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will change, Seltzer's basic approach to researching the risks in property and determining its value will never be out of date.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 A Master Guide to Income Property Brokerage : Boost Your Income By Selling Commercial and Income Properties , 4th Edition.

1. 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)



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. This book lays out a foundation in income property brokerage. His new edition includes lots of internet and web based examples that were excellent. A very good book!



5. Jack writes an easy to understand no nonsense how to. A must read for anyone new to commercial real estate - brokerage or investment.

5 comments about The Foreclosures.com Guide to Making Huge Profits Investing in Pre-Foreclosures Without Selling Your Soul.

1. It is a good book for novice investors to review their basic knowledge on forclosures.
   It looks like this book was written a while back and then briefly updated. Or maybe it is good in the midwest and lower priced housing markets.
   Here in California almost all of the defaults have higher loan balances than equity.
   also homes are on the market so long that the length of time to resell might wipe out the $20,000-$30,000 projected profit.



2. This is very much a beginner's book, so if that's you, you might want to consider buying it. Exceptionally important (to me) is the fact that the author takes the time to discuss the psychology of working with pre-foreclosure sellers and the importance of empathy and ethics in putting deals together.
   
   Ms. McGee goes over all of the basics from locating properties to financing alternatives. One thing that's comforting is the fact that the author is an experinced industry insider with years of knowlege and experience in the field. A person like that is sure to have some valuable nuggets to pass on, which she does in an easy to understand style.
   
   In the spirit of full disclosure, I should say that I am an attorney, real estate broker, investor, trainer, and author of another unique and highly readable book on real estate investing that can also be found here on Amazon -- The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses: The Foolproof Roadmap to Real Estate Riches Without the Risks and Hassles of Landlording. Unlike many real estate investing books, it is written to be a genuine "How To" book that "takes you by the hand" and walks you through a step-by-step process for getting started in real estate investing -- investors across the country are giving it rave reviews. The book also includes sample leases, forms, and checklists, so that you can actually go out and implement the investing strategy it teaches as soon as you're done reading. You might want to check out the companion CD too -- The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses (Combo Audio/Data CD): Author's Audio Commentary Plus Downloadable 32-page Marketing Manual, Checklists, Spreadsheets, and Forms
   
   A related program that's well worth checking out is:
   
   The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Personal Wealth Creation (Combo Audio/Data CD): Audio Seminar With Downloadable 40-Page Action Manual and Active Link Library.
   
   If you're new to pre-forclosure investing, I don't think you'll go wrong buying Ms. McGee's book.



3. This is the real deal. The best book on pre-foreclosure investing out there. And the free bonus offer included inside is huge. I highly recommend this to anyone interesting in buying pre-foreclosures. Whether just one house, or many, this is your first step in the right direction to successful wholesale buying.



4. This is a great book for people starting in the foreclosure business. It gives the basics and then gives Foreclosures.com's spin on how they do business. I would have liked to see more on how you can use the website to start your business, but I guess that is covered when you join. Good starter book.



5. The book is excellent, and provides some powerful insight to Pre-foreclosure investing. Alexis is straight forward and to the point on this subject. Alexis is also extremely passionate about what she does, and very motivational. I anticipate reaping great rewards from the techniques she has provided in her book, and I don't plan on "selling my soul" doing so. Thanks Alexis!

5 comments about The Insider's Guide to Real Estate Investing Loopholes.

1. I just finished reading Real Estate Investing Loopholes and it is just simply brilliant! I have started investing for cashflow and already can see the benefits. What I have learned the most from your books is the importance of having a plan and due diligence. Thank you so much. Keep writing and we will keep reading.



2. I really liked the chapter, Smart Business Structures That Reduce Risk and Tax. Now I think I better understand the differences between the possible structures and will be able to ask better questions when I am ready to start investing. Also, I like that this book has practical information and is not just trying to dazzle me with get rich quick nonsense. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in real estate.



