I’ve bought properties in the past, and never gave a thought to some of the points brought up in this book. It should be on the for anyone considering buying or selling, especially those considering flipping. Divided into chapters with specific purposes, the points addressed could make a difference in how much you pay or sell for.
I requested and received a NetGalley Arc to peruse and offer my opinion gratis

Every grownup should read this piece on the realities of buying & selling real estate so they don't leave money on the table.

Each state has its own rules when it comes to real estate. It’s up to buyers and sellers to make sure they know the rules to stay out of legal and financial trouble. Or, if they’re not interested, they can hire a real estate agent or real estate lawyer to navigate the particulars.

I found the intricacies of buying, owning, and selling so fascinating, I thought I should educate myself more so that I could begin to make wise investments for rentals for a passive income.

So I asked around, signed up for independent classes, and dedicated a few months to completing the pre-licensing and a few more to getting my post licensing requirements done before the deadline so I could become a full broker quickly as I dealt with some things that needed my immediate attention first.

Since I hadn’t planned on becoming a residential sales agent, just a wiser investor, I took my time. Eventually, I found the right firm that got me excited about selling. I signed on, and began the actual, real-life, on-the-job training that classes tried to prepare us for. Nothing could have prepared me for the actualities. The chasm between book learning and actual implementation was wider than I liked.

I had been warned. Recent changes had cracked down on the industry, making the already-hard job of obtaining a real estate license in North Carolina, one of the more stricter states, even harder.

I thought I knew a lot; after licensing, I know how much I didn’t know. I understand why agents get paid what they do. Much to my surprise, they net much less than I suspected, once everyone get their piece of the cut.

I also understand it from the client side. We had bought and sold our homes. Some using an agent; one not.

THIS IS THE BOOK I WISH I’D HAD FROM THE BEGINNING of my homebuying, selling, and before launching my real estate sales career.

This is the book I wish I’d had when I started the heels-on-the-ground training to use all the software and obtain clients. This is the book I wish I’d had when I bugged my colleagues and mentors for explanations. This is the book that would have saved me lots of independent study.

Tracy McLaughlin is a great mentor for everyday folk and for professional. She’ll help you understand the money and the emotional side of buying and selling real estate. So if you own or plan to buy, you want this book by your side. It’s a quick, thorough look into the current real estate profession. It will save you money and many anxious, sleepless nights.

I HIGHLY recommend this book.

This book offers many ideas and tips for people wanting to buy or sell a home. I like the examples that Tracy McLaughlin gave throughout the book. Although, I new most of the advice in this book I was still pleasantly surprised to find much needed information that was new to me. A lot of helpful information!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for a copy for my honest review. 4 out of 5 stars!!

4.5 Stars!! This is a must read if you plan on buying/selling your house or if you plan on becoming a real estate agent. So much information and tons of tips! Definitely worth checking out!
*I received this book at no charge from the publisher and I voluntarily left a review.*

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super informative and not the typical real estate book. Tracy Mclaughlin (the author) gives her personal tips and tricks of the trade. This book in informative in all aspects of the buying process and would be helpful to prospective sellers, or buyers.

I really enjoyed that Tracy used personal and fictional examples in this book.

One thing that didn't quite meet my expectations was that this book is very geared toward the Californian housing market (which is fair because that is where Tracy is a real-estate agent) - but some of the advice and sale-tactics wouldn't be relevant at all in Ohio. It's not everyday that you are selling houses for multiple millions and houses with a view, etc.

Overall, I thought this book was intelligently written with a lot of great insight to the real-estate market and how to maximize your home's value.

Other note - there are some pictures in this e-book and the writing is overlaid on top of the photos and it is very hard to read. Maybe it was a compatibility issue?

*All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A great guide for the person selling their home! Lots of tips and ideas you should look at before putting your home on the market!

Don't buy this book!

It will help you find the best agent, make your home more desirable and give you a better sale price and reduce the time on market for your home. But I don't want the competition when I'm selling my next house!

Really, I would highly recommend this book to both sellers and buyers of homes, and to real estate agents who are looking to differentiate their homes and provide better service to their clients. The advice given is solid and tested. We ourselves have seen the difference in selling our home home. Our agent was nowhere as knowledgeable as Tracy, but they appreciated our partnership in selling our home fast in a down market and at a good price for everyone.

Ms. McLaughlin certainly has the credentials to write this book. I was eager to dive in and learn about residential real estate.

It’s a well-researched book. McLaughlin goes beyond focusing on the physical property and looks at the buyer’s/seller’s behavior. The section on pricing strategies and the psychology behind people’s perceived values of homes was fascinating.

I was disappointed that the book speaks so much to the higher end of the market. For example, to show the advantages of staging a home, McLaughlin recalls a home valued at $1,850,000. The owner put in $200,000 in staging and sold it for $2,450,000. But those numbers are hard for the vast majority of Americans to grasp when they might be looking to sell a home for $240,000 and wondering if staging is worth it.

I like that McLaughlin addresses both sides of the process, not only from the seller’s side, but the buyer’s side, too. McLaughlin details how buyers can keep their emotions in check by using a rubric. But on the buyer’s side, we still have the focus on homes in the millions rather than six figures (or even five figures which might be appropriate if you seek a starter home and, as a real estate newbie, need the advice in this book).

Most eye-opening for me was that, in our info-saturated world, McLaughlin explains how a seller needs to brand the home so it tells a simple, welcoming story for the potential buyer.

