The Real Estate Game

Claude Ballard Limited Partner, Goldman Sachs & Company Almost anyone who wants to play in the real estate market should read this. Joel Peterson former Managing Partner, Trammell Crow Company and Professor, Stanford Business School A fun and informative read, with the credibility of one who’s been there. Donald A. Brown JBG Real Estate Companies None of us who know Bill Poorvu and his extensive real estate and teaching background are surprised that his new book is both interesting and essential reading for real estate investors on every level. The use of actual cases to illustrate real estate principles adds meaning to each concept. The result is a combination of a good read and valuable insight; this book should be a “must” on every real estate entrepreneur’s list. John H. Vogel, Jr. Adjunct Associate Professor, Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College My real estate students should read this book. So should yours. Richard B. Peiser Michael D. Spear Professor of Real Estate Development, Harvard University Graduate School of Design After more than thirty years at Harvard Business School, Bill Poorvu has trained many of the most successful real estate developers and managers in the business. With war stories that are hard to put down, The Real Estate Game reminds everyone from beginners to the most jaded professionals about the pitfalls to look for and how to avoid them. Dorn C. McGrath, Jr. Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, George Washington University This unusual book provides a rare glimpse of the practical demands implicit in the opportunities available to the enlightened real estate developer. It transcends the mundane procedural aspects of traditional real estate practice. Urban planning professionals, local politicians, and graduate students need to read The Real Estate Game. –Charles G. Field former Staff Vice President, National Association of Home Builders and Senior Research Fellow, School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland The Real Estate Game is one of the best books written for the private investor. Poorvu and Cruikshank give insightful, sophisticated and risk-reducing advice in a most readable form. Read it before entering into real estate investments, and then keep it on the table while negotiating the sale, obtaining the financing, and managing the property. Ellen Shuman Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York The Real Estate Game is the book I wish I had written; the content I wish I had taught. It’s simple and clear, yet comprehensive. It’s also exactly what people need to know. Seth A. Klarman President, The Baupost Group L.L.C. and author of Margin of Safety In The Real Estate Game, Bill Poorvu has called on four decades of experience developing, owning and managing properties and on over thirty years of drawing lessons from those experiences in his HBS classroom. Whether you are a real estate novice or an experienced practitioner, you will benefit from Poorvu’s practical advice. Mike E. Miles Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Investments and author of The Real Estate Development Process The perfect first book to read if you want to learn about real estate.

William J. Poorvu is a successful real estate investor and developer and heads the real estate program at the Harvard Business School.