Buying-the

This is a great book for those who don't think they can afford their own horse. The author provides very useful information regarding all aspects of owning your own horse affordably. The author includes some great money saving tips. I am so thankful to have found and read this book!!!

This book is great for anyone who would like to enjoy horse ownership but not go completely broke in the process. It offers many useful tips and gives you great resources from other books and horse companies. Highly recommended for the earliest horse owner, to the seasoned one!

This book is helpful on giving tips on how to save some money on buying a horse. At first the book sounds like how to buy a cheap horse. What it basiccly is telling you in the book is different ways to save money. I found it helpful because both of my parents are retired and I wanted a horse. My parents thought it was to expensive, but the book gave some enxaspensive ways to own a horse. Like working at the barn to lessen the rent and other ideas. All in all it gives good tips for enxepensive horse ownership.

This is a good book if you are not interested in searching for a rare dog breed. I could find more information on the internet about dog breeds than this book had to offer. Every single dog breed I was interested in was not covered or even mentioned in this book.

I rated this book only three stars because the same information, expanded and updated, appears in "Choosing a Dog for Dummies," by the same author. The newer version is worth four or five stars, I believe. Both are easy to use, thanks to the telegraphic evaluations preceding each write-up. Despite there being no color pictures, this is a good reference for the price.

Most dog encyclopedias or "pick the best breed for you" books are just photo albums with breed descriptions straight out of the AKC info snippets. They tend to have very little practical info on breeds or their quirks. I dont know where the information came from for this book, but breed after breed I found it right on the money. Having worked as a veterinary kennelworker for 3 years and in a groomers shop for 2 I have had experience with most common breeds and this is THE book I hand out whenever people ask "What should I get?". I really had to laugh at gems in there like "Shih tzu, special abilities: Shadow" or "Bearded collie, protection: may bark.. if they think burglar has come to play with them". Spot on! :)

I suppose there's some valuable information in here, but it could probably be reduced to a very brief checklist. Much of the book seems to be anecdotes about this "friend" who had this "absolute nightmare" building a home and how that proves that "you should always get it in writing" or something equally prosaic. They will misinform you that anchor bolts--in every house--are only required in earthquake zones and that the concrete compressive strength rating, e.g. 3000 psi, refers to its *weight*. In other words, know little about how houses are actually built, and so have exaggerated fears about what might go wrong. You're better off avoiding freelance writers capitalizing on the research for their own houses; choose a book from an architect, lawyer, realtor or builder with a few decades' experience instead.

I am a first time buyer and wanted to make sure that I was getting the best deal at every end of the process. I read this book and although many parts of it were good, it did not apply to my situation. This book is excellent for those that are building a custom built home with a builder. If you are looking to buy a production home (centex, KB, pulte) this is not the book you will want. I found some of the examples to be informative, but overall I will need another book to answer my questions. I hope my review helped.

If you're building or buying get this book. It has handy chapters which can help you prevent a lot of the pitfalls in both processes. Not too kind (understatement) to real estate agents in portraying them as leech-like. The editions seem pretty up-to-date with regard to web sites and other resources. This book also explains that Bob Vila is not building your house and it's not a good idea to kill your builder (though they don't rule out killing realty agents). I appreciate most the checklists of do's and don'ts in each process. And, the authors drive home the pluses of having key people on your side from the get-go (your own home inspector, your own realty agent--land purchases, your own attorney, your own etc.) representing your own interests. The contract discussions alone are well worth the small price of this handy and enjoyable book.

My husband and I recently bought our first home, so I ordered this book in the hopes that it would give us helpful details on how to maintain it, make minor repairs, and accurately troubleshoot. I am very, very, VERY disappointed in the book. While it gives decent descriptions of the various aspects of your home, such as heating and cooling systems, it does no more than that. I thought I was getting something more in-depth than just descriptions. For instance, how do I MAINTAIN my air conditioner properly? I've heard that you should hose down the outside unit every so often, for example - yet there's nothing about that in the book. I don't feel any more educated about my home and how to keep it safe and well-maintained than before I got this book. This was almost a complete waste of money and I don't recommend it.

