Upside Up Real Estate Investing

By Bob Zachmeier

Book Overview

View the triumphs and pitfalls of real estate investing through the eyes of a seasoned investor with nearly three decades of experience. Real life stories throughout this book teach valuable lessons... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0980185505
• ISBN13: 9780980185508
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Out of the Box Books
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Beyond Investing

This should be a required read for anyone going into the real estate business. Information here is not only germane to the real estate investor but is invaluable to a new real estate agent. The understanding gained here of the process of buying real estate and obtaining a loan is beyond what is normally taught to the fledging new agent. The nuts and bolts approach and the detail given helps demystify the process for the first time home buyer as well as the seasoned real estate investor.

Upside advice applies even in a down market

This book provides a thorough analysis of the typical real estate transaction that anyone can, and should, understand. The complete explanation of how to add value to a property is especially timely in these recessionary times. Great book for first time real estate investors and those who, like myself, have already been involved in a number of deals.

Sage advice for any level investor

I only wish this book had been available when I started investing in real estate nine years ago!!! Many of the same lessons I learned in the school of hard knocks and now with the pointers in this book I will be a shrewder investor. This book will be of use to beginning investors as well as experienced old dogs willing to learn some new tricks. The information contained, especially the information on loans is a real eye-opener. Worth more than many investor programs I have bought for thousands more. Highly recommended.

Excellent Book Has Big Upside

Once in awhile a real estate investment book comes along that not only covers the basics with exceptional style and insight, but also brings new wrinkles to the table. "Upside Up" is just such a book. Not surprisingly, the book is written by an investor with depth and insight who has a profound knowledge of his field. For example, when most investors apply for loans, we only have a foggy idea of all the machinations going on behind the scenes, much less do we know anything about how much money the loan officer actually makes from our loan. Like Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz," we are generally instructed to "pay no attention the man behind the curtain." In "Upside Up," the author describes the process of how the loan agents make their money, and how some abuse the system and make exorbitant amounts at the expense of the applicant. The author suggests facing the issue head-on by asking the agent point-blank "how much money will you make on this loan?". A fair-minded loan agent will openly answer the question. Two first-rate chapters are devoted to this oft overlooked topic of loans. I really like the author's approach to investing. He doesn't buy an investment property and just hope that equity goes up (although it generally does) over time. Rather, he takes the proactive approach of making improvements to the property by converting a garage into a separate rental apartment, adding onto a house, or building a second separate unit on the property. This forces an increase in the property's equity. Through his thorough description of the process, we see exactly how he does it. I appreciate how he provides plenty of detail to show us all the components of his bread-and-butter technique. There are valuable tips throughout the book. One that stands out is how the author minimizes the amount of cash that he invests in a property by the way he structures the offer. He does this by raising the purchase offer so that the seller makes more money, and asking the seller pay the buyer's closing costs and repairs. This reduces the amount the buyer has to pay at closing, and it doesn't cost the seller anything extra because both of these costs are paid at the closing table with the additional money the seller will receive. This is a book that both beginning and advanced real estate investors will find invaluable. It holds a place in my investing library among my favorite reference works. I highly recommend it!

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks for considering my book, "Upside Up Real Estate Investing". I've made many mistakes during my 25 years of real estate investing, but have finally found a sure-fire system for success in any market. By sharing my mistakes and triumphs in this book, I hope to put you on the fast track to your own financial success. Real estate investing has changed my life. Not only did it enable me to quit my job after 22 years, my wife was able to quit hers too. I picked her up from work in a limousine on her 40th birthday and she's never gone back! I've taught a class on real estate investing for more than 8 years. Many of my students have also been able to leave Corporate America due to the repeatable system I've developed. You can too!