Real Estate Quotes – Centuries of Wisdom in One Place

The Big Picture On Real Estate Investment Quotes:

• • Real estate is a rock-solid investment. It’s not going anywhere, and the big names in business know its lasting value.
  • Rental properties are passive income machines. They put money in your pocket month after month while building long-term wealth.
  • Compared to stocks and bonds, real estate offers better stability and more control. You get high returns with lower risk.

Who doesn’t love a pithy quote?

Well, the Internet can get pretty cluttered with pseudo-profound inspirational quotes and social media sharebait. But hey, there are still plenty of great real estate investing quotes out there. Given how many famous, wealthy people made their fortunes in real estate, you can’t walk around the real estate industry without stumbling over some good ones.

Whether you could use some motivation, some clarity on your investing strategy, or just a chuckle at how obnoxious famous people can be, here are some classic real estate investing quotes you can trot out at cocktail parties to sound sophisticated and urbane.

Real Estate’s Permanence & Long-Term Growth

Sure, you can flip real estate for a quick profit. But with its permanence and scarcity in an ever-more-crowded world, the buy-and-hold real estate strategy has remained tried and true over the centuries.

The landed gentry knew that owning real estate created long-term, generational wealth. While pundits can go on about how the Industrial Revolution pulled the rug out from under wealthy landowners, the fact is that the families who held onto their real estate remain wealthy 200 years later.

More Factors Contributing to Real Estate’s Long-Term Value

Below are some more factors that positively affect real estate’s value in the long run for a better overview.

But you can choose not to take it from me. Instead, hear it directly from the mouths of those far wiser and wealthier!

“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” – Mark Twain, writer and humorist.

Our friend and colleague Joy Bender of LuxurySoCalRealty.com recommended a personal favorite, Mark Twain’s classic quip.

“It is a comfortable feeling to know that you stand on your own ground. Land is about the only thing that can’t fly away.” – Anthony Trollope, novelist

Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind, frames a similar argument in more dramatic terms:

“The land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it’s the only thing that lasts.” – Margaret Mitchell, novelist

Companies and even countries rise and fall, but property is forever. On a lighter note, Will Rogers puts it succinctly:

“Don’t wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate and wait.” – Will Rogers, actor.

Passive Income

Passive income is the foundation for financial independence and retiring early (FIRE). You can earn it from many investments, from dividend-paying stocks to bonds to starting a business. But nothing generates passive income as effectively and safely as real estate.

With rental properties, you don’t need to worry about selling off assets in retirement, the sequence of returns risk, or safe withdrawal rates like the 4% Rule.

To start with a classic:

“Landlords grow rich in their sleep without working, risking or economizing.” – John Stuart Mill, political economist

Like many people, I first started thinking differently about money after reading Robert Kiyosaki’s classic Rich Dad, Poor Dad. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it as a launchpad for fluently approaching your finances.

“Real estate investing, even on a very small scale, remains a tried and true means of building an individual’s cash flow and wealth.” –  Robert Kiyosaki, real estate investor and author.

If you’ve ever read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, you probably remember Kiyosaki’s simple breakdown of an asset versus a liability. An asset makes you richer each month. A liability makes you poorer. Our colleague Paul Sian of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Realty puts it like this:

“The best kind of real estate investment is the one that pays for itself and then some with cash flow.  Anything that eats more cash than brought in is a bad deal.” – Paul Sian, real estate agent and investor.

Always use a rental cash flow calculator before buying any rental property!

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Real estate investments? Awesome. Being a landlord? Less fun.

Learn how to earn 15-30% on passive real estate investments in one free class.

Safety & Security

In an analysis of returns on stocks, bonds, and real estate over the last 150 years, researchers found that rental properties offer the high returns of stocks coupled with the low volatility and risk of bonds. That’s a winning combination.

Beyond being able to predict returns by forecasting real estate cash flow, landlords also have far more control over their returns than stock or bond investors. With stocks, for example, you buy and hope for the best. The only control you have at that point is when to sell.

However, with real estate, you can actively lower your risk as a landlord through aggressive tenant screening, landlord-protective lease agreements, and rent default insurance that pays the rent if your tenant stops.

