But, everytime I see you discount education… because of cost… I think you do a disservice… sometimes you do get what you pay for…
And if time is money… it is better to pay for the education before you make the mistakes rather than after…
Youy mentioned one person in your list that I have learned a ton from… Wade Cook… I have a most every book and course he has on Real Estate and paper… I think the man is a genious and a serious business guy…
As far as he being a rip off… My opinion is that folks are always looking for scape goats when they apply techniques wrong, don’t do anything… or expect a magic bullet…
I never heard he got convicted of anything… the couple of times I pulled up where the courts were after him… actually had to do with the avoidance of Franchise taxes… of several states… and nothing to do with business practices…
As far as reading… I’m sure I’ve read close to a hundred in the last few years myself… But, It’s not what we read… it’s what we allow to change our contexts… and what we apply… Otherwise librarians would have the keys to it all…
Posted by KevinH on February 23, 2002 at 20:31:34:
On another web site there is a gentleman named N. Peterson offering that his course will put $3500 in your pocket in 2 weeks. Has anyone read Mr. Peterson’s material? If so ,is it of value?
Posted by GL(ON) on February 24, 2002 at 15:41:14:
I know nothing about Mr. Peterson or his course, except what I read on the ad you linked to. It looks like pretty standard stuff, the kind of ideas that have been around for a long time and that many of us use to make money every day.
What catches my eye is the price, $14.95. For that kind of money you can afford to be a little chancey. I’m tempted to send for it myself for laughs. At that price what can you lose, $14.95 for some cheap entertainment. That’s nothing compared to courses costing $125 to $700.
By the way in the past some of the best buys I have gotten on books or courses were the cheapest. Not only on a value for dollar basis, but in some cases the $14.95 book was more valuable than the $200 course.
Posted by Alex ON on February 24, 2002 at 19:29:54:
It’s strange.
I found the web site where you can get exactly the same book for only $39.95
And no name of the author. http://www.realestatetoolkit1.com/
Posted by GL(ON) on February 24, 2002 at 17:42:55:
I looked at the order form and it’s not $14.95 it’s 6 payments of $14.95 plus a $15.00 service charge. At that price he is getting a little pricy for something downloaded off the internet. I think I would wait until i heard something more definite about Mr. Peterson and his friends.
Now, I hear you complaining about folks paying a lousy 115 bucks… for something… something that might very change his life…
Now I don’t know the value of that particular product and I’m sure with a little research it could be found out…
But, I begin to wonder if you ever Invest in in your higher education… because for $125 to $700, sometimes a little more… sometimes a little… your education could be greatly helped especially when mistakes on the street cost a whole lot more… and anything that shortens the curve can make those small amounts in less than a hour of your time… in alot of cases…
A small example: Recently I talked to someone (beginning Investor) before they were going to meet with Mr. Seller… they were just going to go make an offer… and were afraid to offer too low lest they would miss the deal… I told them hold the phone… find out the needs and solve those to put the deal together… find out what the seller thinks the property is worth, etc… etc…
They came back getting the property for 19k less than they planned… I’d say that’s a pretty hefty education… from just learning one thing… and that was just a twenty minute phone conversation…
That kind of stuff is in other peoples courses… yeah in some books too… but, you cant rule out courses, conventions, seminars because they cost 100 dollars or even 10k… sometimes you might get what you pay for the other way…
And in this business good concentrating info makes you thousands… not pennies…
You can choose to learn the info available over the next 20 years from the street and a few books… or you can pony up and learn the concentrated stuff… in the next fews years and get on with your game…
Posted by Alex ON on February 24, 2002 at 23:20:27:
I checked web site registrations - both sites are registered by different people living in different States.
Also on Peterson’s site text you can see phrase:
“Like all of the techniques I reveal in the Real Estate Toolkit,” but he is selling “The Foreclosure Toolkit”. Real Estate Toolkit actually is being sold on the other site.
Posted by GL(ON) on February 24, 2002 at 22:08:08:
The man asked for an opinion about a certain course. I gave my opinion which was that I hadn’t taken the course but for $14.95 what could you lose?
Then I went on to the order page and found out that the first page was giving a false impression and that it was actually 6 payments of $14.95. Then at the bottom of the page in the fine print it said there was an extra charge of $15.
Now to me there is a big difference between $14.95 and $104.70. Maybe it is worth it, I don’t know.
I haven’t bought that course but I have bought a lot of others and I have read a lot of investing books over the last 30 years. The total must be over 100. I could list some of them but it would be tedious.
I have also taken college courses in real estate and accounting among other things. I think my opinions are as well founded as yours. I do believe in education but there are a lot of phonies out there and a lot of ripoffs as well.
Some of the biggest names are also the ones who charge the most and are the worst rippoffs. We can start that list with Wade Cook, Bill Greene and that McCorkle guy. All 3 have been convicted and 2 of them have done time.
I also question the value of $3000 to $5000 “boot camps” and mentoring services. This isn’t rocket science. For that kind of money you can go out and make a down payment on a house. To suck people into maxing out their credit cards knowing they can’t afford it and that most of them will never make a dime is cruel. Yet it happens every day.
Posted by JohnBoy on February 25, 2002 at 02:10:43:
I don’t know of Bill Greene, but as for McCorkle and Wade Cook, their legal problems had nothing to do with the methods they taught pertaining to real estate.
I think Wade Cook’s legal problems were over his stock market stuff and McCorkle’s was over refunds not being given as promised and they went after him on tax evasion, wire and mail fraud. None of it had to do with real estate!