Buying-the

The first chapter--despite its title, "Why you need life insurance"--attempts to define all sorts of life insurance jargon without explaining why someone would need this stuff. After stumbling over the fifth or sixth typo, I gave up on this book. I hope better ones are out there.

It is a good book that gives you good information with out any personal biases

Nice for first-timers, lacking depth in more detailed areas-light-leakage, brilliance, scintillation, ymmetry,etc. It's easy to find a diamond with VG for polish but seldom the case for symmetry. Did not mention trends in diamond cutting, such as Eightstars, Heart and Arrow diamonds. Spends too many pages on mounting and setting. Subject title-ruthenium missing in discussion of Platinum on page 78. Typos in page 16,17,69.

What a great book!! It was very easy to read and extremely informative even though it was only 122 pages. Other 200 + page books wasted time with confusing information and romatic gimmicks to make the book appear to have more HELPFUL info than it actually had. Reading a book written by an actual appraiser definately made the difference, allowing me to buy a diamond with the qualties that were important to me that I could afford. It was also nice to know that the author actually works in retail stores and STILL went with Channel 8 news with a hidden camera to jewelry stores. This shows me that he really cares about the average consumer he appraises for. He must have caught alot of heat from those jewelry stores. Way to go Mr. Rogers!

Smart Guide is filled with useful informatation you ought to know before you start looking around for your first home. From finding a lender, finding a mortgage, picking an agent, negotiating the deal, and understanding all of the closing costs, this book tells you everything you need to know about buying a home. Just bought my first home this weekend!

If you ever want to find out the grueling process of buying a home, this book will tell you all the gory details from budgeting your expenses to find out how much house you can afford to paying all those crazy closing costs. There are some tips and reminders scattered throughout the book. The chapter on negotiating with references to "The Art of War" is going alittle too far...the authors had way too much while writing that chapter.

I bought this book because I was interested in getting into ebay and it was the perfect book. Not only did it have the basic information that a beginner needs, but it is also a great reference tool for people who are seasoned (like I am now). I buy and sell on ebay and it has great tips for both buyers and sellers. It tells you the best way to bid to get an item for the lowest price. When to bid, how to know what to bid, how to outfox your competitors. I continually refer to the book when I am listing an item for sell to find out how to dress up my ads with bullet points, colored titles, and paragraphs (instead of the one paragraph that ebay allows you when you don't know HTML language). Mr. Sinclair tells you how to know what to set as the opening bid, when the best time to list an item is, and how to attract bidders. He also tells you how to deal effectively with other ebay members, inlcluding those who don't honor their bids. The book is full of inside tips that you can't find on the ebay tour online. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in getting started with ebay, or a seasoned ebayer who would like to learn how to be a more successful buyer and/or seller. After reading this book, you can definitely do it the SMART way.

This book really helped me get going on eBay. I chose this book after a quick review of some other eBay books at my local bookstore. The "Smart Way" book seemed to be better organized and an easier read than the others that I glanced at. I have picked up many useful tips that have helped me bid and win. The book also has information about how to create good auction listings. Some chapters I didn't read because they are on topics I'm not interested in, such as, selling and buying cars on eBay. If you are looking for a book that covers the basics, I think you'll find this one to be very readable, informative and well worth the time and money.

From choosing desktop computers and their many options to assessing business software and web tools, Ramon Ray's Technology Solutions For Growing Businesses provides the small business owner with valuable strategies for understanding technology options and needs. This goes far beyond recommending specific brands: it covers the basics of linking business goals to equipment assessment, and includes invaluable information on tech support and effective training for technology use. Many are selling on Ebay's auction site, but Joseph T. Sinclair's updated third edition is the unauthorized guide which provides newly expanded coverage of its auctions and how to profit from them. From coverage of real estate, international sales and auction management to using PayPal payment online systems and handling images, this is an important guide for any who would do more than dabble on the auction site.

This book would be great for a preteen's first book about horse ownership, or for a first introduction to horse ownership. If you have already read anything else on the subject, you will probably find a lot of repeat information. There is good advice, but a lot of it is common sense.

I've been teaching riding and horsemanship for about 23 years and have often felt the need for just this book for my novice students and the hundreds of Pony Clubbers I've taught (and their parents!). No other book that I've found (and I own over 900 horse books) comes even close to the helpfulness and usefulness of Guay's book.

