Buying-power

This book saved me a lot of time. Very good discussion on establishing your buying criteria, how to buy used or new, gasoline vs. diesel, sail vs. power, negotiating skills, how to estimate a boat's value, timing purchase/sale. Alltogether excellent, highly recommended!!

The stuff that is happening to electricity prices in both ends of the country - California and New York - is really scarey. Gas prices are also going bonkers. All this deregulation is changing the way we have bought energy for the last 60 years. I am not sure we are going in the right direction.

But this book is a calm, direct, understandable guide that will help me and probably many others to make some sense of these chaotic times and develop a plan to make the best of all the uncertainty.

The book makes sense with out being preachy or self-important. It is a complex topic, but I could follow it well.

It is definitely worthwhile for anyone concerned with buying energy for their organization, large or small.

If you are looking for insight in this area, look no further. A really good book. Penetrating analysis.

If you ever thought that purchasing was dull and that purchasing professionals had an equally boring task, then think again. All organisations are equal in one respect. Each one buys something, adds value to that which it has bought and then sells it on - hopefully with a profit. Most companies focus their activity on the cost of adding value and the sale of the finished product. Most focus only a small portion of their resources on what, where and how to obtain those goods on which they rely. Purchasing Power demonstrates the value of purchasing as a core business process and hands the reader the key to increased profitability.

this book which I have is two years out of date please advise where and when I can purchase a current addition. Thank you Peter Bos

While this book is a good overview of buying a boat, it contains no surprises - and I knew nothing about boats before buying it - save reading two magazines.

What did it tell me ?

- There is approx 30-35% markup on price of a new boat
- you get a good deal if you get 12-15% of that in negociating.

What else?
Nothing much but common sense, and repeated info.

An organised person could generate the checklists themselves with or without the help of this book or a couple of boating magazines.

Anyone who has purchased a new or used car would go through the same tactics with the dealer/seller.

What would I reccomend instead ?

I also purchased "The Complete Idiots Guide to Boating and Sailing" which gave me a better (but still reasonably high level) introduction to boats/buying.

What has really impressed me is my latest purchase (reccomended from Amazon Reviews) and that is the so called "Bible of Boating" Chapmans Piloting. It sounds a bit high-brow, but covers everything and anything a novice or experienced person could want to know. It is letter sized hardcover with 650 color pages - well worth thirty five bucks. Buy that and forget wasting thrity bucks on three empty paperbacks.

My husband and I are experienced boaters. We wanted to purchase a small cruiser and needed a little more education on the pros and cons of new vs. used. JP's book was well thought out and a great help. We found a beautiful used boat that suited our needs perfectly. The inspection checklist was instrumental in guiding us toward a quality boat at a substancial savings. Thanks JP!

Thanks JP! I am a novice boater and was in deaperate need of solid advice. Your book gave me the all of the information I needed to buy a great boat and save a great deal of time and money. Well written, easy to follow, and accurate. I rate this a MUST read for any boat buyer.

the book is fine, but i need more information

another waste of time. dont buy this book unless you are totally new to real estate.I dont return books as a practice but i am returning both books by this authur.I am a professional invester there are good books these are not them.

I am planning to sell my house soon and I got about a dozen books on the subject. This one was the best of the bunch (second, believe it or not, was the "Dummies" book!). There is very basic info (curb appeal, etc.) but also some excellent practical advice on timing, how to negotiate the sale, when to bend and when to hold firm. There may be a better book out there on the topic, but I haven't come across it.

Irwin has written numerous books on various aspects of real estate and he has a very good reputation for providing top-notch information and advice.

This was probably the best of the 5 or so books I consulted. Not sure where the reviewer below is coming from; while the basics were covered, there were a number of savvy and sophisticated tips that would not occur to a first-time seller and that I did not see elsewhere. Chapters 6-10, on negotiations, were particularly useful.

what a waste.if your new great buy it. if not a total rehash of basics.i was quite dis appointed.

I'm the type of buyer who will do LOT's of research before I make a decision (to make sure that my decision is correct). I have a pretty good selection of 'How To' books, as this is my first house purchase, however the one book that had the most answers to my questions was this one. I highly recommend it (5 out of 5 stars obviously), and have already loaned it to my brother who will be buying a house next year.

This book is very useful. It showed us how to find and then buy a home in a market where prices were going up and there were many multiple offers. It had tips that our agent never told us about (I suspect she didn't know) that allowed us to lock up two houses and then get out of the deals when we decided we didn't like them. The third try was the charm and we got the house, even though there were other offers. We give this book a recommendation of 5 out of 5.