I’m often asked about the best books out there for real estate investors, and of all the books I’ve recommended, there are a few that come up again and again.
Self-education is (or should be!) a big priority for investors. In my opinion, these are some of the most timeless resources available to us about real estate and investing.
Must-Read Books for Real Estate Investors
1. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
This book isn’t just for the aspiring investor – it’s for anyone looking to achieve success in life. Based on his experiences with Andrew Carnegie and 500 of America’s wealthiest men, Napoleon Hill unfolds a step-by-step method to build wealth and achieve goals. It’s not based on having money to make money, but on building riches by means of thoughts, ideas, and organized plans. This textbook for success not only provides you with the secret of success, but it also helps you develop the mindset you’ll need to enjoy the lifestyle you’ll achieve.
2. The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy – Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
We often picture the wealthy as those who reside in mansions and live a life worthy of its own reality show. But most wealthy Americans are people who work hard, save diligently, and live below their means. They don’t accumulate wealth from a large inheritance and advanced degrees, but they do share seven key traits. After interviewing millionaires for 20 years, Stanley and Danko share their research so you can learn how to join their ranks.
3. The Compound Effect – Darren Hardy
There’s no quick fix for success. No gimmicky payment-plan option will bring in the money you’re looking to earn. Success depends on applying the operating system of the Compound Effect. When you learn to multiply your success and chart your progress, you can achieve any desire.
4. The Demographic Cliff – Harry Dent Jr.
Known for his ability to forecast economics, Dent uses demographics as his key prediction tool. With the soon-approaching mass retirement of the boomers, our economy is headed towards drastic change. Consequently, he advises how to use these predictions as a guide in retirement planning, health care, real estate, education, investing, and business strategies.
5. King Icahn: The Biography of a Renegade Capitalist – Mark Stevens
This story of a man who rose from his lower middle class upbringing to the most powerful force on Wall Street grants an inside look at how he made his fortune. Written by Icahn’s tennis partner and neighbor, we see an unauthorized view of him fighting his way to the top of corporate America. If you’re interested in activist investing, this biography uncovers the background of the most notorious corporate raider of our time.
6. Any book by Brandon Turner
This active real estate investor and entrepreneur has been strategically investing in flips, apartments, and houses since the age of 21. Now, as VP of BiggerPockets.com and author of The Book on Rental Property Investing, The Book on Investing in Real Estate With No (and Low) Money Down, How We Bought a 24-Unit Apartment Complex For (Almost) No Money Down, and many others, he continues to diversify his investments while letting others in on his creative financing methods.
7. The Magic of Thinking Big – David J. Schwartz
Big goals result in big success. With a change in thinking come changes in your potential. In this motivational piece, Schwartz offers timeless tools to help you sell better, manage better, earn more money, and find greater happiness. He claims that success is the greatest goal in life – then he teaches you how to achieve it.
8. The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich – Timothy Ferriss
Want to work less and earn more? This unconventional guide to having the lifestyle you want offers practical tips and templates for eliminating email, negotiating with bosses, and outsourcing your tasks. Living an adventurous life doesn’t have to wait until retirement. With the right tools, you can have that lifestyle now – without even quitting your job.
9. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul – Howard Schultz and Joanne Gordon
Starbucks needed a comeback. And in 2008, Howard Schultz returned as CEO to help restore core values and financial health to the company he created. Through his recollections of the economic situation, the difficult decisions he faced, and the strategies he implemented, we get a raw view of leadership, management, and branding in the modern age.
10. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – T. Harv Eker
How do some people come by wealth more easily than others? Acquiring wealth is about mindset as much as it is about circumstance. Eker shows us how upbringing and attitude shapes our financial future from the subconscious. Our finances are predetermined – unless we decide to redirect our path. If you want to do better financially, you need to revise your financial blueprint. With Eker’s action steps and advice, you can think like rich people think and do what rich people do.
11. Richest Man in Babylon – George Samuel Clason
This timeless tale offers financial advice through a series of parables set in ancient Babylon, the first civilization to understand universal laws of wealth. Through these simple stories you’ll understand thrift and financial planning as the keys to personal wealth.
12. Never Give Up – Jason Navallo
Learn what success means to modern America’s greatest leaders. In these 20 inspirational interviews with leaders of today’s fastest-growing companies, you’ll read about proven insights you can apply to your own life.