The author leads you through a series of decisions based upon _your_ situation, skills/experience, finances, and goals. Unlike most "how-to-buy-a-horse" books, this book doesn't go much into details about conformation, breeds, bloodlines, etc., as those are pretty much irrelevant for first-time horse owners. Instead, Guay takes the reader through the process of deciding, first, whether one should buy, lease, or just take lessons--including the financial and responsibility issues. If the decision is to buy a horse, she focuses on what is most important: finding an individual horse whose disposition and training make it suitable for that particular rider. She also strongly recommends getting help from an experienced horse person, preferably one's instructor.

This book is not meant to be a comprehensive guide to horse ownership. It is aimed at novices, not experienced horse people. For example, the author often covers what to experienced horse people may seem to be simple common sense, but which all too often can get novices into serious trouble. Guay emphasizes safety above all, both in selecting the horse and in riding and working with the horse.

Even though the book is aimed at novices, it should also be in every instructor's or trainer's library. We may forget what it's like to be a novice and looking for our first horse. Guay's book can help us understand and see things from the perspective of our students, and help them find a good horse for THEM, rather than what WE might buy.

Mary Guay covers the decision process better than anyone else I've read, and I have over 800 horse books. It will pay you back much more that the purchase price as it helps keep you and your family from making mistakes that you could avoid - and, more important, helping you find the RIGHT horse for you. I think this book is tops and just the thing for people thinking of getting a horse." - George Slusher, Examiner, Instructor and Clinician with US Pony Clubs, and Manager of Compuserve Horses Foru

I'm sure Mr. Gracey had an honest desire to provide a decent How-to book for people interested in buying and selling their own home. Yet the book needed a professional proofreader to help with grammar mistakes and even more needed an editor to smooth out the focus and transition of the book.

Readers will find several tips in the book useful. Yet the tiny book (less than 50 pages) is flawed with a lack of a concise game plan and lack of national knowledge of real estate: Example: (in bold print by author) "Of course a good $100,000.00 house is unheard of at today's prices." page 18

Perhaps in his hobo days Mr. Gracey should have traveled beyond Silicon Valley's enormously inflated real estate and seen the rest of America. Yes, Mr. Gracey, a $100,000 house can be quite good, in fact downright affluent in some parts of the country. My house in Texas was purchased for $105,000 in 1998 and would sell for over $750,000 in the metro areas of California.

At times Mr. Gracey turns a nice phrase: "Because you will receive phone calls from real estate agents telling you they have a buyer for your property, in most cases they only have a suspect." page 28

I found some useful tips in the preparing for escrow payments and showing a house.

Thanks Gracey, I believe I can now sell my home by myself. Mr. Gracey has the guts to speak out about "Buying and Selling your home by Owner". Mr. Gracey has stated before that if someone is unhappy they are entitled to a refund if they send the book to hin along with a receipt from amazon.com. A comment noted; A real estate agent will edit the next printing for a 6% commission (the normal real estate fee.) He should edit his own review. I found Mr. Gracey's book, "Buying and Selling Real Estate by Owner" to be a very easy to read and to understand. Us common folk appreciate it when someone writes that way.

This book is for everyone who does not have an uncle in the business. It contains information that is pertinent for every transaction. A definent must for every person who is entering the real estate market for the first time.The reader will carry knowledge from this book for as long as he buys and sells real estate. Do not buy your first home before reading this book!

This book is alot better than alot of other books and courses on the subject. Though some of the information is a little outdated(ie were to find information, remember it was written before the internet explosion). It still has a great deal of useful information for anyone interested in the subject. She still gives courses on L.I. in New York and she still contributes to alot of local real estate publications. (For more info on finding up to date info on finding foreclosures, check out an article she contributed to for one of New York's major newspapers New York Newsday. Their 5/19/00 article in the real estate section entitled "Where to Look For Foreclosed Properties" written by Joe Catalano, with all of the info coming from his source: Melissa Kollen. It can be found on Newsday's website.) Skip the late night get rich courses and buy this book instead.

This book is the best of the best. Melissa's experience and practical advice are amazing. Don't waste your money on those TV informercial people like I did. For less than $..., this book will give you everything you need and more.

For all of you in New York and New Jersey, this is a MUST have book. Yes some of the information is a bit outdated (written before the internet explosion) it still has a great deal of useful information for buying foreclosures in mortgage states. The author gives courses on Long Island, NY and contributes to many local real estate publications. I also recommend "Flipping Properties"by William Bronchick,...
Finally, don't waste your money on another of those "national foreclosure programs" sold on late night TV or through heavy email marketing -- they are a waste of money. Get this book instead, you'll be very happy!

