NAREE's 5th Annual Bruss Real Estate Book Award Winners

National Association of Real Estate Editors Announces 2012 Robert Bruss Real Estate Book Award Winners

Denver (June 22, 2012) – The National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) has named the winners of the Fifth Annual Robert Bruss Real Estate Book Awards. The awards recognize excellence in books published in 2011 on the broad field of real estate.

Author Kalvin Platt won the first place Gold Award in the Bruss competition for his book: "Master-Planned Communities: Lessons from the Developments of Chuck Cobb," published by the Urban Land Institute.

NAREE’s judges commented that Platt’s book is “beautifully designed and illustrated” and "well organized, clearly written and important” and serves as a “comprehensive look back on what worked – and what didn’t – in early planned communities."

Platt’s book is “an important book evaluating the evolution of ‘new towns’ whose development was guided by one man, unknown to thousands who today live in a diverse range of communities he created. Author Platt overlays ‘smart growth’ concepts on the original plans and subsequent build-outs to see how well these communities perform today as sustainable and pleasing places to live,” commented one NAREE judge.

Charles Long took the Bruss Silver Award for his book: "Finance for Real Estate Development," also published by the Urban Land Institute. Long’s book is a "terrific look at how real estate development deals work. This book is the first year of business school in your hands,” the judges commented.

Winner of the Bronze Award was Buddy Norman with Jay Papasan, for their book, "Shift Commercial: How Commercial Brokers Tackle Tough Times," published by Keller Williams Realty International. “Written for commercial real estate professionals, the book is a timely how-to guide navigating through today's prolonged economic downturn,” the NAREE jurors said.

NAREE's First-Time Author Award winner was Adam Leitman Bailey for the book, "Finding the Uncommon Deal," published by Adam Leitman Bailey PC. "The book is a good up-to-date handbook on the basics of home-buying in today’s market,” the NAREE judges commented.

NAREE esteemed panel of judges have many decades of experience as editors and NAREE leaders. Allen Norwood, freelance editor, HGTV online, retired homes editor, Charlotte Observer and former NAREE vice president, judged the Bruss Book Competition along with two NAREE past presidents: Judith Stark, freelance editor/writer and retired real estate and homes editor, St. Petersburg Times and Carl Larsen, freelance journalist and retired homes section editor, San Diego Union-Tribune.

This year's winners demonstrate NAREE's broad reach in real estate from urban planning to finance and commercial and residential real estate. The awards were presented June 22 at NAREE’s 46th Annual Real Estate Journalism Conference in Denver. All of the award winners received cash prizes.

NAREE’s Bruss Book Awards program is named for the late Robert Bruss, syndicated real estate columnist, prolific writer and a longtime NAREE leader. Bruss, who died in 2007, frequently wrote reviews of realty books. The Bruss Book Awards are sponsored by NAREE presidents Leigh Robinson, founder of Express Publishing, and Brad Inman, founder of Inman News, with a special gift from Art Michaels, executor of the Bruss estate.

NAREE, a non-profit association of writers celebrating 83 years of service to real estate writers, was founded in 1929.

Contact: NAREE Executive Director, Mary Doyle-Kimball for more information at madkimba@aol.com or 561-391-3599.