Be in the Top 1%: A Real Estate Agent's Guide to Getting Rich - Series Intro
I just finished reading Be in the Top 1% by Bob Helms, and I want to walk through it with you chapter by chapter. This isn’t a dry book report. It’s more like me telling you what I found interesting, what surprised me, and what actually seems useful.
What This Book Is About
Bob Helms, known as “The Godfather of Real Estate,” has been in the real estate game for over seven decades. That’s not a typo. The man started investing in properties while he was still a college student. His son Robert went on to host The Real Estate Guys radio show, reaching 190+ countries. So this isn’t theory from someone who read about real estate online.
The book’s core idea is simple: most real estate agents are leaving money on the table because they don’t know how to work with investors. According to data from the California Association of Realtors, only 5% of agents will handle more than one investment property deal in their entire career. That means 19 out of 20 agents can’t help an investor even if one walks through the door.
Bob says that’s both a problem and an opportunity.
Who This Book Is For
If you’re a real estate agent wondering why your income plateaus, this book has answers. If you’re thinking about getting into real estate investing but don’t know where to start, it’s also for you. And honestly, even if you’re just curious about how investment properties work, there’s solid, practical info here.
Bob writes in a straightforward way. He’s not trying to impress you with jargon. He tells stories from his career, shows you the actual math behind deals, and walks through the tax stuff without making your eyes glaze over.
What I’ll Cover in This Series
I’m breaking this down into one post per chapter, with my own thoughts mixed in:
- Getting Rich in the Investment Property Specialist Niche - Why this niche exists and why almost nobody is in it
- Lessons Learned From My First Investment Property Transaction - Bob’s rookie mistake that almost ended his career
- Understanding Investment Properties - The different types and what makes them tick
- Valuing Investment Properties - The actual math behind analyzing deals
- Tax Benefits of Owning Real Estate - Why the government wants you to invest
- Building and Managing a Real Estate Portfolio - From your first property to a full portfolio
- Should You Take On Partners? - Partnerships, family investing, and syndications
- Using IRAs to Buy Investment Real Estate - Self-directed IRAs explained
- Preparing to Become a Successful Real Estate Agent - The groundwork you need
- Habits of Successful Real Estate Agents - Split into two parts: Contracts and Offers and Networking and Referrals
And then I’ll wrap it all up with my final thoughts.
Why This Book Matters
Here’s the thing about most real estate books: they either tell you to “hustle harder” or they’re so technical you need an accounting degree. Bob’s book sits in a sweet spot. He shows you a specific niche that’s wide open, gives you the tools to understand it, and then tells you how to build a career around it.
The man became a real estate agent at 45 as a second career. He’d already been investing for 20 years at that point. So he brings both the investor’s perspective and the agent’s perspective. That combo is rare.
Tom Hopkins, one of the most well-known real estate trainers, wrote the foreword and basically said: “I wish I’d done what Bob did.” When a legend says that about your approach, it’s worth paying attention.
Book Details:
- Title: Be in the Top 1%: A Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Getting Rich in the Investment Property Niche
- Author: Bob Helms (Robert P. Helms)
- ISBN: 978-0-9983125-9-0
- Published: 2018 by Lessons From Network
Next: Getting Rich in the Investment Property Specialist Niche