Posts Tagged ‘real estate books’

Why You Must Own Certain Real Estate Books

Thursday, April 5th, 2012

The fixer-upper house business is a great business to be in these days. But, if you are just starting out, and are as green as a gourd, as I was, you need some help.

To speed up the learning processes, you need to have a collection of reference books on home repair, buying and selling houses, rental properties, tax law and all other aspects of real estate.

If a home without books is like a body without a soul, then a fixer-upper business without reference books is like a cook without a cookbook.

You may not know everything at the start of your new business and you may need help in some areas, especially in the initial stages. However, each time you pay to have someone do work for you, or go through some new process, you should observe everything, ask questions and learn the process.

That way, the next time you will be able to do it yourself, or at least perform a larger part of the project. The key is to keep doing things over and over until you master how it works. You will eventually reach a point where you make decisions of where to make repairs and which houses to buy based on your instinct.

Books will help you to reach that point sooner.

Here are some books that I have found particularly useful to have on hand:

1. Fix em Up, Rent em Out, by yours truly. Yes, believe it or not, I read my own book! Anyone who says otherwise, is just itching for a fight.

2. Investing in Fixer Uppers, by Jay DeCima. His first, and still my favorite, of his books.

3. Investing in Real Estate, by Gary Eldred.

4. Arizona Landlord’s Deskbook (or the equivalent for your state.) by Carlton Casler.

5. Real Estate Debt Can Make You Rich, by Steve Dexter.

6. Wiring 1-2-3, by Home Depot

7. Plumbing 1-2-3, by Home Depot

8. Tiling 1-2-3, by Home Depot. Are you getting the impression that I like the Home Depot books? In addition to mastering the art of tile installation, I made my first grout repair after reading this book.

9. Fix it Yourself Manual, by Reader’s Digest.

10. Upside Up Real Estate Investing, by Bob Zachmeier (teacher of the first real estate class that I took).

Tags:, , , , ,
Posted in Fix em Up Rent em Out, Fixer Jay, fixer upper book, fixer upper houses, fixer uppers, fixer-upper business, how I got started in fixer uppers, how to make money renting housing, how to start a real estate business, How to start your own house fix up and rental busines, investing book, investing in your spare time, real estat investing, real estate books, real estate investing, rental house improvements, repair books, repairing properties, repairing rental houses, reviewing books and records, turn my home into a rental, Upside Up | 13 Comments »

Review of "Real Estate Debt Can Make You Rich"

Sunday, January 4th, 2009

.
Review of the book Real Estate Debt Can Make You Rich by Steve Dexter

While perhaps aimed at newer investors, this book also provides useful information for more experienced investors, and if you are doing fixer upper houses you will find it one of the better books on the subject.

I particularly liked the section describing “rate sheets”. Rate sheets are what lenders, like the author, use to set the interest rate that borrowers receive for their home loans. The more risk factors that a borrower has, the more points they have to pay, and ultimately the higher the interest rate.

The author has a table with a column of all the risk factors that are considered by loan officers, and a column of the points each risk factor will cost you. A few examples:

credit score below 620% = 0.5 points
non-owner occupied with 75-80% down = 2.0 points
loan amount <$100,000 = 0.5 points
loan amount <$50,000 = 1.5 points
manufactured home = 0.5 points.

The whole process is explained in a very understandable way.

The author writes in a style that is very accessible to the reader. He makes it easy for the reader to understand the process behind a loan, and describes how to improve one’s chances of getting the best loan for each individual’s needs.

I liked his point on the value of holding free and clear properties (no mortgages on them), and for rapidly paying down loans with appreciated equity from houses that have appreciated in equity over the years,and not from after-tax income.

The author provides a long list of useful web addresses in the Appendix that I found quite helpful.

This is a book well worth reading.

Add to Technorati Favorites

Subscribe in a reader

Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon |

Tags:, , ,
Posted in home loans, real estate debt, real estate debt can make you rich, Steve Dexter | No Comments »

Book Review of "Upside Up Real Estate Investing"

Monday, April 21st, 2008

‘
Upside Up Real Estate Investing: Successful Strategies to Make Money in Any Market is a real estate investment book that not only covers the basics with exceptional style and insight, but also brings new wrinkles to the table. “Upside Up” is just such a book. Not surprisingly, the book is written with depth and insight by an investor who has a profound knowledge of his field.

Its a useful book to anyone in the fixer upper house business.

Follow this link to see my complete ezinearticles.com book review.

Other recommended articles:

Calculating Depreciation for Residential Real Estate Investments at twowiseacres.com.

Is the Time Right to Invest in Real Estate? Chicken Little vs. PollyAnna at biggerpockets.com.

