5 comments about A Master Guide to Income Property Brokerage : Boost Your Income By Selling Commercial and Income Properties , 4th Edition.

1. Couldn't put this one down. An absolute must read for any realtor considering commercial real estate. Its chock full of great information. I read this cover to cover in one day!!! I highly recommend this one...its fresh, its current for today's industry, and you'd be foolish to miss out on the information inside!!! Mistersold!!! says A+++++



2. Mr. Peckman methodically and clearly outlines the details and keys to make the move into Income Property Brokerage a success.
   
   It's always nice when you learn from someone who has gone through the steps to reach success and isn't reluctant to share them with you and can do so in a mentoring kind of way.
   
   Highly recommended.



3. There is no doubt that Jack knows commercial real estate and Jack knows the Internet. So if you want to improve your knowledge about Income Property Brokerage and Online Marketing, do not hesitate to buy this resource. When you can learn from someone who has walked the path before, you know you are getting valuable information directly from the horse's mouth. This is one of those rare events. Jack's steps and tips worked for him and they can work for you.
   
   Stefan Swanepoel
   Thirteen time author including
   Real Estate confronts Reality (1997) Real Estate confronts the Future (2004) and Swanepoel Trends Report (2007)



4. I had the opportunity to preview this book just before its publication. If you are either running or starting a commercial real estate brokerage, this book is a must-have! I personally am using much of this book to take my relatively small real estate brokerage to a new level. Great ideas go along with many pragmatic and practical tips. I refer to this book often in my staff meetings.



5. Jack Peckham shares so much valuable knowledge in this book you are crazy if you don't buy it. Jack is one of the special people in the commercial real estate industry. He is always trying to share his vast knowledge and skills to make people better. Thank you Jack.

1 comments about The ABC's of Real Estate Investing (Paperback) & How to Find and Keep Good Tenants (Audio CD - 2006) (Rich Dad).

1. No doubt Ken has made a killing marketing his expertise through book sales and seminars. But don't get it twisted. Ken's expertise is real, hard-won, and proven. Be careful who you get your investing advice from. A property manager may be the most important person on your team - and that's Ken!
   
   He does not suggest that real estate investing is an easy way to make millions by only working 1 hour a week, with one hand tied behind your back - as so many real estate "gurus" suggest. It aint a gripping, emotional appeal to lead millions to become real estate investors like an alter call at church.
   
   It's a textbook, of sorts. I have successfully incorporated his conservative, methodical approach to my due diligence process for acquiring investments.
   
   Think about it: The marketers who made millions selling 'no money down' and 'weekend millionaire' how-to books are now selling how-to make millions buying foreclosures (From the poor, would-be investors who bought their first books, over-leveraged themselves, and now contribute to the flood of foreclosures on the market! Hmmmmm.).

5 comments about Real Estate Tax Secrets of the Rich.

1. If you are a real estate investor, or, better yet, if you are thinking about investing in real estate, read this book before you buy your first property!
   You will be glad you did. Proper tax planning can yield you so much more money in the short and long term than you can imagine. Sandy lays out all the details in simple language and easy to understand examples. This book is worth its weight in gold! If you are new to real esate investing I also recommend that you read "Investing in Real Estate - 5'th Edition" by Gary Eldred & Andrew Mclean



2. Sandy Botkin has presented a very clear analysis of the tax advantages around owning real estate. Real Estate Tax Secrets of the Rich is an excellent tool for any financial and real estate professional (CPA, CFP, Mortgage Advisors, Realtors, etc)that counsels and advises property owners and investors. I intend to make this book available for my clients as well.



3. It should come as no surprise to you that the Federal Income Taxes are horribly confusing. They contain all kinds of special loopholds, private benefits, bureaucratic rulings and whatever that it's very difficult to follow.
   
   This book takes one small subset of the tax code, that pertaining to real estate and pointing out literally hundreds of rulings that you probably never expected. For instance -- Interest on mortages for your home, both principal home and second home is deductable. But. What's a home? A place that 'provides basic living accommodations such as a sleeping place, a toilet, and cooking facilities.' Does your motor home, travel trailer, or boat provide such accommodations? Yes, then it's a home. What if you rent it out some of the time? She provides the IRS rulings.
   
