This book is really not much more than a long glossary. If you know very little about real estate then perhaps you could get some benefit from it. If you know what a FSBO or triple net lease is, then you can probably get by just fine without it. If you don't then you could google the terms pretty quickly.

The chapter on finding properties to buy makes repeated mention to homes rather than commercial real estate. Other tactics mentioned are contacting brokers, telling your friends you are looking, driving around looking for sale by owner (FSBO) property etc. Do you really need to spend money to be told this?

There is some material about what needs to go into the various contracts listed. Yes I think the author is correct the buyer, seller, price etc should probably be in there. Frankly anyone buying a commercial property would probably have an attorney smart enough to figure that out.

The subtitle of the book is "A Step by Step Road Map to Financial Wealth". That part of the book must have been missing in my copy. Beyond very general advice, there was nothing there.

Do yourself a favor. If you need background material find a different book. Then find a lawyer, lender, broker, and maybe an appraiser that specialize in what you are thinking of doing (in that order). Make an appointment to meet each of them for an hour or so and bring your questions. Some of them might be willing to talk to you for the price of a nice lunch and the possibility of doing business with you later. You might need to pay others for an hour of their time.

Please don't try to shortcut the process by only talking to one type of professional. They each have their specialty, limitations, and biases. As an example what a broker might consider a good deal, your lender might not want to touch. Your attorney might find a problem that could save you big OR might find a solution that gets you a great deal.

The idea behind talking to professional is simply to save time. They can give you a pretty good idea about how good of an idea you have. Paying a few hundred for good advice sure beats spending dozens if not hundreds of hours chasing after something that isn't going to work.

I gave it two stars instead of one because it is a fairly good glossary.

When a book claims to be "a step by step road map to financial wealth," one might raise a cynical eyebrow and move on. Doing so in the case of Steven D. Fisher's The Commercial Real Estate Investor's Handbook would be foolish. This is no get rich quick manual, however, and Fisher is clear to point out that winning in commercial real estate requires hard work, a determined effort, and the proper mindset.

Borrowing concepts espoused by wealth producing experts Napoleon Hill, Stephen R. Covey, Dale Carnegie and others, Fisher has created a powerful step-by-step commercial real estate guide by implementing classic self-improvement principles and applying them to a specific field.

Highlights include a mindset questionnaire, how to get started, career options in real estate, sources available, different types of financing, negotiating, and closing the deal. Unlike most real estate investment handbooks, Fisher explains how to manage the property after the purchase, and how to sell it down the road.

The ultimate question is whether or not an average person could take the information contained in The Commercial Real Estate Investor's Handbook and transact a profitable deal. If you're looking to invest in commercial real estate or are open to new methods of amassing wealth, I suggest you pick up the book, and find out for yourself. You'll be very pleased.

Before I started reading "The Commercial Real Estate Handbook for Investors," I tried to prepare myself for a "dry read". However, I was pleasantly surprised. The concepts and explanations are written in a crisp and conversational tone. The author also explains the buzz words in real estate and how it pertains to the bottom line of your investment strategy. This book has it all, from goal setting to definitions of real estate terms to sample emails that should be sent to keep a deal alive. Do yourself a favor and buy this book. The concepts are such that you can apply them to not only real estate but other types of business as well.

Five of five stars! This book covers the risks and rewards of real estate investing, along with types of investments, the basics of getting started, factors affecting commercial real estate values, understanding real estate market psychology, sources of financing, finding profitable deals, and financing. In short, it covers everything a beginner would need or want to know before embarking on this type of investment.

That's not all it covers. There's also information about commercial real estate loan documents, an explanation of leases, negotiating purchase agreements, managing tenants, insurance, sale of commercial real estate properties, marketing real estate properties, and taxes. Two appendices include sample lease forms. A glossary is beneficial to beginners who haven't yet mastered real estate and investment terminology.

The Commercial Real Estate Investor's Handbook: A Step by Step Road Map to Financial Wealth is definitely not boring or dry. It's an interesting, practical and informative book that anyone considering real estate investing should invest in (no pun intended).

THE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTOR'S HANDBOOK: A STEP-BY-STEP ROAD MAP TO FINANCIAL WEALTH is for any who would invest in a commercial building, whether it be a warehouse, apartment, shopping center, hotel or other type of commercial income property. Beginners receive tips on how to find deals, how to finance wisely, and how to make purchase offers, with many case history examples and tips on taxation and development included along with math calculations and sample forms. It's a 'must' for any collection catering to real estate readers.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The Commercial Real Estate Investor's Handbook A Step-by-Step Road Map to Financial Wealth is an in-depth guide to entering the commercial real estate market. The author takes the reader by the hand in a logical progression from understanding the market to closing the deal. The book is straight forward and makes no promises of instant profit; the author lays out the facts and lets the reader learn what is needed to undertake a commercial real estate investment. The book is written in a way that takes all the mystery out of the whole process and the reader is left feeling that commercial real estate investment can be achieved by anyone willing to follow the steps laid out in black and white.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever contemplated trying to enter this market. It will, at the very least, let the reader know if it is right for him or her. This book is also useful to those who have already entered the market but would like to expand into other commercial endeavors.

This is the first time that I had purchased a book, on real estate for personal use. Many years ago I took a general course on real estate which could be used for a real estate exam towards a brokers license. After the course I was not moved nor did I do well, in fact, I felt more lost after I finished.

However I have recently finished my law degree. Given that real property was a required class,and by me one of the most dreaded, due in part to my above experience. However, what caught my eye while looking for some other legal books was this clique " A step by
step Road map to Financial wealth." My first thought was it must be one of those get rich type books. However after reviewing it, I realized it was not. While reading it, I could better relate to many of the concepts, in relation to what I learned about real property, I had wished I had that book, when I took that course.

The book was clear, concise, well organized and user friendly. I really liked the chapter about due diligence,that gave me a broader understanding of it, especially as a step in dealing with real estate investing. Further much knowledge but still practical experience, and research would also be needed to formulate such a book. It was different then trying to figure out these same concepts that one would in a law book.

Yet in many ways if one becomes a real estate investor they had practical examples, such as the affirmations which were well put and setting your priorities on the ultimate goal that also could be applied to any aspect of life if the person wants to ascertain their goal/s bad enough. Meaning you have to work for it, and see through till the end. As many of these books give you the impression that things will be given to you on a silver platter, which is such a fallacy.

Further if it was easy everybody would be doing it. I also liked,the handy legal glossary in the back for reference.

However, the author did use the word we allot. I assume he was referring to himself and the attorney that wrote the welcoming forward in the initial part of the book, since there were not many other references per se on where the author, acquired all this information, nor did it say in the brief bio about the author, of any experience in the legal forum, or with real estate investing however, he did write business and instructional type manuals, which came out quite clearly in his writing. I was impressed with it and I am going to use it as a supplement in a legal real estate class. To conclude, I gave it 5 stars.

A well-written guide for the beginning investor. It differs from so many, in that it is not a book about getting rich quick. The author states upfront that making money is possible with hard work and dedication. Then he lays out all the steps necessary to achieve the goal. I love that author tips for bolstering your self -confidence using positive affirmations. He even gives examples of where to place those encouraging notes.

The book is written in plain English with a warm friendly tone. It is extremely well laid out and easy to read. It covers everything you will need to know to succeed. There is an excellent appendix that provides a wealth of sample documents and also, there is a glossary of every term used in the book.

After reading this book, you feel you have a good working knowledge of what it takes to become successful in the commercial real estate market. I highly recommend it.