10 Real Estate Books Real Estate Investors Should Read

No one has ever reached the pinnacle in anything, we can always get better. And one of the best ways to do that is to absorb the wisdom of those who have come before. So whether you are just starting or are a season veteran, here are my top ten real estate investment book recommendations. In no particular order:

10. How I Turned $1000 into Five Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time – William Nickerson

This is simply a classic on real estate investing. William Nickerson gives a very thorough and detailed overview of what you need to know to get started in real estate, even if you have very little money to begin with.

9. Confessions of a Real Estate Entrepreneur – James A. Randel

I have never done commercial real estate, but this book certainly made we want to give it a try. Randal gives a lot of very sound advice on a whole host of various commercial investments. If one is looking to get into commercial real estate, there is no better place to start.

8. Investing in Real Estate with Lease Options and “Subject-To” Deals – Wendy Patton

Lease options and subject-to’s are a good way to get into real estate, especially if you don’t like owning property or don’t have a lot of money to start with. Wendy Patton gives a good account of these methods to buy (or more accurately, control) and flip real estate. But be careful to use these tools ethically as they can, and unfortunately have been, used to scam sellers.

7. Multi-Family Millions – Dave Lindahl

Dave Lindahl is definitely the quintessential multi-family real estate investment guru. Here he gives a very helpful guide on how to find, negotiate, structure and manage the acquisition of a large multi-family property. If that is the direction you want to take your real estate business, this is where to look.

6. The Pre-Foreclosure Property Investor's Kit - Thomas Lucier

While it is a bit of a dry book, foreclosures are very possibly the best source of good leads in real estate investment and this is a very valuable resource on that front.

5. How to Buy Real Estate for At Least 20% Below Market – John T. Reed

John T Reed is the anti-guru guru. His website has takedowns of many of the famous real estate gurus who try to push get rich quick schemes. While he can be overly hard on some of them, he offers a dose of valuable realism to investment and in this book he outlines that approach.

4. The Art of the Deal – Donald Trump

This is more of an autobiography, but it’s a helpful or perhaps inspiring one. Donald Trump drops the theatrics for a bit to describe the many massive real estate development projects he has undertaken, many of which are quite fascinating and illustrative.

3. Flip - Rick Villani and Clay Davis

Flip is the best book I have seen on flipping real estate. The example stories are a bit tedious, but the rest is pure gold. It is a step by step process of everything you need to do to find, buy, rehab and sell properties for a profit.

2. The Landlord’s Survival Guide – Jeffrey Taylor

The road to long term wealth lies in ownership. Unfortunately, ownership requires property management, which is a sorely neglected subject. Jeffrey Taylor is easily the most innovative property manager I have come across and his methods for tenant retention, leasing, raising rents and screening are a precious resource to landlords everywhere.

1. The Millionaire Real Estate Investor – Gary Keller

The Millionaire Real Estate Investor is the first book I would give to anyone who wants to become a real estate investor. The book describes the ins and outs of every major challenge both flippers and landlords face. In my opinion, it is the best place to start for any beginner and a good reference for any pro.

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