   The book is well written, not difficult to follow, and almost certainly can enable you to find enough deductions to cover it's fairly low cost.



4. Well written to those that want an introduction into real estate investments and provides some reasonable tax savings tips that do not appear in other tax related books. Using the example on page 98, I figure the gain net return on investment to be 4.5% instead of 31%. I used different assumptions. My assumptions are based on the following: I used $6,027 in buying closing costs. I figured fair rental value as 90% of (5% down, 30 year mortgage at current interest rate) or $1,135 per month. I figured a $45 taxable loss on the sale of the land and building since closing costs and recaptured depreciation offset gain. I figured a $5,736 loss on schedule E before I realized that hiring a property management company means that I cannot take the tax loss on Schedule E. Most of the loss was due to $4,879 in depreciation. I figured the cash flow to be a negative $1,859 for the year since I had lowered the rental income projection and added the property management fee.



5. This book is not worth the paper it is printed on. Very poor structure. Badly written in such a way that the Secrets remain so. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

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

1. Nothing is left to chance in this book. I have found myself reading chapters over and over! David W.



2. It was my first book on real estate that I read and I thought is was perfect for that. High level stuff that introduces the reader to the key concepts in real estate. Lacks detail of the actual how to part but I don't believe it was intended for that. You will need to read other books to enhance your skills but this really gives you the big picture. I also love this book because it is not a get rich quick book. They tell you how to build long term wealth not quick cash. Since reading this book I have continued to read many others on real estate and leveraging but I recommend this to people as a great first or second read.



3. I made 200k with my first real estate deal. I am hoping to do maybe one more later this year.



4. An excellent book for the Cash Flow oriented investor. It offers real life buying samples and the structure of the deal. One chapter covers the importance of the Net Operating Income and the cash flow of your investment. Another area of importance is the Letter of Intent to Purchase Property, where it assist you and your realtor to get multiple offers presented to different sellers at the same time. I'm a fan of Robert T Kiyosaki and I believe that this book has alot to offer.



5. This is one of the first REI books I've read and I continue to go back to it for motivation and information. I started investing in 2003 and since then I have purchased 4 single-family homes all with a positive cashflow. I now have a net worth of over half a million. Their style of REI is to buy decent, rentable properties and rent them out for the long term without having to deal with landlording. If you had someone paying your mortgage, wouldn't that make you happy? Now if you were able to have 10 people paying off 10 of your mortgages, that will make you wealthy. Also, what these authors do that others don't is they host FREE live chat rooms and information on their website. Other authors charge you several hundred dollars for the same mentorship. I was very impressed with the information and I will continue to acquire homes, turn my trickle of monthly cashflow into multiple streams of massive wealth, not to mention the appreciation and equity you will gain by having others pay your mortgages. Great book, buy it!

5 comments about Private Mortgage Investing: How to Earn 12% or More on Your Savings, Investments, IRA Accounts and Personal Equity--A Complete Resource Guide with 100s ....Secrets From the Experts Who Do It Every Day.

1. Clark and Tabacchi have created a masterpiece of an educational and supportive tool that should become a desk reference for any investor from amateur through industry mogul. By providing the reader with an organized and easy to understand manual on the otherwise opaque investing industry, Clark & Tabacchi display their expertise in this subject matter by guiding the beginning investor through the processes of choice from traditional savings through stocks and bonds on to the lucrative market of Mortgage Investing.
   The explanation of the reasoning behind the private mortgage industry that tells you why you would want to find yourself in this industry gets the juices flowing and interests peaked. Your journey includes a thorough exposure to strategies of Mortgage Investing, this resource is a must have companion.



2. This book is straightforward and gives you a tremendous amount of information about investing in private mortgages. Unlike a lot of books of the investment genre, it does not try to sell you on services provided by the authors. In fact, I wish the book had a bit more reference material for making contacts to get started with this type of investing.



3. Clark's book covers the basics that any investor will need to know, including why to choose private mortgage investing (and what your other options are) and how to go about doing it. It covers all of the different aspects of mortgages such as fees, interest rates, and even has handy tables to help you out. The appendices are the best feature as they have all the forms you will need as well as a comprehensive glossary (very useful!). This book covers everything you need to know to succeed, but were too scared to ask about. It even has case studies and examples explained with real numbers that help tie the whole thing together. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to start earning money with private mortgage investments.