Need more convincing? Here’s what more famous commentators say:

“Land is land, and it’s safer than the stocks and bonds of Wall Street swindlers.” – Eugene O’Neill, playwright

He raises a great point: you can evaluate and verify real estate’s value for yourself, but most people don’t feel confident they can verify how a stock should be priced.

“Now, one thing I tell everyone is learn about real estate. Repeat after me: real estate provides the highest returns, the greatest values and the least risk.” – Armstrong Williams, entrepreneur

And, of course, an oft-quoted classic from FDR:

“Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care, it is about the safest investment in the world.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. president.

Track Record of Generating Wealth

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the world’s wealthiest people aren’t doctors, lawyers, or middle managers climbing the corporate ladder. They’re entrepreneurs and, in a surprisingly high number of cases, real estate entrepreneurs.

Just ask the two most iconic billionaires in America’s history, starting with Andrew Carnegie:

“Ninety percent of all millionaires become so through owning real estate. More money has been made in real estate than in all industrial investments combined. The wise young man or wage earner of today invests his money in real estate.” – Andrew Carnegie, billionaire industrialist.

And his contemporary, John Rockefeller:

“The major fortunes in America have been made in land.” – John D. Rockefeller, billionaire industrialist

Looking for someone a little more contemporary?

“A funny thing happens in real estate. When it comes back, it comes back up like gangbusters.” – Barbara Corcoran, real estate investor and media personality

Marshall Field takes it a step further:

“Buying real estate is not only the best way, the quickest way, the safest way, but the only way to become wealthy.” – Marshall Field, entrepreneur

Even conservative personal finance commentator Suze Orman loves real estate:

“Owning a home is a keystone of wealth… both financial affluence and emotional security.” – Suze Orman, personal finance expert and media personality

I rather appreciate Louis Glickman’s succinctness with his take:

“The best investment on Earth is earth.” – Louis Glickman, real estate investor

And finally, the Oracle of Omaha himself:

“We don’t have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest.” – Warren Buffett, billionaire investor and strategist.

Where to Invest in Real Estate

Everyone has their strategy when it comes to where to buy real estate. Some investors look for the cheapest real estate in the US. Others look for the cities with the best cap rates. Still, others take a more nuanced approach, combining a range of metrics to find the best cities for real estate investing. (Guess which approach we recommend?)

Here are a few famous real estate investing quotes to bring even more perspectives to the mix.

“Find out where the people are going and buy the land before they get there.” – William Penn Adair, attorney and politician

But how do you know where people are going? John Jacob Astor has a tip:

“Buy on the fringe and wait. Buy land near a growing city!” – John Jacob Astor, real estate developer and writer

Our colleague Glenn Shelhammer likes up-and-coming neighborhoods that have yet to fully gentrify and might still see some Section 8 tenants.

“Buy real estate in a neighborhood where you might get shot, not one where you will get shot. That’s where the money is going to be!” – Glenn Shelhammer, agent and investor, Shelhammer Real Estate Group.

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Want to compare investment property loans?

What short-term fix-and-flip loan options are available nowadays?

How about long-term rental property loans?

We compare several buy-and-rehab lenders and several long-term landlord loans on LTV, interest rates, closing costs, income requirements and more.

Leverage

One of the enormous perks of investing in real estate is that you can leverage other people’s money to build your portfolio of assets. Assets that put money in your pocket each month in the form of passive income.

Real estate investors can borrow 70-80% of the purchase price when they take out a rental property mortgage. If they get creative, they can use down payment hacks to borrow even more of the acquisition costs. In some cases, they can even finance 100% of the acquisition costs through strategies like the BRRRR method!

It’s no surprise then that the bigwigs bring up leverage in their famous real estate investing quotes.

“Rich people use debt to leverage investments and grow cash flows. Poor people use debt to buy things that make rich people richer.” – Grant Cardone, real estate investor and media personality

I admit I get a kick out of how much of a jerk Grant Cardone is. Not to be outdone, Robert Kiyosaki has a few words of wisdom on the subject as well:

“Financial leverage is the advantage the rich have over the poor and middle class.” – Robert Kiyosaki, author and real estate investor

And for good measure, he expanded on that concept to drive the point home in another gem real estate investing quote:

“People with leverage have dominance over people with less leverage. In other words, just as humans gained advantages over animals by creating leveraged tools, similarly, humans who use these tools of leverage have more power over humans that do not. Saying it more simply, ‘leverage is power.’” – Robert Kiyosaki, author and real estate investor.

