The ABCs of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss

This book is a gem. The things I learned from Chapter 7 alone were worth the purchase of this book many times over. It shows you exactly how to analyze and accurately price any property, so that you can be 100% sure you are making a fair offer and getting the best price, not just a low-ball offer based on your "gut" instinct. To me, this kind of knowledge is priceless. Moreover, you will learn the ins and outs of every important thing you'll need to know in order to establish a long-term, highly successful career in real estate investing. Even if you're a seasoned real estate investor, chances are you will learn some new things from this book that you weren't aware of before. The great thing about this book is that Ken McElroy isn't some novice trying to get rich selling a get-rich-quick book. His methods have been proven time and time again, making multi-million dollar investments for over 15 years. I've seen courses by Carleton Sheets and others, and this book absolutely puts them to shame. This information is 10x more valuable than most of the other garbage out there. It wastes no time getting straight to the point of how to be a successful investor. You can't lose with the stuff you'll learn from this guy! Ken McElroy's writing style is a bit different from Robert Kiyosaki's. I personally prefer Robert's style, but the value of the information in this book is so great, most people won't mind the difference. I'd definitely recommend this book to anybody interested in real estate. Ken lays it all out for you, taking away nearly all the guess-work, confusion and unexpected surprises of this investment class. By all means, buy this book and read it. It will be well worth your time.

I am new to real estate investing. I messed-up my 6th investment for failing to read this book. The concepts, techniques, & its practical application are very informative. I initially could not believe how simple the reasonings behind the investing (buying) process and how it really makes sense. The buying techniques simultaneously serves the seller & buyer's point of view. It definitely sharpen my concepts about investing. The book does not offer the stages of "how to". Instead it offers multiple priceless concepts, the "principle of buying it right". This is the part that anyone needs to anchor their investment correctly, to momentarily get the desired rate return & eventually to sell it correctly. The methodology & principles introduced alone are already worth more than the price of the book. Anybody can follow through this book regardless of the level of real estate investment skills. The math side is so simple (very little) that anybody can easily follow. Whether you plan to invest in single homes or multi family, you need to read this book first. Believe me it is worth your money, attention, & time. I highly recommend this book.

The ABCs of Real Estate Investing – Solid Beginner’s Roadmap, But Not the Whole Playbook Ken McElroy’s *The ABCs of Real Estate Investing* is an approachable, straightforward introduction for anyone curious about building wealth through rental properties. The book does a good job of stripping away the intimidation factor and showing that real estate isn’t reserved for big institutional players—it’s something an individual investor can navigate with the right knowledge. The strengths here are clarity and practicality. McElroy explains how to evaluate properties based on numbers (cash flow, expenses, and realistic rents) instead of gut feelings. He outlines negotiation strategies, due diligence steps, and touches on property management in a way that’s digestible without being overly simplistic. The examples feel grounded and not pie-in-the-sky. For beginners especially, the book shines—it helps you “see the field” and avoid common rookie mistakes. That said, it’s very much a starting point. Experienced investors will probably find the material too high level, and some of the concepts are more about mindset than deep strategy. It doesn’t dive far into creative financing, syndications, tax strategies, or scaling portfolios the way other real estate books do. Think of it as a foundation-builder, not a complete toolkit. Bottom line: an excellent entry-level guide that makes real estate investing feel doable and practical, but you’ll want to supplement it with more advanced resources once you get serious. Solid r4.

