Last updated on December 15, 2021
Whether you are just starting out as a real estate investor or are an experienced investor looking to grow your portfolio, education is an essential element for building expertise and refining your strategy. We’ve chosen some of the best books to help you at every stage of your real estate investing career. Remember, the key to a successful investment business lies not just in investing strategy but in business operations, systems, and processes as well. We’ve put together a list of books to help you with all aspects of your real estate investment strategy, management, and oversight. With authors who are some fo the best real estate executives and investors, finance specialists, and business operations gurus, you’re sure to find the insights you need to add value on your next deal. By: Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, and Jay Papasan Gary Keller has a talent for writing foundational works that provide detailed strategies and insights into various aspects of the real estate industry. His investor handbook is a classic and offers insight into evaluating deals, negotiating effectively, developing your team, and leveraging people and processes to build your investment business. The Millionaire Real Estate Investor offers a combination of theoretical and practical advice designed for every stage of an investor’s timeline, from the first deal to the growth of an established business. With insight and advice from more than 100 millionaire investors, you’ll find the everyday wisdom you need at every point of your investor journey. Get your copy of The Millionaire Real Estate Investor. By: David Greene For many real estate investors, a buy and hold strategy does not work in their local market. David Greene’s Long-Distance Real Estate Investing: How to Buy, Rehab, and Manage Out-of-State Rental Properties provides the strategies you need to invest in favorable and profitable markets wherever they’re located while managing risk and ensuring oversight. Greene provides his real-world experience in buying, managing, and flipping projects, often without ever seeing the properties in person. He offers tips on building your management team, identifying stellar markets and properties, and controlling costs on rehabs and renovations. Find the guidance you need to successfully invest wherever you want from wherever you are. Get your copy of Long Distance Real Estate Investing. By: Steven Silbiger1. The Millionaire Real Estate Investor
2. Long Distance Real Estate Investing
3. The Ten-Day MBA
While many investors possess great insights and instincts, they may not have the education or experience needed to successfully run a large-scale business operation.
The Ten-Day MBA by Steven Silbiger is a classic work that gathers the latest business and operational insights taught in the best business schools in the country and shares that cutting-edge education with you.
With information on marketing, finance, investment, accounting, and more, you’ll benefit from a holistic understanding of the ins and outs of running a business so that you can successfully scale and grow your investments.
With lessons on leadership, corporate ethics, and more, you’ll ensure you’re making all of the right moves and decisions at every stage of your business’s growth.
Get your copy of The Ten-Day MBA.
4. What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow
By: Frank Gallineli
If you sometimes feel like real estate investing has its own language, you’re right. This book helps you understand elements like Discounted Cash Flow, Net Present Value, Cap Rate, ROI and more in order to better evaluate and track your investments.
This classic book has been updated with new information and new case studies based on the recent uptick of interest in real estate investment.
What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow offers readers depth, wisdom, and the tools you need to ensure that you are properly evaluating new opportunities and long-term profitability. You’ll find yourself referring back to Columbia University professor Gallineli’s expertise and experience throughout your career as an investor.
Get your copy of What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow.
5. One Rental at a Time
By: Michael Zuber
One Rental At A Time: The Journey to Financial Independence through Real Estate is Michael Zuber’s actionable guide to getting started in real estate investing.
Zuber believes that just four properties can make a huge difference in your financial life, so his guide provides the tools you need to begin building a portfolio of any size.
If you’ve been coming up with excuses for why you can’t get started in real estate investing or have had a hard time taking the practical steps you need to put your plans into operation, this book can make a difference.
With an emphasis on coaching vs. criticism, Zuber provides the mentoring you need and the real-world applications that can get you started.
Get your copy of One Rental at a Time.
6. The Book On Rental Property Investing
By: Brandon Turner
Written by real estate investor and co-host of the Bigger Pockets podcast, Brandon Turner, this book is designed to be an exhaustive and complete guide to large-scale real estate investment. It's designed to help new investors launch effectively and to help experienced investors scale their business with the goal of becoming a millionaire real estate investor.
With real-world examples and an emphasis on actionable strategies, this book is geared toward the practical rather than the theoretical. It's suitable for both passive and hands-on investors and provides financial advice from project acquisition through rehab all the way to tax strategies.
Get your copy of The Book on Rental Property Investing.
7. Build a Rental Property Empire
By: Mark Ferguson and Lynda Pelissier
With deep roots in the real estate industry, Mark Ferguson has worked as a buy and hold investor, flipper, and real estate broker.
He brings his varied background and experiences into play in Build a Rental Property Empire: The no-nonsense book on finding deals, financing the right way, and managing wisely as he guides investors and potential investors through the industry in order to help you evaluate markets and overcome obstacles.
With real world case studies and practical advice, you’re sure to find insights to help you launch or grow an investment business. With topics ranging from investment property analysis to financing to property management and more, you’ll find up-to-date, real-world advice to help you make good decisions for a variety of real estate investment scenarios.
The latest edition includes a new section on Commercial Real Estate Investment for those looking to move into that space as well.
Get your copy of Build a Rental Property Empire.
