I’ve read more in the last year and a half than my whole life. Lotsa business books, real estate books, and now business type profiles (Iacocca, etc).
Problem is that i’m running out of books to read. Too many of the business books seem to all say the same thing, just a bunch of pablum.
What are you reading? I’ve read alot of Rich Dad Poor Dad, and alot of Trump books. Anymore suggestions?
Has anyone read a good book about commercial real estate investing?
Thanks
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Replies
Why not read some good fiction? Too many of the "reality books" makes my brain lopsided and it's easy to get burned out. Well written fiction allows you the possibility of different perspectives. Then go back to your business books.
My brain's been lopsided for to long. I need an education right now. I know there is some fine fiction out there, but is there anything you suggest?
I've read a few about commercial real estate investing. They get down to the real nitty gritty and you don't need to worry about getting too much fluff in them. It's really all about the numbers, nothing more, nothing less.
One of the good things about commercial is that it is valued by it's income. Emotion doesn't play as big a part of the equation as a single family residential home.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Jim did those books have titles?:>)
I've only found two books about commercial properties and they were very general. I didnt see anything about contracts or the real body of the market, just alot of lists of what you could buy and where.
They didnt seem worth buying at all.
Thanks to all for your suggestions. I've written them down and i'll check them out.
Anymore?
The Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss (motivational)
Truck by John Jerome (fiction, very entertaining)
and of course "House" by Tracy Kidder (dated, non-fiction, but a classic for builders)
Those books are not with me and I don't remember the titles. Sorry. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
"Its your ship"
.
my spelling is not bad, my keyboard is covered with dirt and I cant see the keys.
Read Dave Ramsey books. He made millions in real estate. He also lost millions in real estate. No he is making million his way. His way is great for business' also.
Russell
"welcome to my world"
It's a pretty standard read, but if you haven't yet, try Gerber's "E Myth for Contractors".
The star ship and the canoe
Holy cr*p. I thought I owned the only copy of the Starship and the Canoe.
You probably do!
I lost mine years ago.
Want to sell yours?
I have it tucked away, along with a few other books, that I want my son to read when he's ready (he's only 9 so it'll be a while). I googled it, Amazon has 24 copies starting at $1.91 so it's out there. Thanks for bringing it up though, nice flash from the past.
It's available used at Amazon. Methinks its time I renewed my acquaintence with Dysons Sr. and Jr. Also time to renew my long-forgotten relationship with The Dancing Wu Li Masters, which Starship and Canoe inspired me to read (or vice versa, can't remember, now. But it was a happy confluence, whichever way it went).
"the meat was prime,/the produce sublime,/but nevertheless/the dinner was/a horrible mess."
Samchang, 2007
hey you Dyson fans
we joined up with my daughter & some friends on the western shore of davidmeiland's island for some kayaking amongst the whales
we sent a copy of the starship to our daughter's friend who guided ushe had a wild eyed grin and some added spring in his step the next time we saw him and designs on kayaking the inside passage
Oh, wow! I hadn't thought about The Starship and the Canoe for about 20, 25 years. I lived around the bend in the cove from George Dyson for a few years -- what an amazing person, and such a synthesis of logic and spirituality, much as I think his father must also be.
"the meat was prime,/the produce sublime,/but nevertheless/the dinner was/a horrible mess."
Samchang, 2007
Ken Follet- "Pillars of the Earth". Its about a stone mason that meets a monk and together they build a cathedral. Great book.
Michners
caravans, hawaii, the covenant
folletts dangerous fortune
Pillars of the Earth is a great book. A lot of pages, but it is page turner all the way.
Ya, that was a good book.
However, if the original poster is still looking for books on RE investing,
Mooney has written enough hands-on factual stuff here to publish a nice pamphlet worth the rereading a few times.
Peach full,easy feelin'.
Ditto that, and I have a shelf full of RE investing books. Mooney and the other RE pros here pack much more real information.
