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Renatus, Have you heard of it?
Has anyone heard of Renatus? Has anyone used Renatus to get started out in Real Estate Investing? And if so, what was your experience like, with them?
Here in suburban Chicago, we have a community of 200+ investors who all got started using the Renatus education. There are 21 other communities nationwide, and growing.
I attended their presentations. They were informative but expensive. As an investor of 25 years . I already was aware of what they taught. most people want to invest in Real Estate but find it difficult to fund both an education and an investment.
Renatus has over 20 instructors, 50+ classes and 420+ hours of on-line instruction. Hard to imagine anyone being THAT widely versed in so many areas of real estate, in addition to being a tax attorney, a tax accountant, a SDRP specialist, a note buyer / broker, having 4000+ units of income-producing rentals and some 14,000 students.
Some classes are being updated this week and a new one added. Students like me get to watch the live-stream of the recording sessions.
How's your education organization coming, @Aaron Vaughn?
What was it about Renatus that you perceived as "smoke and mirrors"?
no groups in particular although when I was approached by a member of Renatus several years ago he seemed more interested in me paying $20,000 for a course that he did in me doing actual Real Estate projects.it has also happened with the area's seminar groups such as Rich dad poor dad Than Merrill etc. where the hard push on selling you the package when in essence people want to do real estate.
Yeah - doing real estate is easier when you know how than when you have to trail-and-error it and hope you don't land yourself in bankruptcy, jail or both when you stumble. Listen to Brandon Turner's podcasts where he tells how many hundreds of $Thousands he lost when he first started and didn't know how to do it right without losses.
So wanting to do it tends to take precedence over learning how to do it first. Hopefully, you won't encounter a medical professional who felt the same way, or a trades person, legal professional, financial professional, etc.
You have to learn how first. It's unfortunate that the gurus are focused on selling, and that even Renatus often attracts those who see the commission which can be made and focus on that first rather than helping folks acquire education.
The value of the education - and the lack of up-selling - overrides that, in my opinion. That $20,000 you mentioned is the most anyone can spend to get their education, and then they have it for life - all updates and additions included, no additional charge.
I posted an event for the education update going on this week. Here's the link:
Yes - certainly focus on teaching, but make sure you're providing quality education.
my work speaks for itself David you have my number anytime you want to come see it it's not my intention to spar with you online only to share my fair assessment and experiencetake care
I have purchased the essentials course and I am finding it very helpful. It's $2000 and what I have learned will save me at least $10,000 this year alone and I have it for life. I will probably upgrade to the full membership for another $18,000, but I have an agreement with my husband that I can't spend any more than I have earned due to what I get from the essentials course. Time will tell.
We aren't new to real estate either, but experience is VERY expensive to learn from. in 2007 to 2009 I "spent" a lot more on experience than any education program costs. I am getting as much or more from bigger pockets than I am getting from Renatus, but here you have to know what to ask and some answers are wrong. Renatus sets it up in more of a basic format and teaches you step by step with less gaps in your training. I also go to the local meetup groups and get a lot of info there. It isn't a matter of which to do, more of learn wherever you can find good info.
If you pay close attention to the Tax and Legal class, you will likely "earn" that $18,000 and then some just by following Mark's recommendations.
... and yes, education doesn't "cost". Lack of education costs!
The education is great but after a number of experiences with Renatus members I found they were very excited about the $20k price tag you pay for the education and less excited about actually doing real estate deals. The person signing you up for the $20k education actually usually gets a $10k commission and I have seen them telling people to put it on credit cards. It's a pyramid scheme tied to a great educational resource that shouldn't cost nearly that much and the people signing everyone up are making a ton of money. I've noticed that very few of the people that pay the $20k do real estate deals. As an agent I'd love people to get educated and invest in real estate, it's just a conflict of interest when the person signing you up is making a killing on the money you pay for that education.
I appreciate everyones responses and thank you. I didn't know if I was wasting my time with the webinar's or not, and wanted to know if other people heard of it. I thought it was some sort of luck finding this sign staked into the ground off the highway exit, "Real estate investor seeks help, Trainable, Responsible call this number," all hand written. Then he said my candidates watch these 3 webinars before they move to the next step. And I thought it was too good to be true, fund your first project, hold your hand in your first few flips, and coaching/mentorship all the way through. Then I feel like the webinar I was watching took a slightly different turn, buy this for everything you need to know. If I had 20k I definitely wouldn't be buying books; It'd be a downpayment.
But I was also wondering are the books from Renatus any different from the books I am reading now or the books recommended here on BP?
@Jonathan V. I have found that there is soooo much information that you can research and obtain from BP that you don't necessarily have to fork out that kind of cash! The podcasts are fantastic! As you said if you had the 20K you could put that to much better use ex: down payment on home. I have found everyone here to be super helpful in answering questions! Also going to local REIC (real estate investors clubs) to be extremely helpful!! Networking is key!!!! Try and see if there is someone that is willing to mentor you even if you pay them for their time totally invaluable.. beats paying 20K!
Like most commission-based learning programs, Renatus has some merit and value but you can do much better for a fraction of the cost by networking with agents, wholesalers and investors at your local clubs and meetups. I echo @Ashley Hernandez in her comment above that BP, with its , , and social support is a much bigger help and better value! Josh Dorkin created Bigger Pockets specifically to give options to newbies who want to learn REI without having to pay 10, 20, 30K or more just to get started. Many newbies want to take a shortcut but I would recommend learning all you can on BP with a few books and at least 20 podcasts and then find a mentor to shadow at a local REIA. Offer to wash their car or mow the lawns at their rental properties if you have to, or answer their phones for a month from lead generation. You will learn better in the trenches! Save your 20K for your first purchase.
