Maverick Real Estate Investing: The Art of Buying and Selling Properties Like Trump, Zell, Simon, and the World's Greatest Land Owners (Hardcover)

by Steve Bergsman (Author) "When it comes right down to it, the best advice for real estate investors is to practice patience..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Lend Lease, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This well-researched book provides insight not available elsewhere...this superb book rates a solid 10." -- Robert J. Bruss Iman News, March 30, 2004

Review
"This well-researched book provides insight not available elsewhere...this superb book rates a solid 10."—Robert J. Bruss Iman News, March 30, 2004

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471468797
• ISBN-13: 978-0471468790
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #526,252 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a real estate investment how to..., April 7, 2004

By	J. Daily (Fort Worth, Tx United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

unless you consider some of the "Maverick Approach's" such as: Take your time negotiating, Work out the numbers before negotiating, Stay focused on your goals and Be willing to take chances- as advice you could only get from this book. Puh-leez.

This book is interesting for the stories of various Big-Time real estate mogul types (outside of The Donald) and some behind the scenes aspects of some of their deals that it covers (Melvin Simon, Eli Broad, Peter and Steven Lowy, Sam Zell, etc. that dont usually get as much coverage as Mr. Trump.) But DO NOT buy this book for specific real estate advice.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good blueprint on RE investing, February 1, 2006

By	B. Copeland "bldgassets247" (Southern California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book doesn't get heavy in the real details of exactly how these deals are done. It's a little broad, but I will say that it helps any investor see how multi million dollar office building deals are made accross the country. It will outline what these tycoons and most are billionaires do in different cycles of the markets..... bottom line they buy in distress cheaply, improve net operating incomes and position these properties to generate millions of dollars in profits....... It's good info for knowing how to handle down markets, how much of an equity position to sustain, and also what it takes to put deals together with syndications..... If you want to get big in commercial real estate its worth the money and time to read it..... if you want to flip or hold a small portfolio of single family homes or apartment complexes don't waste your time with this book read the many others that are published for the smaller investor. Blake-------- [e-mail]

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Read, March 6, 2005

By	Mark Yoffe "Commmercial Mortgage Broker yoff... (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This book is apparently meant to serve as a "biography" of the real estate decisions made by a loosely-defined group of men (mostly) who made a lot of money in real estate. I doubt that--despite the subtitle--the book was meant to replace an MBA education with an emphasis on real estate. So, perhaps much of the criticism by my fellow reviewers is a bit unjustified.

The book is interesting to read in most places. However, because the author does not stick to the intended formula of examining one maverick at a time, but instead jumps from maverick to maverick, the book's flow isn't perfect. But then again, even mavericks aren't perfect! If you goal is to learn about real estate techniques, this isn't a good place to start. If you'd like to learn more about the people in real estate, this is good starting point.