The Top 20 Real Estate Books
Every Investor Should Read
A free guide from
by brandon turner
AUTHOR OF “THE BOOK ON RENTAL PROPERTY INVESTING”
The Best Real Estate
Books Ever
INTRODUCTION
There are literally thousands of real estate books on
the market to-day and trying to separate the best
real estate books from those that can easily be passed
on can be tough.
To help, BiggerPockets has compiled a list of the top books in the
real estate genre, based on popularity from our members
throughout the BiggerPockets Forums, Blog, the BiggerPockets
Facebook page, and other interactions on the site.
Many of these books have changed lives (and many have changed
mine) – and we hope they will do the same for you.
If you are new to BiggerPockets – this site is the web’s largest real
estate investing community – with over 400,000 members,
1,300,000 forum posts, thousands of blogs, and a social network to
help investors learn and grow together.
As a disclaimer, each link below will take you Amazon and if you purchase one
of the books, BiggerPockets will receive a small commission (seriously… it’s
pennies… but we’ll take it!) If you choose to purchase through one of our links
(at no extra charge to you) we want to thank you for supporting BiggerPockets!
Be sure to sign up for a free account at
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How to Invest In
Real Estate
By Josh Dorkin and Brandon Turner
Everyone knows real estate investing can be a
powerful way to build wealth and achieve true
financial freedom. But because each person’s journey
is different, the best way to get started is usually
shrouded in opinions, high-pressure sales, and
mystery.
That’s why two of the biggest names in the real estate world teamed
up to bring you the most comprehensive manual ever written on
getting started in the lucrative business of real estate investing. In
How to Invest in Real Estate: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to
Getting Started, Josh Dorkin and Brandon Turner, longtime hosts of
the world’s No. 1 real estate podcast—the BiggerPockets Podcast—
give you a
deep-yet-wide look at the many different niches and strategies that
exist so you can find what works best for you, your resources, and
your goals.
Unlike most traditional real estate books, this one won’t tell you
there is “one secret path” to real estate success. Instead, it dives
into dozens of unique and life-changing quests and is packed with
more than 40 real-life stories of how real estate investors are
finding success in today’s economy. This book will help you carve
your own path and give you all the tools needed to begin your
journey.
The Book on Rental
Property Investing
By Brandon Turner
When writing The Book on Rental Property
Investing, I had one goal in mind: to give you every
strategy, tool, tip, and technique needed to be-come
a millionaire rental property investor—while helping
you avoid the junk that pulls down so many
wannabes!
Written for both new and experienced investors, this book will
impart years of experience through the informative and
entertaining lessons con-tained within. You’ll find practical, up-
to-date, exciting strategies that inves-tors across the world are
using to build wealth and significant cash flow through rental
properties.
Also included:
The Book on Rental Property Investing comes with almost ten
hours of video bonus content, as well as numerous
Be sure to sign up for a free account at
BiggerPockets.com/SignUp
Recommended for:
Everyone who wants to buy rental properties
(with bonus videos)
The Unofficial Guide
to Real Estate
Investing
By Spencer Strauss and
Martin Stone
A common theme across BiggerPockets
is the belief in having a strong written
plan for how you are going to use real
estate investing to get you from where
you are today to where you want to be.
Recommended for:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
Nothing made this clearer to me than when I read The Unofficial
Guide to Real Estate Investing when I first got started.
By far one of my favorite books ever written on
real estate, this book is full of great advice for beginners and
helps explain the “big picture” of investing and how millionaires
are made in this industry.
Investing in Duplexes,
Triplexes, and Quads
By Larry B. Loftis
This book was one of the first I ever
read on the subject of real estate
investing and is largely responsible for
my love of small multifamily
properties.
Loftis explains the process of buying
small multifamilies on a part-time
basis in order to build wealth quickly.
Recommended for:
Beginner and Intermediate Investors
While some of the details may have changed slightly over the
years (as lending requirements have changed dramatically) the
principles still apply today.
This book definitely deserves a spot on your shelf – and is
especially great for up-and-coming real estate investors, who
may not have a lot of time or money to spend on their first
investments.
What Every Real
Estate Investor Needs
to Know About Cash
Flow
By Frank Gallinelli
Before Frank Gallinelli was a guest on
the fourth episode of the BiggerPockets
Podcast, he wrote a little book called,
“What Every Real Estate Investor
Needs to Know About Cash Flow… And
Recommended for:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
36 Other Key Financial Measures” which instantly became one of
the most beloved real estate investing books of our generation.
This book covers, as the title suggests, some of the most
important financial considerations that an investor must
understand if they are to succeed in real estate.
The ABCs of Real
Estate Investing
By Ken McElroy
Simply put – this book changed my career.
