A quick synopsis of a popular how-to book on getting a home loan.

The second edition of W. Frazier Bell's excellent book, How to Get the Best Home Loan is on the bookstore shelves with updated information about such new phenomena as desktop underwriting, and Internet loan services. Bell has been in the loan business for almost 30 years and he is very aware of what his readers need and want to know. He was the President of the Charlottesville Area Mortgage Bankers Association, a loan appraiser, and a college instructor on the subject of mortgage lending.

The book makes complex matters simple and understandable through the use of straightforward language and the repetition of important points. Bell opens with a not too subtle warning against trying to act on all the "tips", information and mis-information that pours in from friends, relatives, neighbors and others as soon as the word gets out that you are seeking a mortgage loan.

The author makes sure the reader is ready to enter the mortgage market with a clear view of how it works. He gives a brief and informative history of the home loan industry and explains the factors that control it. He demystifies such normally intimidating concepts as equity lines of credit, points, origination fees, closing costs and payment options.