House Lust

Praise

Praise for HOUSE LUST
"House Lust remains relevant in spite of the bust because, by and large, people will never stop jonesing to keep up with the Joneses."–USA Today

"[House Lust] raises provocative questions that strike at the covetous soul of America’s culture and economy."–The New York Times

"[House Lust] is a witty survey of the world of buying, selling, and gossiping about homes."–The Wall Street Journal

"Daniel McGinn examines what drove history’s greatest real estate boom with insightful, often amusing, anecdotes."–The New York Post

"To understand this overweening desire for residential improvement, McGinn takes a humorous journey across the country… it’s obvious McGinn has done his homework." —The Seattle Times

"[House Lust] has been something of an instant hit."–The Worcester Telegram & Gazette

"McGinn writes like a social historian, albeit one with an impish curiosity and willingness to follow each thread to the end… House Lust is a good-humored and entertaining first book."–The Real Deal

"A highly-readable… snapshot album of 21st century American Life."–Kirkus

"It is [McGinn’s] ability to get inside the actual lives of the housing-obsessed rather than relying purely on statistics to prove his point that makes this book as enjoyable as an episode of Flip This House."–Publishers Weekly

"After an odyssey that brought him in contact with every aspect of the housing boom, Daniel McGinn gives a deep sense of the spirit of our times–the Zeitgeist–and an understanding how this boom has led to our current economic problems."—ROBERT SHILLER, author, Irrational Exuberance

“The best part of this smart, entertaining book is that while you’re laughing at other people’s excesses, you’re simultaneously calculating how much it would cost to do a renovation like theirs.”—JOEL STEIN, columnist, Time Magazine

“Hot properties, hypnotic home shows, and hysterical American homeowners – HOUSE LUST has it all. Daniel McGinn has written an insightful, comical read for the real estate junkie in all of us.”—ALEX McLEOD, original host, “Trading Spaces”

"A satisfying fix for anyone suffering from REAS–that’s ‘Real Estate Addiction Syndrome,’ of course."—MICHAEL GROSS, author, 740 Park

"Every social gathering may end as a gabfest on real estate, but no one is as entertaining, informative, or knowledgeable about why we love our homes–and how the building industry makes use of our passions–as Daniel McGinn. HOUSE LUST is like a cocktail party without the hangover.”—STEVEN LEVY, author, The Perfect Thing

“It’s Tracy Kidder-meets-Freakonomics as Daniel McGinn wryly explains our national obsession, profiling a cast of quirky characters along the way. HOUSE LUST is required reading in boom or bust."—ALISON ROGERS, author, Diary of a Real Estate Rookie