My wife bought this to give to a friend for Christmas. Being a periodic eBay seller myself I thought I'd give it a quick glance before she wrapped it. Well, that's all it took. To my surprise it was 75 pages of double-spaced boring reading. Basically, it is the eBay help pages expanded upon and poorly written.

Mike's attempt to share his knowledge of striking it rich on eBay fails miserably, probably because he lacks such knowledge. However, he does give a few sample follow-up letters that might help those who can't write their own. If you are hoping to strike it rich on eBay, don't expect to find any answers here. Needless to say, I am recommending my wife return the book to save the ebmarassment with her friend. Although it could serve as a step-by-step user manual for someone just getting started on eBay, there are MUCH better books available on the subject.

Want to know the most amazing thing I came away with? Even the worst writer can publish a book on their own and get it sold on Amazon.

I think it could possibly be a good training tool in english classes. Have your students proofread the book for an asignment and grade them on how well they find and correct the errors and teach how NOT to write a book or anything else. Whatcha tink? Have you seen the infomercial with him in it. You can buy the course and get a hardback copy of the book with the course. NICE!

I really enjoyed the book and learned a lot. The author, Mike Baker, gave good, practical information. Unlike most authors of eBay books, Mr. Baker actually makes his living selling on eBay. Although he is not a professional writer, he gives you information necessary to succeed. His book is easily worth 10 times the price.

This book is very generic and could be about many areas. The sections of the book that are about on Florida are very vague.
These Florida information sections could fill maybe one page.
Truly this book was the least helpful book I have read about Florida, and it is supposed to be about relocating there?
This book is really not going to help find that perfect location.
It has some good points about moving, but they could easily be about Texas, or Marylans, or Hawaii.
Do you self a favor and stay away from this book, a complete waste of money.

Save your money. This book is so basic that it is worthless.

I was really disappointed in this book. It is really an extended magazine article rather than a book. It would have made a very good introduction to the book I was really hoping to see.

There were broad statements with no supporting specific information. And when, as the authors acknowledge, you have a state as varied as Florida is, you must have the details to figure out what each of the topics means in your geographic area(s) of interest in the state.

For example, they discuss flood zones and then tell you to go look at a FEMA map to see the flood zones, rather than providing (a) at least a general map and/or (b) information on just how to obtain this map from FEMA. Unfortunately, this example is typical. There are very few pointers to help you to research a specific area(s) of the state in which you have an interest.

Even if they cannot include maps or other hard area-specific data, they could at least give you web sites to visit for more details ... along with tips on how to best use the web sites. But even this sort of pointer is missing.

As an introduction, interspersed with references to details in the rest of the book, this would be good. But it does not have those details. And as a book on its own -- without the details, it left me with far more questions than answers.

I found this book worthless in helping me select a used Porsche.

I was looking to buy a Porsche and was searching for a book that would get down to the 'nitty gritties' of each model, but alas it really just gives a basic overview of each model. It does not feature potential problems of certain years which a reader would be looking for.I found more about models info surfing the net.The black and white pics in this modern age of colour also make it look dated. It also took too long for the book to arrive (8 weeks), by the time it arrived, I had already bought and driven one for a month. So if you're going to order a book over the web to assist you in a purchase and live outside the US order early and order wisely.

This book provides good, general information about the Porsche line of cars from the first 356 up to the '97 Boxster. Information is generally more detailed about the earlier cars (pre '80) and then the author(s) seem to run out of steam, adding only brief paragraphs to describe modifications during the more recent years. This is perhaps understandable, as all Porsche cars are evolutionary, with small changes being made over the years.

The book will be useful if you are just starting to think about buying a used Porsche, and aren't even sure which model interests you. If you have already narrowed your search to a particular model, then there are other sources of information. For example, there is a great webpage of the evolution of the 911 which contains most of the information contained in this book on model changes. The Early 911 FAQ website also has a lot of detail on individual model year changes, plus some performance information and a great section on the possible trouble spots.

This book will not provide enough information for the final selection of a good used Porsche. It warns of the most obvious troublesome Porsches (ie. 2.7L 911s) but lacks the details for some other common problems that are smaller, but potentially very expensive if overlooked. Consider the book a good primer, but definitely look elsewhere for detailed pre-purchase advice.