4. This is a very helpful book on the topic of hard money loans. It also touches on investing in discount notes. Even an experienced investor will find some helpful nuggets of information in this book. This book not only showed me the way to safely invest & build personal wealth, but it gave me insight as a mortgage broker looking to place my clients with hard money loans. I called and spoke with co-author Matt Tabacchi recently, and he is still in business with 4 branch offices...I may even place some of my money with him to lend in Florida.
   
   



5. This is an excellent first book on the subject of private mortgage lending.
   
   If you have no idea if what private mortgage lending is about, it has enough detail for you to understand what the business is about and how to get started.
   
   In my opinion, it does not spend enough time explaining the "Gotchas". It has plenty of information to get you started but not enough to keep you out of trouble.
   
   If you are interested in engaging in this business as a lender, by all means buy this book first, but when you have read it two or three times, be aware that you need to know a lot more about troubled borrowers, real estate inspections and appraisals, real estate title problems, bankruptcy, and local forclosure laws and procedures before you start lending your own money.

1 comments about How To Be A Dirt-Smart Buyer of Country Property.

1. Curtis Seltzer's book, How To Be a Dirt-Smart Buyer of Country Property, delivers. It shows readers how to protect themselves when buying country property.
   
   It's a comprehensive reference book with a long shelf life. While state and federal regulations will change, Seltzer's basic approach to researching the risks in property and determining its value will never be out of date.
   
   I never knew there was so much to know about farms, second homes and timber land--not to mention purchase-offer contracts, borrowing, lawyers, lenders, foresters, surveyors, contractors, inspectors, real estate brokers and sellers.
   
   This is a huge book, but Seltzer makes the reading easy. He includes lots of personal experience and anecdotes from his consulting practice. He's also a very funny guy.
   
   If you're looking for country property, buy this book first.

5 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying Foreclosures.

1. This is a comical and resourceful guide to foreclosures, offering an easy to read handbook on how to invest in govt or bank foreclosed properties. Other titles that helped me about foreclosures -- Investing With out Losing: The Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Tax Lien and Tax Deed Auctions



2. I've always enjoyed the Complete Idiot Guide series. Why? Because it delivers the message down to earth. It takes highly complexed legal matters and shows you step by step on how to invest in foreclosures. If you want to make money in foreclosures or have wanted to invest in them, you need to read this book.
   
   Matt
   Illustrator for the Ultimate Foreclosure Kit (ISBN 0978834658)



3. This is a very informative book. It doesn't mess around with a lot of fluff. I highly recomend it!



4. Sunday, May 6, 2007
   
   For a newbie, this is an excellent introduction. It shows you the way to proceed, if you're serious about trying. For the price, it is a bargin and should be kept as a reference. If you're like me, a yellow lighter can be quite helpfull. Well worth the price when you consider the large sums of money that can be involved.



5. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying Foreclosures seems to contain a lot of revelant information. Unfortunately, the English grammar in the book is so bad, it renders the book largely unintelligible. The book was obviously rushed to press, and did not undergo an editorial review. For example, streams of thought are dropped midway and left incomplete, and contradictory statements are made, leaving the reader confused. The first chapter explains the difference between Judicial and Non-Judicial foreclosures, seeming to link the difference directly to whether or not the foreclosure is a strict foreclosure. But then looking at the two tables in chapter 1, there appears to be an apparent discrepancy in the state of Michigan between judicial/nonjudicial and strict foreclosure. So this Michigan resident has no clue what to conclude from the first chapter's ramblings.
   
   Another example is the author's interspersal of definitions in separate text boxes. Often these definitions assume the reader has a basic understanding of the concept, leaving a 'complete idiot' on the topic unenlightened. Bad grammar (verb tenses, mismatches between singular/plural, etc.) also hinder the reader's comprehension of these definitions.
   
   I've only read through the first couple of chapters, and scanned the rest of the book quickly, and it is clear that this book is evidence that books should not be written by people who don't have a command of English grammar.
   
   In summary, no matter how good the information contained in a book, it can be rendered uncomprehensible by bad grammar. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying Foreclosures is such a book.

5 comments about Investing in Fixer-Uppers : A Complete Guide to Buying Low, Fixing Smart, Adding Value, and Selling (or Renting) High.

