Recommended real estate investing beginner books 26 posts by 21 users

Posted: 10/21/2007 at 08:35PM

I'm looking to start learning about real estate investing. I have a decent amount of basic knowledge on the subject, but I'd like to hear any recommendations on good authors or books that you'd recommend for a beginner. I was thinking about Real Estate investing for Dummies or some of Robert Shemin's books. Any thoughts? What about wholesaling books?

Thanks!

Dan

Posted: 10/22/2007 at 07:07AM

Dan, welcome to the forum.

If you are interested in learning more about real estate, I would take some time and start reading around the forum. There is a TON of information right here on this site, its free, and you can get real time answers from experienced investors. Not that books aren't a good thing. I am an avid reader, but don't lose sight of the wealth of information you just stumbled upon.

I hope to see you around, and as John shared, you might want to find your way to the new members sections and introduce yourself. Its a great way to start interacting with other investors.

Posted: 10/25/2007 at 08:58AM

Are there any other authors that generally write good RE investing books, either on general concepts (i.e. Real Estate Investing for Dummies) or on more specific ones (i.e. Wholesaling, foreclosure/pre-foreclosure, or rental properties)?

Looking to grab a book or two to read on the beach during vacation.

Thanks!

Posted: 12/03/2007 at 12:54PM

I have yet to read this book and it always catches my eye for some reason. however I have read a few of the other dummies books and am always a little disappointed, that they are usually a little to general. Does anyone who has read this book feel it would apply to commercial investing? thanks.

Posted: 12/04/2007 at 11:12AM

If your looking to get into rentals the ones I recommend are:

" How I turned 1000 into 1 (3.5, 5) million in my spare time investing in real estate" - By William Nickerson. (there's 2 revisions of the book each ten years apart with the original being published around 1960.) The ideas are still good for today but the numbers are out dated, just add a 0 or two to the end of all the numbers depending on where you want to invest.

" 1 Minute to rental property riches" - by our own MikeOH - His book is like shooting a shotgun from the hip, a great no-hype book that gives you the low down on all the facts.

" Landlording" - by Leigh Robison - great for understanding what all is involved with being a landlord, no information on buying properties though

I also have " Property management for dummies" but I only skimmed through it 4 years ago and don't remember much about what is in it. I don't use it much and when I have a property management question I go to the Landlording book or MikeOH's book.

If your going to do rentals you will also want to get some books on running a business. One of my favorites is " The 100 unbreakable laws of business success" - by Brian Tracy

For books that should keep you busy for about 3 months.

Add the wealth of information on this website as well as real estate podcast for free on the web and you are well on your way to doing nothing but educating your self about nothing but real estate investing for 24hours a day for the next 6 months straight.

-Michael

Posted: 12/24/2007 at 05:53AM

I like the Dolf de Roos books on RE Investing. He has written several and makes a lot of sense to me. I think the first really popular one was Real Estate Riches.

Posted: 02/26/2008 at 11:07PM

I highly recommend pretty much anything by Peter Conti. He provides more " meat" in his books and freebies on his Web site than any other investor I've read (or Googled). Be careful, though, it's very well-packaged marketing to get you to become a mentorhsip student. He hooked me in and I couldn't be more pleased. It's a great program.

Posted: 04/24/2008 at 07:58PM

I am with Mike, in that I highly recommend " The Millionaire Real Estate Investor" by Gary Keller.

It is the most complete book out there.

Posted: 05/14/2008 at 03:46PM

Are You Dumb Enough to Be Rich? The Amazingly Simple Way to Make Millions in Real Estate

The Weekend Millionaire's Secrets to Investing in Real Estate: How to Become Wealthy in Your Spare Time

Buy Low, Rent Smart, Sell High

The Real Estate Fast Track: How to Create a $5,000 to $50,000 Per Month Real Estate Cash Flow

Landlording on Auto-Pilot: A Simple, No-Brainer System for Higher Profits and Fewer Headaches

Buying Real Estate Without Cash or Credit

Buying Real Estate Without Cash or Credit by Peter Conti and David Finkel

Posted: 05/14/2008 at 07:37PM

2 Years to a Million in Real Estate by Matthew A. Martinez