Customer Reviews

Buying Real Estate Without Cash or Credit

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Maybe one expects too much when paying for a book promising substantial information on any topic. While there are nuggets in this book for the novice real estate investor (as I suppose there are in most any book), the majority of the book is a not so subtle advertisement to become one of their mentor students.

For those who have ever been in the sales profession, the saying is to "sell the sizzle, not the steak". This book is 85% sizzle, playing on the target demographics the authors feel may buy the book (i.e. the frazzled soccer mom).

If you need motivation to get started in real estate investing, or someone to give you the emotional O.K., then this is the book for you. If you are looking for real world examples, detailed strategies, etc., you'll need to become a mentor student (surprise, surprise.)

The book rates three stars instead of one or two, because of the few nuggets of information here and there. At this price point, it's not a total waste of money, only a partial waste.

Very disapointing for me as a beginner "real estate investor" - I also happen to be a professional salesperson and recognize this book's cheap motivational patter from over 20+ sales seminars I've endured over the years. I made it through 20 pages before I found myself skimming and looking for 'information' rather than bogus dialog between fictional characters who all have a slight aversion to making cold calls, and need the authors to guide them to 'success'.

I will say that if you're looking for an abridged summary of the author's mentorship program than this book is for you... written in a 3rd person style which is ridiculously overflattering, for those who may possibly want to get into a numbers game of banging the phone for 'deals' using the authors homebrew 'schtick'...and a tip to the average reader, unless you're a uniquely cheesy saleperson my guess is their 'schtick' isn't going to work you.

Having said all this, as a salesguy I have to give them kudos for being successful businesspeople - but I'm guessing their success isn't due to real estate...I bought their book after all, and I'm sure many others have too.

So...my recommendation, for anyone interested in knowing "who you need to know" and "what you need to look for" and "what types of questions to ask a seller" and "how to calculate return on investment i.e. cash-on-cash" I strongly suggest the "Rich Dad's Advisors®: The ABC's of Real Estate Investing : The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss (Rich Dad's Advisors) by Ken McElroy"... now that's a book with some facts and guidelines... How you get yourself motivated is your own business, this guy tells it like it is and lets you go to work.

Of course everyone has an opinion, and this is just my 2 cents - I can only hope it saves you the trouble of reading this book!

I found this book insulting at times. It is a poorly veiled attempt to get people to fork over the thousands of dollars for their mentorship program. A lot of sections are told from the narrative of some "newbies" to the program and how the support they received from the conference calls get them going.

Almost nothing of substance on anything that the title suggests would be covered.

Dont waste your time on this one. You will nothing new that you did not pick up from their first book "Buying Homes in Nice Areas", which I would recommend.

I have read three of Dave and Pete's other books and thought those were so much better. This book is supposed to be the first in a series of three books about getting to be a "level 3" investor, someone that earns $5k to $50k monthly on a passive basis. I did learn a few things from this book, and found it to be motivating, but as a Dave and Pete fan, I was very disappointed. The book is just a huge advertisement for their mentorship program. The book is from the perspective of a few new mentorship students and their experience at the first intensive training session.

If you have read any of Dave and Pete's other books, don't bother with this one. If you haven't read any ofDave and Pete's books, I would definately recommend them. Just not this one.

After reading this book, and working through the Investor Fast Track, I know that my net worth is more limited by my mindset or "WOS" (wealth operating system), than it is on finding good deals. Jim Rohn says all millionaires have libraries in their homes. Any real estate investor who wants to become a millionaire needs to have this book! I started investing 2 years ago after attending a local real estate seminar. With a limited amount of knowledge and a whole lot of inspiration, I started buying houses. Until this book, I have been learning through experience. I wish that I would have read this book before I began. It has a step by step easy to understand approach. It's not only good for a beginner but for someone who is stuck and not sure that they want to proceed. It gives you the knowledge and confidence to keep going. The free Investor Fast Track is worth a hundred times more than the full price cost of this book. It enables you to recognize, evaluate and improve your ideas about wealth in order to find out what is holding you back from doing million dollar deals. All I can say is thank you David Finkel for sharing your expertise with me. From now on the sky is the limit - that is if there has to be any limit at all.

