Customer Reviews:
Flipping homes.......2007-10-10
Two books that I think really are helpful if you're learning about real estate investing are this book, FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit and Dean Graziosi's Be A Real Estate Millionaire: Secret Strategies for Lifetime Wealth Today
Chock full of knowledge.......2007-08-15
I bought this and another highly reviewed book on flipping and this book was vastly superior. It contains a wealth of information about every phase of flipping a property, including detailed information on how to calculate quiet costs, good rules of thumb for rehab costs, and detailed lists of what is involved in a rehab and the correct order to undertake them in. They have obviously flipped a lot of houses and have condensed their experience into extremely helpful lists and formulas that anyone can benefit from.
I could have done without the fictional storyline that accompanies each chapter, but since you can skip it without losing anything, I'm not docking their score.
This Book Is An Excellent Investment.......2007-08-08
I've been interested in flipping houses since I first heard of the concept about 10 years ago. I just never knew where to start. This book walks you through the entire flipping process. It's written in an easy to follow, logical start to finish format. There are formulas for calculating all your costs and your profit before you even make an offer on a house. Outstanding book! I highly recommend it to anybody who wants to get started in house flipping.
Good reference, not very well written.......2007-07-12
First, I must say that this is so far the best book I have read on this subject. The authors seem to be very experienced and knowledgeable in the field of rehabbing homes. I am very pleased with what I got for $15 (or whatever I spent). I feel that with this book, I could successfully FLIP homes. My first primary home was a fixer upper, and I did pretty much all of the work myself. I turned a nice profit when I sold it, but I think that I could have done better had I known then what I know now.
There was not a lot of information that was new to me, but the book did bring together a variety of related topics. Likewise, the authors presented a few smart systems for completing the project.
The reason I gave this book only 4 stars is that I don't like the writing style of the authors. This book could have easily been 150 pages or less. The font was a little big, and there was WAY too much worthless text, random anecdotes, and stupid analogies. One page in particular was about Punxsutawney Phil...it wasn't until the third or fourth paragraph that the author crafted some way of connecting that to flipping houses.
Overall an excellent book worth every penny (the authors need to stick to flipping houses though). I wish I could get my friend who has recently jumped headlong into rehabbing houses to read this book...
Best book of it's kind.......2007-06-14
I am a small time real estate fix and flip investor. I have read many books on this subject and this is by far the best.
Book Description
A lively insider's guide to starting a successful small business selling items old and new on eBay, written with personal anecdotes, well–kept secrets, and insider tips by Adam Ginsberg, eBay's most successful private salesperson.
This is the insider's guide to making money on eBay. Adam Ginsberg is the most successful seller on eBay, moving around a million dollars' worth of merchandise every month. Not only will he impart his personal secrets on how to sell on eBay –learned through years of experience – and his tips on expanding your small business using eBay as a global market, but he'll also give fun side–notes and anecdotes, keeping the book lively and making it a fun and interesting read.
This book will be a must–have for all current and aspiring eBay sellers, all small–business owners, and anyone who wants to learn how to start a million–dollar company.
Customer Reviews:
Only for the newbie.......2007-10-22
Just finished the book last night hoping to find ideas that I could implement in my eBay sales. No real new info here. More geared for the eBay novice. If you have any experience buying or selling on eBay you already know 99% of the info provided in this book.
I found it odd that the author claims to have sold a 4 year old pair of very worn sneakers on eBay for $21 in the beginning of the book and then talks about it again later in the book but the sale price was $26.
Also, the author refers you to links to third party paid services which he owns.
Read this book is one sitting..........2007-10-09
What really stood out for me was the writing style of the book. It was conversational with great stories that were fun and interesting.
Along with great tips, this book is not written in the typical "textbook" format. I read the entire book in less than a day and would definitely encourage anyone to read it!
Simply a GREAT Book!.......2007-10-09
Not only was this book easy to read - the content helped me go from a new eBay seller to an advanced one. I went from 19 feedback to 175 feedback in 60 days using the techniques I learned.
I'd highly encourage anyone interested in learning more about eBay to read this book!
Great eBay book.......2007-06-14
a Gotta Have book if you are planning on starting an eBay business in your home in 30 days. Great reference for the experienced eBayer.
