This book had a lot of useful information on the many different aspects of real estate investing, both residential and commercial. On top of that it was fun to read. I had a hard time putting it down. It has many exciting examples of deals he has made in the past.

I read this back in 2003, when I was beginning my real estate investing business. I've read many books on real estate since then. This was a very good book on the basics. I recommend it for beginners who are building a foundational knowledge of investing in real estate. It isn't for the more more advanced investor, however. So as long as you keep that in mind if purchasing this then you should be good to go.

All the best.

Very good book. Excellent tips. Easy read but comprehensive. Enjoyed every page of it and learnt so much. Misleading title though. Couldn't put it down.

I have not completely read this book as of yet.... however it looks like I will find some interesting help

Good book and information. But you will get spammed so I would recommend using a junk/throwaway address before you sign up for this person's personal newsletter/program.

Otherwise, it was worth buying and reading. You should be able to achieve your goals and target your objectives properly with this book.

This book is definitely a must have for those who want to learn the world of real estate investing. I found it extremely helpful and very easy reading. I found it very inspiring and will definitely go back to it again and again for advice.

This was a good basic introduction on WHY real esate is a good investment...I don't personally think it should be 100% of a person's portfolio, so the reader needs to be very careful and not get carried away into thinking 'real esate is where it's at'! Just like the stock market, RE experiences cycles too.

Having said that, this book was very educational in terms of getting me to think outside the box. I wish we had this book prior to selling our first home that we bought. Our mortgage would've been low (less than $1k) in So. CA(!) and I'm sure we would've been able to rent it out for double that! Had I read this book, we would've either rented it out...or fire the sleazy realtor that ripped us off! We learned from that mistake and by reading these types of books...hopefully we'll make better decisions in the future. For this education alone, I'd recommend you read this, take it w/ a grain of salt (in terms of striking it rich ONLY in RE) and use this info. to make the best decision for your situation.

This was a good basic introduction on WHY real esate is a good investment...I don't personally think it should be 100% of a person's portfolio, so the reader needs to be very careful and not get carried away into thinking 'real esate is where it's at'! Just like the stock market, RE experiences cycles too.

Having said that, this book was very educational in terms of getting me to think outside the box. I wish we had this book prior to selling our first home that we bought. Our mortgage would've been low (less than $1k) in So. CA(!) and I'm sure we would've been able to rent it out for double that! Had I read this book, we would've either rented it out...or fire the sleazy realtor that ripped us off! We learned from that mistake and by reading these types of books...hopefully we'll make better decisions in the future. For this education alone, I'd recommend you read this, take it w/ a grain of salt (in terms of striking it rich ONLY in RE) and use this info. to make the best decision for your situation.

Dolf talks about how real estate blows the doors off other investment vehicles because of the leverage available. The book is a bit basic and conceptual, but for those investors either just getting started in real estate or thinking about it, this book will give you the push needed. It explains how the returns can be explosive on the capital invested because of the use of leverage. It's true, understanding how the implications of leverage affect total return is very important, however I would have likes more real life examples. In my book, A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate, I go over in detail deal after deal to illustrate this point.

Another key concepts covered are: productivity, and how it is affecting middle America, oceanfront or seaside property, and how it appreciates 50% more than other areas and the time needed to look at 100 properties before finding a real deal. All these are must know for the real estate investors of tomorrow.

This book as well as the others in the Rich Dad series are great starting points. I read all that were available while building my real estate company which went from $0 to $25,000,000 in holdings in less than 5 years.


By Kevin Kingston, Author of, A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate

Like most of Kiyosaki books, it gets you thinking and believing in real estate. You have to think it before you can act on it. You have to believe it before you can act on it without being afraid. This book gets you thinking. There are a few math formulas that I found helpful. But mostly it left me longing for property in New Zealand.

Like most of Kiyosaki books, it gets you thinking and believing in real estate. You have to think it before you can act on it. You have to believe it before you can act on it without being afraid. This book gets you thinking. There are a few math formulas that I found helpful. But mostly it left me longing for property in New Zealand.

