Maverick Real Estate Investing: The Art of Buying and Selling Properties Like Trump, Zell, Simon, and the World's Greatest Land Owners

asked by paradiselove on October 30, 2006 5:24 AM

Praise for Maverick Real Estate Investing

"A fascinating story that chronicles the wins and losses of several of the most renowned real estate investors of our time. Insightful and thought-provoking, it confirms that if you follow Bergsman's golden rules of real estate investing, the chances of being successful are substantially increased."
-Stephen B. Siegel
Chairman, Global Brokerage
CB Richard Ellis

"Steve Bergsman's profiles of some of the most successful investors of our time give an illustrative and illuminating insight into how the best in the business have consistently managed their risk . . . and raised their returns. If you want to make it in the competitive world of real estate investing, read this book!"
-Dale Anne Reiss
Global and America's Director of Real Estate, Hospitality, and Construction Services
Ernst & Young

"For the novice-and even the experienced-investor in real estate, Steve Bergsman's book contains lots of worthwhile ideas. Better still, it clearly explains how to implement them. Easy to read and insightful, it's one of the better how-to investment guides around."
-Richard Rescigno
Managing Editor
Barron's

"I have been reading Steve Bergsman's insightful real estate reporting and commentary for over a decade. He is one of the best real estate writers in America, as evidenced by his captivating analysis in Maverick Real Estate Investing, where he melds personalities and investing principles into a very good read."
-Jonathan L. Kempner
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mortgage Bankers Association

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Reviews

This book doesn't get heavy in the real details of exactly how these deals are done. It's a little broad, but I will say that it helps any investor see how multi million dollar office building deals are made accross the country. It will outline what these tycoons and most are billionaires do in different cycles of the markets..... bottom line they buy in distress cheaply, improve net operating incomes and position these properties to generate millions of dollars in profits....... It's good info for knowing how to handle down markets, how much of an equity position to sustain, and also what it takes to put deals together with syndications..... If you want to get big in commercial real estate its worth the money and time to read it..... if you want to flip or hold a small portfolio of single family homes or apartment complexes don't waste your time with this book read the many others that are published for the smaller investor. Blake-------- bldgassets247@yahoo.com

reviewed by runabout on November 18, 2006 9:48 PM

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This book is apparently meant to serve as a "biography" of the real estate decisions made by a loosely-defined group of men (mostly) who made a lot of money in real estate. I doubt that--despite the subtitle--the book was meant to replace an MBA education with an emphasis on real estate. So, perhaps much of the criticism by my fellow reviewers is a bit unjustified.

The book is interesting to read in most places. However, because the author does not stick to the intended formula of examining one maverick at a time, but instead jumps from maverick to maverick, the book's flow isn't perfect. But then again, even mavericks aren't perfect! If you goal is to learn about real estate techniques, this isn't a good place to start. If you'd like to learn more about the people in real estate, this is good starting point.

reviewed by caramel on November 24, 2006 9:58 AM

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Bergsman's book provides a great "behind the scenes" look at some of the biggest names in Real Estate in this country and how they succeeded (and failed) based on how they crafted their deals. While not all of us will be (or want to be) Donald Trump et al, one can't help but appreciate reading how each got started, their principles of doing business, and their unique philosophies when it comes to investing in Real Estate. I found many of their strategies very relevant - whether one invests in a single condo or large multi-unit apartment complexes. The book is easy to read, worth reading .... and full of valuable tips and insights to the world of real estate investing - large and small.

reviewed by shakeonit on November 24, 2006 9:13 PM

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this book is more like the biographies of the rich real estate tycoons than a real estate investing book. the author has summed up some "golden" principles based on these people's experiences, but let me tell you this, there is no single one principle that I could not find in any other real estate book in the market.

reviewed by bookworks on November 26, 2006 6:55 AM

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add a new book!