Garbage.......2007-06-08
This book is one big fat advertisement for Ebay and for Adam Ginsberg's other ventures. It had very little useful information, and NO information that cannot be found easily on-line or on Ebay itself. It was a waste of my time reading it. It was utterly repetitive and took forever to actually get to any sort of information or advice. There is hardly enough information in this book to fill a 10 page pamphlet...let alone a 300 page book!!! I'm just happy I got it from the library and didn't end up wasting my money as well as my time.
I wish there was actually a book out there to help people who are not complete ebay beginners. The biggest ebay woe is finding sources for products, and there is little help in this book....OH, unless you want to go to the website Adam plugs and buy more stuff from him. SURE, then he'll help you out. HA, RIGHT!
Book Description
“I have observed several hundred salespeople who were taught to use deceptive practices like ‘bait and switch’ and encouraged to play negotiation games with customers. They were so stressed by this behavior that they suffered from a high incidence of alcohol and substance abuse, divorce, job-jumping, and low productivity. In the same industry, I have observed countless people who had been taught to sell with high integrity. Ironically, their customer satisfaction, profit margins, and salesperson retention were significantly higher.” — Ron Willingham
If you’ve tried manipulative, self-focused selling techniques that demean you and your customer, if you’ve ever wondered if selling could be more than just talking people into buying, then Integrity Selling for the 21st Century is the book for you. Its concept is simple: Only by getting to know your customers and their needs — and believing that you can meet those needs — will you enjoy relationships with customers built on trust. And only then, when you bring more value to your customers than you receive in payment, will you begin to reap the rewards of high sales.
Since the publication of Ron Willingham’s enormously successful first book, Integrity Selling, his sales program has been adopted by dozens of Fortune 500 companies, such as Johnson & Johnson and IBM, as well as the American Red Cross and the New York Times. In his new book, Integrity Selling for the 21st Century, Willingham explains how his selling system relates to today’s business climate — when the need for integrity is greater than ever before.
Integrity Selling for the 21st Century teaches a process of self-evaluation to help you become a stellar salesperson in any business climate. Once you’ve established your own goals and personality traits, you’ll be able to evaluate them in your customers and adapt your styles to create a more trusting, productive relationship.
Drawing upon Willingham’s years of experience and success stories from sales forces of the more than 2,000 companies that have adopted the Integrity Selling system, Ron Willingham has created a blueprint for achieving success in sales while staying true to your values.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best! .......2007-08-12
This is a great book filled with lots of practical ideas. The methods used in this book are sound and actually work. Learning to use the AIDinc. approach to sales makes the sales effortless. I would highly recommend this book for all sales professionals.
Achieve more with Integrity Selling.......2007-07-30
This uncomplicated process looks simple at first glance. The more one reads and applies the process, the more the incredible power of the process is discovered. Integrity Selling for the 21st Century gets to the real issues that cause consistent high sales performance. It is applicable for both new and seasoned performers. It clearly helps salespeople get out of the way of themselves-to really listen to, understand, and then provide solutions that meet the needs of others. It really is what the title says it is. That's refreshing!
What are you selling?.......2007-04-22
No matter what you sell, products or services, this book is for anybody who understand that selling is art, but it is also could be a wonderful experience for the customer and the seller. Selling is a win - win situation for everybody if not is not selling.
Monica
Integrity Selling for the 21st Century: How to Sell the Way People Want to Buy.......2007-01-12
I ordered this book for a number of my employees because it is geared to our philosophy of doing business.
His message of building relationships and bringing value to customers rather than high pressure selling is a good lesson for anyone in sales.
Selling the way it is meant to be.......2006-08-18
As I read this book, I was sincerely moved when I realized that many of the concepts I found in it reflected the teachings and trainings I've pieced together over the last 20 years of selling, training and managing.
Today, as the owner of PICKS Training, I specialize in helping others sell, lead and communicate in the global village. This book has put into wonderful words much of what I teach, and has given me even more Good to pass along.
For those who want to make selling a profession they can be proud of, buy this book and do what it says.
