5 out of 5

"With updated tips that are specific to pandemic challenges, Real Estate Investing QuickStart Guide is an information-rich book about what it takes to become profitable in real estate.

Symon He’s clear guide to the complex investment market, Real Estate Investing QuickStart Guide, is for beginning investors who are learning to recognize and access opportunities; it will help with avoiding rookie mistakes.

The text is divided into four major sections, and a detailed chapter outline is given at the front of the text; it describes what’s to come in each chapter and suggests a way to approach the book’s complex topics. The book’s opening chapters cover finances, funding, and types of deals, with evaluations of personal factors incorporated. They include the investor’s ability to put time in, their tolerance for risk, their overall financial goals, and assessments of their skills before hands-on work is considered (so as to reduce the need to call in professionals, like repairpeople, landscapers, and bookkeepers).

From this introductory material, the book moves into analyzing properties from an income and increased value point of view, with an overview of financing options available and how they work. The book then addresses the daily requirements of managing investment properties, arguing that “passive income” entails effort and responsibility and often involves dealing with others in their roles as tenants, partners, and agents. Convincing assertions that building a solid team will help investors to avoid problems in the future arise. Finally, the book covers the complexities of investing in commercial real estate, starting with small first ventures and growing outward. This progressive model is accessible to all investors, allowing each to grow as much or as little as their goals dictate.

The text is businesslike and concise; its terms are defined in everyday language, and its concepts are illustrated with realistic examples. The book is designed in a “signpost” style, incorporating a variety of icons to draw attention to easy-to-read graphs, examples, notes, reminders, and opinions. The work is made more lively and digestible because of its bullet point lists, side bars, half-tone boxes, and graphics, all of which are inviting and easy to navigate, while the wide side margins leave plenty of room for notes.

A useful appendix lists online sites through which one can investigate neighborhood comparable selling prices and learn how quickly houses move off of the market in their areas. A due diligence checklist, downloadable digital analyzers to evaluate rental income, fix-and-flip deals, and commercial properties are also covered in the book’s ample extra materials.

With updated tips that are specific to pandemic challenges, Real Estate Investing QuickStart Guide is an information-rich book about what it takes to become profitable in real estate."

Reviewed by Susan Waggoner

Foreword Clarion Reviews