Real Estate Development Workbook and Manual

I bought the book and I am happy with it...I just hope that the author or the publisher will provide a CD with all the calculation tables included in the next edition of the book. This shortcoming does not diminish the usefulness of the book. Buy it, read it and keep it.


Almost Comprehensive   May 22, 2000
37 out of 37 found this review helpful

This is an excellent book as far as it goes, which is a lot farther than any other real estate development book of which I'm aware. This book is for those who want the equivalent of a Masters Degree in real estate, and is not geared to those without a backgroung in the business. I'm president of a development company, and we used this book to review our own methods, and we have consequently improved our effectiveness significantly. Nevertheless, in this electronic age, not to have a cd-rom of the spreadsheets he uses is a significant drawback to this otherwise excellent book


Comprehensive and Well Structured Book   April 27, 2000
Albrice (Canada)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

I have found this book to be very useful as a master checklist and general reference guide. The book is not intended for those who might be looking for case studies and historical data, but rather for those seeking an exhaustive overview of the sequence of steps and array of interconnected tasks in a generic development program.


Comprehensive guide to all phases of development   March 21, 1999
Edward Ellis (Raleigh, NC)
89 out of 90 found this review helpful

This at-first daunting volume provides an exhaustively detailed analysis of the development process from planning to cash-out. Zuckerman and Blevins offer a highly readable, highly useful and comprehensive guide to all phases of development. Beginning with the fundamentals of planning, site selection and dealing with the government, the 700-plus page text details number crunching, and finance before leading a step-by-step tour of the construction process. Common sense marketing advice and instruction on the maximization of return follow. The final chapter on responding to the changing cycles of the real estate industry may be worth the hefty price of this hefty book all by itself. Real Estate Development Workbook and Manual is jam-packed with lists, checklists and forms. One list, for example, points to every possible item for OSHA compliance. A real estate glossary to end all glossaries brings up the rear. Possibly the most fascinating part of the book is a huge pull-out chart called a Development Procedural Matrix Diagram. Its first effect is to have the reader considering taking up something a little simpler, like brain surgery. After some study, however, the matrix becomes an invaluable planning tool for the developer. By following the matrix it just might be impossible to miss a single step or fail to consider a single important issue in the development process. If real estate development is your business, this book would be a "must-have" even at twice the price.


Very General materials with no useable specifics   December 9, 1998
26 out of 39 found this review helpful

This book is jammed pack. However, it is not jammed pack with very much useful information. It is all exteremly general in nature. I was hoping for a "how to"/"what to watch for" and all I got was 500+ pages of general "You should have a financial plan before inversting..." type of advice. Very disappointing for the cost.