Last updated: 20 December 2021.
This is my comprehensive guide to the best land investment books and forestry investment books available right now.
Below you'll find the top ranked forestry and land investment books, together with curated shortlists of other titles that I think would be of interest to any potential or current land investors.
All of the books I've included in this listing are suitable for beginners to the land investment scene. With prices ranging from £5 - £25, stocking up on a few of the best land investment books can deliver the same value as an expensive seminar for only a fraction of the cost. They can even be read for free with Amazon's Kindle Unlimited free trial.
Click on any title below to see the latest price from Amazon, you'll be shocked at how affordable the most popular titles are. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases which helps to support this site. This does not impact how I compile the list. Happy reading!
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Books about land & property investment (UK orientated)
Well-rated land titles with specific reference to the UK market
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Excellent guides to land buying and management from the US which can still deliver insights for UK land buyers
Highest rated
Forestry investment books
Technical reference guides and detailed insights into the forestry market and private investment
Property market background
For investors in land who want to become experts in the property market before risking their capital
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You DON'T even need a Kindle device to download booksHere's a useful tip that will save you £100+ on land investment books. Sign-up to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited free trial, which offers access to all titles for free for 30 days.
- There's no obligation to continue with a paid subscription.
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Download all these forestry investment books for free with Kindle Unlimited
You DON'T even need a Kindle device to download booksHere's a useful tip that will save you £100+ on forestry investment books. Sign-up to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited free trial, which offers access to all titles for free for 30 days.
- There's no obligation to continue with a paid subscription.
- You don't even need a Kindle to enjoy - any device will do.
If you're cost-savvy, you'll already be calculating the savings you could unlock and the knowledge you could gain by downloading 5 books over the next 30 days.
My Top 5 Land & Forestry Investment Books for 2022
Click covers to see latest reviews and prices1. LandBook - Neil Shelton
Financial Expert Rating:
Synopsis:
"A handbook for land, LandBook provides the inside information you'll need as a small landowner including how to buy land very cheaply, build roads, drill wells, dig ponds and how to sell your land if the need ever arises.
You'll learn how to decipher legal descriptions, buy land at tax sales, measure your own land, and make the most from what you have by learning to evaluate rural property, all as told by a seasoned professional in easy-reading everyday language with a sprinkling of humour."
Who this book is for:
It's impossible to find fault with the LandBook; a handbook to buying small, rural plots of land.
Neil Shelton, the author, has spent oevr 40 years in the land business, and even setup the world's first online land dealing website.
With credentials like these, it comes as no surprise to learn that this title is incredibly well put together.
While Neil focuses on his area of expertise; US land, this book contains plenty of useful and transferrable advice.
After all, interstate differences in local land laws means that no US title can get too caught up in the detail, else it alienates readers from the other 50 states.
This means that most of the useful advice on land buying within, will help land investors in any country.
Financial Expert Rating:
Synopsis:
"This book assesses the market for forestry products in the short- and long-term future and examines the competition between agriculture, cities, and forestry for use of land. It looks at the effects of government policies on private investors."
Who this book is for:
The first line of this book begins: "Is it a sensible economic proposition to invest in forestry?"
And it's this question which is explored in loving detail in the remainder of this guide.
Written for serious investors or policy makers, this book (which does not get the profile it deserves), brings rigour to analysis around land investments, making it an essential resource for potential land investors.
Financial Expert Rating:
Synopsis:
"The fully revised and updated third edition of this textbook provides a comprehensive guide to the property development process, taking readers from initial project evaluation to planning, funding, construction and disposal.
The last ten years have seen regional planning apparatus swept away and replaced by new neighbourhood plans and more prominence is now given to financial viability in planning policy and decision making. The uncertainty of the financial crisis and the associated housing crash have given way to a new wave of commercial and housing development, and in this period of growth it is more important than ever to be aware of the risks and opportunities inherent in the property market."
Who this book is for:
Property development is the companion topic to land investment, as land investment is the cornerstone transaction which enables the rest of the value chain.
Property Development is an ideal companion for students on courses in estate management, land economics, property development, real estate, surveying, construction, planning and related subjects. The book will also have value for practitioners in any of these fields who as part of their CPD obligations may be looking to refresh and update their knowledge.
Financial Expert Rating:
Synopsis:
"This is the second edition of this highly acclaimed book.
Woodland Management is essential reading for anyone with an interest in trees and woodlands, whether they simply enjoy walking in the woods, are considering buying woodland, or wish to gain a greater understanding of the history and management of Britain's woodland.
The book begins with a look at how our woodlands have developed and a discussion of the different types of woodland, and then explores, in a non-technical way, all aspects of management."
Who this book is for:
Any land investor interested in buying UK woodland or forestry must buy this book.
Woodland Management is one of the very few titles available on UK woodland, making it a precious resource for those looking to generate income from forestry.
With a 4.5 rating on Amazon.co.uk after over 100 reviews, this book has proven its usefulness several times over.
