Whether you are a homebuyer, an investor, or a real estate agent, you can benefit from learning more about the field of real estate. These days, most people are finding information online and there is more quality content than ever before out there.
However, for others, nothing beats a classic book for its scope and depth of information. If you are looking to learn about real estate for the first time, expand your knowledge, or maybe find a book as a gift for a real estate lover, this list is for you.
Real estate investing books for absolute beginners
Perhaps you’ve heard about real estate investing and want to know what it’s all about. Maybe you are a young person who is hoping to buy their first home soon and want to know how best to use your opportunity.
These books will present you with the absolute basics of the field of real estate investing to take you from no knowledge to relative comfort. Books like these are not only essential for anyone starting out in the field but will even prove useful as references for years to come.
Real Estate Investing For Canadians For Dummies
This famous series now offers a book about Canadian real estate investing. This work is geared specifically to the Canadian real estate market and was updated as recently as 2020, meaning you are getting up-to-date info. The authors Douglas Gray and Peter Mitham collectively have decades of experience working in the field and writing about the subject of real estate investing.
First-Time Home Buyer: The Complete Playbook to Avoiding Rookie Mistakes
Many books approach investing as a whole while this book focuses on one specific process: buying your first home. One of the first steps to seriously investing in real estate is to own your first home or investment property, and while some people like to make mistakes and learn from them later, readers of this book will be set on the right path right away and be ready for early success.
Authors Scott Trench and Mindy Jensen take their years of experience working with real estate investing and educating investors through the popular BiggerPockets platform to write the essential guide for a first-time homebuyer.The ABCs of Real Estate Investing
Like the ‘For Dummies’ book above, this book makes a simple promise: that real estate investing can and should be easy for anyone to learn. Author Ken Mcelroy has been working with investment properties for decades and has written numerous books on the topic, so you can trust he has all the answers for a new investor.
The Millionaire Real Estate Investor
The title of this work is no coincidence: author Gary Keller truly is a millionaire real estate investor and co-founder of the extremely successful Keller Williams Realty Inc. His knowledge, along with the knowledge of dozens of other millionaire investors is compiled in this book, offering tons of value and setting you on the path to real estate success.
Books for established investors
Perhaps you already have some investments in real estate and need a book that goes beyond the basics, or you have read the basics and now want to take your knowledge to the next level. Even established investors or real estate professionals can benefit from learning more about their field to take their investment even further. Here are some books that get into more specific facets of the world of real estate investing.
Secrets of the Canadian Real Estate Cycle: An Investor’s Guide
When investments are going well, things are smooth sailing. The real challenge for an investor comes when times get tough in the real estate market and you find yourself in a make-or-break scenario. In this book, you can learn all about real estate market cycles that will allow you to make the best decisions and even benefit from market fluctuations.
Author Don Campbell is easily one of the most knowledgeable experts in the field of real estate, having written numerous books on the subject and is the head analyst at the Canadian Real Estate Investors Network.
The Book on Managing Rental Properties
These days renting is a major component of many people’s real estate investment plans. Owning rental property is an effective way to generate cash flow from your investments, but it also requires you to take on the new job of being a landlord. This comes with its own complications and challenges that are very different from being just an investor. If you are looking to add a rental property to your real estate portfolio, this book will be your best friend in helping you navigate everything from finding tenants, writing leases, bookkeeping, and more.
The Book on Flipping Houses: How to Buy, Rehab, and Resell Residential Properties
One of the hot trends in real estate is house flipping. This field of work can make good profits but can also be perilous for the inexperienced when something goes wrong – and when it comes to flipping a fixer-upper, a lot can go wrong. With this guide, you can guarantee that your first flip will be the first of many successes.
Mastering the Art of Commercial Real Estate Investing
There is much more to real estate than just houses. There is also huge potential in the commercial field. Before jumping into this area of real estate, however, you should realize it’s not the exact same as residential investing. This book will get you up to speed on the differences and also includes helpful graphics, quizzes, and appendixes to make sure you truly understand the lessons contained within.
Legal, Tax and Accounting Strategies for the Canadian Real Estate Investor
When it comes to what first attracted you to real estate, it is likely that accounting, tax, and legal work weren’t the biggest draws. These three topics are some of the more complicated and dry facets of the industry. However, with the right know-how, they can also be an incredibly powerful tool for getting the most out of your investments. At some point, all real estate investors should get deeper into the nitty-gritty of legal, accounting and tax strategies, and this book will be just what you need.
Real Estate Titans: 7 Key Lessons from the World’s Top Real Estate Investors
Every investor dreams of becoming one of the giants in the world of finance. With this book, you might just set yourself on that path. Contained within are valuable lessons from some of the largest real estate investors in the industry. With their high status, you can be sure of these tips’ proven effectiveness.
The Birth of a Building: From Conception to Delivery
It’s one thing to buy and sell buildings as real estate investments, but have you ever wondered how buildings actually get made? This book is great for simply learning more about the topic, or for someone looking to get more into the development side of real estate. Author Ben Stevens avoids technical jargon and instead relies on easily understandable analogies that help make the often complicated process easy to understand.
What’s your favourite real estate book?
There are hundreds more books on Canadian real estate investing that can provide you with countless years of learning. Don’t see your favourite mentioned here? Let us know in the comments to share your favourite with others!
Corben joined CREW as a relative newcomer to the field of real estate and has since immersed himself and learned from the experts about everything there is to know on the topic. As a writer with CREW, Corben produces informative guides that answer the questions you need to know and reports on real estate and investment news developments across Canada. Corben lives in Guelph, Ontario with his partner and their two cats. Outside of work, he loves to cook, play music, and work on all kinds of creative projects. You can contact Corben at corben@crewmedia.ca or find him on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/corbengrant/.
As part of its response to Canada’s ongoing housing challenges, the federal government has added another 12 new properties to the Canada Public Land Bank,...
As part of its response to Canada’s ongoing housing challenges, the federal government has added another 12 new properties to the Canada Public Land Bank,...