I purchased and read this book after hearing an interview that talked about Ken's next book in the series--the more advanced version of this book. I've been a real-estate investor for some years and along with my two partners we own 1800 units in three western states. I've never before read an investment book that I didn't have some major disagreements with before reading this one. Actually, the only thing surprising to me was that Ken doesn't provide emergency lock-out service for his residents. We do, but many things in this business are counter-intuitive. I'd like to know his reasons. It's too bad he doesn't have a blog--and even though I'm not reviewing his personal website, he needs an update including downloads of the forms he promises to have available there in the book (they're still coming soon according to the web-site, but it's 3 years since the book came out). There seems to be a lot of confusion among the reviewers as to who this book should appeal to. I think to all: from beginner to seasoned investor. Some who feel it doesn't address them in the reviews haven't paid attention. Buying single family homes and renting them is speculation. Small mom and pop rentals are also not investing any more than is flipping homes. I've watched these speculators come and go over the years--good luck to them they'll need it. Meanwhile if you're an ambitious 20 something who wants to go into real-estate who doesn't have the money, go to work for someone like me, or if you like more structure, for a large property management company and learn the business and you'll find lots of money available to you. If you're older, like I was, find some partners, take the risk and plan to work. A saying I've always remembered is: Wise men learn from others' mistakes, fools from their own, and the rest just don't learn. I've always aspired to be at least a fool, but I wouldn't hesitate to learn from the mistakes of others. I recommend the book.

A ton of good information that can be put into use immediately.

First, if you're looking for a book about flipping houses this probably isn't the right one for you. It may have some useful tips, but this for someone who wants to get into real estate for the long haul (i.e. purchasing and renting). But if you're looking for an idea of how to get started in real estate and have long term, sustainable income this book is for you. I'm just getting started in this industry, and I was looking for a book that gave me an idea of what the process looks like start to finish, and what to expect entering the property management arena. I have read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and I really liked it, so I figured this was a good option to start with. I'm glad I did because this is exactly what I was looking for in a property investment book! Entry level, high level over view of the entire process from looking for a property to things to be aware of and making offers. If you're experienced in real estate you probably won't get much from it other than maybe setting goals and how to value a property, but that may depend your time in the industry and what you specialize in (consumer purchases vs investment properties). Any way you look at it this book is a quick read and good starting point for anyone looking to get into the real estate investment scene.

This book is a good introduction to real estate investing. Most people think of single family homes as the summation of real estate, but the world of commercial real estate is completely different. It is also more accessible than you might think, and this book shows you why. It also shows you why "flipping" properties and "no money down" deals are poor strategies to build wealth and cash flow. I also suggest McElroy's other two books, the Advanced Guide to Real Estate and ABC's of Property Mangement. Once you have studied these, you will have a good foundation to begin looking for deals and getting your feet wet. Now, with the economy so low, is the ideal time to be learning these principles, so you will be well-positioned for whatever the economy does in the next ten years and beyond. Gray Erlacher

I’ve just read the book in one sitting (2+hours) . I have a product and marketing management background and have worked at a global level in a few Fortune 500 companies. While I think the book’s content is well laid out, the assumptions made about who is reading it are disjointed which is where I get the “split personality” description. My feeling is that anyone with enough business acumen and investment capital to leverage a multi unit, larger scale commercial rental property can easily run these analyses for themselves not really requiring this book. With the ABC’s term used in the title it would suggest a reader that is less financially capitalized and less biz savvy and likely to be purchasing far smaller properties. I was even more surprised to find out when delving into the “accredited investor” criteria for MC investments that you needed $1M in wealth (outside of your personal property) and $200k annual income (single) or $300k joint to even be considered for participation. There’s just an odd disconnect when you market a book purportedly for the beginning real estate investor, you fill it with pretty elementary accounting exercises, then feature scenarios that would be well out of the reach of the likely reader. Overall disappointing but probably worth the Kindle price. If you are wealthy but lack overall business acumen or basic real estate knowledge and want to grasp the overall complexity of this operation then this book is for you. You would be an ideal candidate for the author’s investment company as you would be likely unwilling to deal with the minutia of this business. For me, it’s not likely I would read it twice.

Ken has written an easy to read guide on investing real estate. What I felt is the joy Ken has put into this book, he loves real estate and has provided good useful information you need to understand. Lessons Ken has given has given me the street smarts on how to calculate costs, and its book thats gets you started. Must read.

The book is really good and eye opening for new investors

Good book for increasing knowledge on investing in Real Estate!

夫に頼まれました。私は読んでませんが よく見ているので良さそうです。

SOME PEOPLE SAYS ITS A VERY EXPENSIVE BOOK BASED ON ITS SIZE AND NO OF PAGES . SERIOUSLY HOW STUPID THEY ARE. ITS CONTENT WORTH MILLIONS👍👍👍