All Forum Posts by: Alberto Nikodimov

Hi @Alex Cueto It really depends on your preferences but I would highly recommend the number 1 on the list - The 48 Laws of Power! Looking back, I think that book has helped me so much in every single aspects of out job!

Hey Everyone, I decided to create this post because I believe this could be extremely useful for new investors! Experienced investors can also revisit some of the classics or find some newer books and books you wouldn't expect to be on that list!

10. Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down - @Brandon Turner

The reason why I love this book is because it opens doors for investors by giving way to invest with other people's money and promotes creative thinking in Real Estate!

Example: When I first read this book it was overwhelming. There is just so much information and as I mentioned above this book promotes creative thinking. For two weeks after finishing the book I was analyzing which is the best way to get started. I was young and didn't have much money to start investing in RE and I was not qualified for a loan. I decided to explore Airbnb Arbitrage in South Florida! This was a game changer! Looking back, I'm not sure if I would've started if I didn't read this book!

9. The Art of War - Sun Tzu

This book is not an easy one to read but the ancient lessons it teaches are essential for everyone's professional career and everyday life.

Example: My two favorite lessons from this book are: The Best Way to Win Is Not to Fight At All & Disguise Your Plans.
Being a real estate agent in South Florida & Central Florida (one of the most competitive markets in the country) is not easy. The difference between getting a great deal vs an average deal is the way you battle with the seller's and their representatives. Disguising your plans is a great strategy to get additional discounts on properties you are purchasing.

The best way to win is not to fight at all - this lesson is something I learned the hard way. When I started in RE I wanted to go head to head with some of the best agents in the market. This was obviously not a smart decision since I was young and inexperienced and it cost me a lot of money. I quickly realized that getting the opposition on your side is a skill and I should master it. This helped me get the people I would normally "battle" with to work with me and help me achieve my goal.

8. Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy - Patrick Bet-David

Brand new but very powerful book! The main lesson from this book is: Good chess players know their next 5 moves, grandmasters know their next 15 moves!

This is something I apply on a small scale in everyday tasks and on a larger scale for career goals and planning.

Example: When I start looking for an investment property I no longer just jump into the process. I now sit down and create a detailed checklist with each action I need to take in order to get to to final result: 1. Narrow down the area, review sold properties, review active listings, review off market opportunities, write offers etc. When planning the growth of a portfolio: 1st SFH in year one, 2 small MF units in year two, 6 doors in year 3, refinance part of the portfolio etc.

7. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie

If you read and apply the lessons of this book your networking & communication skills in improve significantly.

Example: I met one of my best clients years ago and we were recently talking about the day we met. He mentioned that he decided to work with me because of the way I was communicating and showing genuine interest in his goals. Then I remembered that I was reading this book couple of weeks before meeting him and I was applying everything I've learned in every important conversation I had.

6. Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant - Robert Kiyosaki

In order to win the game you need to understand it!

Example: Kiyosaki's book helped me understand how each square of the quadrant works and helped me realize where I should be. This book is also great in braking some wrong beliefs which have been thought to us as kids. This book encouraged me to experience the 4th part of the quadrant - Investor. From that moment on, every professional decision has been based on being on the right side of the quadrant.

5. The Alchemist  - Paulo Coelho

I know this is not a book you would expect to see on this list but it has thought me that you need to enjoy the journey & sometimes you don't need to travel the whole world for the things you are looking for. Sometimes they are right in front of you!

Example: Real Estate is full of unpredictability, hard moments and intense situations. Once you go through them they are just good memories or lessons. The book helps you remember to enjoy these moments. Every intense negotiation or complicated deal is now much easier to get through due the positive mindset this book gave me.

4. The richest man in Babylon - George S. Clason

This tiny 90 page book has several good lessons but the most important which is extremely relevant to Real Estate is: Be careful who you take advice from!

Examples: Don't ask your a residential realtor for advice on investment properties. They could be amazing in finding your dream home but they probably don't know much about working with investors. Not following this advice will cause you troubles and money!

3. Never Split The Difference - Chris Voss

(I recommend the audio book. There are some tonality lessons which you can only truly understand from the audio book.)

We negotiate on daily basis not just in RE but also in our personal lives! This book will help you be much more successful in every negotiation.

Example: A tip I learned from this book helps me control the conversation, decrease the pressure and get rid of an angry tone from a person who is upset for any reason.

2. Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki

Of course this book is on the list and of course it is also one of my top 3! This book opened a door to endless possibilities just by showing you how to think and famously ask: "How can I afford it?" Rather than: "I can't afford it!'

1. The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene

Reading this book made me feel like reading a summary of 48 books. I'm sure the author could have wrote a book for each of the laws.
Even though there are 1 or 2 laws which I find manipulative and not necessarily want to implement, the rest of the content is so rich and useful that I decided this to be my number 1 pick!

I can list hundreds of examples in this book but one of my favorite is: Control the Options: Get Others to Play With the Cards You Deal

This is a great tool which I use in pretty much every real estate transaction, I'm actually using it in a transaction I'm currently in!

Example: Asking for additional discount on property after the inspection of the property. Let's say you are looking for a $10,000 discount. Give the other side 3 options which all favor you and you are happy to accept. Lead with the least desirable one and leave what you really want last. This makes the other side think the first option is what you truly want and often leads them to picking the third option which is the best case scenario for you! Best part of all is that giving these three options will lead the other side to picking one of them and they will rarely think outside the box you created and find their own option. Here is how it works in practice: 1. Repair the items that came up from the inspection report. 2. Repair the small items and credit us $8,000 for the AC replacement 3. Credit us $10,000 and we will just do the work ourselves.

