Customer Reviews

Creating and Growing Real Estate Wealth: The 4 Stages to a Lifetime of Success

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Bill Poorvu's newest book provides meaningfully helpful information and guidance to those who are considering becoming professional real estate investors. An accomplished investor himself who happens to teach the topic at the Harvard Business School, he does so with a multi-layered approach which is engaging, clear and highly informative. This book has nothing in common with the multitudes of `get rich quick' books--typically largely worthless--or the hyper-technical texts that are useful only to backroom laborers. Rather, Poorvu provides advice derived from a lifetime in the real estate field designed to help the fledging understand how to enter the real estate investment world, what life is like when you do, what problems real estate businesses commonly encounter and what methodologies have succeeded for sober, successful investors who are in it for the long run. In an era of speculation and dice rolling that often results in unsatisfactory results, it is both refreshing and highly valuable advice indeed.

Ary Freilich

Professor (adjunct) of Real Estate Finance

Stern Graduate School of Business

New York University

If you're looking for get-rich-quick-in-real-estate-schemes-for-dummies, don't look here. A recognized authority, with extensive experience in the real world as well as in academia, Poorvu does not bore us with the "models" typical of Harvard professors, nor the empty get-rich-quick schemes of most real estate authors. Instead, he presents real life stories of people who have made successful careers in real estate, following them from their first jobs and first investments, through decisions that enable them to build on their successes, survive setbacks, and balance career and family. This book is indispensable for anyone considering a career or even an avocation in real estate.

I picked up this book because I also read Poorvu's other book The Real Estate Game. This book is another great one by this author. He teaches readers how to enter the real estate industry, do the first deal, and gain experience and success in real estate. This book is unlike others that try to persuade you that real estate is the fastest way to get rich. This one is different because the author truly describes the realities of the real estate industry.

Real estate may be considered a single industry, but for most participants it is a local business. It is also a cyclical business, but the author says that being a contrarian and going against the crowd can have great advantages over the long term. Also there is no one recipe for success. Players can specialize in different niches.

I think readers will find the section on how to enter the industry particularly helpful. The author says that the real estate industry has almost unlimited points of entry because the craft can be practiced in any community, and it comes in all sizes, shapes, and price points. He also points out that it is important to get a job under the right person because it is crucial to have the right mentor who will spend time with you, share experience, challenge you, and introduce you to others. I totally agree with this. I think that people who are serious about real estate will find this book extremely valuable.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

Not everyone can go to Harvard Business School or meet with Bill Poorvu to discuss real estate career options. Fortunately, this book is available to anyone looking for practical advice on how to manage his or her real estate career, from breaking into the business to legacy planning. Poorvu generously shares insights he has gained through his experiences as a successful entrepreneur, educator, and family man, and provides advice illustrated by real world examples.

I never buy real estate investment books but saw this one when I was passing time in a book store recently. I spent ten years in the capital markets and the last five years making institutional real estate investments. I went on my own recently to get involved with real estate on a local level. William Poorvu's book provides many good stories about different types of people getting involved in real estate at various entry points and how things evolved in their respective careers. Reading the book gave me many insights and helped me to determine how I should move forward. I thought I had learned everything after years on the job but this book showed me that there is always more to learn in real estate.