Financial Expert Rating:
Synopsis:
"The unwary and under-prepared will be squeezed from the market – leaving educated, strategic investors to have their best decade yet.
Rob Dix is the author of three of the UK’s best-loved property investment books, as well as co-host of the phenomenally successful Property Podcast.
Through his own ventures and his relationships with the UK’s most accomplished investors, he’s built an enviable knowledge of the many ways to profit from property – which he presents in a manner that’s straightforward, witty and inspiring."
This book is for:
Sneaking its way onto this list of land investment books is Property Investment: How to Survive & Thrive in the World of Buy-To-Let.
It's has earned its place due to being ranked #1 in the main property investment book page.
Many land buyers hope to acquire land to develop and then either sell or rent out the properties. Therefore this guide to buy-to-let is a useful companion for a stack of land investment titles.
Rated 4.7 on Amazon with over 1,000 reviews.
The Financial Expert™ Best Land Investment Book Challenge
I challenge you to read one land investing book per month and see if it revolutionises your investing style!
The Financial Expert™ Best Land Investment Book Challenge is a well-loved feature of this website.
This is a personal development challenge that you can start at any point of the year.
Don't wait for New Years Day! Don't deprive yourself of the benefits of this powerful habit change.
The rules of the challenge are simple:
I challenge you to read one investing book per month for the next year, and find your new favourite!
The purpose of the challenge is to crack open your own perspective on the stock market.
When we begin as investors, we tend to soak up lots of new information and we're hungry for more. But I have found that personally I began to 'close up' to new ideas, and became a creature of habit and superstition.
The Best Land Investment Book Challenge was originally a challenge I set myself to expose myself to new investing thoughts and strategies.
I loved some things I read, and really challenged other parts. But either way, I found that this engagement with the titles was stimulating a level of critical thinking which hadn't experienced since I began investing a decade ago.
Some guidance
- I found it helpful to stock up on books for the next few months, so that when a new month rolls around, my next book was my bed-side table asking to be opened!
- Pick a variety of styles. This will keep the challenge fresh and increase the diversity of opinion.
- Pick at least one book that you don't think you would enjoy, this book might be the one that surprises you the most!
- If you're time-starved, audio books are absolutely fine!
Where to begin?
My list of the 5 best land investment books above is as good as any place to start, as I have consciously included a mix of different writing and investing styles to ensure that it caters to a wide audience.
Good luck!
Forestry & woodland investments to avoid - how books can help
"Shit, he wants to visit the land registry, how do we get over that?"
Forestry land investments come with a clear risk warning from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority.
Like all land, forestry is not a regulated form of investment (unlike investments in property and investments in shares). This means that forestry investment companies are not subject to the same high standards which independent financial advisers, stockbrokers and investment funds are held to.
To be clear; only a small fraction of forestry investment schemes are investment scams, but a higher level of caution is warranted.
Forestry investment books will help to guide you through this path as a potential investor in woodland.
- How to perform effective due diligence
- What red flags you should be looking out for
- Case studies of fraudulent schemes in the past
These will help you build up a broad set of fraud indicators which may help protect you from entering into a scheme which won't live up to its promises.
Selecting the best UK land investment books for beginners
"Buy land, they're not making it anymore."
Land investing is a complex process, and beginners to this asset class need a serious amount of education about the procedures, risks and rewards before they can confidently begin.
So why are there so few land investment books published about the UK market?
You may have noticed that the shortlists above, and even our top 5 ranking, include fewer UK titles than other investing book categories such as:
Why is this? Why are British land investors so underserved by authors and publishers?
It's about the economics of publishing
Have you ever wonder who owns the land in the UK? The answer is, surprisingly few people. This is in contrast to larger and new countries such as the US.
As a result, parcels of land are hard to come buy and aren't traded as frequently as in those countries. In turn, this means that the UK land investment market is smaller.
If an asset class is too small, then publishers may make a judgement to not publish titles in that field, as their publishing costs are mostly fixed overhead. If the don't believe they can sell sufficient volume of an investing title to cover those costs; the book doesn't get greenlit.
Therefore, to produce this list of land investing books for beginners, I needed to crawl through every book listing on 20 websites to find the gems worth featuring.
Books about investing in land
Land investment books are usually written to initiate a novice land investor into the market. A comprehensive guide for land investors should include at a minimum, the following:
- An overview of the market for land, including the land cycle
- Insights into the key types of buyers and sellers for land.
- A step-by-step guide to buying land (and eventually, selling)
- Tips for locating land with attractive investment prospects
- Investing for yield versus investing for capital gains.
- The risks of land investment, and pitfalls to avoid
Books about investing in forestry
Forestry investments are a niche subset within the broader category of land investment opportunities. Forestry is very distinct because even without development, the right kind of woodland can produce a passive income in the form of timber. Timber is an asset that appreciates over time as young trees grow.
Unlike farmland, woodland doesn't need to be farmed intensively, which opens the door for a passive investor to acquire a plot and hire contractors to take care of the minimal operational requirements.
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