Real estate coaching services - Genuine or just MLM scams?

[David C.]

Dear BP gang,

I have been in real estate for 10 years now and have thankfully done well for myself with short term vacation rentals and SFHs for LTRs.  Looking to scale into the multifamily arena, I began investigating services that offer opportunities to join their community and "be coached" to achieve this task more effectively.

Most of these services charge upwards of $20k-$40k.  As I researched these, I received nebulous answers as to what you were really getting for your money and how I would be assured that what I was investing in was actually worth its salt.  In many cases, I felt that the tactic was "buy the shiny box now, and then you can open it up and see what's inside" - almost like the old Time Share traps - "Get free show tickets if you attend this 90 minute seminar".  In my opinion, a service that cannot be clear at the onset, doesn't foster confidence for me.

As I thumbed through similar threads in BP, I found one service that was mentioned in other posts which had cost $1500-$2900 about 3 years ago, but then the cost jumped to $20k.  Could a service truly warrant a 10x jump in price? Could a service really offer that much content to justify it?  Or is it a MLM approach, providing a main source of income for the gurus/coaches to go fund their own deals?   I realize that people need to make money/eat, but so do we all.  $20-40k saved is $20-$40k earned if the service is a waste.  But with the answers I have received from those services that I investigated, I would never know if it was worth it or not, based upon the lack of substance that was presented to me upon initial contact.

I also found that many of the people singing the praises of particular coaching services tend to be the ones working for them, which to me lessens credibility IMHO.  I am far more interested in hearing from one of the "common folk"(like me) who can perhaps share the nitty gritty/nuts and bolts results that they actually achieved.  To me, that is far more valuable than hearing about how great a service is from the same people receiving the $20-40K.

As we all know, each individual will have different goals and different levels of involvement and hustle.  As such, results will depend quite a bit upon an individuals energy and effort that they put into it.  That being said, would anyone care to share their experience using a coach/coaching service that they can back up with some hard evidence to show that a coaching service was well worth the investment?  Conversely, can anyone offer any differing opinions on the subject?  Thanks!