Back on the Market at rentalrus.blogspot.com.

What I’ve Learned from my Rental Property at wealthisgood.blogspot.com.

Info on Terry’s Book

Add to Technorati Favorites

Subscribe in a reader

Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon |

Tags:,
Posted in book reviews, real estate investing, Upside Up | No Comments »

Guest Article by Bob Zachmeier, author of "Upside Up Real Esate Investing"

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

‘
‘

Below is a guest article by Bob Zachmeier. He has written the outstanding new book “Upside Up Real Estate Investing” and I invited him to make a few comments about it. As background, I took Bob’s real estate investment course in 2002, shortly after I began investing in real estate. It was the best real estate course I have ever taken, and the great information from the course is included in his book. His book is for sale at Amazon.com. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for considering my book, “Upside Up Real Estate Investing”. I’ve made many mistakes during my 25 years of real estate investing, but have finally found a sure-fire system for success in any market. By sharing my mistakes and triumphs in this book, I hope to put you on the fast track to your own financial success.

Real estate investing has changed my life. Not only did it enable me to quit my job after 22 years, my wife was able to quit hers too. I picked her up from work in a limousine on her 40th birthday and she’s never gone back!

I’ve taught a class on real estate investing for more than 8 years. Many of my students have also been able to leave Corporate America due to the repeatable system I’ve developed. You can too!

Book Description
View the triumphs and pitfalls of real estate investing through the eyes of a seasoned investor with nearly three decades of experience. Real life stories throughout this book will teach you valuable lessons and provide sage advice. The step by step process begins with initial planning and provides tips for finding, analyzing, inspecting, financing, and closing on investment properties. By sharing his experiences and practical investment advice as real estate broker, coach, college teacher, and author, Bob Zachmeier has helped thousands of people improve their financial well-being through real estate investing.

Info on Terry’s Book

Add to Technorati Favorites

Subscribe in a reader

Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon |

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Bob Zachmeier, real estate investing, Upside Up | No Comments »

Best new books list, new review of "Fix em Up," and chance to win FREE book

Sunday, December 23rd, 2007

For your holiday reading enjoyment, here is a link the the Best New Real Estate Books list that I posted on Amazon.com.

Also, many thanks to Connie on conniebrz.com for her review of my new book on her blog.

For any one interested in winning a free copy of “Fix em Up, Rent em Out,” ChristianPF is having a drawing, but you must enter before midnight, Dec. 24th. You can register to win and get more details here.

Best wishes for a happy holiday!

Info on Terry’s Book

Add to Technorati Favorites

Subscribe in a reader

Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon |

Tags:, ,
Posted in book review, book review real estate investing, book reviews, excellent real estate books, Fix em Up Rent em Out, fixe em up, fixer upper book, fixer-upper business | No Comments »

Update on “Fix ’em Up, Rent ’em Out” Book -the wheels turn slowly, but still they turn

Friday, September 21st, 2007

My book, “Fix em Up Rent em Out,” is slowly approaching the finish line. It can be a slow process to get a book published, slower than I initially imagined. I finished the actual writing in June. The editing was finished at the end of August. It took until just this week for the cover to be completed. I shipped it to the printer yesterday. What’s left for me to do is to review the review copy, when it is send to me. Shortly after that the book should appear on Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com.

Way back in June, I thought it was a safe bet to set a September publication date on the book. That turned out to be wishful thinking. I calculated that would give me plenty of time to finish up all of the publishing-related details and even have it at Amazon.com before the deadline. Now it looks like it will be available in early October.

Add to Technorati Favorites

Subscribe in a reader

Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon

Tags:,
Posted in do it yourself, Fix em Up Rent em Out, fixer upper house books, fixer uppers, real estate books, rental houses | No Comments »

My List of Top Books on Fix Up House and Real Estate Investing

Tuesday, August 7th, 2007

Learning about real estate investing, just like life itself, is a never ending process. You should be gathering information about house repairs and investing everywhere you go. Never let an opportunity pass to learn. I encourage you to buy books and videos on house repair and real estate investing.

Your books are invaluable guides when you are starting a project you haven’t done before, or in the middle of making a repair, and need reliable input on how to do it. I like to scour the fix-up book and real estate book areas at used book stores for good buys. I buy a book as soon as I see it, if I know that it has valuable information. In the past, I have waited to purchase the book only to return later and find that the book I had wanted was gone. The price you pay will literally be a drop in the bucket compared to the money you will save in the long run.

Click to view my Top Books About Fix Up Houses and Real Estate Investing located at Amazon.com.
Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon | Technorati

Tags:,
Posted in fixer upper house books, investing in real estate, real estate books, real estate investing, repair books, repairing properties, repairing rental houses, retirement | No Comments »