Book Description
Financial planning is a young industry. The International Association of Financial Planning - one of the predecessors to the Financial Planning Association - was formed less than forty years ago. But as the profession's first tier of advisers reaches maturity, the decisions that may be part of transition planning for their firms loom large. A sale? A partner buyout? A merger? No matter what the choice, its viability hinges on one critical issue - the value of the firm. Unfortunately, many advisers - whether veteran or novice - simply don't know the worth of their practice or how to influence it. That's why "How to Value, Buy, or Sell a Financial-Advisory Practice" is such an important book. It takes advisers carefully through the logic and the legwork of coming to a true assessment of one of their most important personal assets?their business. Renowned for their years of experience helping advisers tackle the daunting challenges related to the valuation, sale, and purchase of adviso
Customer Reviews:
A must by for financial advisors.......2007-01-09
Comprehensive and clear. If you own a finacial advisory practice, this is must read.
Hits the nail on the head!.......2007-01-05
A clear and concise volume. I used it to successfully substantiate my expert witness testimony.
Book Description
An updated edition of the essential insider's resource.
For the experienced collector or someone embarking on a new hobby, this newly revised and updated edition of Book Finds reveals the secrets of locating rare and valuable books. Includes information on first editions and reader's copies, auctions and catalogs, avoiding costly and common beginner mistakes, strategies of professional "book scouts," and buying and selling on the Internet.
Customer Reviews:
A Must-Have Book for Anyone Who Loves Books.......2007-08-28
I came to this wonderful book from a very circuitous pathway: I had gone on Barnes & Noble's website to see if they offered classes in their "online university." I am sorry to report that they have done away with the university concept, but they now sponsor chat boards about different book topics. Looking around, I wandered into the one on "Collecting Books." Although I was familiar with the idea that first editions can be valuable, I really know nothing about collecting books for fun or profit. While on the site, I asked the moderator if he could suggest any beginner's books to collecting, and this is the one he mentioned. (Of course, I purchased the book from Amazon.com!)
What a treasure trove of information. Ian Ellis's "Book Finds" is a great resource, even if you never collect or attempt to sell a single book. His breadth of knowledge about books is astounding, and he highlights so many authors in discussing his topic that, as a booklover, you are sure to find some interesting information or new authors here.
Ellis dispels the idea that collecting books means wading through dusty old volumes. In fact, for the average collector, many of those will be out of their price range. However, what is eminently collectible are "modern firsts," books written within the average reader's lifetime that have value, are likely to maintain or increase that value, and can provide a surprising new way to make money from books. Of course, to do that, an individual must have a good working background in the industry to know what to look for, what has value, and what problems a book may have that will make it virtually worthless to the collector market.
This book offers up an excellent starting point for your journey to collecting, and Ellis devotes an entire chapter to other resources by which to expand your book knowledge. He covers first editions and reader's copies, trends in buying and selling, mistakes that are easy to make (and avoid), and a glossary of commonly used terms in the business. He gives an insider's view of "scouting" as a career, but most of all, he allows his love of books to shine through. I highly recommend this book to any reader, whether you become a collector or not. You will have a much deeper appreciation of those magical objects called "books."
Book Finds a Find.......2007-07-17
We are using this book as a text for a newly formed "Rare and Unusual Book Club" It is concise and to the point and is easy to read. Since we are very new at assessing books it has been very helpful in showing us what to look for without being overly complex. A good resource.
Book Finds.......2007-07-12
As a new seller, this book help me tremendously. Everything you want to know about the book business. The name says it all. It is a must read and a must have to set you on the right path to success.
Easy to Understand .......2007-05-13
Book is well-written and easy for the lay person to understand. It has helped me a great deal in learning what is and what is not a rare book. Great for amateur collectors such as I.
Worth It's Weight In Gold!!!.......2007-03-07
Mon Dieu! I may be sitting on a gold mine and didn't even know it until I read this book. I don't consider myself a 'book collector' (that sounds so stuffy!), but rather a total bookaholic book slut. I didn't know how to recognize a 'first edition' from a black cat until I read this book (and let me tell you, some publishers are sneaky and don't print the words 'first edition' on the copyright page---there's a secret code that you'll find out if you read this book). I decided to peruse my books and discovered that I own 40 or more first edititons, many collectible. I promptly gave them the special attention and care they so rightly deserve.
If you love and own books, then you NEED to read this little treasure of a tome. You'll learn how books are born (from ideas to printing) and how to know which books are keepers. I shudder to think how many first editions I may have unwittingly given away!
