Winning with Commercial Real Estate
By Lloyd R. Manning
$23.95 (ebook $14.95 US)
Author Lloyd Manning is a semi-retired commercial real estate and business appraiser and broker from Lloydminster, Sask. who now spends his time writing for professional journals and trade magazines, including REM.
He says that after 30 years in the business, “I cannot recall the number of times that I have seen a property or business sold to some unwise soul who in the examination and analysis process asked all the wrong questions….”
This book gives you all the right questions to ask. Major sections deal with the first steps of finding a property, analyzing the financial statement, the appraisal, financing the purchase, leasing and managing the property and reselling it. There’s also a section about choosing a real estate agent, feasibility studies, buying raw land and more.
“Sorry, there are no get-rich-quick schemes in the following text,” says Manning in the introduction. “Although this book will talk about the many ways to make money in real estate, it is all about making money the old-fashioned way – earning it.”
Available as an ebook-PDF from www.Booklocker.com or in paperback from www.chapters.indigo.ca.
Investing in Condominiums
By Brian Persaud and Randy Ramadhin
Wiley
$39.95
There are more condos under construction in the Greater Toronto Area than in any other city in North America. Along with all the marketing hype, concerns have been expressed that the city is being overbuilt and that the construction of some of the buildings is less than stellar.
Investing in Condominiums is a primer for anyone who is thinking about investing in the Toronto condo market. “How can you ensure you make a wise investment decision when buying a pre-construction condo? This is the most important question we aim to answer in this book,” say the authors.
It includes case studies that offer tips for investing wisely, choosing the right building, tax and estate planning and having an exit plan.
Available at most bookstores.
Fat Cats & Lucky Dogs
By Barry Seltzer and Gerry W. Beyer
Prism Publishing
$19.95
Barry Seltzer, a real estate lawyer and former Ontario Real Estate Association instructor, expanded his business some years ago to include estate planning. Along with Gerry W. Beyer, a professor in Lubbock, Texas, he has written a book about how to protect your pet if you become sick or die.
“You may die of a heart attack in a neighbourhood shopping mall or in a car crash many miles from home. It might be days before anyone thinks to check (or gets authorization to enter) your home to look for, or check on, pets,” the authors warn. “If you have made no provisions outside of your will, a well-meaning friend, relative or emergency service person may trundle your pets to the pound…A trip to the pound can be a death sentence.”
The book outlines what steps you should take to legally protect them, even before your will is read. It also includes chapters and sources for dealing with a pet’s death, exotic pets, surveys and research about pets, animal retirement homes and sanctuaries and more.
Available at www.fatcatsandluckydogs.com
You Can Make It in Real Estate (ebook)
By Charles D Lank
$7.75
A veteran of the real estate business in Prince Edward Island, Charles D. Lank has written an ebook that is “designed to help newer agents get off to a profitable start,” he says.
“I offer tips from my 30+ years experience working with both new and seasoned real estate salespeople. I am now retired (except for some rentals); however I continue to take an active interest in the business.”
Lank says there’s no single ingredient that separates “the money makers from the rest, but there are some common attributes that separate the mediocre from the top producers. This ebook will help you decide if the real estate business is for you.”
Download directly from www.charleslank.com.
The Defendant
Insights and Motivation for the Sales Professional (In Everyone)
By Dominic Spano
The Defendant is now into its second printing after its original printing in 2004. It’s a novel that is intended to be a motivational tool for salespeople who work on commission. Author Dominic Spano says, “In a nutshell, it follows the trials and tribulations of a real estate salesperson, and his subsequent encounters that lead to a greater insight and a new perspective of his approach to the business.”
In the forward, Spano writes, “In ways that some of us never thought possible, or perhaps even considered, successful selling forces us to become better people. This text strives to contribute to that process by stimulating the reader to uncover the habits and attitudes that can lead to greater success in his sales career.”
The book is available at www.amazon.com.
The Home Reference Book
By Carson Dunlop Home Inspections
$69
Home inspection firm Carson Dunlop’s Home Reference Book is now in its 25th edition. The book was developed as a report writing tool that was given to the firm’s clients to supplement the specific information about their house with more general stories on maintaining and replacing components of the home. It is now called the encyclopedia of homes, and covers all aspects inside and out, including appliances. It has detailed colour illustrations throughout and describes common problems and solutions, as well as outlining how things work in a typical home or cottage. There’s also a section that gives ballpark replacement cost estimates for the various components of a home.
The book is being given free to Carson Dunlop clients and also offered for sale to real estate agents who could use them as closing gifts. Discount rates are available for bulk purchases.