Peter Conti and David Finkel are a great team. I believe they are out there to help others succeed in their Real Estate Business. This book gives a clear overall picture of what to do, how to do it, what to say, and how to say it. The book has great notes, and is full of great information. I practicly have highlighted most of the pages. They even tell you what to say to the homeower when negotiating. They provide you with scripts, action steps and more. Grant it, they want you to join their mentorship program, but what book doesn't. I think the free bonuses alone are worth buying it. It's great for real estate begineers.

This book seemed to focus a lot on how beneficial it would be to order the course(s)by the author(s). It was ok.

I remember a few months ago when I started thinking seriously about investing in real estate. I remember seeing one of the real estate moguls in my small city out driving around in his new Mercedes smoking, no doubt, a fine cigar. And there I was driving my used Ford Contour (a "fancy" Escort) going off to a job I hated. At that very moment I thought, "Hmm, I bet I could do that."

And then I started doing what most people do in a similar situation-- I started reading all about how to invest in real estate. It seemed like there was a never ending list of "experts" looking to "unlock" the secrets of investment real estate for me.

After reading each book I felt motivated and pumped up! I was ready to make money in real estate! And then it would hit me. Yeah, I knew the big picture but I didn't know the small one. I didn't have the "dirty details" I needed to go forward. And I don't know about you but I am the type that needs everything down in writing before I do anything. I guess I don't handle risk or the unknown very well. But I knew this was a serious buisness and yes I could make money-- good money but I could end up losing money too if I wasn't careful, and I didn't have much money to lose. But the fact remained that I needed more detailed instructions than what most real estate investment books gave. This book by Peter Conti and David Finkel isn't like the other real estate investment books that I've read.

This book is all about "the dirty details". It's about the small things you need to do in order to experience success as a real estate investor. I always read books like this with a yellow highlighter in hand. And when I'm finished I can flip through the pages quickly and really get a good idea of how "useful" the book was to me. I can tell you this book was a sea of yellow after I was done. Almost every page has something highlighted on it.

And while I think the book is great for beginners the authors do jump into areas that I think would benefit an experienced investor too. Subtle things that an experinced investor may not have ever thought of. Face it, investing in real estate can be complicated and it's easy to overlook many of the things pointed out in the book.

This book deserves a place in any investor's library but thinking on it given the level of information it holds it would even be more useful in a briefcase because I think it's going to be referenced an awful lot.

After reading the second book of the series, about advanced strategies and getting alot of good tips, I decided to go back and read this book. Before buying, I was aware of alot of the negative feedback by people who had higher expectations from the author or did not like his couching of advice in fictious character role playing, but after kicking the tires in this industry for a couple of years, I have learned that you are not going to find one source that says it all and boils down everything you need to do and know. As others have said Real Estate Investing is not difficult but it is involved and is a continual learning process.

Even Richard Kiyosaki's series of books make you read through chapters and chapters of earlier year reflections and stories to whet your appetite before getting to ROI calculations and other meat. So I think David and Richard's approach is not without merit. The book explains the procedure in plain English. I think it is not a one stop solution but rather complements other Real Estate Investing sources.

"Buying Real Estate without Cash or Credit" is a detailed look at what a beginning investor working through Peter Conti and David Finkel's Mentorship Program actually experiences.

The book is filled with information about finding properties, connecting with sellers, the various types of acquisition and exit strategies that allow for profitable investing, plus insights on funding deals without tying up personal cash assets.

Although the information provided in this book is extensive, because the story is told from a Mentorship Student's perspective, the content is never dry and the emotional aspect of investing in real estate is also explored.

The personal drama made the book an easy read, but the real value is in the detailed investing techniques, negotiating tactics, and online bonus materials. If you invest in real estate, or are considering investing, this book is for you.