Book Description
Follow a proven path to greater wealth–with the newly updated bestseller How to Buy and Sell Apartment Buildings
Through his popular seminar program, Eugene Vollucci has shown thousands of experienced real estate investors and novices alike how to take advantage of one of the most rewarding investments you can find–apartment buildings. In this bestselling guide, the Volluccis’ simple, step-by-step program shows you how to become a real estate millionaire just like they did. With material on new IRS rulings, tips on avoiding common pitfalls, and new advice on assuming loans with delinquent clauses, How to Buy and Sell Apartment Buildings is more comprehensive and complete than ever.
This Second Edition includes all the information that you need to find great real estate deals, understand complicated leases and contracts, exploit all the tax breaks you’re entitled to, protect your assets, and turn a small investment into millions! With the Volluccis’ straightforward, three-step system, you’ll be able to:
- Gauge markets so you know when to buy or sell
- Read between the lines of property set-up sheets to spot good properties
- Use the latest computer software to accurately evaluate properties
- Develop a marketing plan to maximize profits when selling
- Take advantage of all the recent tax law changes
- Put together an asset protection plan that’ll make you judgment-proof
How to Buy and Sell Apartment Buildings, Second Edition also shows you how to concentrate your assets for higher returns, use consultants so you aren’t left on your own, set up a family living partnership to protect your assets, and much more.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book for The New Apartment Investor .......2007-09-25
This book is the best book I have read for the new investor that may be looking to transition from Single Family Properties into larger more profitable units like small to medium sized apartment building. I used his book as a model for my ascension into buying Apartment Buildings. Using his strategies were like taking money from a baby, the things to say, the usual questions and concerned i answered with Confidence. I went from 10-20 units over 4 years to 70-plus units in 12 months using his partnership techniques.
It is a must have for individuals that want to ascend to larger Real Estate Deals. The book could easily be 5 times the price.
Uri Gofman reviews How to Buy and Sel..........2007-08-09
An informative and practical guide to building an ever increasing portfolio of apartment buildings. Good information difficult to find elsewhere.
Good book some misleading information.......2007-04-12
Good book. Learnt a lot on how to valuated apartment buildings. He completely side stepped the foreclosure market and some of his advice is misleading. All in all a good book.
A Realistic Approach to Investing in Rental Property.......2006-03-28
The 2nd edition builds on the first book written by Mr. Vollucci. It is simply one of the best real estate investment books I've ever read. It has been an invaluable resource for me and many of my friends who have bought and sold rental properties all over the country. His examples come from real experience, not the imaginary scenarios that so many other real estate "Gurus" talk about.
The examples in the book gave me a step-by-step approach for investing in apartment buildings in every state, but they taught me a lot more. His chapter called "An Investment Plan to Create Wealth" shows the chronological investment periods in our lives and he shows you what you should be investing in depending on your age and risk tolerance - he even has a simple test that allows you to determine your risk tolerance. He also talks about why buying foreclosures and "no money down" strategies are a big farce. The book also covers how to buy in the right place at the right time, how to locate good property in any market, how to structure your transaction for maximum tax benefits, how to effectively analyze property and much more. My favorite chapter was on "Effective Negotiating Techniques." His advice on body language and what to say or not say when negotiating are "real world" techniques that have helped me tremendously as an active investor. His advice and methods have made me and several of my friends real estate millionaire's - it is my real estate "Bible."
Great Book!!.......2006-01-06
I don't know what the other reviewers are talking about! This book was great. It covered material that other books just forget to add, such as, analyzing properties, understanding the market cycles, when to to buy, when to sell.
Be real people, how much information can you get out a $25 book. If anyone is truely serious about this, they'll seek out different sources of information. Ultimately though, you need a good strategy to make it as a RE investor. David Lindahl's "Apartment House Riches" is an excellent source of material. Both he and this author have similar strategies.
One thing that did bother me though was all the IRR talk. I look at Cash Flow, Cap Rate, ROI, and ATCF among others. The author didn't put too much emphasis on these. But hey, maybe IRR is all you need.
Book Description
How to buy low and sell high in real estate
Yes, timing is everything. In the real estate market, that means buying in markets that are ready to take off and cashing out before prices crash. In Timing the Real Estate Market, millionaire real estate entrepreneur Craig Hall reveals to America's 17 million real estate investors his secrets for maximizing profits, by knowing when to buy, when to sell, and what to do in between.
