8 Books Every Real Estate Investor Should Read
Published by Zack, CRE Properties on November 28, 2023
Frederick Douglass once profoundly stated, 'Once you learn to read, you will be forever free'. In this wisdom, Fredrick conveys that reading opens one's mind to personal growth, the cornerstone to freedom and independence. And in the case of a Real Estate Investor, Financial Independence.
We are so fortunate in today's day for all the great works that have been published by yesterday's successful investors to help empower today's beginner investors. All these works are right at your fingertips and can be the key to the future successes you plan to bring.
Below are some of the most impactful books I have read that have placed me where I am today. My goal here is to provide them so that they do the same for you!
Overall Best Pick
1. How to Invest in Real Estate: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Getting Started
Unless you are very new to Real Estate Investing you have likely heard of Brandon Turner. Brandon is a prolific Real Estate Investor, Author, and Founder of one of the largest Real Estate Investing Communities BiggerPockets.
In his book How to Invest in Real Estate: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Getting Started Brandon covers all the core basics of Real Estate Investing without delving too deep into any one particular topic. If you are experienced in Real Estate Investing this book will likely serve as a great refresher but will be a golden aide for anyone new to this business.
My Personal Pick
2. The Wealthy Gardener: Life Lessons on Prosperity between Father and Son
Whenever someone asks me for a book recommendation I almost always offer up The Wealthy Gardener. This book has been the single most impactful book in my life yet it is a bit of a hidden gem. While there are some chapters on Real Estate Investing this book is much much more than that.
John Soforic tells his journey in tandem with fictional parables to solidify the lessons of the book. Really this book is a masterpiece on Wealth, Family, and Happiness and how they are all intertwined. I can not recommend this book enough for any reader, not just investors, as a book that will stick with you until the end of time.
Best For New Investors
3. Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
Rich Dad Poor Dad for many, including myself, is the Gateway Book into beginning to truly understand wealth. Here world-renowned investor Robert Kiyosaki gives us his first major work (and many follow) in which through storytelling we learn the story of Robert's two father figures. His biological father, the poor dad, and his best friend's father, the rich dad.
Throughout this book, Robert breaks down the illusion of Wealth vs Money and solidifies the understanding of Assets vs Luxuries (Liabilities). Here you will learn many cornerstones into how to properly manage your finances and naturally why Real Estate is such an attractive asset class.
Creative Financing
4. The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down: Real Life Strategies for Investing in Real Estate Using Other People's Money
Surprise, surprise, Brandon Turner is at it again with another book recommendation. Here we have a book that admittedly does serve up some of the same information in How to Invest in Real Estate: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Getting Started. However, where this book shines is its deep dive into different sources of funding.
Funding is one of the biggest blockers for many investors ever getting started. The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down removes the veil on how many can get their start without access to buckets of cash. Creative Financing is the buzzword that I tie to this book and is an essential skill for any budding or experienced Real Estate Investor.
Multi-Family Real Estate
5. The Multifamily Millionaire, Volume I: Achieve Financial Freedom by Investing in Small Multifamily Real Estate
Another book from our pal Brandon Turner and this one is a gem. When you think of Multi-Family Investing this is The Book! In this Brandon gives you every single nitty gritty detail when it comes to Residential Multi-Family Investing. Residential MFHs are properties with 4 or fewer units. For the commercial side be sure to check out Volume II!
Throughout The Multifamily Millionaire, Volume I Brandon takes you on a journey from start to finish from finding properties, negotiating, funding, purchasing, fixing, renting, and ultimately selling and scaling up. Much of the teachings in this book are what inspired the creation of RE Analyzer. If you haven't yet be sure to go check it out!
House Flipping
6. The Book on Flipping Houses: How to Buy, Rehab, and Resell Residential Properties
J Scott brings the holy grail of Flipping Houses with this book published through BiggerPockets. In this book, J gives an inside look at how he developed a scalable approach to flipping properties for huge profits.
In The Book on Flipping Houses he will explain how to find a market for flipping, what type of houses to buy, what to look for when touring, how to buy them, how to create a Scope of Work (SOW), and ultimately how to execute. For any investor interested in flipping this is a must-read!
Managing Rental Properties
7. The Book on Managing Rental Properties: A Proven System for Finding, Screening, and Managing Tenants with Fewer Headaches and Maximum Profits
In collaboration with his wife Heather, Brandon Turner is again popping up on this list. This time with The Book on property management. This book has been the working operations manual for our property management process at CRE Properties as it is just full of useful information.
The Book on Managing Rental Properties takes you through the entire process of getting a property ready to rent, marketing, screening, leasing, managing, and maintaining. All with such deep-level insights into basically anything and everything that can happen while operating a rental.
Commercial Investing
8. The ABCs of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss
Ken McElroy serves up an instant classic as part of the Rich Dad Advisors series. The ABCs of Real Estate Investing offers a deep dive into what Real Estate Investing looks like at scale. The content is served in a very easily consumed fashion and focuses on some of the critical areas of managing rental properties, specifically Multi-Family. You will learn all about tenant relations, financial management, legal compliance, and maintenance, all of which are pivotal in maximizing occupancy rates, ensuring steady rental income, and maintaining or increasing property value over time.
Conclusion
I hope you have found this book list to be helpful on your journey to growing your Real Estate Investing knowledge! Each book was carefully hand-picked from my bookshelf due to the impact they have had on my success.
I'd love to chat with you about these books or hear some suggestions on other books we could add to a Part 2 book list! You can reach me in the RE Analyzer Discord, via Email at support@thereanalyzer.com, or at any of our social media accounts found at the bottom of this page. Best of luck and I can't wait to see the deals you make!
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