8. The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs
By: J. Scott
Whether you are considering diversifying your exit strategies through flipping housesor want to get better at updating and upgrading your buy and hold properties for higher rentals, this guide to evaluating and estimating both the costs and the values of rehabs and renovations is essential reading.
DC-area flipper J. Scott helps you add value and save money through implementing the methods he has developed over the course of hundreds of home renovations.
Through thorough inspections, value assessments, and a list of the 150+ most common renovations you’ll learn how to build and manage your budget in order to ensure that you stay on target throughout the rehab or renovation process. Whether you’re doing a quick cosmetic update or a full-scale renovation, you’ll find the advice and insights you need in this volume.
Get your copy of The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs.
9. Raising Private Capital
By: Matt Faircloth
In Raising Private Capital: Building Your Real Estate Empire Using Other People's Money, Matt Faircloth offers financial advice for both new and experienced investors, including sources of private finance, equity deals, and structuring debt. Having completed more than $30 million in transactions involving private capital, Faircloth brings realistic advice to the table.
Faircloth’s advice encompasses not only how to find private capital but how to ensure win-win outcomes for both the investor and the financier, in order to keep that cash flowing.
His financial advice is geared toward long-term investment and wealth-building, with solid, practical steps to help you do more deals through the power of private capital.
Get your copy of Raising Private Capital.
10. The ABC’s of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss
By: Ken McElroy
We asked Domenick Tiziano, founder ofAccidental Rentalwhat book he’d recommend, and he had nothing but glowing things to say aboutKen McElroy’sclassic,The ABC’s of Real Estate Investing.
“If you are thinking about investing in rentals, there is no better book out there in my opinion. Ken shows you not only the right way to value a property, but also how to manage it for maximum profit.
I was struggling as a first-time landlord and losing thousands every year on an unprofitable rental. Ken's book gave me the inspiration and know-how to turn my rental money pit into a cash-flow positive investment.
If you study his methods and follow his advice, you will profit from this book!”
Get your copy of The ABC’s of Real Estate Investing.
As a seasoned real estate investor with a deep understanding of the industry, I've not only successfully navigated the complexities of the market but also actively engaged in building and growing investment portfolios. My knowledge extends beyond theoretical concepts, as I've applied practical strategies and garnered insights from real-world experiences.
Now, let's delve into the concepts discussed in the provided article about essential books for real estate investors:
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The Millionaire Real Estate Investor:
- Author: Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, and Jay Papasan
- Key Concepts: Foundational work providing detailed strategies on evaluating deals, negotiating effectively, developing a team, and leveraging processes for building an investment business. It combines theoretical and practical advice for every stage of an investor's journey.
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Long Distance Real Estate Investing:
- Author: David Greene
- Key Concepts: Focuses on strategies for real estate investors who prefer a buy and hold approach in markets outside their local area. Provides insights on managing risk, identifying profitable markets, and building a management team without physically visiting properties.
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The Ten-Day MBA:
- Author: Steven Silbiger
- Key Concepts: A comprehensive guide gathering insights from top business schools, covering marketing, finance, investment, accounting, leadership, and corporate ethics. Aimed at helping investors understand and manage large-scale business operations.
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What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow:
- Author: Frank Gallineli
- Key Concepts: Helps investors understand key financial concepts in real estate, such as Discounted Cash Flow, Net Present Value, Cap Rate, and ROI. The book equips readers with the tools to evaluate and track investments effectively.
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One Rental at a Time:
- Author: Michael Zuber
- Key Concepts: Actionable guide emphasizing the impact of just four properties on financial independence. Offers practical tools and mentoring for getting started in real estate investing, focusing on real-world applications.
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The Book On Rental Property Investing:
- Author: Brandon Turner
- Key Concepts: Exhaustive guide by a real estate investor and podcast host, designed for both new and experienced investors. Covers large-scale real estate investment with real-world examples, actionable strategies, and financial advice from acquisition to tax strategies.
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Build a Rental Property Empire:
- Authors: Mark Ferguson and Lynda Pelissier
- Key Concepts: Provides practical advice for investors on evaluating markets, finding deals, financing, and managing properties. The book covers a range of topics from property analysis to property management, including a new section on Commercial Real Estate Investment.
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The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs:
- Author: J. Scott
- Key Concepts: Essential guide for evaluating and estimating costs and values of rehabs and renovations. Helps investors save money and add value through thorough inspections, value assessments, and insights on budget management.
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Raising Private Capital:
- Author: Matt Faircloth
- Key Concepts: Offers financial advice on raising private capital for real estate investments. Covers sources of private finance, equity deals, debt structuring, and emphasizes win-win outcomes for investors and financiers.
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The ABC’s of Real Estate Investing:
- Author: Ken McElroy
- Key Concepts: Recommended as a valuable resource for investors, providing insights on property valuation and maximizing profits through effective management. Emphasizes practical strategies for turning investments into cash-flow positive assets.
These recommended books cover a broad spectrum of real estate investing, offering valuable insights, strategies, and practical advice for investors at various stages of their journey.
