Books listed in this column are not...

Books listed in this column are not necessarily recommended by The Times. The New Real Estate Game: Building Wealth Under the New Tax Laws by Hollis Norton (Contemporary Books, 180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, 240 pages, $17.95) could be retitled: “Apres Moi, Le Deluge.” You know there is going to be a flood of new books on making a lot of money on real estate despite the new tax law passed last fall. Most authors of books like this make their really big money from seminars on how to make big money in real estate. Readers should be aware that it’s very difficult to buy a house--any house--with no money down anywhere in Southern California.

How to Get a Mortgage in 24 Hours by James E.A. Lumley (John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York, 205 pages, $12.95) is a primer on mortgages, with the emphasis on obtaining a loan commitment in a day. The title is misleading because nobody will fund a mortgage in so short a period. Despite the title, this is a solid, well-written book that will provide all the information most home buyers will ever need. There is an index, but no amortization tables.

For Sale by Owner by George Devine (Nolo Press, 950 Parker St., Berkeley, Calif. 94710, $24.95, 256 pages) is a step-by-step guide through the complicated process of selling your own house. Devine is a licensed real estate broker who provides a wealth of information that might scare off some homeowners who might have considered doing it themselves. At a time when many otherwise sophisticated people are afraid to figure out their own income taxes, dealing with the many legal documents involved in residential real estate might be more than a little daunting. Included are tear-out versions of all the more common documents.

Land Development--Raw Land to Profit by Fred E. Weiss (Vantage Press Inc., 516 West 34th St., New York, N.Y. 10001, $10, 93 pages) is published by a vanity press and lacks an index. (The two all too often seem to go together). The information appears to be reliable and it is written in a chatty, non-jargon-laden manner. This might be a good first book to explore this high-risk area of real estate investing, but any land developer will tell the novice that this field (no pun intended) is not one that can be mastered through reading alone.