BiggerPockets

So with the new year n all I've decided to really bite the bullet and take control over my personal finances. I'm 23 and with a new baby on the way, and also a new job, I think now is a great time to really buckle down and get serious about my financial future.

I'm also planning to dedicate a large chunk if not all of 2013 to learning the basics of Real Estate and Real Estate Investing. I've always been interested in RE, just never really took the time to learn.

Usually I'm a "ready,fire,AIM" kinda guy but I've decided to switch it up and take my time to accumulate some real knowledge on this stuff.

With that being said, are there any good "non guru" (no upsells) type books I should dig into that cover the basics of real estate, REI, or even investing in general?

Thanks in Advance!

It depends on what you're interested in. I've read dozens. Many are just authors bragging. I can't remember all the exact titles, but will give you enough info that you can find them:
Gallinelli : Calculations every real estate investor should know
John T. Reed : Aggressive tax avoidance for real estate investors
Nolo: Landlord tax guide
"Landlording"
"Flip" , put out by Keller Williams Realty

James,

Thanks for the links.

@James Vermillion thanks man, checking them now.

@Amy Arata Thank you, I've been interested in the taxes involved in REI!

Originally posted by Scott Williams:
if Your interested in apartments I recommand Steve Berge's book How to buy and selll ApartmentsGood luck

I second this recommendation. I just finished reading it. Some of the info is a little dated (ie. before the recession), but the basic concepts still hold true.

@Jeffrey Hall, there's a member on here named @J Scott. Go to his profile, click the link to read his posts, and then go look at his website which is listed near the bottom of his profile. Quite frankly there's so much info for you there that you don't really need to buy a book.

I think I also had a dream a few nights ago that J Scott wrote a manuscript for a book. ..Oh no, wait, I saw it mentioned on his Facebook page. He has written a manuscript for a book. I'm sure it will be published in a few months.

But there's no need to even wait for his book. Just start reading his posts and go through all the material on his website. Combined with all the info here on Bigger Pockets, that's all you really need. Plus if you have questions about certain things, you can enter searches in the search box at the top of every Bigger Pockets page.

Best, Bobby

ps. No, folks. The dream involving J Scott was entirely G rated, thank you. No one touched anyone and there were no goats involved.

Besides my own book of course I highly recommend:

"How I Turned $1,000 into Five Million in Real Estate" by William Nickerson

"Landlording" by Leigh Robinson (it is the best selling LL book of all time)

"Buy and Hold Forever" by David Schumacher and Steve Dexter