Find It, Fix It, Flip It!: Make Millions in Real Estate--One House at a Time

My husband bought this book due to deal with his Mid-life Crisis desire to buy houses and fix them up to make money. He first got the book out of the library and then asked me to buy him a copy of it through Amazon.com. This is a positive sign that it is a good book because he is the type who will not purchase a book unless he really plans on referring to and using it. Too bad the economy took a turn for the worse but this does not change the fact that the book is interesting and full of enough helpful hints and ideas that he feels he eventually can pursue his dream. Better that than having an affair or buying a red Ferrari...

I own an investment property, a four unit building in a New York City suburb. I wish I had this book in my hands before I purchased it!I bought just about every single real estate get-rich-quick infomercial product out there. I'm throwing most of them out.Michael Corbett's Find It, Fix It, Flip It is honest and informed. It covers just about every single sign post a new flipper can expect to encounter when engaged in the purchase of real estate for investment. It was the very first book I ever read on real estate that rang true, and reflected my experience. If you are convinced that you can buy property for no money down and flip it for a $100,000 profit in a few months, this is not for you. This book is meant to cover the basics and since his ideas can easily be enforced in the NYC (he lives and flips in California) then it will probably work anywhere.He addresses tax issues, the fraught-with-danger renovation roller coaster, and how every single penny you invest should be invested, with a down-home but wise voice. This book is a great starting point for the virgin investor, to help them through a very complicated process without losing their shirt.I was blown away with his renovation ideas, adding what he calls "brooches" to a property, those details that elevate a ho-hum house into a designer house, for pennies for the dollar. I did exactly that to my property, and have since attracted tenants who feel special -- maybe even honored -- to live in an apartment that they can show off to their friens and neighbors. My rent roll increase, from an average of $800 a month to $1000 a month proves this. Believe me, all other real estate books recommend pinching every penny until you get carpal tunnel syndrome. Yes, you can renovate with a tight budget, but adding an extra detail that others will think are crazy, will get you the kind of tenants that will be happy to pay on time, and say thank you for giving them a lovely home where they can hang their hat, not merely a serviceable place to stay. Thankfully, my building pays for itself, and generates a modest profit every single month. I borrowed from my 401K to pay for the down payment and closing costs. I looked at about 100 properties before finally taking the leap of faith to invest in a run down building whose potential, it seemed at the time, to be evident only to me.Michaael Corbett maintains a sang froid, objective voice throughout his book, but thankfully remains optimistic and supportive. In essence, he says, "Yes, you can do it! But these are the things to really watch out for."For the virgin investor, I do recommend highly that you get another book that discusses mortgages and taxes in great detail. There is a good array of choices to suit your specific needs. It's all a numbers game, after all.I also recommend that you go and purchase the books of John Reed. He sells them from his website. You will not be disappointed. If you want a cold, analytic take on real estate investing, then John Reed, who is a highly experienced Harvard man with many pieces of property, is definitely your guy. His "reads-like-a-novel" accounts about his crusades against shady infomercial real estate gurus (his term) are knee-slapping good and priceless education. If for nothing else, John Reed's writings are almost the perfect foil to Corbett's sunny outlook, and put together, should provide you with both sides of the real estate world to reach intelligent, informed, and hope-filled conclusions.One reviewer rated this book very low, and I can appreciate why. He is obviously an experienced investor, and was seeking info to get to the next level. However, if you are the virgin investor, then shut off that TV infomercial and buy this book. It is worth it's weight in gold, providing you with enough armament to navigate the dark waters of buying property. Yes, I am not a flipper (yet), but I wish I had this book with me the day after I closed, when I was sitting in a dark apartment waiting for the electric company to bring back the power. Or when I was ready to wring a contractor's neck for lying and trying to cheat me. Or when I was talking to a mortgage broker and the complicated numbers and hidden costs seemed to sprout bat wings and flap around inside my head.I am now a die-hard fan of Michael Corbett. I thank him for his honesty, generosity and sunny disposition. Hey, he's a working actor AND a successful investor. His book will hold a special place in my bookcase. In fact, I may just start watching his soaps!

We are in the process of selling our beautiful home in California and one day browsing in Barnes and Nobles I came across : Find it, fix it and flip it by Michael Corbett.I must be honest, I never heard of Michael Corbett although I did read an article in the Los Angeles Times about a couple of actors (Jeremy Renner and Kris Winters ) secret hobby and how they made a lot money doing flipping . Also, I see advertised all the shows on TV about Flipping, I decided to buy the book and read it- hopefully, one it will help me sell my house and two- see what all the fuss is about flipping houses.As For as selling my house, I did learn quite a bit about making the house sellable. I have to look at it as a flipped and did what I could financially to upgrade and spruce up the place. The verdict is still out as I just recently did this. I will keep you posted.I specially learned to fix what needs repairs but to go one step beyond, Corbett is big on changing lifestyle. What in your house that you can do that the neighbors houses don't have. Give it flow, dramatic lighting, build a walk in closet. He talks a lot about staging, the house is a stage- soft music, fireplace on, squeeze lemon on the sink and wipe it with a paper towel for aroma, set up a breakfast nook, with silver ware, etc- you get the picture.My biggest takeaway from the book is that flipping is something you can do- even if its your home you want to flip.As far as what is all the fuss, Flipping is a good way to make money but what I did learn you got to rely on the experts, the contractor, if a foundation is in question, get a foundation expert, if the septic tank is questionable -get an septic tank expert. Flipping is not for a faint of heart.I plan to sell my house like a flip and see my next house with the eyes of a professional flip.I do recommend this book, if you own a home, planning to buy a home or just want to find out what all the fuss is about Flipping homes - I recommend this book. On a side note, I also saw Flipping for Dummies and that looks like another book to check out.

I would recommend this book for anyone that is interested in knowing more about the buying and flipping of properties. I will agree that there are better books, but this one "does" contain useful information and idea's.I don't think that you can read just one book and then set out. At least I wouldn't recommend doing so. I think that you should educate yourself on several different experienced authors writings before jumping into the investment world of real estate. This book is a good rung on that education ladder. Worth the price and time to read it. Definetely assists in the planning and developement stage for new investors.It has a place of my bookshelf for future review and information confirmations.

I think this was a pretty good book in briefly discussing the methodology of Flipping Homes but I believe the writer left out important details on where he was able to generate funds for renovation costs as his profit from flipping his first home greatly exceeded the loan he had borrowed for it but when he put a large down payment on his second home with his remaining profit he also had a large amount of funds for renovation for the second home that seemed to generate out of thin air which left me confused.

Gave excellence advises, eventhough some info might be dated now. Also, i live in Canada, so not everything is right for here.