I can't say how everyone else did it but my approach was for "I wanted to know everything" I need to know to fully explain this book.

Area of interest for me... zip. Book on the subject of negative gearing. Confirmed my suspicion about negative gearing investment properties, pain of agents no agents, types of insurance and advise to talk with the tax office for information about the current do and don't of buying property for investment (I had to laugh at that one Tax officer that actually knows something about taxs is a rare breed. You have better luck with an accountant or lawyer).

My technique for handling that... turn chapter headings and subheadings into questions, if i know the answer I'd skip to the next one. Last 7 or 8 minutes I mind mapped all the chapters to give me cues when I start explaining the book.

So what I finished up knowing from that book...

The book was dated and some of the advise was invalidated by some new rules. According to the book those changes make negative gearing a less lucative option in the current market. Getting an agent is more costly but considering that they take over the responsibilty of upkeep and knowing insurance etc a better alternative if you tend to get a emotional about "your" property. Properites with high price tags are not really the best investments because rental is only marginally more, its not enough to cover most espenses and it makes more sense to buy two properties for the same total. Check that the rental area is really renting, trends change don't trust an agent on this do the footwork. Then there were some interesting factors for partnership (won't bore you with them) but you get the idea. I don't have the book haven't seen it since that afternoon in February so all that is from memory. I don't even have the mind map it was just on a scrap of note paper that I threw out afterwards (I wasn't interested in the book).

You can pull up a lot of information lot of information in 30 minutes from one book. The requirements are purpose, and questions that you can relate to your purpose. BTW my purpose was to be able to give a detailed summary of what the book is about so that I can give the individual information that would be useful to him if he went into negative gearing.

Thanks CS. The offer took me by surprise

AlexK

[This message has been edited by Alex K. Viefhaus (edited April 02, 2004).]