In the first chapter, de Roos poses four questions designed to convince the reader that real estate investing is superior to other kinds of investing. The first question is: "How many dollars' worth of stock can you buy with $100,000 cash?" The answer, according to de Roos, is that $100,000 cash will generally buy you only $100,000 worth of stock. He says investment houses will only let you buy "a very limited number of stocks" on margin and "then only for about 30 percent of the value of the stocks." I have never encountered a stock that I have not been able to buy on margin through my Schwab account. Furthermore, I can margin up to 50 percent. Besides, the reason why Schwab won't let me use more leverage is because IT'S RISKY. de Roos then goes on to suggest that you can easily get a loan to buy a $1 million property by putting down just $100,000. How is this less risky than buying stocks on margin? de Roos says: "[You] have an asset worth $1 million that would generate rental income for you. If you had bought wisely, then the rent would more than cover your expenses." Well, what happens if you "had not bought wisely?" What happens if you can't find tenants? What happens if the economy goes south right after you bought? All one needs to do is drive up and down Highway 101 in Silicon Valley and look at all the "For Lease" signs to realize that vacancies are a fact of life.

Consider, for example, the case of Mission West Properties (AMEX-MSW), a real estate investment trust (REIT) that, according to its most recent 10-K, "acquires, markets, leases, and manages Research and Development ("R&D") properties, primarily located in the Silicon Valley portion of the San Francisco Bay Area." In a recent conference call, MSW's management reported that the bursting of the Internet bubble will cause vacancy rates in their R&D properties to approach 40% over the next year. The only reason why MSW may survive is because they are only moderately leveraged. For example, their ratio of mortgage debt to shareholder equity is a modest 2.35 to 1. If, on the other hand, MSW had a debt/equity ratio of 9 to 1, as they would if they had followed de Roos' advice and purchased properties by borrowing $9 for every $1 of their own funds, quite obviously it would be very difficult for them to remain a going concern in an environment of 40% vacancy rates; they would soon be overwhelmed by interest payments.

It seems, then, as if de Roos' first chapter is based on two very dubious assumptions: 1.) it is difficult to persuade your stock broker to loan you any money so you can buy stocks on margin, but it is easy as pie to persuade your local bank to loan you 90% of the purchase price of an investment property; 2.) using leverage is risky if you are buying stocks, but not if you are buying real estate. If the first chapter of the book is filled with such nonsense, the rest of the book can't be much better. I didn't even bother to read any further.

In the first chapter, de Roos poses four questions designed to convince the reader that real estate investing is superior to other kinds of investing. The first question is: "How many dollars' worth of stock can you buy with $100,000 cash?" The answer, according to de Roos, is that $100,000 cash will generally buy you only $100,000 worth of stock. He says investment houses will only let you buy "a very limited number of stocks" on margin and "then only for about 30 percent of the value of the stocks." I have never encountered a stock that I have not been able to buy on margin through my Schwab account. Furthermore, I can margin up to 50 percent. Besides, the reason why Schwab won't let me use more leverage is because IT'S RISKY. de Roos then goes on to suggest that you can easily get a loan to buy a $1 million property by putting down just $100,000. How is this less risky than buying stocks on margin? de Roos says: "[You] have an asset worth $1 million that would generate rental income for you. If you had bought wisely, then the rent would more than cover your expenses." Well, what happens if you "had not bought wisely?" What happens if you can't find tenants? What happens if the economy goes south right after you bought? All one needs to do is drive up and down Highway 101 in Silicon Valley and look at all the "For Lease" signs to realize that vacancies are a fact of life.

Consider, for example, the case of Mission West Properties (AMEX-MSW), a real estate investment trust (REIT) that, according to its most recent 10-K, "acquires, markets, leases, and manages Research and Development ("R&D") properties, primarily located in the Silicon Valley portion of the San Francisco Bay Area." In a recent conference call, MSW's management reported that the bursting of the Internet bubble will cause vacancy rates in their R&D properties to approach 40% over the next year. The only reason why MSW may survive is because they are only moderately leveraged. For example, their ratio of mortgage debt to shareholder equity is a modest 2.35 to 1. If, on the other hand, MSW had a debt/equity ratio of 9 to 1, as they would if they had followed de Roos' advice and purchased properties by borrowing $9 for every $1 of their own funds, quite obviously it would be very difficult for them to remain a going concern in an environment of 40% vacancy rates; they would soon be overwhelmed by interest payments.

It seems, then, as if de Roos' first chapter is based on two very dubious assumptions: 1.) it is difficult to persuade your stock broker to loan you any money so you can buy stocks on margin, but it is easy as pie to persuade your local bank to loan you 90% of the purchase price of an investment property; 2.) using leverage is risky if you are buying stocks, but not if you are buying real estate. If the first chapter of the book is filled with such nonsense, the rest of the book can't be much better. I didn't even bother to read any further.

This book can give you incredible insight on what the real estate industry is all about, through the eyes of Dolf De Roos. A very indepth book about real estate that may come off confusing at first, but will all fall in place at the end...or conclusion of the book.

