Many people ask me how I was able to go from making $30,000 a year in a corporate 9 to 5 job to controlling over $572,000,000 in real estate. In a three-part interview series, I outlined my journey in full detail (click here for part 1, part 2, and part 3).
In this interview series, I stressed the importance of education. Before I began my multifamily investment strategy, I read all the best investing books on apartment investing I could get my hands on.
So, if you’re trying to figure out where to get investment advice you can take action on, here is a list of 13 books I read (or wrote) that I recommend you read. These will help you understand the ins and outs of apartment investing before or during the process of starting your multifamily real estate investor career.
If you want to raise money to purchase an apartment community, this is the ONLY book that provides a step-by-step system for how to complete your first apartment syndication deal and how to build a multimillion or multibillion dollar apartment investing empire. You will learn the exact process that Joe followed to go from making $30,000 each year at a New York City advertising firm to controlling over $400,000,000 in apartment communities.
Click here to listen to our weekly Syndication School podcast series.
Commercial Real Estate Investing by Dolf De Roos
Roos reveals all the differences between residential and commercial investing and shows you how to make a bundle. He also explores the different sectors—retail, office space, industrial, hospitality, or specialist—to help you discover which is right for you. Finally, Roos shares key insights on finding tenants and avoiding vacancies, financing large investments, managing property, setting a tax-smart corporate structure, and taking full advantage of tax breaks.
The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings by Steve Berges
This is another one of the best investing books if you’re interested in apartment real estate, as it helps you map out your future, find apartment buildings at a fair price, finance purchases, and manage your properties. Berges includes tax planning advice, case studies of real acquisitions, and appendixes that add detail to the big picture. Plus, it includes a handy glossary of all the terms investors need to know, helpful sample forms that make paperwork quick and easy, and updated real estate forecasts. With this comprehensive guide at hand, you’ll find profits easy to come by.
How to Take an Apartment Building from Money Pit to Money Maker by Craig Haskell
If you’re a struggling apartment owner or manager wondering where to get investment advice, Haskell offers ultimate answers in one of his best investing books by introducing a new step-by-step, 5-stage apartment recovery system that helps owners and managers take their apartment buildings from money pit to money maker. This book really gives apartment owners and managers the tools they need to build a thriving, top-producing rental property.
Click here to listen to my interview with Craig Haskell.
Multi-Family Millions by David Lindahl
Here, real estate mogul David Lindahl provides expert advice for investors who want to make the transition from single-family homes to more profitable multi-family units. He shows you how to find troubled properties that are ripe for quick profits, how to fix or flip those properties, and how to re-sell at maximum value. With a proven step-by-step system for managing each stage of the process, this book shows you how to get started in money-making, multi-family units, even while you work your day job.
The ABCs of Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy
Some of the best investing books include basic, foundational information. In this back-to-basics book, you can learn how to achieve wealth and cash flow through real estate, find property with real potential, unlock the myths that are holding you back, negotiate the real estate deal based on the numbers, evaluate property and purchase price, and increase your net operating income through proven property management tools.
Investing in Apartment Buildings by Matthew Martinez
Are you newer to apartment real estate and trying to learn where to get investment advice? With this book, you can create a reliable stream of income and build long-term wealth. Throughout, Martinez provides step-by-step advice that gives newcomers to real estate investing the practical advice needed to learn the business from the ground up.
Crushing It in Apartments and Commercial Real Estate by Brian H. Murray
Murray shares the secrets to his success through straightforward, actionable advice that will help you get started no matter what your experience level, or how much cash you have on hand, which is why I consider it one of the best investing books to learn from. You’ll learn how to find and creatively finance commercial property, grow a portfolio without any help from outside investors and without taking on excessive debt, use your small-investor status as a competitive advantage over corporate investors and identify simple, practical ways to increase profits while keeping costs low.
Click here to listen to my interview with Brian Murray.
Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received by Donald Trump
Donald Trump has gathered in one book the best advice on real estate from the 100 brightest and most experienced people in real estate.
The 7 Secrets to Successful Apartment Leasing by Eric Cumley
Cumley provides seven proven industry secrets to building the relationships that achieve and maintain high-occupancy levels. From stop qualifying prospects and start interviewing them to follow-up is the extra mile, Cumley provides examples, tips, to-do lists, sample scripts, and more that will help you with filling vacancies and to do so quickly and effectively.
The Definitive Guide to Apartment Marketing by Josh Grillo
In this book, Grillo shares insights into new tools, tactics, and terminology that are increasing leads, leases, occupancy, and rents for multifamily companies. This has been called a must-have book for marketing directors, owners, developers, and property management companies that want to get the most out of their marketing.
2 Years to a Million in Real Estate by Matthew Martinez
This book contains everything you need to know about securing your financial independence through rental properties, including: how to invest small amounts early-on while working a full-time job, avoid real estate business “bubble” risks, get others to pay your mortgage for you, pick a hot property (and spot others that will become hot), simplify the ins-and-outs of financing, negotiate like a pro, screen for reliable tenants, understand how local tenant laws work, hire good people to manage your properties, and know when to sell. It’s probably easy to see why this is in a list of best investing in apartment complexes books.
Tax-Free Wealth by Tom Wheelwright
Tax-Free Wealth is about tax planning concepts. It’s about how to use your country’s tax laws to your benefit. In this book, Tom Wheelwright will tell you how the tax laws work, as well as how they are designed to reduce your taxes, not to increase your taxes. Best multifamily real estate books. Once you understand the basic principles of tax reduction, you can immediately begin reducing your taxes. Eventually, you may even be able to legally eliminate your income taxes and drastically reduce your other taxes. Once you do that, you can live a life of Tax-Free Wealth.
Click here to listen to my interview with Tom Wheelwright.
This book outlines a road map for investors looking to inject more private capital into their business, the most effective strategy for growth. You will learn how to develop long-term wealth from the valuable lessons and experiences offered by the author.
Click here to listen to my interview with Matt Faircloth.
How to Find, Finance, Fix and Flips Apartments: From Duplexes to 100+ Unit Complexes by Nathan Tabor
Nathan’s perspective on multi-family investing is very unique. He has personally bought, renovated and flipped over $52M of apartments since 2006. His book is slammed packed with incredibly useful and practical information. His due diligence section covers things I’ve never even considered, like who owns fire hydrants? Whether you are a seasoned investor or just starting out, this book will help you through all aspects of process.
Click here to listen to my interviews with Nathan below:
- JF1299: Finding A Niche, Creating & Executing A Business Plan with Nathan Tabor
- JF1307: Apartment Due Diligence: How To Evaluate The Mechanics Of A Deal #SkillSetSunday with Nathan Tabor
- JF1559: Being Over-Prepared For Investor Conversations #SkillSetSunday with Nathan Tabor
Are you a newbie or a seasoned investor who wants to take their real estate investing to the next level? The 10-Week Apartment Syndication Mastery Program is for you. Joe Fairless and Trevor McGregor are ready to pull back the curtain to show you how to get into the game of apartment syndication. Click APARTMENT SYNDICATION MASTERY to learn how to get started today.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any securities or to make or consider any investment or course of action.
