How We Made a Million Dollars Recycling Great Old Houses

Although this book was published 27 years ago, it is still an excellent book with much useful advise. This is one of only two books I know of that actually lists all 30 properties that the authors purchased, including addresses, purchase price, rental income, sales price and total income. (Back in the 1960's and 1970's to make a million dollars, you had to do more than just buy 4 or 5 houses, like we do today.) The other book that did it, which is also an excellent book it you can find it, was co-author Mary Weir's book, "House Recycling", written a few years later. This kind of information alone makes the book a great resource, along with the pictures and descriptions of how each house was purchased and rennovated. The authors started small but worked their way up to huge mansions. The book is divided into two parts. One part explains the process that the authors went through to find and buy their houses. The second part goes into details about tools to use and how to actually make repairs on the houses. In the same vein, another book that is worth having is Lawrence Dworin's book "Profits in Buying & Renovating Homes." The version I have was published in 1990, and some of the renovating techniques apply to pumbling and electical issues in the past, but most of the advice is still applicable today. The Sam and Mary Weir book is a hidden gem that hasn't lost any luster over the years. Terry W. Sprouse -- author of the book "Fix 'em up, Rent 'em Out: How to Start Your Own House Fix-up and Rental Business In Your Spare Time."

If you are lucky enough to find this "out of print" book, buy it, whatever the price. Never could I find such an inspiring book. It is about love, love for houses, love that one student felt for another student (Sam and Mary started refurbishing houses when they were students). This book is full of facts. It explains exactly what you should do if you want become wealthy. Not only with money but also with warm feelings. Mary explains what was her way. Sam gives his own point of view. Practically and with the strong desire to help you to experiment the same exciting life. Thanks to this book we believe that we belong to a group of unknown individuals who fight every day to keep and enhance traditions of good building and happy living. When will we create a Club? Britanny Ferries, a French company, dedicated to passengers and trucks transportation between England, Ireland, Spain and France invented once a Club for English new owners of houses in France. These guys cross the Channel every month (some of them do it every week-end) to fix the roof or paint the windows. If you know one of these lovely people, ask them. They might be able to lend their own copy of the book to you. They might have discovered "How we made a million dollars recycling great old houses" when they were student in Yale of Harvard 20 years ago, when this book was published. "Why should we bother writing such a review for an "out of print item"? May be just as a mark of recognition to Sam and Mary Weir who made so much with this book to enlighten our life.