Top Ten Real Estate Investment Books

By Elli Davis, March 11, 2012

  Real Estate Investing in Canada

“Reading well is one of the great pleasures that solitude can afford you,” Harold Bloom said. Indeed, there is nothing better than being able to have a little time to yourself to read a good book. While fiction is certainly enjoyable, it is often pleasant to read a book that offers something more than the exciting and intriguing life stories of its characters — a book from which we can learn. In this article, I want to offer a little help for all those who want to know more about real estate investment. Here is the list of the top ten real estate investment books that you will not regret spending a few evenings with.

The Real Book of Real Estate: Real Experts, Real Advice, Real Success Stories

Robert T. Kiyosaki, 2009

This publication by one of the most popular real estate authors, Robert Kiyosaki, is “the Bible of real estate advice and techniques every investor needs to navigate through the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens of the real estate market and come out on top.” At the moment, I cannot think of any better or more complex real estate investment book. It would actually be nearly impossible to find something more informative than this book, containing 22 real estate experts’ precious advice about investing.

This book will teach you how to value a property, how to lease a property and keep it leased, how to get financing, how to find hidden investment opportunities, and much more. The greatest positive of this publication is the fact that it provides its readers with many real-life examples — first-hand background information that is difficult to find elsewhere. It is always lovely when real estate professionals are willing to share their knowledge and experience with people eager to learn more about the topic. If the thickness of a publication says anything about the amount of useful information it contains (and in this case, it certainly does), this 500-page book is a must for everyone who wants to know everything about real estate investing.

Investing in Real Estate

Gary W. Eldred, 2009

Investing in Real Estate

One of the best selling real estate investing guides of all time, there is good reason for Eldred’s book to have become so popular. It very accurately and thoroughly shows its readers just how they can become successful at what the author does best: investing in real estate. Thanks to his rich experience, it provides detailed information on a variety of issues, including tips on a number of empirically proven strategies to be profitable, how to profit from today’s buyer’s market, and of course, the best techniques to buy properties for as little as possible.

The fact the the newest edition of the book, published in 2009, was already the sixth version proves how popular it really is. The sixth edition contains all the pertinant information from the five previous editions plus a couple of new ways to profit through property and some strategies to bid in property auctions, as well as useful tips on recognizing fraud. Indeed, the book covers just about everything a person aiming to succeed in the field needs to know. The great success of the book definitely speaks for itself, and you will not regret reading it.

Crash Boom!: Make a Fortune in Today’s Volatile Real Estate Market

Greg Rand, 2011

In his ‘Crash Boom!’ publication, Greg Rand offers a very relevant, up-to-date, and quite optimistic view on the current situation in the real estate industry. This book aims to inspire those who are undecided on whether they want to start a real estate investing career to take the opportunity and do so. The author appears to believe that despite trying economic times, it is very possible to live a successful and fulfilled life — even in real estate investing. Alex Perriello, president & CEO of Realogy Franchise Group said that with this publication, “Greg Rand has brewed up the perfect primer on how to create long-term wealth through smart real estate investing”.

Real Estate: The Sustainable Investment

Glen Sweeney & John Gordon, 2011

Real Estate: The Sustainable Investment

Another bestseller, and another must-read! One of the best new books about real estate, Sweeney and Gordon’s book provides you with a number of fabulous, useful tips for investing in income property. The well-written publication answers many of the questions future investors want to ask, from how to ge started, through what type of real estate investment to choose and what to look for in a partner. The authors of the book generously share their knowledge and inform readers not only about how to succeed or what problems might occur with property management, but also about possible solutions to these problems, all empirically tested.

All modern technology fans have one more reason to choose this publication: it is the very first real estate book with its own mobile app, Real Estate Analytics. Aside from the app, one can also check out the website of the book to find answers to questions about specific chapters as well as more details about the mobile app. What a modern book it is!

Real Estate Principles for the New Economy

Norman G. Miller & David M. Geltner, 2005

Real Estate Principles for the New Economy

This is yet another publication offering a detailed but very clear overview of the real estate industry. The book “reflects the new perspectives and practices in both industry and the academic world and the new possibilities brought about by the information technology revolution.” It starts with the basics, explaining to its readers how the real estate market works, and continues through specific property markets, legal issues and regulations, and financial and investment analysis to real estate brokerage and current development and trends. Besides the insightful, wise words of the authors, various graphs included in the publication help readers to understand the real estate industry perfectly. With the book, you will get a CD-ROM containing additional chapters offering even deeper analysis of the real estate industry. If you are a newbie and you want to understand what drives real the markets and how to invest in them, this book is the right choice.

Emerging Real Estate Markets: How to Find and Profit from Up-and-Coming Areas

David Lindahl, 2007

This publication by David Lindahl shows the public how to use every (even if at first sight hidden) opportunity to invest and achieve maximum profit. The author advises his readers to ignore the negatives of the current real estate situation and gives tips on how to find a rotationally hot real estate market and what dangers and risks investors need to avoid to become successful. He identifies and explains four market cycles, making the overall situation very clear even for beginners. If you want to learn as much as possible about real estate investing from one book, which you probably are, this book is strongly recommended.

The Fundamentals of Listing and Selling Commercial Real Estate

Loren K. Keim, 2007

Do you want to pursue a career in the commercial real estate industry? This book by Loren K. Keim might well help you with that. One of the best books dealing with investing in commercial real estate, it is divided into two parts, The Fundamentals and The Practice. It offers readers an in-depth property and investment analysis and detailed information on important parts of the industry, including mortgages and leases, zoning issues, negotiating techniques, and, amazingly, even a guide to Microsoft Excel and financial calculators. Obviously, reading one single book does not make anyone a commercial real estate agent, but it can be a pretty good start.

The ABCs of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss

Ken McElroy, 2004

The ABC's of Real Estate Investing

The ABCs of Real Estate Investing are exactly what its title suggests — a simple and easy to read guide to real estate investing. It can serve as a basic guide of real estate, teaching readers everything from the very beginning. It offers tips on how to find property, evaluate value, negotiate, and, importantly, be profitable.

You need to be a little careful with this publication: while it is very useful if you want to find out more about investing in multiple units and apartment buildings, it does not pay much attention to single-family homes. If you are interested in those, you will not like reading this book too much, I am afraid. It is universally usable, yes, but it is certainly more enjoyable for those who are concerned with apartment buildings.

The BEST Damn Commercial Real Estate Investing Book Ever Written!

Monica Villasenor, 2007

This book is worth a mention if for nothing else than its title! The publication promises to teach its readers everything they need to know about investing in commercial real estate. The whole process of commercial real estate investing is covered. You will find out why it is better to invest in commercial real estate than residential real estate and how to start investing and become successful, and you will also learn couple of tricks often used by commercial real estate brokers and lenders. The book is very reader-friendly and believable; it is almost as if the author is your friend giving you advice using her real-life experience. Some might not like the way the author talks about the break in her career, but it is not something that should stop anyone from reading the publication.

Real Estate Investing in Canada: Creating Wealth with the ACRE System

Don R. Campbell, 2005

Here is finally a book dedicated to real estate investing in Canada! This is a country of amazing opportunities, and Don R.Campbell aims to prove that. His publication shows the world and especially its Canadian readers how to analyze a property, how to know if a market is over- or under-priced, how to negotiate, and in general, how to become unbelievably successful in real estate investing in Canada. Importantly, the Authentic Canadian Real Estate system is explained in the book — a crucial issue for Canadian investors. The book contains a lot of useful, practical information and tips that may well help you invest reasonably. To become successful, however, you should not rely on one publication only.

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