Diary of a Real Estate Rookie: My Year of Flipping, Selling, and Rebuilding“ and What I Learned [The Hard Way]

by Alison Rogers

With humor and grace--as well as an eye for the fabulous and outrageous--real estate rookie Alison Rogers offers an insider's tale of the hottest real estate market in the country.

Expanding upon Rogers' weekly national column in "Inman News, Diary of a Real Estate Rookie "chronicles a former real estate journalist's wily adventures, from a gutsy attempt at starting a real estate business with only $16,000 to the (eventual) taste of sweet success. Along the way, Alison drolly relates her escapades, among them an attempt to flip abandoned shells in Newark and the rental of a Greenwich Village apartment to a famous movie star. Quirky and informative, "Rookie "offers real estate and financial advice in tandem with tales of suburban real estate agents, manicured New York trophy wives, and innocent ripe-for-the-plucking first-time buyers. Real estate rookies and seasoned vets alike will delight in Alison's unique voice and perspective as she discovers her pathway out of corporate monotony to independent success in the real estate business.""

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

215 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2007

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was an inexcusable mistitling of a book on page 182, one that makes me question the authority of the rest of the author's opinions. She refers to the book, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House erroneously as "Mr. Blandings Buys His Dream House." One wonders if the author is reimagining this classic as a real estate transaction nightmare (Buy) as opposed to the construction nightmare (Builds) that this book is about.

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the story of a Harvard educated (which she mentions... several times), privileged white lady going into "bad neighborhoods" in an effort to gentrify, calls the kids "thugs" and gets nervous walking around there. I chose this book because I was interested in the "tips," but couldn't take the sometimes underlying, sometimes outright, racism and classism.

[Stephanie Hsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a memoir then anything that would help a budding real estate investor, but still, it was the first book I finished reading of my stack borrowed from the library probably because it was easy to pick up and entertaining. Loved the authors voice.

[Alba · Rating 1 out of 5]

Formulaico y poco interesante

[FreshGrads .Sg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Property seems to be the hot topic these days, especially with the endless rise in property prices and the recent regulation changes. That said, the thought of becoming a real estate broker has crossed many a mind on this tiny island with a bulging demand for homes.

In "Diary of a Real Estate Rookie", former business journalist and a founding editor of the New York Post's real estate supplement, Alison Rogers, shares her experience as a greenhorn property broker in New Jersey. Filled with humor and wit, she gives readers views from the inside with analogies as well as stories from the satisfaction of finding someone – including hollywood stars to newly weds – the right home as well as the frustration of meeting clients who just want to window shop on her time.

In short, Alison Rogers's chronicle of life as a real estate broker is educational and filled with fun, with something for everyone, be it first time buyers, seasoned property investors, industry players and even the fresh graduate planning his future.

For more book reviews, visit FreshGrads Reads. We also do reviews on food, movies and more in Singapore. Check us out here!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun read, but not what I expected. I thought she'd talk more about her experience as a real estate flipper, but that was short-lived. most of the book is really rant about selling real estate in Manhattan, and then devolves into very loosely edited version of her columns from other publications. good real estate advice, though!

[Julie Robenhymer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title drew me in and the writer was funny, but I'm not sure I learned anything that I didn't already know - career changes are hard, flipping is hard, you gotta hustle as a freelancer, things are better when you have a supportive spouse and bosses who want to help you succeed. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Persephone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and not just because my best friend wrote and I'm a minor character in it.

It's funny and also quite touching in places and also has lots of advice to help you buy or sell real estate. Plus it only costs 10 bucks on Amazon. You should all buy it!

[J. Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad quick read with good tips/thoughts on buying real estate from a blogger who broke into the tough NYC realty business not long ago. It's actually also chock full of various resources (other blogs, websites, books) worth checking out - too bad there is no bibliography.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a lot of valuable information whether you're a buyer or seller of real estate. It's a great book to have to refer back to for the author's helpful tips.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

not your usual real estate porn. very enjoyable and informative.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this book I seriously questioned myself as to why I was reading it. However it did pick up around the middle and I found the last few chapters interesting.

[Sandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based a lot on blog posts, it's somewhat repetitive but a fun read if you're in the industry or always wanted to be a realtor!