If you're busy--like everyone--but you want to take the purchase and upkeep of your new home (first home or otherwise) seriously, this book is a must read. It reads quickly and efficiently and yet packs your head with much needed big picture and detail work to consider when buying, upgrading or maintaining your house. Read this book and stand confidently before contractors and other estimators--knowing their language, the terms, dimensions and practice of home repair. Protect yourself from getting gouged. Ensure that the work done for you is done properly. You could even do some of the work yourself after learnging how. Regardless, you're sure to establish solid ground between you and the serviceman or company your about to hire when you let them know that you know exactly how certain functions and systems in your home work. No longer stand bewildered when the toilet lid or sump pump in the basement goes down (before reading this book I didn't even know what a sump pump was or how important it was to the integrity of my home). In sum, you must buy this wonderful collection of information on home ownership. It beats most other guides, hands down.

I am a Realtor, and find that this is the perfect gift for a young couple purchasing their first home. It can answer many of the questions that come up about the inner workings of a house, and also alleviates much of the anxiety which can arise when something comes up and they live far away from Mom and Dad. It is also a great reference for people searching for their first home. No longer will they stare at a pressure tank or a septid drainfield without knowing what it is or what it does. Saves many a frazzled nerve, a few anxious phone calls, and is reassuring. If you, a friend, or a family member are buying or thinking of buying a home, run out (or log on) and get this book right away. You will never regret it.

I had little knowledge of diamonds and spent several weeks researching on the web. I came across several glowing recommendations on this book. It's an enjoyable read and there are many colorful and striking photos. However, the author spends too much time covering topics like valuable "colored" diamonds and not enough time on specific tips on engagement jewelry. Personally, I would advise the thrifty spender looking for an engagement diamond to "browse" the web and just hit the jewelers. You could easily do without this book. Websites (...) were much more helpful than this book. (...) You can find out great information about the 4 C's anywhere on the web. You can find pictures, and most anything. If you would like to read one book and not spend so much time surfing, then this may be for you. But be warned, I picked up more information from surfing than reading this book.

This is a great, objective place to become familiar with the ins/outs of what to look for in a diamond. I have been to several jewelry stores recently and gotten a diamond education, but also pressure to buy a diamond. If you read this book you will not need a jewelry store education and you will know as much about diamonds as some of the employees behind the counter!

I bought this book and several others to prepare me for engagement ring shopping. I shouldn't have wasted my money on the others. The book is clean and concise. After reading the book I was thoroughly prepared and confident to go out and shop for a diamond ring. I know I would have ended up with a much lower quality diamond and/or payed thousands more for an engagement ring and center stone without the expert advice from this book.

This was an ambitious project, by all means: over two hundred four-color pages and a jacket blurb that proclaims the book "nothing short of a money-saving source guide and an inspirational blueprint for understanding how to wear vintage clothing with style". Alas, Vintage Style fails on both counts. While some of the photographs display lovely vintage pieces--a terrific off-white Dior ensemble from the 50's, for example--the majority of these vintage-ensembles-as-mainstream-choices would draw unwanted stares at best, and embarrassing comments, at worst.

As for being a source guide, money-saving or otherwise, the book merely lists (on the final few pages) a handful of vintage dealers in each of the general regional areas of the United States, with the majority being in the New York and New England areas (surprise, surprise). The disclaimer states "A complete list would be impossible to compile". Apparently so: if you're a resident of The South, we're informed, there are only two vintage sellers of which the authors are aware: one in Miami and one in Atlanta. Well, that's news to us Southern girls! Furthermore, no price points are mentioned (these would help steer the vintage shopper to boutiques whose merchandise she could afford) and no information on the stores' areas of specialization (i.e. designers and eras represented) is given either.

