Rich Dad's Real Estate Advantages: Tax and Legal Secrets of Successful Real Estate Investors

• #9 in Best Real Estate Books

22 Reviews

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This book is designed to help you develop a smarter real estate acquisition plan. It shows how you can look hard at your assets and liabilities and develop a leverage plan for purchases and a tax advantage plan to maximize your cash flow. There is some good advice on networking, mentoring, joining a local real estate club and building a team of advisors. The explanation of tax strategies, depreciation and insurance is not as strong or in depth as I'd liked to have read. However the chapters on tax-free exchanges are very enlightening; especially to those of who have read about it but have been afraid to do a 1031. The book also offers other good advice on homestead advantages and responsibilities for legal due diligence. The strength of the book for me, and probably most other investors who have less than 10 properties, is (1) the advice on asset protection; e.g. use of a Limited Liability Corporation, and (2) smart use of the tax-free advantages in 1031 exchanges. I strolgy recommend it for those who have a few properties and are ready to make a bigger bolder move in real estate investing.

Unfortunately the book didn't uncover any "secrets" whatsoever as the title alludes to. The information contained in this book is very basic. I found one major problem with the text in that it encourages "component depreciation". My research and understanding is that this was clearly outlawed in the US in the 1980s. When I contacted the publishing company for clarification, no one would answer this simple question (for two months before I gave up trying to get an answer they said Sharon Lechter was on vacation with no access to phone or email).

If this book was filled with high quality ideas, I would have overlooked an error or two and given it 4 or 5 stars. But that wasn't the case as I've only been in the real estate game for a short time and already knew most of what is contained in this text. All in, this book isn't even worth the $5 +shipping I paid for it used....

(Available in both book and audio--reviewed as an audio)

Whether you are new to real estate investing, or a seasoned real estate investor looking to maximize your returns, Rich Dad's Real Estate Advantages has something for you.

Beginning with very basic real estate investment tactics such as the 1031 exchange and increasing buying power with the bank's money, and gaining in complexity to taking advantage of tax code and decreasing legal risk, this book continues the tradition of good advice the Rich Dad system is known for.

The audio book version is read by Garrett Sutton, ESQ, one of the authors, with a forward by Robert Kiyosaki (the Rich Dad guru) and Sharon L. Lechter, CPA. The audio is of fine quality with no variation in sound level and Sutton reads it flawlessly. The CDs, whether intentionally or not, also seem to be broken into the three components of the book: introductory real estate investing, tax strategies, and legal strategies, so it would be relatively easy to re-listen to specific sections.

I would say that this book is so full of information that I felt I should be taking notes. Probably, listening multiple times would suffice, but many investors would like to reference specific sections and may prefer the hard copy rather than the audio. Someone just beginning, especially someone who commutes and can listen daily, will see the advantage of information repeat that the audio provides.

Armchair Interviews says: A good book--but this audio format won't be appropriate for everyone.

Rich Dad has a series of books, with the best selling one mainly a motivational one. This book is an exception, it actually offers practical advice and tips on how to properly setup real estate investments and corporate assets. Not just how to motivate you with words.

-Matt
Illustrator for the Ultimate Foreclosure Kit
(ISBN 0978834658)

This book does for real estate investing what Pimsleur does for language learning: it teaches you to speak the real estate language, to ask knowledgeable questions, and to make informed decisions.

I have been through dozens of books, tapes, and CD programs on investing in real estate. Some are strictly motivational with little useful information. Others are like reference works and cannot be read from beginning to end. Still others hope to be meaningful forever and so dare not give you anything too current, or disputable and likely to change. Lechter and Sutton, however, wrote a book to turn a dreamer into a real estate investor. If that's what you still want at the end - but you have all the info to make the decision. Other reviewers might say that there are no "secrets" in this book - true, I suppose - but if YOU don't have a tutor for the subject, then for YOU common knowledge is a secret!

The authors give separate advice for dealing with primary residence and for investment properties. Most other books blur these separate cases. Special cases where individual state law might differ from the general situations are pointed out. Case studies and repetition are used throughout - much like Pimsleur uses conversation in each language lesson. The reader brings everything learned earlier to each case, but is stretched just a bit to see why each case is unique. Each chapter builds on prior chapters. Included is the required amount of math, but this is clearly not a math book. On the contrary, it is an enjoyable read cover-to-cover. Some of the material is current as of 2006 and this is clearly noted. I hope this book gets updated every few years.

While technically part of the Rich Dad series, the book stands on its own. The reader is fully aware of the few tacked-on references to the Rich Dad philosophy.

This book is a must-read for anyone thinking about a career in real estate investing in all its forms. Consider it the second book you read - after something like "Home Buying for Dummies."

Of all the Real Estate "How To" books and programs I've purchased over the years, one thing was always lacking...the legal aspects of holding and protecting the property. A few may have touched on it, but nothing as meaty as this book. Very informative and easy to understand. Buying real estate without reading this book would be like going into combat without weapons and body armor...at some point you're going to end up getting killed ( or sued ). In this day and age where people are suing fast food restaurants for making them fat, or cigarette companies for giving them cancer, don't think some tenant won't sue you some day for something equally as stupid. This book is super cheap insurance...buy it if you're seriously considering real estate investing.