Following Hall's savvy advice, real estate investors will learn:
- The seven major trends affecting real estate prices
- How to predict when real estate prices are poised to increase
- How to capture maximum profits by knowing when to sell
- How to add value to a property while waiting for the real estate market to pick up
- How to survive during a downturn--until the next market upswing
Download Description
How to buy low and sell high in real estate
Yes, timing is everything. In the real estate market, that means buying in markets that are ready to take off and cashing out before prices crash. In Timing the Real Estate Market, millionaire real estate entrepreneur Craig Hall reveals to Americas 17 million real estate investors his secrets for maximizing profits, by knowing when to buy, when to sell, and what to do in between.
Following Hall's savvy advice, real estate investors will learn:
- The seven major trends affecting real estate prices
- How to predict when real estate prices are poised to increase
- How to capture maximum profits by knowing when to sell
- How to add value to a property while waiting for the real estate market to pick up
- How to survive during a downturn--until the next market upswing
'
Customer Reviews:
A good introduction to a fairly complex topic.......2007-01-09
Most real estate books talk about how to effectively purchase and/or manage properties, discussing cash flow, financing and tax benefits. And that's important, because that's the primary way to control your investment. But the author's belief is that usually, the biggest driver of total return is the one thing you have the least control over, market appreciation. So, if you can't control it, you must learn to read the market and time your moves accordingly. That's where this book comes in.
The author actually goes so far as to state that investing for cash flow is a myth of the industry. Whether you agree or not is not worth debating because it completely depends on your situation and goals. If you read the book you'll see that he clearly works with commercial properties and large developments, which is probably not what most readers are dealing with. So, clearly he has a different perspective on the industry. But let's just get past that and focus on market timing, shall we?
I appreciate that the author admits that he has been both lucky and unlucky in market timing. Some reviewers seem to mistake the author's frank tone with a dependence on luck. I think he's just drilling in the point that every investor needs to understand that risk and reward are unavoidably connected and even the best due diligence will not pay off every time. Like it or not, luck is always involved. But if you do your homework, you'll find that luck is on your side more often.
Key ideas discussed: National trends of inflation, interest rates, and "flow of funds"; Local trends of job growth, migration, path of progress, and new construction; How all these trends interact and balance each other; Contrarian strategy ("buy when there's blood in the streets" and "sell when everyone wants to buy"); Momentum strategy ("buy when prices are going up" and "sell before prices start to go down"); His thoughts on the current market (written in 2003).
I mostly gave this book four stars because it gets a little redundant at times. Sometimes, there is more storytelling to the examples than needed to make the point. And Chapter 6 takes ~25 pages to go through each of the seven market trends for each of six property types when most of the seven trends affect the six types in very similar ways. Rather than restate it six times, he could've taken half the time and just focused on how the six property types are affected differently or uniquely, rather than restate how every trend affects every property type. Also, Chapters 8, 11, and 14 were quick summaries of the basics of buying, holding, and selling to make sure everyone is on the same page. I almost skipped these 50+ pages, but he did mix in a few good nuggets that gave me a different perspective, so I'm glad I didn't. But I think the subtleties of market timing would've already been lost on anyone that needed such a rehash.
Overall, I was fairly pleased with this book. I'm sure everyone has their guesses and assumptions about how to read the market, and this book put mine into a solid context. For such a potentially math-heavy topic, this book is surpirsingly non-technical. That did disappoint my geeky side a little, but on the flip side, it's an easy read.
Forget location, location, location. It's all about timing........2006-07-11
After reading Craig Hall's excellent book, the most important thing that I learned is this ...
You can be a market contrarian - and try to buy real estate at the absolute low point in the market cycle - or you can be a momentum investor - and buy after prices have started to rise off the depressed market bottom.
This is excellent strategic thinking. There is no better, safer, and more profitable way to buy any investment asset than to buy into a market where blood is deep in the street.
Good book. I recommend it.
Robert Campbell
Author of "Timing the Real Estate Market"
Only for complete novices, and to instill reality into people.......2006-06-16
I purchased this book, along with a batch of others, realizing that real estate might make up a significant portion of my asset allocation strategy in the near- and long-term future. Having lately purchased real estate with full knowledge that I had made a gamble vs. making a wise decision, my goal was to objectively broaden my personal knowledge of real estate for more stategic ways to handle future transactions.
