This book by Alison Rogers came out of her (former) weekly column “Diary of a Real Estate Rookie” for Inman News. It is not a how-to book, but more of a memoir of her experiences as a home owner, realtor, and investor. Her experiences are in New York City, which is its own world and so will not give a lot of insight into what it’s like to be a real estate rookie anywhere else. Because of this, it was more of an entertaining read rather than an educational one. It reminded me of how location specific the real-estate market is, as well as time-specific. This book was written in 2007, and things have changed. Actually, I don’t know how any real estate book doesn’t become out-of-date very quickly, as the market is ever-changing.
Each chapter has a catchy title, i.e., The “Come to Jesus” Letter (Sometimes You Just Have to Punch Someone in the Nose), and is much like how a weekly column would be. The author has a unique and, some would say, humorous style, though I found it annoying at times. (No matter what your motive, referring to yourself as “white and privileged” multiple times is grating, in my opinion. And yes, I’m so impressed that you went to Harvard! Thanks for never letting me forget it!)
Even though I was annoyed, I finished the book quickly which means it was interesting. Even though New York City has absolutely nothing to do with my own local real estate reality, that may have been why it held my interest like it did.
If you have a general interest in all things real estate, you will probably find the book entertaining as I did, but if you are looking for useful information, you should probably pick up another book.
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