May 9, 2011 — Detecting real estate BS artists is one of the most valuable and useful skills that you can acquire as a property investor.
John Reed, a U.S.-based author and property investor, has assembled a Real Estate B.S. Artist Detection Checklist that is great place to start. While Reed’s checklist focuses on people selling get-rich-quick books and investing seminars, it also contains information that will be helpful for people dealing with real estate agents and developers.
Reed’s list focuses on the United States, and I don’t agree with everything he says — for example, I think professional editing and design are an important part of making a book usable — but there are some very valuable suggestions in the list.