Misfits & Miscellaneous Real Estate Investing Quotes that Didn’t Fit Elsewhere

While we’re rounding up real estate investor quotes, some don’t fit neatly into a stack. Here are a few good real estate investing quotes that fall into the misfit bucket.

“The meek shall inherit the Earth, but not its mineral rights.” – J. Paul Getty, entrepreneur and oil tycoon.

That last one is a favorite from our friend Conor MacEvilly of MySeattleHomeSearch.com. It brings a certain coy cynicism in its observation that you have to go out and grab life by the cojones if you want to come out ahead.

Speaking of cynicism, our friend Bill Gassett from Max Real Estate Exposure has a few choice words that all novice real estate investors need to hear:

“Let me know how you’re a real estate expert because you watch reality TV shows like House Hunters?” – Bill Gassett, real estate agent and investor

My grandfather always repeated this next quote, which all real estate investors should internalize before attempting to negotiate a real estate deal.

“You don’t get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate.” – Chester Karrass, author

Finally, let’s wrap up with an ancient proverb that’s still around after 4,500 years:

“He is not a full man who does not own a piece of land.” – Hebrew Proverb

More Real Estate Investment Quotes For You

As I mentioned earlier, the Internet is full of inspirational quotes. Some are nonsensical, while some are truly inspirational. I’ve included quotes that hit home and are from prominent names.

Real Estate as a Primary Investment

“Real estate is an imperishable asset, ever increasing in value. It is the most solid security that human ingenuity has devised. It is the basis of all security and about the only indestructible security.” – Russell Sage

“If you’re not going to put your money into real estate, Where else?” – Tamir Sapir

Timing for Buying Real Estate

“The best time to buy a home is always five years ago.” – Ray Brown

“Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it.” – Warren Buffett

Lifestyle Benefits of Real Estate

“I will forever believe that buying a home is a great investment. Why? Because you can’t live in a stock certificate. You can’t live in a mutual fund.” – Oprah Winfrey

“There have been few things in my life which have had a more genial effect on my mind than the possession of a piece of land.” – Harriet Martineau

Real Estate and Economic Power

“Land monopoly is not only monopoly, but it is by far the greatest of monopolies; it is a perpetual monopoly, and it is the mother of all other forms of monopoly.” – Winston Churchill

“What we call real estate – the solid ground to build a house on – is the broad foundation on which nearly all the guilt of this world rests.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

Personal Finance Advice

“If you don’t own a home, buy one. If you own a home, buy another one. If you own two homes buy a third. And lend your relatives the money to buy a home.” – John Paulson

“When you invest, you are buying a day that you don’t have to work.” – Aya Laraya

“I advise women to invest in real estate. It is the collateral to be preferred above all others, and the safest means of investing money.” – Hetty Green

“Every person who invests in well-selected real estate in a growing section of a prosperous community adopts the surest and safest method of becoming independent, for real estate is the basis of wealth.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Real Estate Investment Experience

“Successful real estate investors profit significantly from experience. The bad experiences help you appreciate the good ones, and that process doesn’t happen overnight.” – Donald J. Trump, U.S. President. 

“Real estate is an imperishable asset, ever increasing in value. It is the most solid security that human ingenuity has devised. It is the basis of all security and about the only indestructible security.” – Russell Sage, American financier, railroad executive and former US House representative.

“Current real estate prices aren’t high because they have been driven up by irresponsible speculation. As was often the case in the past. Prices have risen because a constantly increasing population with money to invest has been created – and continues to be created.” – J. Paul Getty, founder of Shell Oil, was America’s first billionaire.

Final Thoughts

As you set out to build passive income and reach financial independence with real estate, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Learn from those who came before, to avoid their expensive investing mistakes.

Go get a coach,  a mentor, or a partner. Read blogs like oh, say, our real estate and landlord blog. Take free real estate investing courses (like ours!)

And collect some classic real estate investing quotes for good measure along the way to show off how worldly you are.

What are your favorite real estate investing quotes? Share them below!

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