"The CEO and the chief economist of the country's leading real estate website explain why everything you thought you knew about housing is wrong and how real estate actually works today"-- Provided by publisher.

In pre-publication, the order of the authors' names was switched.

Introduction. Leaving home: our real estate journey begins -- Stealing home: scoring a data-driven deal on a new house. Warren Buffett is (always) right: why buying a home is still a really smart investment ; Stats and the city: timing is everything when deciding whether to buy or rent ; 2-4-6-8, neighborhoods that will appreciate: predicting the next hot spot ; The Starbucks effect: how lattes perk up home prices ; It's the worst house for a reason: why you shouldn't buy the worst house in the best neighborhood ; Do your homework: finding a great school district in your price range ; ARMs and legs: fixed-rate mortgages aren't for everyone ; Apples and oranges: how to determine whether buying a foreclosure is a good deal ; What to expect when you're inspecting: how to pick the right home inspector -- Moving out: the new rules of selling a home. America's next top remodel: not all home-improvement projects are created equal ; Magic words and dangerous descriptors: how to write an effective listing ; March madness: when to list your home ; Real est8 4 sale: use superstitions to your advantage ; The price is right: how to determine your asking price ; Nine is the magic number: how to sell for more by asking for less ; Appraising real estate agents: reviews correlate with performance -- The data-hood: a new look at our nation of neighborhoods. The gayborhood phenomenon: property values as a bellwether of social change ; What's in a street name?: what street names tell us about property values ; Empire real estate of mind: analyzing the oddities of New York City ; The wild, wild west: America's most volatile housing markets ; Statistics are people, too: looking at the housing bust in more than just dollars and cents ; What's walkability worth?: how walkable neighborhoods affect property valuse -- This old housing market: rethinking real estate in America. Owning isn't for everyone: the case for decoupling homeownership and the American dream ; The third rail of real estate: is the mortgage interest deduction really the best use of $100 billion? ; Down by the seaside: how waterfront property plays by its own rules -- Conclusion. Follow the data to find your way home.