Real Estate Investing From A to Z, Revised Edition
By William H. Pivar
McGraw-Hill, New York; 1997, $19.95, 274 pages
From time to time, investors need to be reminded why investing in real estate makes so much sense. This new edition of Bill Pivar’s book does an excellent job of explaining the pros and cons of realty investing. It emphasizes the critical importance of buying below market value to assure a profit while enjoying the ownership benefits.
For readers who enjoyed the “how to do it” real estate books of real estate pioneers Bill Nickerson and Al Lowry, Bill Pivar’s book follows a similar format using lots of examples.
The writing is practical rather than theoretical. It emphasizes the real estate positives and shows how to overcome the negatives such as risk, illiquidity, management and negative cash flow.
This excellent book for first-time realty investors, as well as seasoned old pros, shows why sound real estate is an excellent long-term — as opposed to a get-rich-quick — investment. Pivar explains what problems to anticipate and how to solve them. He explains the pros and cons of realty investment alternatives but lets the reader decide what’s best for his or her situation.
It has been a long time since creative real estate financing methods were thoroughly explained in a new book. Having bought many rental houses using these methods, I thoroughly enjoyed Pivar’s explanations. His chapter on foreclosures, IRS sales and tax sales is especially good. The author emphasizes that someone is going to profit so it might as well be you.
You won’t find a better real estate investment book than this one. On my scale of one to 10, it deserves a 10.
