Clark Smart Real Estate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying ... (ISBN 140130785X)

Real Estate:
Book was a good primer; brief and general, but I wanted more specifics in certain areas; overall, it's a good reference book to keep on your shelf for a quick refresher.

Way Too Elementary:
Let me first say that I am a HUGE fan of Clark Howard. I love his show and listen to it every day. I go to his website for advice and information and enjoy hearing his commentary. However, I really feel that this book was a waste of time for me to read, and I'm no real estate expert. I was hoping to get more in-depth information on real estate investing. This as more of an intro to real estate book for dummies. This would be great for someone who knows NOTHING about buying a house and even then I felt that a lot of the advice was common sense knowledge. Maybe I feel this way because after having listened to his show for years, maybe I've already heard most of what he has to say. Perhaps something in this book would be news to another person. I don't know, but I would not call this the "Ultimate Guide to Buying Real Estate." I just felt it was way too basic and didn't include much specific information. It would be better named "A Basic Introduction to Real Estate." But I still love Clark!

Not Nearly Enough Information for the First Time Home Buyer...:
As much as I wanted to find this book helpful, it just wasn't. Being a first time home buyer, I needed solid, complete information. This book did not provide that information although it touted itself as the "Ultimate Guide to Buying...Real Estate." You'll be better off researching the subject on the internet and saving your money.

Clark Smart Real Estate:
As a rookie in real estate investing I learned alot from this book. Clark Howard's writing style is easy to read and understand.

A "Must-Read" for first-time home buyers:
Sound, practical advice for anyone buying real estate. I have owned 4 rentals over the years & I KNOW that Clark's aproach will work. This is NOT a book that says "anyone can buy real estate with no money down, no much how much you owe." Instead, this is a "slow-growth" approach that endorses a conservative, careful approach to real estate investing. Know what you are buying, do your homework first, etc. - and Clark shows you how to get the information you need. This is THE book to read before buying a personal home or an investment property. Because I think so much like Clark, I borrowed a copy from the library;but I strongly recommend that anyone new to real estate purchasing BUY a copy to keep. You will want it with you every step of the way, from searching for a good deal to choosing investment lenders & negotiating mortgage rates.