Book Review > The Women's Guide to Property

"While the experts tell us that the key to successful property ownership is location, location, location...I would suggest that key factor is knowledge, knowledge, knowledge!"

And so Susan Jackson embarks on her crash course in property for women. And she certainly leaves no stone unturned. As you work through this neat compact guide, you will be educated on everything from the rent vs buy debate, to conveyancing, to home loan applications and investment financing.

The topics or chapters are set out at the front, so you can skip ahead if you wish, but the beauty of this guide is that you can read it from front to back like a novel, each chapter building upon the one before and introducing new information and issues. I found that despite the temptation to flick ahead to the 'signing on the dotted line' chapter, by working through the earlier chapters I was able to get an idea on the multitude and magnitude of decisions which all have to be made before one can reach that point.

All those things that you don't want to think about are covered; like "how much can you afford", which helps you set out the impact on your weekly pay packet, "the other costs" which we tend to overlook, "applying for a loan" without being overwhelmed by the financial jargon, and "conveya-what???" simplifying the conveyancing process.

The last section of the book also covers investment property, which I found really helpful. Susan goes through several scenarios and explains concepts like gearing, capital growth and tax, and landlord responsibilities in simple, easy to understand steps.

As for being a women's property guide, it's more the style of the book itself than what is in it that defines it as a women's guide. The aim obviously is to equip us with enough knowledge so that we don't feel marginalised or likely to be taken advantage of if we choose to enter the market, which is a real concern for many women. And don't worry, I didn't find it condescending and to its credit the book does not take a swipe at, but merely acknowledges the reality that real estate is probably a male dominated industry.

Nowhere in this book, will you find the secret to finding that perfect property and paying bottom dollar price. It is very much an 'entry-level' read, covering a really wide spectrum of issues on a fairly basic level. It is certainly very non-threatening. It's not filled with pages of numbers and formulas or tables, and it is not dealing with scenarios where the money pit is endless. The chapters are a series on long paragraphs, scenarios and narratives interspersed with 'handy hints' and 'action plans'. On the other hand, if you like it short and sharp with bullet point after bullet point, this is probably not the book for you!!

It is a great introduction to the whole process and the industry and does not pretend to be anything more, so if you want to ease yourself into the world of property, it's a good starting point.

Thea Lavery is a 23yo Female.