Buying-the

Why are all the charts in this book slanted? Who edited this thing? Random.

Is a nice book, the concepts are very clear and easy to understand even if you are not and english speaking person. Is a good presentation of a sourcing model.

Clearly laid out, well-written, and concise. Tim's model matched well with my experience, but afforded me an opportunity to organize my thinking on the subject. He should give lessons on writing for business.

Over the years, I've followed the fortunes of many of the mavericks written about by Steve Bergsman, and in this book, Bergsman weaves an enthralling story of the masters behind the deals. Yet though he portrays the upper echelon of the real estate world, he also does an excellent job of relaying how an astute business person can avail themselves of the mavericks' strategies for success. It's a compelling book and by far the best ever written about how to achieve success like the big-time players.

I've been reading Steve Bergsman's real estate columns for years and it's good to see he's finally taken the time to write a book. Probably because he knows the key players in real estate so well, that they took the time to tell him their stories - how each of them made it big in the world of real estate. Thankfully, along with their stories they were able to pass along a few tips to the rest of us. This is a good read with the bonus being we all learn a few things about do's and don'ts of real estate investing

I've been a professional real estate investor for many years, and still learned a lot from this book. It features the secrets and strategies of today's leading real estate mavericks, including Donald Trump and Sam Zell. The author presents the key strategies each of these experts use when making deals. While these are some very big players, the strategies they suggest can apply to even the smallest deal. I highly recommend the book for both new and more experienced investors, whether you are simply buying a home or looking to invest in other types of properties.

Absolutely worthless book. An attempt to make a guide for all possible outsourcing situations -and as a result it gives few ideas and nothing really useful.

This volume is a fine guide for streamlining your business, for carving away all the non-core funtions staffed by people who don't add any value to your company -- human resources folks, accountants, info technology workers. Once you rid yourself of the burden of dealing with such activities, except as arm's-length, third-party service providers, you free up massive resources to grow your core business and prosper.

What this book does NOT reveal is the true effect of outsourcing those functions. When the outsource process begins, you will have to lie to the employees you are outsourcing, to convince them they are headed for a better life. At the same time you are freezing their wages and gutting their benefits, you must persuade them to buy into the core-business vision; you must fool them into thinking they will have more control over their careers after they are no longer chained to just one company. You will tell them they can now be free to work for any other firm in the industry, to build a huge client base and gain exposure to myriad new practices and policies. You will be lying to them.

Once they realize they have been duped, that there aren't really any new clients, that they are no longer receiving the benefits they once did, that they indeed still are chained to just one company (though out in the back yard, like a dog), then you will reap the true consequences of outsourcing. Your outsourced service providers will stealthily work to become as efficient as possible at secretly minimizing their workload. Their innovations won't be to maximize YOUR return on investment, but to minimize THEIR labor, to perform the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM. Since they are not earning raises or bonuses any more, why exert any extra effort? And believe it, they will have innovative ideas for improving your business -- but they will never tell you about them, since you think they add no value. Well, they DEFINITELY won't ever again add value to YOUR company, chump, after you've booted them to the outsource pit.

The textbook model for outsourcing is wonderful, but it gets a lot more muddled in the real world, especially after you dump on a bunch of your formerly loyal employees. Good luck with your core business now, chump.

This is a great book to understand Outsourcing, why you need it, when you need it and how to do it successfully. The book guides you through;

(1) The Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing. (The basic rationale of the decision) (2) Contract-specific issues. (Legal, strategic impact, etc) (3) Transition issues. (Employment contracts, timelines, personnel) (4) Creating Control Points. (So you know what's going on) (5) Measuring the outsourced function. (Milestone events and performance tracking) (6) Managing the outsourced function. (Show optimal management type for every function) (7) Potential customer service issues. (Also applies to Internal Customers, the employees) (8) Getting out of the outsourcing arrangement. (You need to put it in the contract)

Interestingly enough, every function can be outsourced, either partially or completely. (Yes, even YOUR job!). Take a proactive approach. Buy the book, absorb the knowledge and be part of the solution rather than the problem. In addition to being an excellent author, Mr. Bragg "walks the talk". He's not an academician telling us how things could be but rather an experienced professional who understands how things work in the real world. A rare talent. You need this book. Rated A+++

I want to like this little (thin) tome, but it's not much help for the rent-a-truck self-mover, the family planning to rent in a new town, or the family planning to keep (and rent out) their existing home. It's a by-the-numbers book: Selling Your Home, Buying a New One, Working With the Movers. In fact, this book could have been written by your average relocating consulting firm - groups that have a lot of advice unless for people such as the author, less so for those preferring to relocate frugally. The chapters on family adjustment are informative, but with few new tips for those who've already brushed up with the much advertised online sites for relocation.

