Than Merrill credible source?

[Josiah Mosley]

Is Than Merrill a credible real estate source? I signed up for one of his real estate conferences, but I just want to be sure he is not just some guru trying to make money off of people.

[Chris Clothier]

@Josiah Mosley - 

I have known Than Merrill and the other owners of Fortune Builders for a number of years - going back to 2009 - and have done business with him both professionally and personally.  My family is providing passive investment services and property management services not only to Than and his business partners, but also for their families (brothers, parents, extended families).  We also work with their students providing passive investments should they need them or choose to work with us.

The reason for telling you all of that, is that unlike @Curt Davis - whom I have also known for years, worked with and provide service to his company today - I have had the opportunity to get to know Than personally and interact with thousands of the students that are part of the Fortune Builders team.  I attended the Fortune Builders event in San Diego last week and spent hours of my own time with some of their students who simply wanted to hear how my own experiences can help them and pick my brain for what I could share.  

I can honestly say after having already attended dozens of FB events, each time I attend, I pull something new out from surrounding myself with highly motivated and intelligent people actively working in the real estate investment industry.  My company is considered one of the top passive investment companies in the country and is one of the most respected and without a doubt, we have been influenced from many things we have learned through our relationship with Than, Paul, Konrad and JD.  We have sent several of our renovation project managers through their renovation bootcamp.  You cannot put a price on the real value you get out of associating with the best. 

I have also met dozens of other educators in this industry and have a brother in the industry.  So I know top-notch people and find it easy to separate the wheat from the chafe.  Than Merrill and his partners at Fortune Builders are the best of the best when it comes to providing real-time information, ideas, techniques, guidance and support for their clients.  Is it free?  Absolutely not - nor should it be.  They are super responsive and for those that are going to be successful anyway....they really, really drive the success rate forward quicker.

You CANNOT learn everything you need to know at a local REIA nor can you learn everything you need to know at the library or even online at BP. They are all great resources and BiggerPockets.com is by far the best of all three, but you have to spend an incredible amount of your other most precious asset...TIME and you have to teach yourself.

Paying for real estate education is all about leveraging one resource - money - against another - time.  If done properly, you are able to reduce the learning curve and save yourself an incredible amount of time and possibly even money by reducing mistakes and having accountability in place to help you get started quickly.

They are not free, but they are excellent at providing the service they offer.  In the end, if you are willing to implement what you learn and actually take action...then learning from them and surrounding yourself with the best may be a good route for you to take.