Eric Tyson, MBA, is a nationally recognized personal finance counselor, syndicated columnist, and bestselling author of numerous For Dummies books. Robert S. Griswold , MSBA, is a successful real estate investor, hands-on property manager with a large portfolio of residential and commercial properties, and the author of Property Management Kit For Dummies and co-author of Landlord's Legal Kit For Dummies.
Introduction 1 Part I: Getting Started with Real Estate Investing 5 Chapter 1: Evaluating Real Estate as an Investment 7 Chapter 2: Covering Common Real Estate Investments 23 Chapter 3: Considering Foreclosures, REOs, Probate Sales, and More 41 Chapter 4: Taking the Passive Approach 59 Chapter 5: Fast Money: Small Down Payments and Property Flips 75 Chapter 6: Building Your Team 83 Part II: How to Get the Money: Raising Capital and Financing 99 Chapter 7: Identifying Sources of Capital 101 Chapter 8: Financing Your Property Purchases 113 Chapter 9: Securing the Best Mortgage Terms 131 Part III: Finding and Evaluating Properties 139 Chapter 10: Location, Location, Value 141 Chapter 11: Understanding Leases and Property Valuation 171 Chapter 12: Valuing Property through Number Crunching 185 Chapter 13: Preparing and Making an Offer 211 Chapter 14: Due Diligence, Property Inspections, and Closing 229 Part IV: Operating the Property 265 Chapter 15: Landlording 101 267 Chapter 16: Protecting Your Investment: Insurance and Risk Management 301 Chapter 17: Recordkeeping and Accounting 311 Chapter 18: Looking at Tax Considerations and Exit Strategies 325 Part V: The Part of Tens 349 Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Increase a Property s Value 351 Chapter 20: Ten Steps to Real Estate Investing Success 359 Index 369