focused sections the book covers the highlights of finding an agent, arranging financing, finding a suitable property, making the offer, and closing negotiations. Topics such as renting compared to owning, home inspections, location, safety, and renovations are also touched on. Especially valuable are the details on types of mortgages and the various costs, such as lawyers’ fees, land transfer, etc., which the first-time house buyer might not have anticipated.

The work covers condos as well as houses, and includes sections on being a landlord, finding tenants, and buying a vacation property. Selling a home is also briefly discussed.

The book uses anecdotes to illustrate many points, and although skimpy and not very smooth, these do provide some relief from an otherwise rather dull avalanche of information. There is an attempt made to give a cross-Canada perspective. Checklists summarize the key points of each section. A practical index adds greatly to its value as a reference for any first-time homebuyer, single or otherwise.