Mooney has said a lot of stuff here and it's spot on. Everything he's said, I have read in numerous other real estate books including Carlton Sheets! Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Gutted: Down to the Studs in My House, My Marriage, My Life
http://www.amazon.com/Gutted-Down-Studs-House-Marriage/dp/B000OV16T4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204688303&sr=8-1
jamie....read that about two years ago, dieselpig loaned it to me
entertaining read... but the classic remains "House", tracey kidder
also wrote the bio about Apple Computer.... "Soul of a New Machine"Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I'll second "House" by Kidder as well as the rest of his books. Another great construction/business read is "The Company We Keep" by John Abrams.
"Nothing Down", or "Nothing Down for the 90's" by (I think) Robert Allen. Excellent real estate investing primers.
Heck, there might be a "Nothing Down for the New Millenium" by now.
I'll eat your peaches, mam. I LOVE peaches!
My brother, a fellow contractor, just recently wrote an e-book about marketing for the small contractor. Its called The Starving Carpenter. I thought it had some great marketing ideas for the small contractor especially as we are experiencing a slowdown in some markets. But, I am biased because its my brother.
You can find it at starvingcarpenter.com
Chris Calhoun
Cole owes you one. I just hit his website and am guessing that a bunch of others will as well just by you mentioning it here.
"House" is a good one.
Right now I'm reading "Oil!" by Upton Sinclair. The movie "There will be blood" was based on this book. I haven't seen the movie yet but can't wait to. I've always stuck to non-fiction so I wasn't sure about starting it but now I can't put it down.
I like reading about tycoons and barrons. Ah yes someday they'll be reading about me..... lol
Legal Disclaimer: The preceeding comments are for entertainment purposes only and are in no way to be construed as professional advice. The reader of these comments agrees to hold harmless the poster, EJCinc, from any and all claims that EJCinc offered professional advice, ideas, or comments to the reader that may or may not have resulted in the damage, injury, or death to the readers property or person.
Try "Small Giants" by Bo Burlingham
Great tretis on what gives small privately held companies the mojo to go out and whip the big corporations. Very useful and inspirational and also well written.
Other than that my top book to give away to small business friends continues to be Michael Grebers "E-myth Revisited" (not "the E-myth contractor" or "E-myth mastery"
m
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
I strongly second Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follit. One of the best books of fiction I've ever read. Totally engrossing.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll be reading two years after i'm dead! :>)
Elegant writing about our homes and how people use them, by Witold Rybczynski. My favorite is still The Most Beautiful House in the World.
Did Rybczynski do a book about different workshops? Maybe somebody else.
Anyhow, it's a great book.
"How Buildings Learn" by Stewart Brand. Belongs on any bookshelf right between Tracy Kidder's "House" and Rybczynski's "Home".
"the meat was prime,/the produce sublime,/but nevertheless/the dinner was/a horrible mess."
Samchang, 2007
MS..
As others have, I would suggest Pillars of the Earth. It's on my read again someday list.
Regardless of how you feel about the fellow,,,,, that Greenspan book I found a good read.
Have you ever read Don Quiote ??? Mabey the best book ever.
H
Another vote for Pillars and Starship. Somebody sent me the latter after completing a stripbuilt kayak.
I was totally engrossed by Time Traveler's Wife, an incredibly well written 1st novel about a guy who has a curious disorder that spontaneously sends him back and forth in time and place. One frequent location he ends up is the home of his future wife's childhood. The author weaves a compelling story from a web of meetings between the two that start for her when she is a child and for him when he is an adult.
Also recently read The Wild Trees. "Wild" meaning unclimbed. The book is about a small cadre of people that have been drawn to the largest trees in the world, how they climb them, their search for the largest, the danger and inevitability of falls, the science of the canopy and how huge and complex the trunk systems are.
Stumbling on Happiness, a fascinating book on the human mind. Disassembles how the mind works backing up the examination with studies that demonstrate how and what we remember, why we are so poor at predicting the future and how we will feel in it. The revelations are so fundamental that I find I can only read a little at a time while I digest the meaning of it. The information is related with careful structure to support the overarching point of why our most direct efforts to be happy are likely to go astray and delivered with considerable humour. - r