Rating: 
Summary: GOOD BASIC BOOK FOR THE BEGINNER
Review: THIS BOOK IS MORE FOR PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT RENTAL PROPERTY OR HAVE A FEW RENTAL PROPERTIES. I AGREE THAT HER BEST ADVICE IS TO START WITH A DUPLEX. SHE LOOKS FOR HOUSES THAT ARE ABOUT 20 TO 30 YEARS OLD TO INVEST IN. THIS MAY WORK IN HER AREA BUT IN MY AREA YOU ARE COMPETING WITH FIRST OR SECOND TIME HOME BUYERS. IT IS IN MY OPINION MUCH HARDER TO MAKE MONEY WITH NEWER HOMES(higher taxes and costs) SHE DOES GIVE A DECENT EXPLAINATION OF 1031 EXCHANGES. FOR MANY PEOPLE OWING A FEW HOMES IS ONE OF THE EASIER WAYS TO BE A PART-TIME LANDLORD. THIS AGAIN IS A BASIC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT BOOK AND IF YOU ARE A MORE SEASONED INVESTOR I RECOMEND 'THE NEW NO-NONSENSE LANDLORD' BY RICHARD H. JORGENSEN
Rating: 
Summary: well done
Review: i found this book to be very well done, informative and unassuming. Ms. Thomas takes into account almost everthing one needs to consider. it has become a dog-eared reference volume for my business.
Rating: 
Summary: Book & Seminar = Great Combination
Review: I just attended Suzanne's Seminar on Rental property. The additional insight delivered at the seminar, along with her book, provide information every beginning landlord needs to have. She openly shares her years of knowledge and experience in a format that is easy to read and understand.
Rating: 
Summary: An average book at best
Review: Rental Houses for the Successful Small Investor by Suzanne P. Thomas isn't really what I expected. I was expecting a book on the details of how small investors can make money by investing in real estate such as single family homes and small apartment buildings. Instead what I got was some rather general information on real estate that was fairly basic. In general the author conveys that $40K is all she really needs to retire. Her idea of getting this $40K is to by 5 houses, pay down the morgages and own them free and clear, getting $40K in rent a year. The author gets her down payment money from family for the first several houses she starts with, which isn't an option most want to explore. This wasn't a bad book, just not a very good book. I think there are many better books on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Best single resource for getting started with rental homes
Review: Suzanne P. Thomas has written an easy-to-follow, yet useful resource for the beginning investor in real estate. While other works may be more comprehensive in scope, they can also be more confusing and less helpful, in that they tend to give the reader too many choices. "Rental Houses," provides great advice without the usual pie-in-the-sky that is common in this genre. If I had to select one book as an introduction to rental properties, this would be it.
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Summary: Rental Houses- Excellent!!!!
Review: This is one of the best books we have ever read from a begining real estate investor's standpoint. It was informative and easy to read, with lot's of practical tips. Great job! Can't wait for the next version. Frank and Becky Pulley
Rating:
Summary: A MUST For Real Estate Investors!
Review: I have read countless books on investment rental properties and passive income over the past several years, and none compare to the power of Suzanna P. Thomas's Rental Houses for the Successful Small Investor. Don't let the long title fool you, this is a no holds barred informative book that takes the mystery out of real estate, and truly informs you from the inside. I teach personal finance myself, and I now include this book in my Syllabus as a must read for my course. I encourage anyone interested in real estate or passive income to purchase and read this wonderful piece of work! What I found in this book that I give high marks to versus similar books are the way Suzanne Thomas writes about 1. Down Payments - She explains in simple terminology why you would want to follow her method of placing a down versus traditional or other methods. I find her technique to be much more effective than any method I have studied in the past, and have adopted it for my last two purchases. 2. Property Selection - Using her outline, I was able to specify exactly what it was I was looking for prior to calling my agent, thus narrowing the scope of my potential properties. This saved me a ton of time and energy, and gave me a more clear picture of what I wanted. 3. Loan Options and Selection - This was by far the most powerful element of her book to me personally. Using her logic and experience that is contained in this book is performing wonderfully for me. I had planned on retiring by age 50 prior to her book. I had my financial blueprint all layed out, but was willing to learn new skills and techniques, and upon stumbling on her book at the bookstore, I am now looking forward to retirement at 40! If that isn't powerful, I don't know what is. I owe a great deal of gratitude to Suzanne for her hard work on this book, and if ever we meet, lunch is on me. If your going to invest in rental properties, simply buy this book, you can thank her yourself later.
Rating:
Summary: I was surprised...
Review: This is a terrific book! Suzanne has some great ideas and writes in a down-to-earth style that's easy to read. I usually don't take time to write reviews but this book deserved it. If you are wondering how to get started in rental property, or how to get more out of the properties you already have, this book is for you. She also shows how to evaluate a house and see if it is a good deal based on cash flow. Good stuff, I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Neither of these are high literature...
Review: However, if I were to compare the this book with "How to Retire With a Million Dollars" by Elaine Zimmerman, I'd say it was a virtual tie.
Rating:
Summary: Definately worth your time
Review: This was a good book with useful advice. She puts the information out there in an easy to understand format. Her direction is just like the title says "for the Small Investor". But don't hold that against this book. It has all the information you need to get into the game. You have to start somewhere.
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