From a Harvard Business School professor comes a concise, accessible, state-of-the-art guide to developing and investing in real estate.

“This well-organized book shows what a typical life in real estate is like so that newcomers can decide whether the field is right for them. It also offers advice on how to grow real estate investments for people who are already in the industry. Poorvu includes a variety of real world stories about people and their career experiences to make for an interesting read with a practical edge.” –Publishers Weekly “This new book by Bill Poorvu trumps any real estate book you’ve ever read.” –James Grant, editor of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer There are plenty of “get rich quick in real estate” books. This is not one of them. Your guide, William Poorvu, is a lifelong real estate investor and consultant, and former head of the real estate program at Harvard Business School. Drawing on his personal experience–and hundreds of interviews with many of the most successful real estate investors and entrepreneurs–Poorvu illuminates every stage of your “life” in real estate: creating wealth, growing it, and managing it successfully. He reveals the milestones, pitfalls, and rewards associated with real estate investing, offering powerful insight into the challenges and opportunities you’ll face as you start out...scale up...ride the industry’s cyclical waves and then leverage, share, or pass along the wealth you’ve created. This book contains dozens of real life personal stories, hands-on checklists, and questions to guide your decisions...and it delivers unparalleled insight into how the real estate industry really works: • Be strategic: choose your best route into the business Define your successful real estate career, and learn how to make it a reality •Build your foundation: your first job, your first deal Spot a great opportunity to add value, and jump on it • Scale up: build and sustain your success Hire a great team, manage them successfully, and find the capital you need to grow • Survive the downturns: be flexible and nimble Recognize new realities, adapt to them, and uncover the opportunities they create • Take stock: make the most of your success Balance your business, wealth, and family

This practical, real-world guide gives investors all the tools they need to make wise decisions when weighing the value and potential of investment properties. Written for old pros as well as novice investors, this friendly, straightforward guide walks readers step by step through every stage of property analysis. Whether you're buying or selling, investing in big commercial properties or single-family rentals, you'll find expert guidance and handy resources on every aspect of real estate finance, including: * Proven, effective valuation techniques * Finance tips for all different kinds of property * How various financing strategies affect investments * Structuring financial instruments, including leverage, debt, equity, and partnerships * Measurements and ratios for investment performance, including capitalization rates and gross rent multiplier ratios * Future and present value analysis * How the appraisal process works * Primary appraisal methods-replacement cost, sales comparison, and income capitalization-and how to know which one to use * How to understand financial statements, including income, balance, and cash flow * Case studies for single-family rentals, multifamily conversions, apartment complexes, and commercial office space * A detailed glossary of important real estate terminology

From the #1 bestselling author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" comes the ultimate guide to real estate--the advice and techniques every investor needs to navigate through the ups, downs, and in-betweens of the market.

Learn a detailed strategy to acquire, secure, and protect private money in your next real estate deal. Grow your real estate business and raise your game using other people's money!