Customer Reviews

Where, How and Why to Buy Real Estate Before 2009

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

 

 

i'm pretty amazed by the number of 5 star ratings.

its a small book. about 75 pages of material including a lot of irrelevant pictures of houses and not a single graph.

the author does provide a lot of info on where and how to invest in real estate. but its very generic information and is basically summarized. i was expecting the answer to the title of the book, which i didnt get. [to be fair, i spent $550 to get that question answered]

he doesn't even mention everywhere he's bought, just randomly some parts of florida and minnesota.

he explained the 5th migration of investing in about one and a half pages. could definitely have provided more insight into it.

i think the book(pamphlet really) should be renamed to "how to invest in real estate: a primer" or going by techie book trends "the 10 minute guide to investing in real estate".

you get the idea that the author knows his stuff but you feel he's hiding the real meaty stuff.

Mr. Garvey did a good job selecting a title for this book, but that was it. There were no real insights here, and even a moderately experienced home buyer will know 95% of the content through common sense. Thank you Mr. Garvey for making this book only 70 pages long(a good percentage of which was used by random pictures of fish, mountains and boat docks).

Mr Garvey's recommendation to dumb yourself down and wear dirty clothing in an effort to get information from Southern Local Residents is somewhat insulting. Save your money, this book and his approach are typical of what we get from the Realtors most are looking to avoid. Try Lereah or Freedman for real insight into real estate/baby boom trends that are meaningful.

Jack-

I just read the last one star review and felt obligated to refute the charge.

Mr. Garvey has a stamp in the back of every book directing readers to the online forum at www.realestate2009.com. It is a place where investors can share CURRENT information with each other. The forum is obviously a companion to the book, and Mr. Garvey has been VERY helpful answering in emails my own questions about real estate as well as the questions that others have had on that forum.

In it's entirety, this book has benefitted my understanding of real estate markets NATIONWIDE. To think that real estate, LLC's or other topics addressed in this book are form-fit to the specificities of one's OWN state is hubristic at worst and ignorant at best. I have found out that these methods have applied in principle to Alabama, Florida, and Texas; the three places I have been researching. Try finding another book on the market that spans the real estate mood of an entire nation.

As I said, I had questions and I simply followed the simple directions in the back of the book and found answers at the forum. Mr. Garvey has been more helpful to me because of my $14 purchase than any councelor who charges $100/hour. He means well, he knows his stuff, and this book, coupled with the forum, has been more than adequate in answering all my real estate questions.

I read this book last month and found it to be helpful, written in such a way that even novice real estate investors like me can understand it. My only complaint is that it is not a "no money down" sort of system. But overall, this is a great back-pocket workbook that has helped me narrow down my search for the types of properties all over the country that are going up in value quickly, just like they are in my town. Another reviewer had brought up the fact that this book does not pinpoint specific towns and neighborhoods, but I don't think a book could stay current when area markets like these change so drastically in such a short period of time. Real estate is always local, and this is the best (and only) attempt I have seen at condensing the entire United States' Baby Boomer market into a series of guidelines. I have found it effective, so I give it four stars.

I got my hands on a copy of this book about six months ago, and so far I've been greatly impressed with its accuracy, and the obvious depth of knowledge the author has on the subject of speculative real estate. A few months ago, I began investing in Florida real estate (I purchased a parcel of vacant land on the coast, just as the author suggested), and so far I couldn't be happier. I was in fact shocked at how fast prices of comparable pieces of land rose after the time of my purchase, however after looking back through this book, it explained in depth as to why such appreciation rates were occurring in this paricular area. This book, in my mind, is able to effectively explain complex phenomena within the world of real estate by using easy-to-follow logic, while supporting these claims with real world examples. I'm even noticing how the concepts in this book describe what is happening in the area that I now live (North Carolina, a very different place from Florida), and look forward to applying the same principles in the future. Overall, very educational read, and I recommend it to anyone interested in real estate speculation.

Garvey's work is very well researched and substantiated. I thoroughly recommend this book for those pursuing real estate investments in the near future. It is naive to expect any text to define precise neighborhoods in which to buy, as such advice changes rapidly and would present legal liabilities. The book does, however, give the reader all the background necessary to make an informed choice in real estate. A must-have for potential buyers, both novice and expert!

Mr. Garvey has written a completely accurate book describing the areas in which to invest for the coming years. This book is a blueprint for making money if you are willing to follow his advice. No other book can give you a more precise plan for land investing, especially suggesting which areas to profitably invest in. This book explains how the baby boomers are influencing the real estate markets in the areas in which to invest.

I am a real estate developer and work with my family which has been in the business for over 35 years, and I will be the first to tell you that Mr. Garvey knows what he is talking about. My father also read this book and was more than impressed with Mr. Garveys stratagies, ideas, and his insight into the areas which are at the moment, the most profitable areas to invest.

There is no substitute for actually getting out there and simply doing the research and beginning to invest no matter where you decide to buy/invest in land. I am personally in the process of dedicating more of my time to investing into these more profitable areas in which are mentioned throughout the book.

I have read this book about 6 times and followed its advice. I have purchased four properties in the same general area. On the first one I made 88% profit in 2 years. The property I have for sale right now has already doubled. The other two properties I am holding to attempt an even greater return. All of these were purchased in the panhandle of Florida. I am now using these same principles in the southern coast of Costa Rica where the principles of the book also apply.

This is a small book of small ideas. Mr Garvey has not written well in this book. He may know his stuff in real estate investing, but he has not written here in a way that is helpful. It is full of generalities, obvious statements, and irrelevancies. I was disappointed.