What Are The Best Real Estate Investment Education Tools
I have been wanting to get into real estate investing for some time now, and have done much research on the multitued of educational packages and tools-and there are sooooo many. I would like to become well rounded in all of the areas of real estate investing. The best one that I have found is the real estate investment institute-but is a whopping 4K. I really want to get started now-so if anyone can offer any advice I would greatly appreciate it.
If your looking for hte well rounded approach. Get John Locke's subject to manual on this site. Then buy Kevin Myers book Buy it Fix it Sell it.
I have been to a few seminars, the real expensive ones like the one you describe generally are confidence builders..
Just start studying and get a mentor, someone from your area, maybe bird dog for him and you can learn the ropes first hand
[addsig]
StockPro's comment that seminars are confidence builders is well put. Little information presented will be unique or new. A lot of the value of a seminar is meeting the other students.
As to education, get down to your local library. See what they have on the stacks or can order from another library. This way you minimize the costs. You can later buy any books you want for reference.
Then go to a large bookstore or a website such as Amazon. Make a list of what you see there and pick up the ones that seem the most interesting. In a large bookstore you can camp out and read a great deal of a book before you decide if it is worth owning.
One bookstore near me sells used books in addition to new. They are called Powells. They have a web site and will ship.
Continue reading here and other websites. Join (or at least attend) some local RE investor groups in your area.
BTW - You learn more when you are doing a deal. Hence do not spend too long reading before you get out into the market. It is good to be well studied so you do not create a major mistake on your first deal. The problem is there will not be an obvious point in you reading when you know that you are ready. So, set a time limit of X weeks of study before you apply what you learn.
John
[addsig]
Thanks for the input guys, I am glad I was hesitant about investing lots of money in these training courses.
My suggestion to you, which is how i'm currently approaching educating myself in real estate is, go to you local Barnes&Noble or Community College Book Store and buy your state's official College Real Estate Course Book. That will give you much of the foundation you will need that you won't get from many other sources.
Then, I suggest going out and getting a book that was just recently recommended to me; "Real Estate Finance and Investment Manual by Jack Cummings. I haven't even started reading this one because i'm currently taking the real estate course for my licence in college. Both books are really good.
Derek
Danette,
Your question is a bit broad since you did not state exactly what you are looking to accomplish. In terms of the language and structure of real estate there are many books on the topic at your local book store. If you are interested in how to acquire property and manage it, these forums are excellent. Furthermore, there are many people here that are willing to give opinions and experience.
It is hard to become expert in all areas. Since I invest in residential property I focus on that. I know almost nothing about commercial real estate or investing in land. If you peruse the forums maybe you will find some area that you want to start on and focus on that for a bit.
Good luck with your pursuits.
Regards,
Ed