What I didn't do was conduct research beyond the user reviews given for the books on Amazon.com. Therefore, I based my purchasing decisions only on the Amazon.com reviews.
Additionally, (and, perhaps, luckily) I had no experience with the lofty world of "get-rich-quick-real-estate gurus." Word is that Mr. Hall was merely "lucky" in becoming rich; quite frankly, the vast majority of the book's content is Mr. Hall giving his own personal anecdotes of, really, just chalking it up to luck and circumstance. Had I known this earlier, I would've been a bit more suspicious of the value of material behind the book's title.
With these stated assumptions, my decision to purchase this book was based on the "anecdotal" reviews (a grand total of "5"), all who gave 5 stars, to this book, with this next yet most important assumption: that, once I finish this book, I will add to my investment toolbox a vast array of specific formulas, equations, charts, and patterns, historically and scientifically proven-- to the equivalent of being able to plug them into Excel, and help computationally determine what my next moves should be.
I mean, with a title of this book, it's a safe assumption, yes?
Unfortunately, all I found was a regurgitation of high-level economic summarizations that, quite frankly, were nothing more than a reminder list of intellectual common sense.
In plain English, what was described in the book is common sense to anyone who's a savvy, sensible investor of any type.
Really, the book can be easily summarized into the following: gauge your real estate purchase according to inflation (largely a non-issue), interest rates, inflow of cash into real estate investments, job growth, migration, community redevelopment, and construction. Oh yeah, and value appreciation and depreciation are always cyclical, and always throw in a dab of luck.
Who this book is *really good for*:
1) Those who believe that values in white-hot areas won't decrease at all, and who need a little sobering; and
2) Complete real estate novices.
Timing the Real Estate Market.......2004-05-20
Nobody... absolutely nobody knows more about real estate than Craig Hall. He's not only observed, but been an active participant in both the up and down cycles. He's learned the lessons with sweat equity.
-David Johnson, KRLD
Timing the Real Estate Market.......2004-05-20
Even after many years in the business, I found Craig Hall's book Timing the Real Estate Market to be full of useful and valuable industry insight. Obviously real estate, as well as other investment vehicles, is all about timing: evaluating local trends and identifying the stages of each cycle. Anyone, from the most experienced to the novice, can refresh and learn more about the unique real estate trading arena. Craig Hall's years of experience have paid off, and the advice and real life examples from both his successes and challenges can be helpful to anyone seeking knowledge on real estate timing.
Book Description
Owning your own business may sound like paradise, but being the owner also means taking the responsibility for the business's health. Now, Garrett Sutton gives potential business owners the practical information they need to fulfill their dream of owning their own business.
Customer Reviews:
Simplistic Guide in a Complicated Process!.......2007-06-27
'How to Buy & Sell a Business' by Garrett Sutton is a very enjoyable read on what really is a complicated subject. It is written with the assumption (I assume) that one is completely new to the process of buying a business and a first-time seller of an existing business.
Written in very easy-to-understand language, Sutton has divided up the processes of buying and selling a business into chapters with case studies presented and key points to look for and/or execute as you are buying and selling your business. Some points and pages worth noting are as follows:
Pg(s) 98 - 107: Valuation of a business is very complicated. It involves everything from the FMV of assets, intellectual property, current and potential revenue, accurate accounting and finance, and of course goodwill. There are books written that cover this topic by itself and Sutton does a good job in outlining the basic concepts of valuation. His coverage of the three principles of valuation (future benefits, substitution, and alternatives) are informative though brief. He manages to provide the IRS-recommend approach to valuing a business as well, which is of course very important.
Pg(s) 114 - 116: The negotiation phase of buying a business next to valuing the business and reviewing accounting and finance records is arguably where it comes down to (along with the ability to obtain the needed financing). Negotiations is an art with a lot of science involved. Specific to Sutton's work the section on Representations and Warranties should prove helpful from a broad view on things to look for when negotiating on the other side of the table.
Pg(s) 120 - 123: Covers structure and the pros and cons of an asset sale versus a stock sale. He manages to cover both pretty well and covers the concept of indemnification, which is often overlooked when one buys and sells a business. The stock versus asset structure is very complicated, but Sutton manages to point out high-level concerns you may have.
