The Complete Guide to Real Estate Options: What Smart Investors Need to Know - Explained Simply [Paperback]

Steven D. Fisher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2007

You are about to learn the true secret of real estate investing real estate options. WHO really makes money in Real Estate? Realtors, sellers, appraisers, the bank, brokers, mortgage brokers, closing companies, attorneys, taxing authorities, and lastly perhaps you the investor who takes all the risk and does all the work, while having to evict tenants and clean up their mess after they ve left. But there is a new, unique and innovative method of investing in real estate. A Real Estate Option gives you control of a piece of real estate without actually purchasing it. By having an option on a piece of property, you have the exclusive right to buy that property or not. A real estate option is simply a contract between the seller and buyer giving you the legal right not obligation to buy the property at a set price for a predetermined time. When you find a buyer for the property, you cash in your option and deposit a large check. Most real estate investment methods require you to sink a lot of your money, time, and effort into your investments. And it is a slow process, usually one property at a time, often part-time. Using an option instead of purchasing means you do not have to deal with rental property, tenants, maintenance and repairs, taxes, mortgage payments, commissions, or closing costs. In this new book you will learn how to control a vast real estate portfolio without ever buying the property. Let the owner keep paying the mortgage, dealing with tenants and all of the costs. You zero in on the profits. Here is an example, you locate a duplex worth $400,000, you purchase an option to buy it for $340,000 anytime within the next 120 days. On Day 60, you find a buyer who will pay the full $400,000., you activate the option, pay the seller $340,000, and pocket $60,000. This is a simplified example, but this new book details how to become a highly successful real estate option buyer, and it demonstrates step-by-step how to get started in this highly rewarding investment strategy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Chock full of applicable information, this real estate book covers everything for the beginner and the experienced real estate investor. The author s out of the box approach makes for an entertaining and educational read. The convenient layout, well-rounded experience, and thorough explanations keep this book on the cutting edge of real estate investing books. With extensive details and explanations, I foresee this becoming a classic on lease options! This text is a MUST have for all Real Estate Investors! --Eric Olson; Founder, Corcoran Capital Group, Inc.

About the Author

Steven D. Fisher is an independent writer, illustrator and instructional designer with over 25 years of experience in the fields of business writing and training and development. His specialties include the design and writing of books, certification tests, eBooks, manuals, seminars and workshops. In addition to practical "real world" experience, he holds an M.A. in Education of the Hearing Impaired and trained as a print and media Broadcast Specialist in the U.S. Army.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Company (FL) (August 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601380356
• ISBN-13: 978-1601380357
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bad Title with OK Advice, April 3, 2010

By 

Jonathan McGovern "@BlueCobraShark" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Guide to Real Estate Options: What Smart Investors Need to Know - Explained Simply (Paperback)

After reading this book, I gave it a low rating for two reasons. The first is that the title is misleading. I expected a book titled "The Complete Guide to Real Estate Options" to have at least 70% of its total content focused on matters of the title "Real Estate Options". I was very disappointed to discover this book full of decent advice and instruction for the person thinking of investing having never purchased an investment property. In fact, only pages 13-17, 27-30 and 175-183 are specific to lease options. The rest of the book covers general financial common sense advice that may be good for the inexperienced investor but not for an experienced investor looking for advanced investment strategies like options. The second reason for only 2 stars was that the book suggested hiring tenants to perform property upkeep / maintenance functions. I have tried this and know from experience that tenants should be discouraged from performing any work or maintenance on your usually expensive investment. This is potentially costly bad advice. But to this author' credit, pages 265 and 266 are resource pages that list several other books that are specific to Real Estate Options. How to Make Money With Real Estate Options: Low-Cost, Low-Risk, High-Profit Strategies for Controlling Undervalued Property....Without the Burdens of Ownership!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy-to-digest information packs this guide, July 27, 2009

By 

David Dinell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Real Estate Options: What Smart Investors Need to Know - Explained Simply (Paperback)

For those who have the drive to make money in the complex world of real estate investing, Steven D. Fisher's "The Complete Guide to Real Estate Options, What Smart Investors Need to Know --Explained Simply," is a useful guide for the journey. Throughout the book's 288 pages, Fisher walks interested investors through the process, explaining it in rich detail, accented by bullet points and screened text boxes.

If you're unfamiliar with the options process, in a nutshell, it provides a means to produce an income steam without the high amounts of money that property buying and selling require. Options can be undertaken as a part-time or full-time endeavor and by both beginning and long-time investors.

One of the best parts of this book is its clear writing, outlining everything in a step-by-step process. It's as if a friend who has knowledge in this field was sitting next to you, explaining the subject, but without going off on tangents.

Fisher is clear that this investment route is not for everyone. It takes a highly motivated self-starter, akin to a salesperson or entrepreneur, to succeed. Fisher also is a major believer of research, such as completely examining a property's history. As he puts it: "Lease options are a great way to build income and future wealth as long as a person is knowledgeable and performs due diligence."

The book also provides handy tools, such as sample letters, to permit investors to get under way. One section, which deals with how to find and keep good renters, and what to do about problems renters, is particularly useful for any landlord. Fisher also has helpful information on organization and office procedures, such as obtaining the right property management software.

The sole shortfall with this otherwise highly informative book is the lack of data provided in dealing with any unfortunate losses. Fisher is great at speculating what one's potential profits are, and how to realize them, but as any savvy investor knows, losses are as much a part of the game -- especially in today's volatile real estate market -- as profits are.

One simply cannot assume property values will increase, or be problem-free. Had Fisher spent a bit more effort in this area, other that a brief mention of it, his book would have been much improved. Aside from that oversight, however, "Real Estate Options" packs a powerful informational punch to set investors on the road to success.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Guide for Real Estate Investors, September 6, 2007

By 

Ma Isabel P. Sumilang (Philippines) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Guide to Real Estate Options: What Smart Investors Need to Know - Explained Simply (Paperback)

The Complete Guide to Real Estate Options is an excellent resource for real estate investors and for those who generally want to make money with options alike. It really is a complete guide because it covers everything there is to know about investing in real estate options. The ideas are simply presented and explained, yet the extent by which they are tackled is quite in-depth. Readers will truly learn the ins and outs of investing in real estate options.

Steven Fisher is an excellent mentor. He was able to successfully cover the specifics of real estate options. His book will guide the readers in achieving useful insight to learn, among other things, how to: a) gather knowledge of the real estate market; b) make general and specific market analysis; c) evaluate financing sources; d) physically inspect a property; d) evaluate the profitability of a lease option; e) close a deal and maximize the appeal of the property; and f) exercise the lease option.


Overall, this is an excellent guide to real estate options. Readers will surely love the added features of the book like the list of useful references for further reading and the glossary of real estate terminology found at the end. Also indispensable are the valuable tips, key ideas and worksheets found interspersed within each chapter.