Confessions of a Real Estate Entrepreneur: What It Takes to Win in High-Stakes Commercial Real Estate: What it Takes to Win in High-Stakes Commercial Real Estate Paperback – January 9, 2006

About 7 years ago, I formed a little real estate investment group as I was interested in getting into it. Because I posted the group on line, the author (or somebody representing him) sent me a complimentary copy of this book. It was while reading this book that my perspective on real estate investing changed. It's a starting point book, by which I mean that it's not intended to give you every detail on how to structure a deal, or analytical nuances to stabilizing a distressed asset. However, it's also not as vague as a "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" type of book. The book gives some basic terminologies and definitions that you'll need to know when investing in real estate and then moves on to basically be a short history with perspective of several deals that the author has done. After reading this book, my investment strategy changed from simply pursuing cash flow properties, to looking for value add opportunities. The change in strategy has produced huge results. If you're looking for a book to help you see a path to bigger money via real estate, this is a good one. I have bought this book probably 8 times as I give it away as a gift. Simple read, but worth the time.

I read this when 20. 40 now and when I was searching for an investment book for an accountant, meaning they didn't need an intro to crunching numbers this was the first thing I thought of. A gut instict type of book and spot on. Was a major motivator in my early career in large part because it was highly practical and not fluff. Not often a book and cover can be instantly recalled in your mind 20 years later.

I just received this book today and am only about 40 pages into it, but it is so great that I had to stop and post my praise.I own about a half-dozen various books on real estate and have looked at dozens. I've owned a couple investment properties and am going to get back into the game very soon.This is certainly the best book on real estate that I have seen or read.The author is a real investor who wants to share the ins and outs of the biz with other people, and he does a fantastic job.The author doesn't just say something empty like, "real estate is a great investment with many tax benefits. You can do it if you put your mind to it, so get out there and get it done!" nor does he give other inspiring but utterly meaningless "advice" or information like so many books on the shelf.Instead, this author talks about how the real estate game actually works in real life, gives you examples which are drawn from real deals he's done, and then (are you ready for this?) he actually explains everything in layman's terms that anyone who graduated high school can understand!He is certainly not condescending, he just explains things thoroughly and clearly. While many authors make an attempt at doing this, they either can't drop their jargon long enough to explain something or they only give a cursory explanation that still leaves you in the fog.I'm educated and intelligent, but the reason I'm reading books like these is to learn about things I don't already know (obviously). With many (if not most) other real estate books, you are forced to look up many of the terms or ideas or read other real estate books in order to clarify what was said in the first one.That's not necessary here, as the author explains everything to you just like a friend or mentor would.If you are looking for a book that will truly give you a solid foundation in the language of real estate and also give you real-world examples of how actual deals work, look no further than this book.If nothing else, this book is worth the price for the first chapter alone, where he gives excellent explanations of the basics of real estate such as the components of a contract, partnerships, corporations, etc.Good luck!

The book has several interesting case studies that highlight the importance of out of the box thinking, persistence, and luck. The book is less interesting where it veers from case studies to other subjects. Still, it is much better than most books on the subject. I would recommend it.

Here is a commercial real estate investment book that doesn't require a degree in finance to keep up with. At the same time it is not too simplistic for experienced investors. I found this a little surprising, considering Randel is a real estate attorney. It doesn't take long to understand what he means by real estate entrepreneur vs. investor. The entrepreneur gets creative and is willing to try things in his market that haven't been tried before. Having no money doesn't stop him, it just encourages more creativity. He isn't satisfied with institutional type returns, but looks to hit the ball out of the park, while still managing his risk.Each major technique is illustrated with a story that describes a transaction in detail. In the more complex examples, Randel slows down and defines his terms to help us "get it." His deals range from half a million dollars on up to near 50 million. These stories make the book entertaining. I could hardly put it down. Now I have a idea (Randel's) for a commercial office building that could double its value within two to three years, even if the market is flat.The principles stay the same, it is the applications that change. Learn these principles to apply this year in your market to create returns worthy of a real estate entrepreneur.

Loved every page! He explained commercial real estate investing really well, the different required aspects of it, including the players, the numbers, the real risks and potential rewards.

I liked the 1st person view into the CRE “game”

Great Book.Contains Practical Knowledge, usually not present in Books.

Eine gute fachliche Ausnahme unter den Immobilienbuechern. Sehr gut!Randel weiß was er spricht. Ein Profi eben. Auch für Immobilieninvestoreninteressant.

After 30 years in commercial real estate as a lawyer, broker and investor it's not surprising that Mr. Randel has some fantastic stories to share, but it was a delight to read about them!! There are many lessons to be learned from this book and some great stories to hear along the way.The fact that he put so many of his deals together with creativity and tenacity made this an inspirational book. He worked hard to make millions on deals ... and sometimes he lost a million or more. But, the deals he won big on were incredible stories of creativity, networking, and hard work!!Along the way as you learn about his journey and deals he teaches you the basics of commercial real estate investing ... making concepts like triple net leases, cap rates, and contracts easy to understand. His legal background serves as an excellent base to really explain important concepts in real estate - because much of the big deal making really came back to good solid real estate contracts that give you control or rights to properties.Fantastic read ... even if you're not into commercial real estate this book will inspire you and give you new ideas.