My Top 3 Real Estate Investment Books
Like other active investors I am constantly looking for new material to read and review. I do it not so much to find new ways of investing but more to hear stories, challenges and deals. Deals are the engine of my business and the more deals I read about the better as you never know when inspiration might strike. I estimate that I have read 200+ investing books to date and average about 2-3 a month.
Without further a due here are my top 5 Real Estate Investing Books:
1) Breaking into the REO Business by Tony Alvarez
I recommend reading everything Tony produces as he is a great investor and an even better person. When you read his book or review his website thereomentor.com you will understand that he is giving you the plan to be a successful investor in today’s market. I believe in is strategy so much that when I get asked to help new investors I won’t even set the first meeting until they have bought and read his book. It is just too straight forward and perfect for the market we are in!!! Read it, review his website, blog and YouTube channel – you won’t regret it. I still review his sites almost daily to insure I am not missing something he has created.
2) Investing in Fixer-Uppers by Jay DeCima
You have to love an author who plainly puts it out there. You might not want to buy the pretty houses that you can brag about to your friends and instead buy the ugly house with better cash flow. As you read this book you can really feel Jay starting out with no extra cash and just making it happen. I am always on the lookout for deals that involve multiple units on a single city lot.
3) How I turned $1,000 into $5 Million in Real Estate in my Spare Time by William Nickerson
I consider Mr. Nickerson to be the original Buy and Hold Investor (At least the first to write about and recommend it as a strategy to his friends). It is true that this book is so old that the purchase prices and rents are laughably low. If you get hung up on this you are missing the point. The point isn’t the math it is the story, the detailed strategy to buy, fix, rent, exchange, and repeat. The book is out of print but well worth the read.
The keys behind each of these books were the author’s sincere interest in helping the reader and the review of their past deals. The authors share details on what it took to be successful over the long term. These are not get rich quick stories but instead offer principals the average investor can leverage in today’s market.
Please let me know if you have read other great Real Estate Investing books or even Biographies of Investors. I am always looking for the next book to read.
Good Investing (Good Reading)