Until I read this book, I had focused only
on single family and small multifamily
properties, but immediately after reading I
set out to buy an apartment complex and
within a year, I bought my first and it was
the best decision I’d ever made (besides
marrying my college love, of course!)
Recommended for:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
In this book, Ken talks about the basics of real estate while offering numerous real-world
examples of how investing can – and does – work to build serious wealth.
This book focuses more heavily on big projects, like apartment complexes, though the
information could be helpful for an investor at any stage in their investing. The ABCs of Real
Estate Investing is another of my all-time favorite books on real estate investing and I
definitely recommend everyone check it out.
Also, don’t miss the sequel: Rich Dad’s Advisors: The Advanced Guide to Real Estate
Investing: How to Identify the Hottest Markets and Secure the Best Deals by Ken McElroy
The Book on Investing
in Real Estate with No
(and Low) Money Down
By Brandon Turner
Looking to get started without a lot of money? Or looking
to take your business to a whole new level? Then don’t miss
“The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low)
Money Down” written by… me!
Unlike nearly every “No money” book ever written, this book does not
teach just one strategy for creative finance, but instead you’ll learn
numerous strategies for using your creativity to invest – rather than cash.
You’ll learn:
Recommended for:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
(with digital bonus content)
• How an owner-occupied investment property can get you investing for
as little as $0 down
• How to find and utilize partners to grow a thriving investment business
• How and when to use hard money, private money, or bank money to
fund your deals
• How to get started finding great deals and wholesaling for quick (but not
always easy) cash
• And TONS more.
Honestly, we believe this book has the power not only to change
your life, but to change the real estate industry as a whole.
Investing with no money is NOT easy, it’s not stress-free, and it’s
not quick. However, as this book will teach you, it’s not a myth
either.
How I Turned $1,000
into Five Million In
Real Estate in My
Spare Time
By William Nickerson
One of the most talked-about (and
hard to find) books in the real estate
investing niche, William Nickerson’s
book on building wealth is a great
example of how any investor can go
from zero to millions following a basic
Recommended for:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
“hybrid” investing model of buying low, renting,
and “trading up” to larger properties.
Although I didn’t read this book until later in my career, much of my investing theory
(such as my article on “How to Make a Million Dollars in Real Estate” or “What is Hybrid
Real Estate Investing?“) are lined up almost perfectly with Nickerson’s ideas.
Being an older book, some of the specific methods he uses have changed (he does a lot of
“trading” of property, which is not common anymore) but the math never changes. If you
can get a copy of this book – definitely read through.
Building Wealth One
House at a Time
By Ken McElroy
One of the newest books on my shelf, this
book by John Schaub is a great book for
beginner’s who are looking for a good
broad overview of the buy-and-hold
strategy of investing and the power it can
have in creating wealth.
Recommended for:
Beginner Investors
Schaub gives great advice on finding the best deals when buying real estate,
tips for managing properly, and strategies for paying the homes off quickly
and getting out of debt soon.
The Millionaire Real
Estate Investor
By Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
One of the most highly recommended
books in the investing genre, this book
from famed real estate agent Gary Keller
has guided millions of investors into the
real estate investing game.
This book, however, offers maybe a
little less “actionable advice” and
focuses more heavily on the theory and
motivation behind great real estate
Recommended for:
Beginner and Intermediate Investors
investments, but in a very easy-to-read manner.
This book is ideal for anyone looking to develop a framework and
build a foundation for their investing business. You’ll learn how
others built wealth through real estate, as well as learn how to
best hold onto your wealth long term.
Making Big Money Investing
in Real Estate: Without
Tenants, Banks, or Rehab
Projects
By David Finkel
The obvious catchy title of this book doesn’t
fail to deliver, making this book another
one of my top choices – especially for those
looking to get started without any money.
The primary strategy discussed is the “lease option
sandwich,” which allows investors to gain “control”
of great properties in good locations and sublet them
Recommended for:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
o great tenant buyers – essentially becoming a paid “middle man.”
Finkle does a great job of explaining the process in detail, offering the ex-act scripts
you need to find deals. If you are looking into lease option in-vesting, this is my go-
to book on the subject.
Additionally- there are some awesome tips on negotiation that I still use today which
makes this book great even if you aren’t planning on being a lease option investor.
The Book on Flipping Houses
& The Book on Estimating
Rehab Costs
By J Scott
Sometimes don’t you just want a step-by-step “textbook” on
how to do something?
The newest books on this list are exactly that. These books were written by
Fix and Flipper J Scott (123Flip.com) and were published by BiggerPockets
Publishing just several weeks ago and have been a HUGE success already.
The best way I can describe these books? They are the books I wish I had
read when I got started. I know I would have avoided SO many mistakes as
a beginner house flipper and made a lot more money had I read these
books.
In addition to the great books, J also includes some pretty awesome
features with it as well.