Pg(s) 131 - 134: Covers financing structure. Financial structuring can be the key (along with terms) on rather a deal is even "do-able." These pages point out quick-cut ways to obtain the money (at least where to look) while giving you some common sense approaches to obtaining the financing and to have sources of funds compete for your business. A strong section within the above pages is the discussion on convertible securities as a form of payment - common in large-scale sales of businesses (corporate and private), but may be overlooked by smaller businesses owners and prospective buyers.
The case studies are very entertaining (at least to read) and put the chapters in perspective. This book is not designed to be a standalone guide to buying and selling a business, but to give you a quick overview of the process as you proceed forward in buying or selling your business. It is not fluff as many would assume from the Rich Dad's Advisors (TM) book series. Also, Dianne Kennedy's chapter may make your eyes glaze, but this chapter is a must even if you are seasoned at buying and selling small businesses - yes, it covers the tax strategies and consequences. As an managing partner of a capital funding group that specializes in assisting small to medium size business owners obtain cash for their businesses, I see small oversights and mistakes that are made by buyers and sellers of businesses that if one thought about in the beginning would make the buying or selling of businesses a more pleasant experience. That's the key to my review recommendation: You will finish this book with some knowledge and/or key reminders especially if you are a novice at buying or selling a business.
In summary: If you're new to the buying and selling of a business - this book is strongly recommend. If you're a current business owner, but it's been a while since you bought or sold a business - this book is recommend for a quick review prior to going to your team of professionals. If you're a seasoned buyer and seller of businesses this read will be too basic for you. If you work with businesses as a professional adviser - this book is strongly recommended.
Good Advice.......2006-09-23
This book is great for anyone that is just starting off in the business realm. I'll assume that whose who gave bad reviews on this book are people who already have a good amount of expereince in the business world. For them this book is just too basic of information that they already know. I, on the other hand, am just starting out in the world of business. I am 21 years old and this book was perfect for me in teaching me the basics and where I need to go to get some of the information I need. This book was also very motivating for someone starting off like myself. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone that wishes to begin learning about what it takes to buy and sell a business.
"The richest people in the world learn to buy and sell businesses, not work for them.".......2006-04-07
The most motivational part of the book is in the forward when Robert Kiyosaki quotes his rich dad, "The richest people in the world learn to buy and sell businesses, not work for them."
What the book lacks in motivation it makes up for in facts and detail. I would say it's more for someone that has already decided to buy a business and is working through the details than someone looking for the motivation to make that leap from an employee to a business owner.
There is a great Henry Ford quote, "Never complain, never explain."
The topics covered are basic in a business 101 type of layout, sort of like a text book, but well worth pushing yourself through for the basic knowledge you'll get.
Get the foundation with this book then move on to some biographies of business whirlwinds who give you the real drive and push to start doing deals.
By Kivin Kingston author of, A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate: A True Story About the Ups And Downs from Wall Street to Real Estate Leading Up to Phenomenal Returns
My Blog: bloglines.com/blog/KevinKingston
beware of reviewers.......2006-02-11
I find Michaels review disturbing that in the end he points you to his web page that is tempting, tantalizing and then he wants the routing numbers to your check book. What a guy! If he is not really a lawyer, it sounds like he has all the makings!
Keg
Excellent Primer for Budding Entrepreneurs.......2005-08-26
Excellent primer for the budding entrepreneur thinking of buying or selling a business. Will help the novice engage in intelligent conversation with his or her team of experts as well as with the prospective buyer or seller. If you want to get top dollar when you sell your house, you take the time to fix it up and know the market...same goes for a business. Consult with the expert as Mr. Sutton has proven to be time and time again.
Book Description
The time has never been better for investing in real estate, and this book arms the millions of investors who are returning to real estate as an established instrument of wealth creation with surefire strategies for making a killing in the real estate market.
Due to the pent-up demand for housing caused by the lull in housing starts during the 90s, as many as 11 million would-be American home-owners are currently vying for a rapidly dwindling pool of available properties. In Buy, Rent, and Sell Bob Irwin, one of America’s most well-known and respected real estate author/experts, provides nuts-and-bolts advice and guidance on how to find good investment properties, how to successfully rent them, and how to quickly turn them around for a profit. Written in Irwin’s trademark down-to-earth, jargon-free style, Buy, Rent, and Sell is an indispensable guide for novices as well as experienced real estate investors.