Moving is a stressful life experience under any circumstances. Ellen Carlisle, with her delightfully easy to implement tips, has shared advice from her own life that will make the transition of moving not only easier but enjoyable for the whole family. Ellen's conversational style eases the reader through the phases of relocating--from the initial realization to the actual move and everything in between. There are even chapters to guide the caring parents as they help their teenagers and younger children through this exciting yet scary life change. Ellen deals with the necessities in a simple straightforward manner and tops everything off with encouragement that "Yes, you can do this and have fun too!" We were so impressed with Ellen's book that we ordered 200 to implement into our company relocation program. The feedback from our relocating employees has been very positive. They were thankful to have the book to guide them through the ins and outs of relocating. I would advise anyone making a move to read Smooth Moves.

Just got to read a copy of your new book "Smooth Moves." Well done. At one point we did 9 moves in 12 years. Your insight is square on the money.

David D. Carriker, Director of Development

I have worked in the marketing world for many years, and specialize in marketing to the youth culture. I have a hard time reading a book that was written purely upon opinion (there is an entire chapter dedicated to "Media" and the author ends up discussing her favorite and least favorite moves of the 80's??). Let take a moment and asks this generation what it thinks about companies marketing to them. I have a feeling you will find that most appreciate that fact that their thoughts and creative ideas really matter. It appears this author has been hurt in the past by people who were more popular than her, and this is her way of lashing out (woe is me, woe is me, I won't give into being branded, seems to be her only point)

Might I remind the author that if it was not for large companies taking the time to listen to Teens and Tweens our economy and country would be in a far different place?

Overall the book is shallow, and a waste of time, I would recommend not wasting your money.

What I'm lovin'is books like this. The message that consumerism is attacking the younglings of this country and turning them into faux-yuppies who end up broke or depressed couldn't be more true. Ms. Quart gives a much needed "shout-out" to all the nerds out there who's skin is tough enough to resist the marketing machines that permeate the all important kingdom of youth. This woman is one smart cookie and is able to give us delightful jaunt into part of our culture that many of us try to avoid. Some people will drive past a dead cat lying in the road and think, "Hey, it wasn't me that hit that dead cat..."
Alissa Quart tells us,"Hey THERE IS A DEAD CAT IN THE ROAD! SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!"
Great book.

In accessible, often witty prose, Quart shows the corrupting effect that the conscienceless pursuit of profit by corporate marketers has on everything from young girls' body images or young boys'understandings of what it means to be masculine, to the complaisant administrations of public schools. "Seduction of the innocent" is not too strong a term to apply to the corporate behavior that Quart describes; though happily she also focuses on the ways in which many young people have begun to resist being "branded." As an account of the impact of corporatism on daily lives, this book belongs on the shelf next to Naomi Klein's No Logo. It will only not appeal to those who make a living exploiting young people; most others will find it a revelation.

This is a decent guide about how to select a realtor and prioritize what you are looking for in a home. However, most of the book is a dissertaion on the home real estate industry and why realtors are so important. They are essential in the process, but there are many more varialbles in the equation. Mortgages, offers, and inspections are some of these variables, which are barely glossed over in this tome.

I found Kiplinger's "Buying and Selling a Home" much more comprehensive and useful.

"Buyer Beware" is, ironically, aptly named.

I bought this book after beginning the home buying process and have realized a few mistakes I have already made, according to the author. This book's greatest help and heaviest emphasis is on choosing a good, qualified agent which is the info I was searching for, in an easy-to-read format. I recommend this book as a place to start for first-time home buyers.

This is a book written by someone who HAS "been there and done that." Carla's experience is based upon years in the trenches actually doing deals and thus it is much more useful than a book written by someone who has only talked with agents.

I think that she comes closer to what real people experience in the homebuying process and thus her advice and counsel is much more useful both to first-time homebuyers as well as more experienced homeowners.

I strongly recommend this very practical book as an ideal companion to my best-selling book on mortgages HOW TO SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON YOUR HOME MORTGAGE.

So armed, you will be much better prepared carve out the best deal on the right home.

Overall, this was a nice introduction to wine. However, it was obviously written in the early nineties, so the good year/bad year tips on many of the white wines that were not meant to age for ten years are kind of useless today (For some wines, 1987 may have been a good year if you drank it in 1991, but in 2001 it might taste a little closer to vinegar than you prefer.) But if you learn enough to know that the book you are reading is outdated, then you must have learned something. Three stars.

I'm a beginner. When I received "Discovering Wine" by Joanna Simon as a gift, I felt intimidated. Would it be stuffy or over my head?

