The shoe's on the other foot for Dr. Kenneth W. Edwards, author of Your Successful Real Estate Career, American Management Association. As the book review editor for The Real Estate Professional magazine, Edwards reads virtually every book written with regard to the real estate industry. Now it's his turn to be reviewed as his real estate career primer hits the bookstore shelves in its third edition.

Edwards has written the real estate career primer in Your Successful Real Estate Career, with careful attention to relaying both the pros and the cons of the industry. In a kindly, conversational manner, Edwards shares the daily grind of real estate with readers, including the necessary and sometimes painful steps involved in separating the motivated buyer from the looker, something new agents might have a tough time doing without experience or a guiding hand. In short, the book saves the new agent from learning everything the hard way.

A staple to new agents since its first edition in 1987, the book has been updated with the latest information necessary to understand the complexities of today's real estate industry. The section on agency, "In the Beginning, There Was Agency" is particularly timely. Agency relationships and their disclosure to the customer are one of the most hotly debated issues within the industry. Adding to the urgency is the Internet, with the pending certification of the e-PRO.

Other refinements include a rewrite of the last chapter "How to Succeed in Real Estate by Really Trying." To add interest and humor, Edwards includes "Top Ten Ways to Tell When Your Real Estate Career is in the Dumps" and "Top Ten Things to Remember if You Want to Soar Like an Eagle."

Stunning in its absence however, is any reference to the Internet and its affect on the real estate industry. Edwards was, and is, still in the face-to-face camp of Realtors. If readers want to know how to list a home, how to present an offer, the advice is basic and useful. But there is no advice on how to mine the Internet-empowered consumer.

Editor's note: Your Successful Real Estate Career is copyrighted in 1997. The Internet has evolved considerably in that time, explaining why the current edition does not mention it. Dr. Edwards plans a new chapter in the fourth edition to include the Internet and its proper context in the career of the real estate agent.

Also missing is information on budgeting for advertising and self-promotion, one of the most difficult and costly tasks a new agent has to face. Again, including information about Internet methods would have been helpful to the new agent.

Like many Realtors who have been licensed a long time, Edwards adopted a wait-and-see attitude about the Internet, a position he intends to rectify when he writes his next edition. Unfortuately, its omission dates the book.

With the information that he does include, Edwards never loses sight of the fact that his purpose is assisting those who are entering or reevaluating their place in the industry.

"I detected a real need for an objective, yet positive, book written for the person contemplating a career in real estate," says Edwards, who became a Realtor after a 28-year career in the Air Force. "I spent four years on it and my wife and I worked as a team."

Recalls Edwards,"One publisher turned down the original manuscript with the comment: "I doubt that there's a market for an honest book about selling real estate."

Edwards has the last laugh. By avoiding the hype often associated with real estate, Edwards' book has sold over 50,000 copies. Over the years, it has amassed its share of industry supporters, including Realty Times columnist Peter Miller, RE/MAX International founder Dave Liniger, and Internet Crusade's John Reilly.

If you are considering a career in real estate or simply need a touchstone for the basics, Edwards gives you what you need to know to enjoy the day-to-day life of a Realtor. Your Successful Real Estate Career is available at Amazon.com by Clicking Here

Published: December 3, 1999

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