Ancient advice on home buying

The six women were all professionals, successful in their chosen fields. But when it came to buying houses, each woman discovered it was more than a financial transaction.

As the authors, who have reviewed books for The Times, wisely observe, house buying is really a statement about where women think they belong in the world, how they see themselves and how they imagine others will see them. How women handle the experience says a lot about how they handle life overall.

The Tao Gals are a group of Los Angeles area women who have been meeting for years, using the ancient Chinese Tao Te Ching philosophical text to reflect on spiritual principles and their real-life application. Each of their Southland real estate experiences is viewed through the same spiritual lens of “being conscious enough to act when you need to act, sit still when you need to sit still and otherwise willing to be in flow,” they write.

Laid out in chapters that open with quotes from the Tao and end with Tao-oriented writing assignments, the book unfolds in a logical, chronological pattern. Beginning with a meditation on the significance of home and real estate, it flows into chapters on the decision to buy, real estate agents, mortgages, escrow and remodeling. On each subject, the women recount their experiences with warmth, honesty and surprising candor, especially in dealing with the subjects of family money and male contractors.

The book’s strength lies in two areas -- the comfort women feel in hearing other women’s stories and getting solid nuts-and-bolts information.

Together, the Tao Gals represent a multitude of experiences and life situations -- single, married, divorced. With kids and without. A great primer for female first-timers, the book could also prove valuable for women who fumbled their way through previous home purchases.

--Susan Carpenter