Rating: 
Summary: 'Basic' just ain't the word for it
Review: There is nothing in this book you couldn't learn from a good magazine article. Anyone who has ever done a modicum of reading or talking about investing in real estate could have written this book. Unless you are completely ignorant of what to do to invest in real estate, you won't need this book. You're going to find better sources than this.I highly recommend (read my review on it) "Every Landlord's Legal Guide" put out by nolo. I bought it when I was house-hunting for my first investment property, and boy, did it help. Truly priceless (with a CD!). Maybe this would work as a very-first book on real estate. Since I had already read several books and purchased my first investment property (a one-family house) by the time I bought and read it, I am not in a good position to say so. But frankly it is so light-weight, I would recommend you just look elsewhere for another introductory title that would be more worth its weight (and price tag). Better yet, buy two or three other books, read them, and then you'll be just as knowledgeable as this author and can get an advance from a publishing company to write a book yourself. Hey, there's an idea. I've got work to do!
Rating: 
Summary: Too basic
Review: As a beginning real estate investor, I've read several books on the topic and I must say that Thomas' book is simplistic and one-sided. She doesn't give much weight to alternative, non-traditional methods of investment. In short, Thomas gives the impression that the traditional way is the only way and if you want to make more than $60,000 a year, you are selfish.
Rating: 
Summary: Workable Plan
Review: This book contains excellent information about buying and managing rental houses but I couldn't give it 5 stars because I read between the lines. The author had relatives willing to lend her money for down payments; she borrowed from her mother twice. What if a person comes from a destitute family or simply can't borrow from any relative? Furthermore the author's husband held a good job for a number of years making it possible for her to concentrate on buying houses and to qualify for the necessary mortgages. A single person in a low or moderate income job my find it very difficult to get financing. So if the reader is married to someone with a good job and gets a little help from family then this plan will work. The basic idea is great but it won't work for everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Realistic advice
Review: I liked this book because the author was down to earth and not full of hype about getting rich quick. I found my own experiences in real estate investing similar to Suzanne's in that it takes time and doesn't happen overnight. I particularly appriciated her advice on renting nicer properties and avoiding the hassles of renting to low income tennants. Also the information about paying down the mortgage I found helpful. I will keep this book as a reference as I continue to invest in real estate.
Rating:
Summary: Good Financing Advice
Review: In the Summer of 1999 I wanted to take some equity from my primary residence to buy a new residence, and a local mortgage broker told me I would have to refinance my whole loan at a cost of several thousand dollars to get some cash, and in the process replace my 7% first mortgage with a new 7.75% mortgage Rereading the chapter on financing, I followed Suzanne's advice to call more brokers and lenders. After a few calls I found one who led me to a source of second mortgage financing, where I was able to get a second mortgage line of credit for a $250 origination fee at prime rate- then 8%. This enabled me to get a new residence and keep my old home as a rental. The advice on other facets is a just-the-facts-ma'm approach, and very up to date and realistic. I took Suzanne's live seminar after reading the book, and it was interesting to hear why she prefers being an investor rather than being a broker. She used to have a brokerage, and had cold-called me several years ago to ask if I was planning to move. I told her eventually I was, but would keep my old house when I did. Little did I realize I would use her future advice to accomplish that.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a realistic, conservative book!!!
Review: I have read a number of "beginner" real estate investment books and this is by far the most realistic and conservative outlooks for investing in single family homes. The other books contained more hype and perhaps unatainable scenerios, whereas Suzanne depicts not only real life situations, but her own! I have just finished the book and am starting to read it again. I used a highlighter as I went along which is helpful. This book is definitely a must read and read and read...... One other book that I liked almost as much and found very helpful is Real Estate Investing from A to Z by William H. Pivar
Rating:
Summary: This book exceeded my expectations
Review: I purchased five books from Amazon on real estate investing and decided to read Ms. Thomas's book first because it looked like the "easiest" to read. I just inherited two rental houses, so I had several questions I expected this book to answer, and it did. It covered all aspects of rental houses that I expected and needed to know about - although I still plan to read the other four books as well. While it was indeed easy reading, it was packed with useful information - much of it firsthand examples from Ms. Thomas's own experiences with rental properties in Colorado and Texas. Although it would be difficult for one book to address all of the state and local matters that a property owner might encounter, the author at least showed that what works well in one area of the country may not work in another. These include demographic considerations, market pricing, taxes and legal issues, renter's expectations and so forth. She also provided numerous hypothetical examples of real estate investments and stories from other people in the business. Calculations are shown for many areas including investment returns, taxes and 1031 tax exchanges. Simple but useful worksheets are provided in four appendices. I highly recommend the book, especially to those investigating rental properties as an investment or just getting started.
Rating:
Summary: I'm going to buy a second copy!
Review: This was a very user-friendly, concise, realistic book. The only part of it that I didn't find useful was the section on variable rate mortgages, as in my area of the country they are basically obsolete at the moment. The rest was extremely informative. Our son and his girlfriend are managing our rental properties, and we gave our copy of the book to them, and will buy another one for ourselves.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: I am a young woman (age 27) who bought this book and was completely inspired to begin investing. Suzanne P. Thomas explains real estate investing simply. I truly believe that with a little patience and a little sacrifice initially, anyone can retire in less than 10 years using the principles in this book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about real estate investing, but doesn't want to get involved in time-consuming efforts like assuming loans and acquiring no downpayment deals. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent information
Review: I recently had the pleasure of attending a discussion Ms. Thomas conducted at my local bookstore. Not only is her book written in a manner that makes rental property investment seem feasible and managable to the person who has no experience in the field, but her personal presentation of the information is just as "user-friendly." This is definitely something I will continue to recommend to people expressing interest in property investment.
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