HWPG is going undercover at a Guru seminar

[James Wise]

Controversial TV flipper & Real estate Guru Armando Montelongo is coming to my town next month. I don't have much knowledge of him other then what I have read online & seen of his show. His show was pretty entertaining. I did enjoy watching it.

What I have taken away from online reviews is that he, like many other guru's brings attendees into their shows promising riches only to pull the bait and switch and get them on the hook for much higher packages using high pressure sales tactics. 

From what I have gathered Armando's seminar program works like this

1. Attendees go to a free seminar which is used to sell a 3 day seminar for about $1,500

2. Attendees go to the 3 day $1,500 seminar is used to rope them into the $40,000 VIP Bus tour

Here are some links to the information I have found on Armando & his seminars. The reviews that I have seen have been pretty negative.

Armando Montelongo review

Bigger Pockets Thread on Armando Montelongo

My business partner John Holton, myself & a couple of our employees will be going "undercover" & attending one of the free seminars next month.

We would like to accomplish a few things while we are there.

1. Satisfy our curiosity.

2. Give newbie Biggerpockets investors who may be considering a seminar like this the opportunity to learn exactly what a seminar like this is about.

3. Learn something? (who knows, maybe the bad reviews are false)

 I will be continuing to blog about the entire experience here on bigger pockets. I will be objective and will not leave anything out. The good, the bad & the ugly.

So investors, partners, colleagues, strangers & newbies.

Is there anything that you would like HWPG to ask Armando & his team?

Any rumors that you have heard that you would like us to attempt to get to the bottom of?

Any question that is posed on this forum we will do our best to present them to the salesman & women at the seminar.

P.S.

I would like to note that I am not against the education side of this business. There is a lot of value in education and a lot of money to be made providing this education. ($40,000 is of course extreme & I don't see how it could possibly benefit a new investor.) This site is an education site. There are many members on this site who are educators and seem to have great reputations. I would not shut the door on possibly doing something myself in the Real Estate education arena one day.