I don’t need to go on and on about them here – cause there is a whole page
dedicated to it here on BiggerPockets. However, just trust me: these books
will teach you everything you ever need to know to successfully flip a
property.
(P.S. You can also get it on Amazon, though it’s the same price to get it from
BiggerPockets and you can get the eBooks as well!: The Book on Flipping Houses
and The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs)
(with digital bonus content)
Recommended for:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
Landlording on
Auto-Pilot
By Mike Butler
No author has had a greater impact on
my landlording skills than Mike Butler
and his book, Landlording on Auto-Pilot.
At the risk of sounding over-dramatic,
the lessons I learned after reading it are
the reason I spend as much time at home
as I do – because Butler is all about
creating systems to make the landlording
process more automated … and they
work.
Recommended for:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
There are so many tips in this book that I re-read it every year,
just to be sure I’m not missing anything! Whether you are brand
new to land-lording or you have been renting homes out for
decades – buy this book and read it… twice.
How to Manage
Residential Property for
Maximum Cash Flow and
Resale Value
By John T. Reed
Perhaps the most “entertaining” read on
this list, How to Manage Residential
Property for Maximum Cash Flow and
Resale Value is like a text-book for in-
vestors or property managers who own
multifamily property.
Recommended for:
Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
While some people might be put-off by Reed’s blunt and opinionated way of writing
(I think the word “idiot” is used more than any other word in this book!) I found it an
invaluable resource when I bought my apartment complex. There is no fluff in this
book at all, no motivation, and no wasted space. From the first page to the last, Reed
delivers actionable tip after actionable tip for managing apartment communities. The
only bad thing about this book is the fact that, unless you can find it used on Amazon,
you have to buy di-rectly from John’s website. However, it’s definitely worth the
price.
The Book on Managing
Rental Properties
By Brandon and Heather Turner
No matter how great you are at finding good rental property deals, you
could lose everything if you don’t manage your properties correctly!
But being a landlord doesn’t have to mean middle-of-the-night
phone calls, costly evictions, or daily frustrations with ungrateful
tenants. Being a land-lord can actually be fun IF you do it right. That’s
why we (my wife and I) put together this comprehensive book that
will change the way you think of being a landlord forever.
Written with both new and experienced landlords in mind, The Book on Managing
Rental Properties takes you on an insider tour of our manage-ment business, so you
can discover exactly how we’ve been able to maxi-mize our profit, minimize our
stress, and have a blast doing it!
The Book on Managing Rental Properties, when purchased on Bigger-Pockets,
comes with almost ten hours of video content and over 30 land-lord sample forms
for your business.
(with bonus videos & forms)
Recommended for:
Anyone who owns rental properties, period.
The Book on Tax
Strategies for the
Savvy Real Estate
Investor
By Frank Gallinelli
Dreading doing your taxes?
Unsure of how to maximize deductions
for your real estate business?
Recommended for:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Investors
The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy
Real Estate Investor will give you
Set for Life
By Scott Trench
Scott is a great friend of mine and one of
the smartest people I know.
He wrote this FANTASTIC book that
anyone under the age of 40 needs to read.
Like… right now.
Recommended for:
Beginner and Intermediate Investors, especially those at a young age.
Seriously – it’s life changing. It’s all about how to set up your life so you
can achieve financial freedom sooner than you’d ever imagine. Part real
estate, part personal finance, part motivation, and 100% awesome. Read it.
practical information you can use to not just do your taxes, but
also prepare a strategy to use throughout the year and make tax
season that much easier.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
By Robert Kiyosaki
It hardly seems I need to talk about this book, as it is probably
the most famous of this entire list.
Though people may criticize the marketing techniques and
business plat-form of the “Rich Dad” company (rightfully
so!) the fact is – nearly every investor I know has read Rich
Dad Poor Dad and has been changed be-cause of it.
When I first read it, it put into words the rambling thoughts that had been
banging around in my head for years. It wasn’t so much that the
information was revolutionary or new – but the way Kiyosaki presented it
flipped a switch in my brain and brought it all together for me.
Whenever I find a copy of this book at a thrift store or garage sale –
I always buy it, knowing I’ll give it to someone soon. Honestly, if you
haven’t read Rich Dad Poor Dad yet … why are you still reading this blog
post? Go over to Amazon right now and get a copy!
The Richest Man in
Babylon
By George S. Clason
Hands down, this book has the most unique writing style of
the books on this list (it’s reminiscent of reading a King James
Bible) – but the fundamental truths taught about money and
wealth are incredible.
The book is essentially a collection of stories (parables) about life in
Ancient Babylon – the richest city of its day – combined with lessons
about saving, investing, and building businesses.
The thing I loved most was the unique way the stories were presented,
keeping my attention while learning some great fundamentals about
wealth. I’d recommend giving a copy of this book to high school kids –
I wish someone had given it to me back then!
