How to Make Money in Commercial Real Estate: For the Small Investor [Hardcover]

It is easier to enter and participate in commercial real estate than most people think. Once savings reserves, home ownership, and pension plans have been provided for, commercial real estate is an excellent supplemental long–term investment. This book provides a realistic "how–to" approach to getting started, either as an individual or as part of a group. The principal advantages of commercial real estate investing propounded throughout the book include positive cash flow, cash return on down payment, long–term appreciation, and tax–sheltered income.

Step–by–step approach includes numerous real–life examples

Nicholas Masters, MBA, CPA (Clearwater, FL), is a licensed real estate broker and has been a real estate investor for over thirty years.

Here’s why:

• Real estate is not subject to daily price fluctuations, as stocks are
• Investors hold on for the long run rather than try to time the market
• Returns are on average higher than most people get from stocks
• Real estate is an excellent hedge against inflation
• As real estate appreciates, you continue to build up equity

The simple truth is, real estate investment can give you excellent long–term profits—often up to a 43% long–term total annual return. Yes, 43% a year! Try squeezing that out of the Dow Jones! You, too, can achieve similar results! This book will show you how. This is not a get–rich–quick scheme or an infomercial tie–in. Written by a former professor of accounting who is also an experienced real estate investor, How to Make Money in Commercial Real Estate for the Small Investor is designed to help neophyte small investors—people like you—get started in creating a real estate portfolio. Its step–by–step approach simplifies the ins–and–outs of real estate in terms anyone can understand and follow. And you don’t need an accounting degree to understand the economics. Using examples from his own real estate deals, Nicholas Masters goes over the "numbers" so you see just where the money comes from, where it goes, and what it means to your bottom line. Point by point, Masters explains the various types of real estate, including family homes, residential complexes, shopping centers, office buildings, as well as types of land, and explores the relative advantages and disadvantages of each. He shows you, for instance, how a $20,000 cash investment in a small apartment complex in which you yourself live can provide a juicy $8,200 annual return, and that’s not counting tax benefits!

You’ll see how easy it is to get started in real estate. If you think buying property is out of your financial reach, Masters recommends forming an investment club, where you pool your resources with similar small investors to find opportunities you couldn’t have afforded alone. He tells you how to create such a club, what partners to look for, and how to run it. Then he takes you through each step of the process of owning property. By the time you’re done, you’ll know how to find properties . . . the benefits and pitfalls of auctions and foreclosures . . . how to evaluate the property and negotiate the best deal . . . how to get a mortgage and get to the all–important closing . . . and ultimately how to manage your property profitably. If you’ve ever dreamed of having financial security, real estate is one good way to establish a steady, reliable source of income for years to come. You don’t have to be a Donald Trump to succeed in the business. Reassuringly clear and level–headed, How to Make Money in Commercial Real Estate for the Small Investor takes the mystery out of buying real estate and helps you make your dream a reality.

. . . Real estate is a better long–term investment than the stock market?

. . . You don’t need a lot of money to begin? Since time immemorial, real estate has been an excellent investment. The long–term returns have actually exceeded the stock market and other investments. If you’re looking for financial security, real estate can provide you with welcome supplemental income, year after year. And if you thought investing in real estate was out of your reach, this book will change your mind . . . and your future! Experienced real estate broker and investor Nicholas Masters demystifies the entire process of buying real estate for you and shows you how to get started. Illustrating his explanations with examples from his own experiences in thirty years of real estate investing, Masters takes you step–by–step through the process of understanding the benefits of owning real estate, finding and evaluating properties, getting financing, closing the deal, and managing your property.

You’ll find out . . .

• Why your first real estate investment should be your own home
• Why there’s safety in numbers—the advantages of real estate investment "clubs"
• The pros and cons of individual ownership, partnerships, and corporations
• How to find properties—brokers, foreclosures, government surplus, sales leasebacks, and other methods of matching up with the right purchase
• The ins–and–outs of financing and mortgages—balloon mortgages versus fixed rate; liens and bankruptcies; and other financing options
• How to deal with repairs, tenant relations, insurance, and other aspects of managing property . . . and why hiring a professional management firm could be a good idea for you You don’t need a million dollars to start making money in real estate. All you need is the clear information and sensible, reality–based guidance you’ll find in How to Make Money in Commercial Real Estate for the Small Investor.