Although there are plenty of color photographs, the majority are strangely styled and badly out-of-focus. A puzzling eight-part treatise on hacking up a (seemingly) perfectly good black lace dress with a pair of scissors concludes with the wearer looking less Comme des Garcons than extremely silly. And there is a disappointing shortage of accessory shots: don't those New Yorkers like vintage jewelry and handbbags as much as the rest of the nation?

Yes, you'll see some designer outfits shown on non-models in Vintage Style. But for about $37 less, you can flip through the society pages of W magazine and have a similar experience.

tiffany dubin really knows her stuff and doesn't get too lofty for the average person who just wants to see what all this hype about vintage is about. she shows fun ways to mix and match your existing wardrobe with cool finds. this book is a perfect guidebook, fun to look at and has some amazing rescources as well as a fun group of what must be friends showing the clothing off. A+

As an amateur collector, I found this book very interesting and helpful. Not only can collecting be a challenge, but so can incorporating vintage clothes in with your everyday wardrobe. Tiffany Dubin's sense of style is creative as well as wearable. She illustrates her ideas through colorful pictures and descriptions of real women in realistic settings. You feel like you're getting sincere, up-to-date advise from someone who knows vintage intstead of learning from someone designing for Kate Moss.

The title of the book is misleading, because the book is comprised 90% of recipes, NOT techniques, wit& wisdom etc. It is not a guide, it is a recipe book. If you've decided to go macrobiotic and have access to ingredients like rutabaga and arame, this book provides you with many recipes, but for me it was totally inapplicable. I was expecting the guidelines for macrobiotic eating and cooking that I could apply to different ingredients at hand and thus was very dissapponted.

Whole Foods does not = Macrobiotics as this author has decided. Whole Foods includes meat, very heartily, as it is a "whole food". I planned on a book full of recipes including snacks, which are very hard to think of, and was disappointed. The copy is trite and recipes are not very helpful regardless.

I bought this book a few years ago, just because I was trying to adapt a more healthy lifestyle, and for the immense amount of recipes in the book (a lot!).

I really don't see how Christina could have possibly tried all of these recipes! The several that I've tried have seemed relatively tasteless and almost inedible! The only reason why I'm giving it 3 stars is because the entire beginning section has some wonderful explanations on macrobiotics and a glossary of some different ingredients that most cooks wouldn't know on their own.

As for the recipes, I can honestly say that in my ever growing repertoire of vegan cookbooks, I very rarely refer to this one. If you're looking to go macrobiotic, maybe it would be useful, but if you're a vegan/vegetarian looking at this book because of the number of recipes....don't bother.

Well, it's happened again. I sold a house about eight years ago using the first edition of this book. This time I used the second edition and had even better results. The house I sold is, admittedly in a hot real estate market, but ... we had over 300 people through in the two-day open house (about 130 separate groups/families) and had 67 people on the bid list. The power of the method is not that you're likely to get lots more than the house is worth, but that you get a fair price in a very short time. Also, I got to keep the $20,000 or so I would have had to pay to a broker. The buyer got a fair price. We're all happy.

Sold my house in 5 days, in a down market for $40,000 above what brokers told me it was worth. So, the proof is in the pudding. Yes, you need to have a set of balls to sell a house this way, it is so unheard of to not use a broker, but the savings are all yours. I figured, what have I got to lose.... well now I can tell you what I have to gain. It is a bit of work, but I was able to sell my house quicker than a broker could. It seemed that brokers only need to sell a house, not your house. So, the brokers really don't care if they sell yours or your neighbors. Well, I wanted it to be mine. Buy this book and be done with it in a week!