Its strength is in the simple presentation of the facts. The chapters are clearly titled, like "Matching food with wine" and "Ways to store your wine." The writing is clean, though it comes across slightly elitist (ex: choosing 'wend' instead of 'wind,' noting a certain country produces a 'credible' variety of wine). It is balanced by an encyclopedic style, providing insight into the basics of wine appreciation.

Many countries are highlighted for their vineyards and wines. Learn which wines are made where, and how the process is distinguished from country to country.

The pictures are sharp, beautiful and informative. You'll see terraces of Germany, hills of Tuscany, and the mountains of Peru in sheer splendor and relevance.

Especially useful for me was the lexicon of tasting terms, a brief lesson on wine tasting and what to look for, and a discussion (with perfect pictures) on which glasses and decanters to use.

The weakest aspect of the book was the chapter on matching food and wine, but the weakness was not in the content, but in the brevity. Ten pages should have been 20.

I fully recommend "Discovering Wine" by Joanna Simon as a first book.

Anthony Trendl

This is a really nice book, to get you started in wine appreciation.

I also bought a Perfect Sommelier, because I wanted to taste the wine as soon as I bought it, instead of waiting years for it to be cellared. Use Google to search for it.

The book really helped in locating some of the many varieties of wine that are available today. I love the 'Dummy' book too!

Disappointing! After much time and much searching for cheap land the author's way, I came up with ZIP! Nothing I found was as cheap as the book's examples. It was a waste of my time...so much so that I had to come back and say so. The rules have changed, real estate is changed, and the good deals are just not there. I'm really disappointed after spending so much for the book. I tried in the areas the book suggested. I even live in one of the areas the book suggested as being a good area to try. I'm not picky either. I just can't spend a fortune on property, and since I don't have a bundle, the properties in this real estate boom economy, are out of my reach. The book promised to deliver the strategies to get the reader cheap land. It failed to do so.

This book is the best book i have found for buying land cheap.
A few weeks after i purchased this book i bought i acre of land seven miles from the Candian border for [70.00] free and clear .
This is better than buying all those courses for hundreds of dollars .

I have been a tax foreclosed property investor for just over two years now and wish I would have found this book earlier!

All of the techniques that I use to find cheap land, and even some that I have never thought of before, are all in this book. Residentially zoned building lots for between $5.00 and $100.00 are available to anyone willing to use the techniques spelled out in this informative book. Large acreage can also be acquired cheaply and with relative ease.

This book is actually more of a manual on acquiring all types of cheap land, listing each technique individually and then tying in the overall ideas about acquiring county and state owned property very neatly in the end.

If you are looking to make some money on the side buying, selling or trading this niche type of investment property, or if you are just looking for a place to go camping each you that you can call you own, this is the book for you!

NO INDEX! IMHO, A book (especially one used for reference) is only as good as it's index. No index? No good.

The book covers almost all topics of moving in a thorough way that really conveys a lot of information in a short space. I planned to move from NJ to Florida & it really prepared me for the moving process. Although I didn't make the move, I did hire movers within NJ and I felt much more prepared having read this book. I've heard horror stories of people's goods being held hostage for more money, broken items, missing items, the book covered it all and told what to do in case that happens. It gives you enough information, however, to avoid such disreputable movers in the first place.

One area where it falls short (unfortunately) is the internet. There are many, many resoucrs on the net and the book doesn't cover enough of them IMHO. This book was written in 1999 though, and can sort of be excused I guess. I think that they would be well advised to do an update in a year or two with more coverage of resources for moving on the net. That'd be worth five stars then...

This is the most complete book on moving that I have ever read. It delivers the promised information in a very readable and entertaining text. Some of its best features include the great worksheets, charts, sample forms, lists and timelines which will assist anyone in planning and accomplishing a successful move. I have made 9 or 10 moves in the past 25 years and can say, unequivocably, that although I have read (and used) many nice "moving" books...this is absolutely the BEST!!!

I thought this book was a good starter book on selling your home by owner, but I still have some questions so I'm going to check into a few more books.

Selling by owner can seem intimidating. And many real estate professionals would have us think that it shouldn't be attempted. But with the kind of step-by-step advice provided in this book, you'll wonder why more people don't sell by owner. You'll save thousands. This is one of only two Top Rated Books on the DirectByOwner.com web site! If you're thinking fsbo, do yourself a favor and buy this book!

I really didn't have a clue as to what was involved until I read this book. I gives me a real life explanation of what I have to do to get the job done.

It also shows me why I should get a professional to write and fill out the documents, something that other books only skim over. I'm darn glad I read this book first!