Customer Reviews

Churches, Jails, and Gold Mines: Mega-Deals from a Real Estate Maverick

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In April 2004, I met Steven Good and heard him speak about his business and his book. One of his pithy thoughts, which I've repeated, is that "you can't do a good deal with a bad guy." In his book, he gives real examples of relationships and creative deals. As a patent attorney, I work with intellectual property more than real property and I find that Good's book is as valuable for good ideas as it is for facts about buildings and land.

Steven Good's book reads with the style and substance of the books by Donald Trump. Mr. Good's company is also every bit as successful in its arena as Trump is in his -- and Mr. Good shares the details of his most interesting and successful auctions to date. The book also underscores the importance of a disciplined organization, diligent project research, and the benefits of wisely executed marketing campaigns. This is a rewarding book for anyone interested in the real estate industry, marketing techniques, and good business practices.

Whether your area of interest is real estate or not, Mr. Good's stories will keep you riveted. I am an entrepreneur with my own business not in the real estate world. I found countless similarities from which I could gleen nuggets of advice which inspired me.

I was fascinated by the chapter about auctioning the Michael Jordan restaurant building. The months of effort invested, all the intricacies executed and the actual sale is over in minutes. Wow.

Good reading.

This book is worthless and goes more into the atypical asset classes the author has auctioned off as opposed to the intricacies of any deal structures. The "real estate maverick" took over and bankrupted his father's company. The author's firm, Sheldon Good, filed for Ch.11 bankruptcy protection after the author committed suicide earlier this year (2009). The company claims "improper actions by its former chairman" as the reason for its seeking bankruptcy protection. The author, Steven Good, was the chairman they are referring to. Suffice to say, the $800 collectible copies may not be the wisest investment.

Steve Good's book provides a remarkably clear look at the world of real estate and how deals really get done. The book is easy to read and you actually learn valuable lessons from it. The common threads that run through the book are not the properties which Good has sold, it is the philosophy behind the sales. In each case, Good and his company made customer satisfaction the first priority. From there flowed hard work as well as an emphasis on knowing your market and how to reach it. Then came honesty and a straightforward way of dealing with customers. These factors allowed for maximizing the potential of the property being sold every time. It seems simple, but so few can do it. Steve Good wrote this book the same way he sells property, straightforward, honest, clearly communicated and with flair. It's a terrific read and I give it my highest recommendation.

Steve Good is a great story teller who engages his readers in the inside scoop on some great and "very cool" real estate deals. Good is a promoter and businessman extradinaire that shares his blueprint for success in creating a brand identity for his firm and creating the clear number one firm in the world in Real Estate Auctions. The excitment Good has for his business and the number one position he maintains in the world of real estate comes out in each of the book's chapters. I was engaged by the details of each real estate deal profiled in the book and learned a great deal about creating a brand and maintaining a leadership spot in a niche business. Steve Good has earned his many successes. We are fortunate that he has allowed other business and real estate people, such as me, into his world. I highly recommend this book to anyone in business seeking to create a successful enterprise as well as for all readers who love to be engaged by a great (in this case non-fiction) story. I can't wait for the movie !!!!!!!!

I recently read the customer reviews about Mr. Goods book. I was not surprised but amused by the two negative reviews. It is obvious to me that the authors expect some inside information or a miracle application to help them with their real estate ventures. I am 56 years old and a real estate broker of a very small firm. I purchased this book to read on a plane flight. I read the book and was struck by Mr. Good's continuing theme of honesty, integrity and hard work on behalf of his clients. A short time after reading his book I was confronted with a task that was far beyond my abilities regarding advice to a large real estate holding. I called Mr. Good's firm fully expecting the run-around. To my great surprise, I was treated as a valuable contact, given immediate attention and 1st class treatment by staff very close to Mr. Good. Later Mr. Good contacted me and shared what he thought his firm could accomplish for the people I knew I could not help. I later gave Mr. Good's firm a high recommendation to the folks in need of 1st class, top drawer, professional representation. I was comfortable with this decision based solely on how I was treated. Anytime a world class firm takes the time to help a small fish like my firm is very telling. They practice what they preach. Honesty!!!! is the real lesson of the book and a refreshing insight into what you can do with your real estate practice if you are commited to the same standards as the Steven Good Firm.

This book is fantastic, especially for those who are either new to real estate or who are experience but don't work with world-wide auctions.

I'm a real estate agent who sells multi-million dollar investment properties and have a radio show on investing in real estate. I've seen a lot of junk. This is fresh, innovative, and easy to read.

I enjoyed it and know that you will too.

Great book. Great sense of humor. It was mysterious while both informative and exciting. It kept my interest until the end. Anyone who can auction a JAIL, and make a deal with Donald Trump, deserves a read!

Steve Good did an excellent job in giving his readers a snapshot and inside view of his world in the real estate arena. The selection of properties and situations he chose to share with us were unique and rare. He has all the right ingredients for a good book, non-fiction, humor, fast reading, and more importantly, interesting. Needless to say, it held my attention from cover to cover.

Congratulations, Steve, on a well-written book!