From 0 to 130 Properties in 3.5 Years

by Steve McKnight

With more than 160 000 copies sold, "From 0 to 130 Properties in 3.5 Years "is Australia's highest selling real estate book -- ever!Scores of investors have used Steve McKnight's wealth building information to discover how to achieve their financial dreams. Now it's your turn.

Using his incredible real-life account of how he bought 130 properties in 3.5 years, McKnight reveals how you can become financially free by using cash and cashflow positive property.

Revised to incorporate the latest highly effective strategies, and rewritten to include 16 brand new chapters, this revised edition reveals: How to create a positive cashflow property portfolio from scratch -- even if you have little money and no experienceSteve's New 1% Rule -- a simple four-step process for finding positive cashflow propertiesExactly what and where to buy if you want to maximise your profitsHow to protect your wealth and save taxAnd much, much more ...

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Business, Personal Finance

525 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2003

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe I should rate it 5 simply because it opened my eyes to many other ways to make money related to residential estate.

Its mostly about positive gearing properties, finding properties that give you money each week versus negative gearing.

Its an older book and I tried to think about properties being $44k and that is so far gone. The idea of buying 60 properties in a trip to NZ where prices were $25k a property sounds insane. I honestly couldn’t help but think that it was this kind of behaviour that although totally legal pushed up prices. On the other hand, if I were in the situation with that opportunity would I have done it too? Probably. I get that he talks about giving back and treating the tenant as the #1 asset. Also looking for win-win situations like vendor financing where he essentially becomes the bank for the buyer who cant get a regular loan (pre- low doc loans).

I appreciated the quick look into developments and subdivisions as well as commercial real estate, which were all lump sum cash at the end.

I appreciate that he didn’t hold the properties indefinitely and sold them when the market came up again.

I wasn’t expecting his approach to shift into commercial property from residential. So he started in residential then moved to commercial.

“My preferred wealth-creation model for financial freedom is:
Step 1: Use your savings to purchase quick casj property deals
Step 2: Add more value than cost, then sell.
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 to build your investing kitty
Step 4: Purchase debt-free commercial property to gain reliable income and growth.
Without any debt, the income return will be high, and because investing in commercial real estate is largely automated, the passive efficiency is high too.” Page 384

He ended up selling the 130 properties to his business partner, so he was cashed up and started again and focused on doing more subdivisions, developments, and quick cosmetic refurbishments to get quick lump sum cash to buy commercial real estate.

Now in Australia looking for positive geared properties takes you outside of capital cities to regional areas. I’ve found properties with 10% or more cash flow that need work and are tenanted. The thing is that most of these areas as so far outside of where any growth will occur and talking to an agent about options revealed that some of the properties have been up for sale for years, like 7 to 10 years. So positive gearing here feels more like a term deposit where the principle doesn’t change but you get interest on your money.

I read a negative geared book before this and although the figures were also very outdated, the idea is still more applicable if buying residential real estate as it would be in capital areas that are more than likely going to appreciate.

I feel like i want to learn more about developing and subdivisions now.

[Kylie Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring and mostly useless. Spent some of the book reading a great way to invest only to get to the end of the chapter and he says "but you probably won't be able to do that anymore because the market.. Yada yada yada"

[Fab · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly helpful read if you want to know more about real estate investing in Australia. The author has plenty of credibility seeing as he's actually gone out and done this long enough to reach financial independence. The book is easy to read and covers plenty of important topics:

Reveals the truth about negative gearing (not as great as we're taught to think it is).

Dives into the different legal entities used for owning investment property such as partnerships, companies and trusts. The idea is that by not owning things in your own name you protect your own wealth, legally minimize tax and maximize your borrowing capacity.

Examines seven different ways to make money in real estate breaking these down into two categories: cashflow profits and lump-sum cash profits.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great 1st property book!

[heidiv zero · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m glad I read it but I stopped enjoying it pretty quickly. I love the push towards financial freedom but honestly I think he makes property sound like way too much work and way too much chance of losing money. I was considering buying another property before this book but now I’m not so sure Hha. Might stick to shares. I do love his focus on positively geared properties though. Makes so much sense. Just a lot of hard work to find them unless you’re paying 100% cash - which he doesn’t talk about at all in the book.

[Avishay Kadouri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! The author share his journey and how he managed to achieve 130 properties to invest in only 3.5 years! He shares tips, systems and guides to how profit from real estate and become financially independent through real estate. It is a defiantly recommended book for anyone who interests in real estate investing!

[Fred Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and approachable

The contents have a few often neglected insights and the author approached it with very beginner friendly languages.

Though I don't agree that 'positive cashflow' is an asset class, being price conscious and value oriented is important for long term wealth creation

[Mic · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains a good amount of applicable knowledge about real estate investing that transcends temporal change, however, a lot of the advice given is no longer relevant as it pertains to market conditions which no longer exist.

[Wen Zhe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic book on property investing by the great Steve McKnight. Although written more than 10 years ago, the principles are timeless and can be applied. My takeaway is that opportunity is open to all, but not all are open to opportunity. Continue to learn and hard work will pay off.

[Ashfaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say the title of this book is the best part. Kudos for selecting this title. It really got my attention.

Steve is extremely knowledgeable and has put in a lot of effort writing this book. I found it far too technical though and didn't really get anything new out of it.

[Sean A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great in-depth explanation about property investing. It's an honest book written about properties, emphasizing positive cash flow as king. Very resourceful with handful of tools to help calculate your risks.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed book on the Australian property market. I have largely skipped the country specific details, but picked up bits and pieces on deal making, property aquisition/management.

[Ali Hysong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed and helpful guide to real estate investing. I will come back to this many times

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good first property book. Read in 2021 and as such info is outdated in many respects but is also still very relevant in others. A worthwhile read.

[Góc của Tròn]

Positive geared properties

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great ending.

[Ranga B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn all about property investing in Australia and general rules apply worldwide. Look for positive cashflow and how one can money from investing in real estate

[Richard Booth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really relevant in 2024 unless you’ve got a huge amount of cash in the bank.

[Jef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read this one before although re-reading it a few years later presents a new perspective now.

Steve mixes the wealth (pun intended) of experience along with some case studies at the end to see them put into practice.

While the strategies may be necessarily be as applicable in today's Australian housing market, McKnight's mindset and approach to wealth creation in all markets makes this a must read for any successful property investor

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a while since I read this but I still remember it as a good intro book and great chapter on goal setting. Better then 0 to 360 properties in 7 years. It is a must read for any Australian wishing to invest in property

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for residential property investors.

Some of the information is outdated but there is a lot of good info worth reading the book for.

Any smart investor will get there money back many times over listening to advice from this book.

[Kris Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it difficult to get into. Perhaps I need to re-read it to see if I find it better the second time around.

[Heidi Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read....an awesome intro to property investing!

[Seamus Mcduff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome. This guy strikes me as the real deal, as he's done it, but is also honest about the pitfalls.
Highly recommended. Now to put the knowledge into practice and make a cool squillion!

[Hamed Taghvaei · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book to give you some idea how to entering to investment property market in Australia.

[Mehdi Hassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that improves knowledge in property business

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me realise that if I want to achieve financial freedom I need to buy positive cash flow properties. The book explains how to do this well.