I bought the book three weeks ago and decided only about 10 days ago to sell my house this way. Although the book was first published in 1993 and updated only in 1998, it still works. I simply followed his advice in this book to the letter. I placed my ad in the city and local papers for Wed-Sun (modeled on his examples in the book), and put up signs on Sat morning (I didn't use his sign models, tho; I used the ones from the associated website). I got 26 calls by Friday night (he says you need a minimum of 25 or you should stop the sale). I had 55 groups of people come to my open houses (he says to have them on Sat and Sun 10-5), and I had 24 bidders on my bid sheet by Sunday night. I did 5 rounds of calling Sunday night from 8-9:35 p.m. and sold my house to the highest bidder! I got slightly more than what I would have gotten had I sold the house for its appraised value minus a 6% broker's commission. So, I didn't make MORE money, necessarily, but it was great not having to have my house in perfect order for months, worrying about whether it will sell at the listed price, etc. Also, I had to move out of state within 6 weeks, so I wanted a FAST sale. I got it, at a fair price. It definitely worked for me, notwithstanding that the sale was the weekend before Thanksgiving, not in the best of times to be selling a house. Worth giving a try, I say.

Thomas Lucier's excellent book, How To Make Money Buying Pre-foreclosure Properties Before They Hit The County Courthouse Steps, is comprehensive, concise and right to the point. Lucier covers all of the fundamentals that you need to know about in order to buy properties directly from owners in foreclosure. The sample agreements, worksheets and checklists are excellent and the best I've ever seen in a real estate book. The six letters to property owners in foreclosure alone are well worth the price of this outstanding book! I highly recommend Tom Lucier's one of a kind resource to anyone who is considering buying pre-foreclosure properties.

Bravo for Thomas Lucier! In How To Make Money Buying Pre-foreclosure Properties Before They Hit The County Courthouse Steps, Lucier has taken a complex subject-how to buy a property from an owner in foreclosure-and made it easy to understand. This superb book covers every aspect of the pre-foreclosure property investment business from the types of foreclosure actions used, to due diligence, to how to assign a purchase agreement. It's packed full of solid information and detailed, easy to follow instructions that leave nothing to chance. In a world of spin doctors and bullspit merchants, I found Tom Lucier's candor and matter of fact writing style to be refreshing!

This is the absolute best book ever written about buying property directly from owners in foreclosure! The chapter on short payoff sales is just plain brilliant! No fluff, no filler and no white spaces!

I fail to understand the 1 star reviews here. "How to Pick Up Foreclosures: A step by step for getting super discounted property before the announcement is supposed to be about foreclosures and an adjunct to Mr. Cooks other books. No doubt if Wade Cook would have written a much larger volume, taking information that was already in his prior outstanding books, his critics would be saying; "Real Estate Money Machine on another cover" or "Real Estate for Real People Pt. 2." Or "Just another version of 101 Ways to Buy Real Estate Without Cash" etc. etc.

Wade's critic may not be very honorable or truthful and obviously ethics doesn't seem to matter, but he is very creative.

"How To Pick-up Foreclosures" is an excellent book to teach you how to pick-up foreclosures before the announcement. It is not a large book, but the it covers the necessary information very well.

For more detailed information on buying real estate the right way, I recommend "Real Estate Money Machine", "Real Estate for Real People" and "101 Ways to Buy Real Estate Without Cash."

Mr. Cooks strategies are time tested, been used successfully now for over 23 years and have worked very well for me.

I have been using Mr. Cooks Wall Street strategies for several years wth great success and decided to try my luck in real estate.I bought Real Estate Money MACHINE and How To Pick Up Foreclosures. From Mr. Cooks stock market strategies, I discovered the power of playing stock splits and strategy#1 is before the announcement.I have found that getting in foreclosures before the announcement is powerful. Buying right is everything in real estate.I highly recommend this book. Two other books worth reading are Flipping Properties and the 16% Solution.While I have done very well in the stock market, as Wade suggests, the stock market is too risky. Take some of your profits and invest it in real estate via rental properties (money machine concepts) discounted mortgages and tax liens. Another great book by Wade.

Before reading and then applying the concepts in this great little book by Wade Cook, I too thought that the guy was a charlatan.

After following the great advice in this book, I was able to buy my first property. And it was easy! Now I am sold, sold, sold.

Also recommend Real Estate Money Machine, Real Estate for Real People and 101 Ways to Buy Real Estate with No Money Down all by Wade Cook.