To all RE Agents reading this, use it and let me know how it goes!

I hope this was useful and helps you pick a book based on what you are currently looking for! I'm always looking for more interesting books which are fun to read and will help me grow.

What are your recommendations?

What are your top 10 books and how did they help you along your RE journey?

What would be your number 1 pick out of these 10 books?

Hey @Kristin Synnott, congrats on starting your RE journey! The location depends on your preferences but here is some general info. My advice is try to be in a B Class neighborhood or worse case C+ class. That’s where an investor can see the highest profit, properties are easy to rent and you don’t have many issues. If you go with class A the rent will be much lower compared to the purchase price and you will be breaking even or loosing money. If you go with a lower C class of D Class properties then we will be dealing with problematic tenants and lots of maintenance issues.

The market is currently very hot but there are still deals out there! Maybe there is something wrong with your process of finding a deal and offering on it. I will be happy to jump on a quick call and give you some additional inside info of the local market. Feel free to reach out!

@Win Thu I sent you a message! You can also call me. My contact details are on my profile.

Hey @Win Thu, we are a local management company and we specialize working with investors. I will be happy to jump on a call and see if we are a good fit!

Hi @Bob Frost, it all depends on your comfort level and personal situation. Yes, good deals are hard to come by but there are still there. Your question is pretty much - should I buy now or wait for prices to drop? Everyone is asking the same question and there is no definite answer! Here are some pros of buying now vs waiting:

Pros for buying now:
- Lowest interest rates levels ever! Investors 30 years ago were asking themselves the same questions when buying properties for less than $50,000 while thinking that prices are high.
- Deals are still there and there are markets which will continue to grow even if housing market has a correction. One of them is the market in Florida, specifically Central Florida and South Florida.
- The sooner you buy the sooner you start building equity in the properties you have purchase.

Cons for buying now:
- Highly competitive seller's market. Finding a good deal is not enough. You need a great agent and team to execute and secure the deal.
-  A lot of junk properties are coming on the market due to the fact that anything sells. Be cautious what you're buying.

With that being said here are few tips:
1. Always think about worse case scenario. Can I hold this property if the rental income drops by 50%+? Do you have enough reserves and savings? This is always my first question when thinking about buying.
2. Do I have trusted advisors around me who can help me pick the right deal? Build your team! This is always a key! You need realtor, property manager, fellow investors etc. Don't just take advice from anyone but have a team of trusted, like-minded people where you can bounce ideas, discuss deals and learn from their experience.
3. You need exit strategies! This goes back to my first point and takes it one step further. What happens if the worse happens? What are your options? How can you exit without loosing the asset or taking a huge lost?

I hope this is helpful and give you some things to think about. Finally, I would like to finish with this quote which summarizes my opinion:

"The best time to buy real estate is yesterday!"

Hi @Tiffany J.,
Congrats on starting your investment journey in Central Florida. This is a great area and there are still many opportunities for profitable investments even in this crazy market. The area will strongly depend on what type of property you are looking to invest in and your comfort level. This could depend on experience, long term strategy, time on your hands, funds etc.

I will be happy to connect, provide useful information and share some insides of the market!

Hi @Easton Curtis,

Great post and great questions.

We manage many multifamily homes and I help my clients purchase them, add value and then monitor the investment.
The answer to your first question is: Use everything! Start by finding a rockstar agent who specializes in MF and knows what he is doing. He/She will set you up for MLS updates and you will receive properties as soon as they hit the market. If your agent is good in what they are doing they will also provide pocket listings, wholesale deals and even talk to FSBO's on your behalf. This is your base and then I would advice you to help your agent as much as possible. Keeping two sets of eyes on the market is always better. Keep looking on Zillow, realtor.com, redfin, loopnet etc.

The best advice I could give you is make sure your agent has interest in the property even after the deal is closed. This is something I do as an investor in other states where I invest. The main reason is that an agent is mostly interesting in selling and moving on. A good agent will also follow up with you here and there and make sure that he supports you by providing advice and contractors. What you need is someone who has interest in the management and the performance of the investment. This is something I can't stress enough. You want someone who has genuine interest in increasing rental rates, maintaining or improving the value of the property and keeping the costs low. Best case scenario would be having meetings with this agent every 6-12 months an reviewing the performance of your property or portfolio and strategizing about what can improve.

I will be happy to connect with you and give you some additional tips based on my experience. I hope this is helpful!

Hi @Valentina Calla, I saw this property when it first came on the market. I haven't seen it in person but from my experience you should be able to get slightly more in rental income. $1,100+ per unit is very realistic! Than your cashflow goes up to $400+. However, I agree with your approach, it's always better to be conservative when doing your numbers and get more than what you expected. In regards to the ARV, I looked at some comparable properties and I think $350,000 is slightly higher than what I would say. Overall, great rental property! The only thing I would advice is consider hiring a property management company in order to increase rental rates and get qualified tenant. If not for management, at least use a management company for tenant placement and this will increase your cashflow and prevent potential future problems with tenants which haven't been professionally qualified for the home.

Good Afternoon @Simon C North .We have used 2-3 different ones which I can recommend depending on what you need help with.You can message me or give me more details here and I will be happy to make the introduction or simply share their details.