3. I thought "Real Estate Investing Loopholes" was put together really well. It has a lot of information that will help you find the tax loopholes that will help you best. My favorite Chapter was "Be Paid to Live in Your Home", by having a home office I have been able to write off more expenses and pay less tax. It works. I highly recommend this book. Thanks Diane and Dolf.



4. 
   Just about all of the advice in the book will help a real estate investor enhance his returns through smart tax planning. Saving money on taxes means more to the bottom line, which increases returns. This is not a rah-rah get pumped up to do deals type book, more of a step by step type explanation of how to best protect yourself (using LLC's or Corporations) and how to save on taxes (1031 exchange). They also touch on the relatively new TIC (Tenants in Common) structure, which is looking more and more useful because it will let partners out of a deal to do a 1031 without having to sell the whole property.
   
   Overall it's all stuff a real estate investor needs to know, but I personally would have liked more real life deal examples. In Dolf's 52 homes in 52 weeks there are lots of examples (52) of him doing deals with a breakdown of the profit or loss on each.
   
   By Kevin Kingston, author of: A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate: A True Story About the Ups and Downs From Wall Street to Real Estate Leading to Phenomenal Returns
   
   And my blog is: The Real Estate Investors Blog



5. I enjoyed reading this book. It has given me direction on setting up my business. Diane Kennedy has some very good information in this book that I would encourage you to read. Well written book.

1 comments about The Real Estate Investor's Guide to Corporations, LLCs, and Asset Protection Entities.

1. The Real Estate Investors Guide is very informative, easy to read, and understandable. I've read other books on asset protection, and often they provide such complex schemes for protecting your assets that there is just no way it applies to me. I liked that this book focused on the "normal" individual and clearly explained what LLCs and Corporations do, and how to use them.

5 comments about Real Estate Loopholes: Secrets of Successful Real Estate Investing.

1. I read this book before I read the Amazon reviews. I was shocked at some of the negative comments. My recommendation is to read all of the how-to real estate books you want. When you finally decide you're going to invest, buy this book. It will save you money and headaches. If nothing else it will give you a basic understanding of ownership options and tax benefits (loopholes) that you can then discuss with a lawyer and accountant. Know what you're getting in to before you make your first offer to buy. It is the only real estate book that I am 100% satisfied with. Good luck!



2. The concepts in the RichDad series book Rich Dad, Poor Dad are basic concepts. It was a book to introduce the reader that working hard your whole life is not the way to create real wealth. In Real Estate Loopholes, the concepts for investing in real estate are pretty much the same amount of detail as in RDPD. It's a short read intended to give the reader some surface level knowledge of real estate tax advantage and legal issues to avoid by setting up LPs and LLPs. By reading this book, I'm able to ask more intelligent questions for my real estate attorney.

   I'd say that it's a worthwhile read, but only if you are starting out in real estate investment and are going to be working with an attorney so you can ask follow up questions in forming your LLP that will be holding the real estate.




3. The authors of this book touch on many subjects, giving very little detail in any of them. The legal and accounting loopholes are very basic - and they keep referring you to other products and sites they've written/published - making this book one big commercial. In one area, when talking about the benefits of real estate investment, the fail to even mention costs associated with using equity, cash flow, repairs, etc. I am a new entrant to real estate investing, and would not recommend this book to anyone. It is no different than the get rich quick schemes you see on tv/internet.



4. I think that it is a good book for people who are just getting into real estate investing. It gives you information on many creative things that can be done. I learned alot and plan to use some of the suggestions and tools soon.



5. I've read a lot of the Rich Dad books, and many others on realestate investing. This one was, by far, the best. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is investing in realestate. There are critical points in this book that should be followed before setting up a strategy for buying property.

2 comments about The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner: A Lifetime Plan to Finish Rich in Real Estate.

1. this is the book for you. It offers basic knowledge for a young person who is looking to buy their first home. This book, however, is not for someone who is looking to start over, reestablish themselves, has or had credit issues. It offers no suggestions to help people who are trying to get out of debt or who have made mistakes in real estate.
   
