Customer Reviews

Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read this book and also attended some of the author's seminars. As a real estate agent and loan officer myself, I am professionally informed on the subject matter presented. What is most remarkable is that the information provided is not just what we read in the text books. It contains real street smarts; tons of really useful solid practical information. The author has personally bought, refurbished, and sold numerous fixers, and made unusually high returns on her investments. She tells it like it is and provides highly useful pointers for replicating her success. Moreover, the information is current, reflecting the present realities of the real estate market. And it covers just about every area you need to know, from locating the good buys, doing the transaction, financing, estimating costs of refurbishing, carrying out the refurbishing itself, and selling at profit. All the tricks, tips and secrets you will need to do it all profitably. This little book is a gold mine for anyone seriously engaged in buying fixers for profit.

I had heard about investing in fixer-uppers but never thought that I could do it too. Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars was recommended to me and let me tell you ..... I could barely put it down. Jeanette not only gave me all the information from getting my credit on track to the act of fixing the house but the way she even wrote the book. The way information was concise, not too wordy, well organized, even the typeface used made it easy to look at and flow. She had me ready to jump out of my chair and get started before I had even finished the first chapter. Now I believe I can begin investing and securing my future in a market that is reliable. There is still alot of hardwork I have to put into it but I know I won't give up because of confusion and frustration of figuring it out all on my own. Thank you Jeanette for sharing your lessons and invaluable time so that I can have a 30 year jump start and be successful at something I have no experience at!

I think that the book does address the West: 15 of the 17 house examples in Jeanette's book are in California.

What I liked about the book was
that there are real examples of houses fixed up by the Fisher family. You
get to know the family in the first chapter and feel like you can copy their
unique system. The book has lots of practical, current, and helpful advice from an author who still invests in
real estate in Southern California.

I bought a foreclosed,run-down property to rent out, in a working class, declining neighborhood and ended up with a terrible case of buyer's remorse. Then I found this book which stepped me through the process of transforming my "doghouse to a dollhouse". I used the practical tips in the book to get my kitchen to gleam and sparkle and to create a spa bathroom- all on a budget. I learned to get building materials such as tile and lighting for 1/2 price without a contractor's license. People were fighting to get into the property. I took before and after photographs for marketing the property on-line using tips and wording from the book, to get a strong appraisal and to refinance the property. The value of the property increased by $45,000 dollars.

I am now underway on my first flip project - thanks to reading Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars! I loved the way the information was presented. I was able to understand the steps to finding, purchasing and now, fixing my doghouse. The chapter on credit was excellant, and now am applying the tools to improve my already good credit scores. I'm sure when I try to sell this property in a few months, I will make a nice profit following Jeanette's advise.
Compared to other RE investment books, this one was the most down to earth, practical, easy to apply to real life advise I have found. I also purchased the Workbook for Jeanette's website and have used quite of few of the worksheets. This has helped clarity my budget, work plan, house search, etc.
These books were well worth the purchase, and I plan to get all of Jeanette's books.

As author of The House That Faux Built, I was very interested in the similarities in regards to design philosophy -this is an incredible book with NEW ideas and I can't wait to see what the author has in store in her upcoming TV special "Flip That House" with Faux!

A defn must buy!!!

I found this book to be highly inspiring and filled with great tips on fixing up houses and selling them for a profit. A good, easy read!

This book may look small when you get it, but it is packed full of useful information for the beginner as well as investors who have been in the business for a while.

I really enjoyed reading this book it was a very easy read. I read most of it when I received the book. It is simple and easy to apply. Author has suggestions and pictures that illustrate what she wants to say. It has several example of how her family achieved success with simple renovation and paint.
A lot of the suggestion are easy to apply.

Easy to read. Some redundancy. Book could be 1/3 the size with no loss of info. Better nuts and bolts specifics would make it more useful. Overall, OK, but would look for other books before buying this as "your guide" to flipping for profit.