Ray Alcorn's new book - Posted by Lynn

import · July 13, 2005, 2:09pm

Posted by Eric C on July 13, 2005 at 19:37:40:

Hi Lynn -

Well, you can put me in the camp that thinks the book is a bargain.

Plain and simple.

When you first open the book, you will be staggered by the sheer volume of information contained within.

More impressive than the amount of information presented is the quality of the work. You can tell that this book wasn’t merely thrown together over a weekend or two.

Ray designed the book to answer many of the questions that people ask about the business of commercial real estate.

Questions like: Where do I begin? What should I do first? How do people make money in this business? What types of properties are best? How will I know when I’ve found a great deal? What do I do with the property once I find it? Where do I get the money to buy a property and how much do I need? How is the industry organized and where is it going?

I don’t know about you, but I think the answer to any one of those questions is worth far more than the price of the book.

See, you’re thinking this is a book and it is – sort of. But it is also a mini course in commercial real estate (OK, so maybe not so “mini”)that can move you along the path from “newbie” to “savvy” in an incredibly short amount of time.

What would it be worth to you to shave years off your learning curve?

Are you aware of the more common mistakes people make in this business? Ray is. And He makes a point of steering readers around those expensive and often tragic issues.

Think the book is expensive? Try starting your financial life over. I have; and it ain’t fun.

Here’s the deal: this book can make you thousands (if not more) of dollars and save you years of time and aggravation.

It’s a steal.

Take care,

Eric C

PS - if you wish to do so, you can do an archive search on me. There are a few posts with my name on them and you should be able to tell that I pretty much tell it like it is. I step on toes on a regular basis.

I should also point out that when you purchase the book, you have Ray as a resource. And friend, you should really take advantage of that.

import · July 13, 2005, 2:09pm

Ray Alcorn’s new book - Posted by Lynn

Posted by Lynn on July 13, 2005 at 14:09:58:

I would like to hear from people who have bought Ray’s book, Dealmakers Guide to Commercial Real Estate.
I’ve only been able to find one review here, which was great, but $499 is a lot to spend and I would appreciate honest and thorough reviews. Thanks

import · July 17, 2005, 9:39pm

Re: Ray Alcorn’s new book - Posted by Marcus

Posted by Marcus on July 17, 2005 at 21:39:31:

The book is great and worth the money! I bought it several weeks ago because my team is working on a large deal and we needed to know where to start.

Buy the book, it will help in many ways.

import · July 16, 2005, 1:28am

Re: Ray Alcorn’s new book - Posted by iKwak

Posted by iKwak on July 16, 2005 at 01:28:32:

I’m impressed by the followups.
Been reading the articles for few hours and satisfied with some of the content.
Planning on purchasing a book in the near future, hopefully when I don’t have to worry about my tuitions.

import · July 13, 2005, 8:56pm

Where do I begin? - Posted by CarolFL

Posted by CarolFL on July 13, 2005 at 20:56:09:

We are about to close on a 58 unit deal, at about 60 cts on the dollar, with the bank begging us to assume the mortgage while improving upon the original borrower’s note.

In the midst of this, I started conversation with a local bank to arrange financing for additional units in the same area … and guess what?

I KNEW HOW TO TALK WITH HIM AND WHAT HE WAS GOING TO WANT TO KNOW before he even opened his mouth.

We are NOT at our first RE deal, but NEVER anything of this magnitude. Ray’s materials have permitted us to navigate these waters and not only come out on top but maintain our sanity (mostly).

I have recommended the material to several folks, and told them that even if they never purchased commercial real estate, the info on Personal Financial Statements, Loan apps, various financial calculations, permutations and combinations are SOOOO worth it!

Also, it is so well crafted and indexed that when I am in the middle of a muddle, I can look up the part I need right then … bone up … and leap back into the fray.

Negotiating this thing has been frustrating because we had few options … but neither did the bank, and Ray’s material gave me the tools to recognize it - but most importantly, to know what to do about it.

After cursing the whole process, I’ve found myself looking forward to getting this new project under control enough to look for another.

By the way, the materials treat each subject in a way in which a relative beginner can grab hold and rise with the level of the discussion - though I would say that it is NOT for the lightweight. There are sections which, frankly, I skimmed (Ray knows, no doubt… Just how many ways ARE THERE of calculating the value of a property anyway??). But again, the course structure facilitates referring back to just the part you need to review, when you need to review it.

Look, I could go on and on. A “complete” review could take pages. The most complete thing I can say is that we are about to add - oh, $500,000 to our net worth either TOMORROW or the day we return from Atlanta, and I really do NOT believe it would have happened had The Guide not been available.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to re-post and I will do my best to respond.
Carol