"What should my first acquisition be?""What are the most dangerous pitfalls to buying income-producing property?""How do I select the best agent to sell my home?""How can I avoid killing a deal by being overly demanding in negotiations?""What are the key steps to follow to reduce my real estate taxes?"No longer do you have to wade through reams of books and magazines to get answers to questions like these. This remarkably complete, extraordinarily easy-to-use question-and-answer guide gives you fast answers to the 224 most important questions commonly asked by real estate investors, home buyers, sellers, landlords, and renters. Written by acclaimed real estate investor and author Jack Cummings, the book is based on his 30 years of experience in fielding complex questions and answering them with clear, insightful, practical explanations. The guide boasts a special key word index that will speed you effortlessly to the answer, explanation, or solution you're seeking. Get answers to your toughest questions about:Basic investment strategies, including the key factors that make real estate a good investment; how to tell if property will go down in value; and the 5 things you can do to cause your property to go up in value.Buying and selling homes and apartments, with tips on selling in a slow market; speeding up sales; avoiding hidden "time bombs" when you buy; and utilizing a 10-item preclosing checklist to help make sure the closing doesn't come to a grinding halt.Buying and selling land, with answers to all your questions about zoning, comparing the respective value of two vacant tracts, and enticing buyers.Minimizing capital gains tax, with tips on using the capital gains tax calculation form, calculating depreciation, and finding legal ways to reduce or eliminate gains taxes.Insider secrets to creative investing techniques, such as acquiring real estate with zero cash down, using sweat equity to acquire another property, using barter as an investment tool, and forming a real estate syndication.The Real Estate Investor's Answer Book also answers all your questions about buying property at foreclosures ... income-producing properties ... negotiation techniques ... loan-to-value ratios ... dealing with brokers ... obtaining mortgages ... planning for your insurance needs ... and much more! Whether you're a new or experienced real estate investor, here's the authoritative, problem-solving resource you need to make prudent and profitable real estate decisions. Read Less