This book is the best real estate book i ever read, and i've read hundreds of books. The book does not only talk about real estate but also everything needed to succeed in any businesses. This is the first complete real estate course i've read. It is definitely the bible of real estate investing, development, marketing, negotiating,management and endless success principles. THE GUY WITH THE NEGATIVE RATING DOES NOT NO WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT. READ THIS BOOK IF YOU WANT TO SUCCEED IN REAL ESTATE OR IN ANY BUSINESSES.

The book was horrible. I tried to finish it, but after trying over half a dozen times not to throw it away, I gave up. This guy may be good developing condos, but he and his editor couldn't write a book if their life depended on it. Obviously, this book was done for his ego, because he didn't reveal anything informative, helpful or interesting. It was extremely boring and poorly written. The book was more about how smart he thinks he is then about being a good real estate developer. I can name plenty of better real estate books. Do yourself a favor and do something more constructive with your time then read this book.... like buying a pre-construction condo in Miami..

Powerhouse Principles: The Billionaire Blueprint for Real Estate Success is an entertaining read for the professional and an instructive read for the beginning real estate investor.

For those who do not follow real estate closely, Jorge Perez is the southern half of Related Companies (the northern half is his partner Stephen Ross who developed the highly successful Time Warner Center @ Columbus Circle in NYC and who has just inked a deal with Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York to create 12 million square feet of commercial and residential towers above Manhattan's West Side Railyards).

Jorge has been the premier developer of quality condo's in Miami and Miami Beach AND most importantly, is still solvent and doing quite well thank you in spite of the bursting of the real estate bubble. Jorge and Related Companies have a well deserved reputation for upscale excellence that has served him in good stead.

How did he do it? Get rich and not go broke like many of his over extended competitors? What was his secret? Well, it is a bit like the secret to losing weight: eat less and exercise more. Jorge is a tireless advocate of financial discipline, hard work and SMART work. He knows his territory, he studies his customers, he knows his product, he knows his banks, he knows his subs...

Even tho he well on to his second billion, Jorge still runs scared, still acts and invests as if he could lose it all. In other words, he is aware of his downside on every deal and works hard to keep it minimal.

Jorge strives to know not only his job but the job of everyone around him; he advises the reader to continually 'pick the brains' of all their advisors, to find out WHY they give the advice they do, to learn as much as possible from them, in effect make them your tutors.

Jorge is evidently committed to being a life long learner and instructs potential investors to "read, read, read, read". Yes, that's right he says it 4 times.

While far from an how to manual (Jorge sends his readers elsewhere to get an understanding of IRR), Jorge does give a lot of practical advice, tells a lot of stories that give the reader a good flavor for real estate and make the book flow well.

Jorge covers
- Five Guiding Principles
- Four Keys to Successful Investing
- Ten Commandments of Negotiation
- Five Rules for Securing Financing
- Selling It: From Buzz to Frenzy in Five Steps
- Eight Rules for Building Profits
- Four Keys for Managing and Growing
- Three Principles of Change

A lot of common sense but would that common sense were common practice. Jorge writes in an easy to read manner, tells stories that make his points easy to remember and covers the same topic from several different angles which i believe is important to drive a point home and make sure the reader remembers and uses the info at critical decision points. To know and not do is to not know!

In the interest of full disclosure, i own a condo in one of Jorge's first developments, the Portofino. I almost bought it direct from Related when the building was first built (and i briefly met Jorge at that time), instead i bought in Manhattan. Years later i went an bought the same unit from the second owner and paid about two and half times what i would have paid Jorge.

If you want a more technical approach to real estate investing, check out my textbook at Construction Funding: The Process of Real Estate Development, Appraisal, and Finance and if you REALLY want to learn more about real estate investing, check out the University of Florida's Nathan S. Collier Master of Science in Real Estate Program at www.cba.ufl.edu/fire/programs/msre/