Rating: 
Summary: Rare good book on Commercial Real Estate
Review: Considering how few books there are on commercial real estate I was happy to find this one. It has plenty of true-life examples and practical advice. The reviews that criticize the book because it assumes you are well-funded large-deal investor are not well taken. With bookstore shelves overflowing with how-to books about getting houses with no money down - books that assume you have no money, no experience and no real estate knowledge - we need some books for people doing large commercial deals. If that's not your focus, then this just isn't your book. I do think the book would be better off without the real estate "game" angle. It reminds me of something an editor would coax the author to work in as a sort of hook or gimmick, and doesn't add much. But that's minor. Overall, entertaining and informative without covering the same ground as umpteen other texts.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: First of all, I am an [age] year old high school student who read this for his Economics class. I've always been interested in real estate development and hope to work in it in the future. I knew more than most people my age about real estate before i read the book, but still felt it was quite challenging. It started off quite interesting and actually kept my attention throughout the book. I think I learned quite a bit, but I still don't feel nearly knowledgeable enough to go out and start investing in real estate. So if you are someone who knows almost everything there is to know about the real estate "game" then I really can't tell you if this will help you. But for other people like me, who are interested in real estate and want to make some money while in it and are either an amateur or a little more then I think it would be worthwhile. Just be ready for some pages of complete shock where you have no idea what the author is explaining. I hope it does even more for you than it did for me.
Rating:
Summary: A Sophisticated Yet Interesting Real Estate book
Review: Harvard Business School Professor and real estate investor William Poorvu has written a book about real estate is far above most real estate books. This book is nowhere near the run of the mill generic real estate book that tries to tell everything about real estate to people who don't have a clue. "The Real Estate Game" is a sophisticated commercial real estate book written by a real estate insider. This is not a book about buying your first house with no down payment. What this is, is a book about commercial real estate projects from concept, commitment, development, operations, and harvest. The authors bring a behind the scenes and insiders' approach to commercial development. He lays it out in the form of a game with properties, capital markets, players and external environment. One of the stories in the book is that of Bill Zeckendorf's classic assemblage of Swift slaughterhouses into the United Nations property and vicinity. Included in the book is the authors' commercial due diligence checklist. This book would be most interesting to a person involved in commercial real estate, someone interested in commercial real estate or someone interested in the business of commercial real estate. I think that this is the kind of book that you can refer back to time and time again. There is a lot of information in this book and it may even be a book that you will want to read more than once. It has a depth, and quality of information contained far superior to the average mass media real estate book without the dryness of a real estate textbook
Rating:
Summary: This is...
Review: one of my two all-time favorite real estate books(the other is the Idiots Guide to Real Estate Investment). It covers real estate from a professional angle. It covers how to study the macro-environment in real estate and how it influences everyone in r.e. from the entrepreneur to the reit professional. It's premise in analyzing properties is the "back of envelope" analysis. There is time to use a spreadsheet and do a thorough analysis later, but when presented an oppurtunity you need to act quick. B.O.E. analysis is a super quick, easy, first step number crunching technique that uses raw data to give you a basis to decide to either pursue or not pursue a certain investment. Instead of focusing on "location, location, location" it follows the premise of "learn the dynamics of how locations change, and figure out how that knowledge can help you buy and sell properties." From the jacket, "Poorvu shows readers how to use direct investments, syndicates, and REITS to get into the real estate game across a broad range of property types: residential, office, hotel, industrial and retail." Not the "buy single family residential rental properties type of book," but an actual practical, professional look at real estate for those wanting to go more "big time".