Download Description
This book arms the millions of investors who are returning to real estate as an established instrument of wealth creation with surefire strategies for making a killing in the real estate market.
Customer Reviews:
Save Your Money.......2004-09-06
Save your money. This is about a lightweight book as you can buy on real estate. A synopsis is, buy a house, fix it up, rent it for a while then sell it. Whoopee. Supposedly this is for beginners, but there isn't enough here to educate a beginner on how to progress. If you have never purchased a house, even the one you presently live in, it may educate you somewhat, but there are better books for investors, even beginners.
This book rocks!.......2004-07-19
For a novice, this book is absolutely incredible....
It is informative and SO EASY to understand. Empowering and practical! Everything about the basics.
Great intro and overview.......2003-12-01
I have purchased a couple of my own investment homes and my father-in-law also has owned several rental units for a number of years, and I found this book helpful. He covers many of the basic things you need to consider and also covers financial implications such as taxes.
He covered things like expenses during rehabilitation that would be easy not to detail, so scores points for that. He also takes the time to explain depreciation and the resulting capital gains in enough detail that you won't be surprised when you talk to your accountant.
He also provides good data on one of the most important aspects of residential investing: screening tenants. Lots of good ideas are presented here to help minimize the risk with poor tenants who can ruin your investment.
Additionally, he hits all the usual bases for finding investment properties and covers some of the negotiation strategies for purchasing these properties. He's clearly done this a time or two and works to give you a good intro. He does leave you feeling like there's more to it that he should be telling you, but I suppose it's difficult to get all his years of experience purchasing properties into one or two chapters.
If you're looking into residential real estate investing, read this book. But also read others so you have a well-rounded perspective and gain more details that aren't shared here.
Good intro to buying homes, but. . ........2003-01-18
Overall, I thought that this book was very helpful and contained good information for someone considering investing in real estate. The author appears to have had success with landlording and knows his real estate market well.
One (understandable) problem with the book is that Mr. Irwin is writing based on his personal experience in what sounds like the southwest in a booming real estate market. One point that he makes several times is to pay for water bills, so the tenants won't be tempted to save money by not watering the yard, thus causing serious landscaping damage. This is really not applicable in the north or where there is significant rainfall.
An underlying belief of Irwin's is that it is difficult to find properties whose income can cover all their expenses, and that the real money comes in selling for a profit. Accordingly, much of the book concentrates on flipping properties and other real estate maneuvers that are usually only successful/necessary in tight markets. In general the book advocates a high risk philosophy of investing, advising the reader to use the bank's money make money as much as possible. I thought the inherent risks of this way of doing things were not fully explained in the book.
Additionally, he advises to stay away from old houses which he classifies as older than 25 years. I laughed as I read that, as virtually all of the houses in the town I bought my house in are between 60-120 years old. 25 year old houses are considered spring chickens where I'm from!
The last weakness of the book is that it seems to overestimate ease of determining the "true" value of a house. It takes a LOT of looking at houses and checking final sale prices to say with much certainty what a property is worth.
This review may sound relatively harsh, but for the amount of time it took me to read this book I found it helpful. I would wholeheartedly recommend the book for a beginner in a rental market similar to the author's market. However, for someone in a region similar to mine (the depressed real estate market of Troy, NY) you may want to check for some other similar books. And for all I would advise to stay away from the higher priced "Make your fortune in real estate" packages advertised on TV and such. Real estate information is most efficiently conveyed in paperback books like this one - in straightforward text without motivational speaking or overly unrealistic portrayals of the real estate world.
Good advice. Quick reading........2002-07-23
This book doesn't waste time. The format is short chapters with concrete nuggets of advice.
Customer Reviews:
a good book for indian university.......1999-02-26
a rare book on the topic. useful for researc
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Find It, Fix It, Flip It!: Make Millions in Real Estate--One House at a Time
The Pre-Foreclosure Property Investor's Kit: How to Make Money Buying Distressed Real Estate -- Before the Public Auction
Flipping Houses For Dummies (For Dummies Series)
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