I have really enjoyed rich dad's Real Estate. I must say that I am a beginner when it comes to real estate.. but I thought the book was very well written and coved a lot.

This book made me want to get into Real Estate investing! It's written in a such a way that even us Swedish people understood it!!
Loved it! After reading it, I felt that also I can do this, not as scary as I thought it would be!
Thank you for writing a GREAT book!!

The 'Rich Dad' financial advisor series is a consistent, top-rated series on investing and Rich Dad's Real Estate Advantages is no exception: it offers both first-time and seasoned real estate investors a game plan for understanding exactly how real estate investing works, from tax loopholes and financing arrangements to learning how all work together to maximize income and profits. A CPA and corporate attorney join forces here to provide a collection of real-world strategies and formulas that can reduce risks and create reliable monthly income. Public libraries with heavy lending in investment topics must have this!

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I have to say this book is very well written. The authors covers a lot of ground and gives you great examples on how to get the most of your money from real estate by giving the least to uncle sam! Highly recommended for beginners looking for a start in real estate.

The tax and legal secrets of a successful investor is a good read on how to hide your assets from the tax man -- legally!! The book talks about investing in tax auctions using retirement accounts and other good investment products. I would definitely recommend this and also recommend another book supplementing the tax auction venture:

Investing Without Losing (ISBN: 0978834607 NOT on amazn, on other stores)

Very informative. This book is full of great strategies of how to maximize your return and how to protect your real estate investments and retire comfortably. You will learn how to choose the right asset protection for your investments, how to maximize your real estate investments to your retirement advantage, the use of 1031 exchange to pass on assets to your kids without paying capital gain tax, how to mix and match business entities if you have multiple RE investments in different states, learn the advantages and disadvantages of a Nevada, Wyoming, California, Texas corporation or LLC. After reading this book, I attended a seminar with the co-author lawyer, Garrett Sutton, at a National Real Estate Investment Club Expo in L.A Convention Center. We had a Q&A after his presentation. This guy really knows his stuff. He seems to be a nice and humble person. If you are a RE investor or thinking of becoming one, I highly recommend this book. I also recommend that you consult with his office for asset protection. He does business over the phone for all states. You can also get lots of tips and info in Garrett Sutton's websites.

The money you will save buying this book will save you thousands!It is a reference book that help you avoid all the common tax and legal problems when investing in real estate.

This has been one of the best books on real estate I have ever read. I am just about to get started and will definately put this book into action. It is hard to get all of the topics for real estate into one easy to read format, but the Rich Dad advisors have done it and with a little flare. It is an easy read and good for anyone serious about getting started or if you have made mistakes along the way.

Read it all in one sitting. Full of great information, with easy to read format and lots of real life examples.

I highly recommend Real Estate Advantages to anyone who wants to be rich. You will find out how the rich are getting richer. It is a must-read book for anyone who is serious about getting out of the "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go" Rat Race.

Sharon Lechter and Garrett Sutton really have done us all a big favor with this well-written book. It is easy to understand and filled with real life, practical success stories for investing in real estate.

Much better written than the rambling and multiply-repetitive Kiyosaki books in the 'Rich Dad' series, this one is a useful basic primer on the Real Estate business. A nice Intro.

I bought my first property just before I purchased this book. I received it just before an international business trip, and didn't get any sleep on the flight because I was pouring over the basic concepts and ideas that fill this wonderful book.

If you are already in real estate and know the basics, you may not need this book. If you already have your team of advisors and know who to go for when you have questions, you may not need this book. If you understand the differences between LLCs and LP and why one is better in California than in Nevada, you may not need this book.

For most beginning real estate investors, this book is just the right amount and just the right speed to get started. Garrett and Sharon don't look at the buy-and-flip models, but rather at the advantages of staying in real estate, building a portfolio, and intelligently upgrading your properties (1031 Exchanges). They also go over the long-term planning aspects of inheritance and how to move your properties to family members with minimal taxes. They don't profess a silver bullet, but rather a rational plan to financial success through real estate.

Verdict: Highly recommended.

What can you say? It's another rich dad book. Very informative and written primarily by professionals with an in-depth view. The book is a good read for anyone. It gave me a lot to think about and some things to discuss with my team. No dull spots in this book. Read it cover to cover in a few days. Worth reading twice.

It certainly should be in your library. You're sure to find at least one or two nuggets that will more than pay for the book.

Perhaps you'd like to look into this one too:

The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses: The Foolproof Roadmap to Real Estate Riches Without the Risks and Hassles of Landlording.

Full of great information if you want to know how to avoid costly mistakes for managing your excess funds.

Informative especially if new to the field. Gives basic legal and personal implications of real estate: i.e. how to get tax benefits for couples with high income (if one is involved in real estate); options for type of real estates, etc.