A must buy and a must read!

Roos is part real estate investor, part cheerleader. If real estate investing were as simple as getting excited about real estate investing then we'd read this book, leave our 9-5s, and, ahhh, riches. Real Estate Riches inspires me to invest in real estate the way Bruce Lee inspired me as a kid to become a kung fu master. It's great to dream about, but the hard work between the dream and the reality is usually enough dissuade.

His basic plan-of-action is 1) use as little of your money as possible and as much of the bank's money, to, 2) --he skips this part about how hard it is it find and identify a positive cash flow property, then, 3) buy a place that continues to increase in value, while it simultaneously delivers cash in your pocket each month, and finally, 4) when you need more money to invest, drain the equity from your property and repeat.

I think the best advice he gives, and the one insight you might find to be part of the real work of real estate investing, is the 100:10:3:1 rule. Look at _100_ properties, make offers on 10, negotiate financing on 3, and you MAY buy 1. Real estate investing is hard work. Roos show you all of the glamour, but little of the daily grind that's involved to make it happen for yourself.

For a more balanced approach see Real Estate Investing, 4th edition by McLean and Eldred.

This is a good book to really inspire a new reader.
However, its tough to overlook the gross distortions that the author makes.

For example, he makes a huge argument to start the book off saying how you can't use leverage in the stock market. Well, most of the companies you invest in will use debt for you let alone trading on margin. Furthermore, he fails to realize that not all stocks have giant swings.

Thats just what he fails to mention. On top of that, some of the numbers he does use are needlessly exagerated. A 400 dollar paint job? Wake up Dolf, unless your hiring illegal immigrants I dont think thats going to raise property value much.

I think the author does make some good points... but his distortions make me extremely wary, if im investing in property i dont want the glitz and glamour I want to know the risks in order to make an informed decision.

Expert real estate investor Dolf de Roos presents Real Estate Riches: How To Become Rich Using Your Banker's Money, a straightforward introduction to reaping the rewards of real estate investment. From taking advantage of favorable parts of the tax code, to creating passive income with one's banker's money, to how to increase one's property values without excessive expense, and much more, Real Estate Riches is an excellent primer for putting money and land to work for one. Tips, tricks, techniques, and advice such as tha 100:10:3:1 rule (if you look at 100 properties, put offers on 10, and try to arrange financing for 3, you may end up buying 1 - good deals are not just there for picking!) tell the business like it is. Real estate investment requires hard work and intelligence like any other business prospect, yet when properly done, the rewards can be tremendous; Real Estate Riches shows just what to do and how.

Please do not get carried away by the poor ratings left by reviewers who did not take their time to understand the wealth of information in this book.

This book indeed lacks the hands-on techniques of real estate investing; Dolf de Roos made it clear himself that Real Estate Riches will NOT be another "How-To" book. This book addresses the other very important issue, "Why" invest in real estate.

Dolf de Roos in his book discusses extensively the reasons real estate is one of the lucrative investments around. Most of the information may seem to be common sense to expert RE Investors, but they are inspiring and motivating for new and to-be RE investors. That being said, I could pick out more than a few refreshing concepts from the book. The 100:3:1 rule, reaping profits from your property without ever selling, beating the averages are just some examples.

This book is NOT the end of your REI education. On the contrary, it motivates you to continue you to learn, self-educate on the subject, and most important of all, go out and invest! From this perspective, the book serves its purpose impeccably well.

There is some really great info on this audio CD, but couldn't they find someone with a voice that wasn't incredibly annoying. I mean, Robert Kiyosaki's voice would have been a hundred times better. That being said, if you can stand the voice the info is good. I highly recommend a book version instead since Dolf will drive you insane. Sorry Dolf, nothing personal.

This book is written for novices trying to find out what real estate investing is like. It has no real advice nor practical tips on how to get into real estate. It is basically a story about the authors experiences in real estate. This book is very short, poorly written, and lacks informative material. To learn about real estate investing I strongly recommend "Investing in Real Estate" by McLean and Eldred. The McLean book is for beginning investors, but it is much more useful. You shouldn't waste your money on Real Estate Riches.

What I like aboout the Rcih Dad advisor series is that the books are written by people who are actually experienced and knowledgable about the topic they are writing on.

For example, in this book, we have the great Dolf deRoos who has made a small fortune investing in real estate. He has walked the talk and talks the walk. He has been there, done it and done it again.

If your goal is to become a sucessful real estate investor, then I highly recommend this great book by Dolf de Roos.