Rating:
Summary: A Good Beginner's Guide to Commercial Real Estate
Review: Poorvu provides a realistic narration of some of the opportunities and pitfalls one will encounter in developing or investing in commercial real estate. The book follows a step-by-step format covering the stages from concept and idea development through buying, building, operating and the issues involved in selling commercial property. He also includes a chapter explaining and analyzing investment syndicates and REITs, and provides several insightful comparisons of real estate investment to publicly traded equity investments. One negative point is that Poorvu uses the analogy of a "Real Estate Game" which he keeps referring to throughout the book. I found this more confusing than helpful - he should have either carried this through in more detail or dropped it. From my experience I believe Poorvu covers the subject with factual information and good "mini" case studies to show what is involved. I disagree with other reviews accusing the book of catering only to those interested in very large properties. One can invest in smaller commercial properties - from 6-suite apartment buildings to 3-bay automotive service buildings - with as little as one hundred thousand dollars equity and I found the information provided in Poorvu's book to be just as relevant and informative.
Rating:
Summary: Wisdom & Cunning
Review: Prof. Poorvu shares a career's worth of development, investment, and advisory experience with his readers. I have read many books on real estate, but none have been as concise, savvy, and empowering as this one. Its reliance on 'back of the envelope' financial analysis and a more qualitative examination of the underlying cyclicality of real estate leaves the reader feeling surprisingly wise and shrewd upon completion. Rather than offering checklists, templates, and other tools like other books on the topic, this one cuts to the heart of the matter leaving readers w. a more complete understanding of real estate fundamentals. I am fortunate to have had Prof. Poorvu in the classroom at HBS, but I think that all interested readers will share my sentiments upon completion of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read For Anyone interested in Real Estate
Review: The Real Estate Game is well written, using simple easy to understand terms. It's a must read for the professional, the amateur, the investor and anyone else thinking of buying and selling either commercial or residential property. Most enjoyable is the view of the real estate process from all angles. You get to see how all those involved, the buyer, seller, contractor, manager, attorney and lender fit into the picture. The real life examples and case studies help explain what can be very complicated situations. As primarily a residential realtor I gained new insight into the commercial end of the field. It always amazes me how the entrepreneurs in real estate often took great chances on a hunch that what were bargain basement deals would eventually turn into gems. The stories about these men and women are particularly fascinating. The authors, Poorvu and Cruikshank, offer a world of advice and first-hand knowledge to anyone involved in any way in Real estate. This should be required reading for all brokers, realtors and advisors to anyone getting into the real estate game.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the RE Investment Books!
Review: The vast majority of real estate investment books to be found in the Barnes & Noble investment section offer variations of Mark Twain's stock market advice: "making money in stocks is easy. Only buy a stock if it goes up; if it doesn't go up, don't buy it." By contrast, Poorvu walks readers through myriad real estate investment situations, fleshing out the risks and rewards, and the mindsets of the various players. While written in an anecdotal style replete with real-life examples, the book also presents an encyclopedic overview of investment opportunities (direct, REIT, syndicates, etc.) and asset categories (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.). This is a real estate investment book written by an adult, for adults -- in contrast to all the other get-rich-quick-no-money-down titles targeting gullible novices.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the RE Investment Books!
Review: The vast majority of real estate investment books to be found in the Barnes & Noble investment section offer variations of Mark Twain's stock market advice: "making money in stocks is easy. Only buy a stock if it goes up; if it doesn't go up, don't buy it." By contrast, Poorvu walks readers through myriad real estate investment situations, fleshing out the risks and rewards, and the mindsets of the various players. While written in an anecdotal style replete with real-life examples, the book also presents an encyclopedic overview of investment opportunities (direct, REIT, syndicates, etc.) and asset categories (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.). This is a real estate investment book written by an adult, for adults -- in contrast to all the other get-rich-quick-no-money-down titles targeting gullible novices.
Rating: 
Summary: More fiction than reality!
Review: There may be a few hundred wheeler dealer types in the United States that would relate to this book, but even they would find it laughable. This book is designed for Donald Trump, not for the early or even moderate real estate investor. Unless your attempting to buy vacant land in Nevada and build your own version of Las Vegas, I would pass on this book. It contains virtually nothing for anyone wanting to buy a residence of any fashion, unless you want the 400 unit apartment complex, and if that is the case, you really don't need this book. William J. Poorvu and Jeffrey L. Cruikshank, your book might do well back at Harvard with your fellow graduates, but the average investors ego wouldn't allow him to try and compete with your own.
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