   I do agree that this should be required reading for graduating high school seniors. Because if you're not diligent from the very beginning, David can't help you!



2. This book is a 5 star book if you are looking for a book to inspire you to be a first time home owner. 80% of this book explains the entire process of how to become a homeowner, it would have been very helpful to me before I bought my first home 16 years ago. He explains mortgages and how they work, what kind of real estate agent to use and what to look for in making your choices. 20% of this book explains why it is important financially to own your own home. For example: Homes rise in value on average 6% a year. So if your home is valued at $100,000 it will grow in value by $6,000 a year. This can add up quickly in equity and will turn out to be one of the greatest investments you have ever made. David Bach believes that home ownership is essential to becoming an automatic millionaire. This book briefly discusses how wealthy you can become by keeping your homes as rental properties as you trade up to larger homes. This book is not about "flipping" properties it is about owning them for the long term. I would highly recommend a beginner in real estate or personal finance to read this book it will be very useful, however this is not for current home owners or real estate investors. I will be giving this book as a gift to my children when they turn 18. Owning a home is essential to financial success, even though I am uncomfortable with Mr. Bach's advice to leverage debt for multiple houses. My first starter home made me $40,000 in 10 years when I sold it, which was a huge contributor to my net worth. If you want to build wealth buying your home is essential along with your 401K contributions, and living as debt free as possible. With the current horrible housing market this is the best opportunity to buy in decades. Pick a starter home in a growing area and watch its value grow while you lock in payments that do not increase with inflation. Live the American dream, buy your own home.

5 comments about FORTY YEARS A SPECULATOR.

1. I read this book with great interest because for the past four years I have been using similar investment strategy. From my experience, I can confidently say that the strategy in this book really works. My own research convinces me it will continue to work for quite a long time to come. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to protect or enhance their wealth. In fact I would suggest reading it at least three times.



2. For grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, I would give "Forty Years" a 3-star review. It became more clear as I continued reading that the manuscript skipped a stage or two in the editing process.
   
   But who cares about that? Really, nobody reads an investing book and worries about grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. We're there for the meaty details of how to make the most with our hard-earned money, and "Forty Years" is chocked full of meat. I've never been one to accept the conventional manner of investing - buy and hold the blue chips - so I'm taking this as an opportunity to stretch my muscles a bit in the world of gambling, er, investing.
   
   Scared money doesn't make money, and, finally, with Carach's advisement, I have a channel to vent my desire to make money before I'm 70. Thanks Fred!



3. Although humor may be sprinkled throughout this whole book, it should be taken very seriously. He gives a very well thought out, and examined approach to very high risk investment. He gives not only relevant stock examples, but also relevant historical examples. My only recommendation is to read one or two general trading books, before reading this one, otherwise you won't be able to fully appreciate his alternative view of investing.



4. People stand up and listen. This is a book that can be a difference maker for you. Buy the book. Read it. Apply it! This gives the every day guy a chance. Don't be fooled by the title. This is an excellent well rounded and well thought out investment program that nobody it talking about...nobody! Don't wait.
   Joe - Woodstock, VA



5. In his book Forty Years A Speculator, Fred Carach does an excellent job of convincing the reader that the big blue-chip companies are NOT the way to invest; rather, other stocks are worthy of your dollars because of their income potential, or the fact that they are good penny stocks or inexpensive enough that you can double your money, perhaps many times over. Fred's humorous tone is very appropriate, as he convincingly conveys in a conversational tone that it is laughable how some people ignore inexpensive yet high-quality stocks as if they are not worthy of investment. Fred lays his cards on the table, listing many stocks that he deems investment-worthy and his rationale for investing in them. Many of these stocks are NOT the ordinary stocks that the investment pundits say you should invest in. Fred will convince you that you can intelligently gamble your way to riches by being a contrarian investor. This book is a must-read for every investor who wants to be an intelligent gambler and for those who want a successful alternative investment approach. Fred should be applauded for sharing his excellent work and advice with his time-tested and novel investing approach.

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 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.