1. For the most part I find book reveiws helpful. But I wonder about those by who expect to get the whole nine and a half yards for $12.98. If I can get one tip that may help me make thounsands $$ (and it has) for the price of a Subway lunch, then I'm ordering up. A guide to Investing in Fixer-Uppers, $12.98; Investing in yourself, priceless.



2. I found this book to be a good primer for new real estate investors. Seasoned pros could find a nugget or two as well. More than anything else, DeCima's writing style, folksy as it is, is just fun to read. A good addition to your real estate library.



3. I have read this book 5 times now, and am putting his strategies to good use. Using Jay's strategies, I just fixed up an older house in my neighborhood. With 3 month's part time work, (I also teach 3rd grade) I now have 28k in equity, and 209.00 per month positive cashflow. The house was even owner financed, 2% down, and deferred payments too! (Jay's strategies). Next week, I will close on a second rental property for $46,500, and it appraises for $65,000. Some folks say Jay is too folksy, but he can be as folksy as he wants to be if his strategies get me $46,000 in equity in less than 6 months.



4. I can't agree with those who criticize this book for being like all other real estate investment books. This book is a breath of fresh air from many other real estate books! The author actually offers practical advice from his experience, and its written in a readable and humorous manner.
   
   In particular, the author's description of the Haywood Houses purchase on pagers 16 to 25 is a good example that addresses many of the issues that new (and experienced) investors face, such as:
   
   1.) Where do you find your investment houses? Jay found his in the newspaper. I found my first investment property in the newspaper also. It was a great fix-up bargain at $85,000 in 2002, and is a great rental property now, bringing in over $200/month;
   
   2.) What do you do when you find a good property? Jay says "act quickly" when you find a property in neglect. Jay says houses in neglect are worth big bucks for us do-it-yourself fix-up investors. Jay's list of what constitutes an ugly property, including "unsightly yards, no painting done for years, broken down fences, unsupervised dogs & cats." This list should be taped on our walls to constantly remind investors what we are looking for;
   
   3.) Fixing people problems. The property was overrun by scary looking people with tattoos who drank beer and worked on junk cars. The owner wanted out. Jay fixed the sort-term people problem in exchange for receiving valuable long-term benefits.
   
   This is a useful book that I keep handy.
   
   
   Terry Sprouse - author of the book, "Fix 'em Up, Rent 'em Out: How to Start Your Own House Fix-up and Rental Business in Your Spare Time."



5. This is a great book that will pay for itself! I do not see why people are complaining that this not a flipper book - because it's obviously not a flipper book in any way! The title clearly says Investing in Fixer-Uppers : A Complete Guide to Buying Low, Fixing Smart, Adding Value, and Selling (or Renting) High. It does not say buy a piece of trash, paint, and sell it to the next gullible sucker. (i.e. the mentality of most get-rich-quick flippers nowadays.) This is a buy and hold for huge profits book. If you want a flipper book, then search for flipper books. If you want to retire one day soon (or at least know you can!), then stop watching the Flip This House TV shows with grossly inflated profit margins, and buy this book! Don't believe everything you see on TV.

5 comments about Commercial Real Estate Investing 12 Easy Steps to Getting Started.

1. For those interested in breaking into commercial real estate, following all the steps in this book, though time-consuming, is a must in my opinion. I couldn't agree more with the strategy presented.



2. Its a great 1st timer book, i bought it because i was a 1st timer. but after reading through half of it it seemed like most of it was a lot of repetitive information that i didn't really need. i would recommended it to 1st timers only.



3. This is a great book on the practical side of "What to Do" and "How to Do It" to make money in commercial real estate.
   
   A lot of books give you a lot of technical definitions and rules, but this book shows you the steps to follow to make things happen in your career.
   
   I keep my under-lined and highlighted copy on my desk for constant review.
   
   Great book, Buy it and make money!



4. Good introduction for a novice. Not a must if you have any business background.



5. Cant tell you the amount of times I have referred to this book in my dealings. Invaluable information in there!

1 comments about Financing Residential Real Estate, 14th Edition.

1. The book was brand new as promised and was recieved within two business days as amazon predicted, which was awesome because I needed the book right away. Excellent service as always from amazon and I will continue to buy textbooks from them.