McLaughlin doesn’t just say, “Don’t sell your home yourself.” She explains WHY you shouldn’t sell on your own and how to find the right real estate agent with her list of specific questions to ask potential agents.

Overall, I learned a lot, and it’s well written, but I think some readers (like me) may be intimidated by the high home values in the examples.

Tracy McLaughlin is a very successful real estate agent in Marin County CA, selling multi million dollar houses all the time. She shares her knowledge on how to not leave money on the table when you buy or sell a house. She shares tips on how to find the best agent and what things take a mediocre house to the next level. Speaking of next level, while I thought the information was great, it's a hard sell for me to believe that spending the kind of money she's talking about will work on my little house and area. Also, if you're expecting a design idea book on what you should update your house to, this is not that book. You'll need to reach out to a local agent for ideas about that. Tracy definitely tries to sell the reader on the necessity of real estate agents, especially herself. She's not exactly complimentary of several she talks about though. Overall, good information but a bit braggadocious.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion.

A great book for those getting ready to put their house on the market. Full of lots of ideas to increase your home value, and many that won't break the bank to accomplish. I really appreciated the insight and the real life examples of how things affect home values.

This is the first book I've ever read on real estate as I always thought my agent knew everything that was needed to know. This book is very informative for any one selling or buying a home. It is explained in such a way that it is very easy to understand and can be very useful for any buyer, seller and the agent. As my husband and I are currently in the market to buy our next home and sell our current home, this book gave me a lot to think about. Including how knowledgeable, or not our agent is. It was very interesting to read about how real estate was handled in the past, how it is now handled and the future. I would love to find a realtor that has the experience and knowledge that Tracy McLaughlin has. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the market, whether a seller, buyer or representative. Brokers and agents could learn a thing or two from this book. I received this book for free from the author and her publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sellers guide on how to efficiently list your home on the market. Discusses detaching emotions, determining selling price, updating & staging, finding the right agent, etc. Not much information for home buyers. This book is up to date and includes before and after images.

I received this book from Netgalley.

While this book has several tips on selling a home, most of them are common sense. Keep in mind while reading this book, it is really meant for upscale neighborhoods. She does point out that the seller has to be committed to putting in a significant amount of money to get a good return for these homes, especially those that have not been maintained over the years. But the relevance for middle class America is limited. If a middle class home has the same percentage of money placed into the home to sell there will likely be no profit and possibly a loss. The market (and you time for the improvements) must be first and foremost kept in mind before committing to such a change. Perspective must be kept, you just need to be realistic when pricing your home, keep the emotional value out and price it right the first time.

Nice book with lots of tips of how to make your house look and feel better before selling it. There are before and after photos showing what you can do to make your house stand out. Lots of useful informations. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

It is a useful guide for buyers and sellers, easy to understand, and has some nice before & after color illustrations. Her predictions about the future of her industry and the impact of technology are interesting, too. Something nobody has mentioned, however, is that McLaughlin sells multi-million dollar homes and the prepping for sale she recommends often runs $250K and up! She is one of the top realtors in the country. Owners of more modest homes without access to an agent of this caliber should be cautious about making expensive last-minute improvements that will waste time and may not recoup the investment. Few major home improvement projects return 100% of money spend according to most home magazines, never mind McLaughlin's claims of making hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional profit. Most libraries can skip purchasing this book.

This should be required reading for anyone selling their home. I have always trusted my RE agents to guide me on the best things to replace, fix up in my home for resale. I have wasted a lot of money, suffered frustration with unrealistic offers and hated almost every minute. Seriously, selling your home is a huge thing that most of us are uneducated on the details.
This book explains the details, how to value your home, what to ask for it and what offers to accept. That right there is a major question that Ms McLaughlin guides you through in a straight forward way, minus emotion. She goes over staging, and how to set the stage for someone to see themselves living there. Permits, inspections and what to disclose, all covered.
I learned so much from this book and I’ve sold 4 homes, you’d think I should have known these from experience. I have had good and not so good agents. I’ve trusted the wrong people blindly and got burned. If you are selling your home, read this book, know what is happening at least so you can make a educated judgement when an agent says you should do…..

In REAL ESTATE RESCUE, Tracy McLaughlin shares her considerable experience in real estate with straight talk and clear examples (with great photographs) to illuminate the confusing and confounding experience. For newbies and experienced hands, her work is comprehensive, essential, and powerful information delivered with flair and humor. Truly, I've never read such a bright and thorough guide to a lifelong passion of my own. I admire what she has created and am putting her insights to work right now although I am not currently buying or selling real estate. A genuine joy. My gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased review. I feel as if I've spent time with a knowledgeable, kind friend.

If you are buying or selling, don’t leave the process fully in the hands of your agent. Educate yourself! With before and after pictures and practical advice,, you will properly evaluate your home. Staging makes the difference. Learn how to get the most for your home or determine the value in what you are buying. I received a free copy of this book and am willingly leaving my review.

I am a real estate hobbyist and enjoy learning the ins and outs of buying and selling property. Tracy gives amazing tips to prospective sellers, explaining the science behind things many overlook such as staging a home and the importance of curb appeal when trying to sell. Anyone looking for tips on how to sell their property will find many gems in this read.

Very good primer on getting as much money as possible when selling a house. Great pictures to explain and add details. There is also plenty of useful information about getting the most for your money when buying a house.