Renatus doesn't sell books. It's all on-line, up-to-date education available 24x7 with access for life including all updates and additions, no additional charge.
You might, as Douglas said, "Save your $20K for your first purchase". If your lack of education causes you to lose $100K on that first purchase - as Brandon Turner relates in his podcasts, what's your net "savings"?
Education doesn't cost - lack of education costs.
One of the instructors who updated his classes last week was out at our place Saturday, April 22. First half of the day was about Rehabs (he does them), second half was about short sales (he does those, also - it's his specialty). How many local investors do that? How many are one of 20+ instructors? How many have 50+ on-line classes updated as needed? ... totalling 420+ hours of education?
Do what you think ya gotta do, just be sure you understand what you're doing and why you're doing it!
I only know 3 people associated locally with Renatus, so it's a small sample size in an isolated market. All 3 are nice guys, but better talkers than do-ers. All 3 have yet to make back their big "investment" in education. A lack of education can really cost you, as David D. mentioned above, but let's not pretend that a 20K investment with Renatus is any guarantee of success. The best indicator of success is intelligent, tenacious effort. The same people who find success with Renatus can and probably will find it with BP podcasts, books and forum interaction, combined with local REI club networking.
Have fun and make your own luck!
Haven’t started paid courses yet but I have attended the free groups, but I will be soon, the person I found this community through is active in real estate everyday I have met him to look at his current fix and flip projects. Most of which he partnered with others in the community. He also runs a wholesale team where they just wholesale most of their leads. So far the Seattle area group Rise has been great and not pushy to purchase classes or affiliate, and has beeen recognized for their high volume in their actual real estate deals, in the Seattle markets as well as linking with the community in Ohio to buy rentals.
I’ve been looking for an opportunity to network, and find people who will actually be available to answer calls and help with my business decisions. Also just need something to put the step by step process together and make me take action steps through the courses.
Also I see a lot of reference to 20k that’s the total package that you probably won’t need to do until you’re actually investing and want to explore other niches. There’s a 2k new/set up your business and tax info then goes up from there.
I accidentally went to a renatus meeting totally scammy feeling to it. Advertised as a investor networking event, then pushing into taking a velocity banking class where they cant even explain how it saves money over just paying principal (because it doesn't). Was told i wouldn't be able to do deals without velocity banking (even though I'm a cash buyer with plenty of credit available). All of the students i talked to couldn't tell me the basics of a profitable deal after paying for multiple classes (eek!!!first thing any investor should learn).
I hear people say all the time that you can just Google all that information or something similar, well maybe you can. What I have to say to that is, "you don't know what you don't know" meaning you don't know WHAT you need to Google. Does that make sense?
I got the Essentials course about 5 years ago. It was a year course and I am happy to see that they have Grandfather'd me in to a lifetime membership at no extra cost. How valuable is it to me?
I am a Real Estate Agent and owner of cash flowing properties. I am no expert, but I will tell you that I always knew what to expect and what questions to ask and where to look and it was because of Renatus. Because they give you a GREAT base to start off from.
Right now I am re-taking the Essentials class and I am sill finding them to be the most informative on the subject that I have seen. There is NO WAY you are going to be able to find everything you need on a given subject the way it is presented in these classes. I looked.
Mind you I don't sell this stuff, I just take the classes. I recommend them, just ignore the "Herba-life Culture".
@Jeff Feldman definitely understand you. Was tricked yesterday to attend a Renatus meeting because it was worded as an investor group meeting for my area. Fell immediately an uneasy feeling of pyramid/referral recruiting. After a long drawn out speech from someone who travels Fla to NY just to do the weekly meeting, was told I needed to pay $2k, $8k or $20k (option: finance, charge or even borrow from 401k to pay for it). Not for me, I can't imagine spending that kind of money up front when there is so much educational info free for the asking. Between my local REIA and biggerpockets alone I have learned and networked exponentially in 2 months alone.
Please do not preach to me the benefits I am not interested: just sharing my feelings.
I bought the Essentials for $2k. Wish I had my money back. After a short while of involvement with the group, it was crystal clear that very few members had any real estate experience and that they preyed on newbies who did not know better. Shameful.
@Jeff Feldman @Dominique Pradel-Lewis
I found myself in a Renatus meeting by accident as well. It was also labeled "intro to real estate investing" with no mention of Renatus on Meetup at all. I was looking to connect with local investors, but instead It was the classic, provide some credibility statement, flash some numbers on past deals, give a RA RA speech of taking action and then the famous "you get all of this for xx amount." I started asking about some of the deals, like asking what their Cap rate was (on commercial deals) or Cash on Cash returns and they didn't provide information on it. They insisted i need to be "educated" first for my safety and to "protect" their current members before i go to their general meetings. I went there to network and found that the people i talked in the crowd weren't involved in real estate or had just started a week ago. I can't speak for their courses or program beyond my limited experience. I just know it wasn't what i was looking for and felt disingenuous to advertise their events that way. Please make your own assumptions. Hope it helps anyone interested in hearing about my experience.
@Jeff Feldman @Dave Pate @Keegan M. There is something wrong when the guy who brought me to the meeting and waved hi to me from across the room can potentially make 10k from me in 2hrs. I think most people in the room bought in without googling the name because they were novice dreaming of paying $50 income taxes for several $100k of income. Maybe people make money with them but those people would have made money anyway! Even if it works the spoon feeding would make me lazy and expect the knowledge to come to me instead of me having the hunger to hunt it down and dissect it.
Ok, so I just left a meeting with Renatus less than an hour ago and I am genuinely torn. They did sneak up on me by first engaging me at and investor property tour on last Saturday and then asking me to attend an local investor group meeting tonight. They presented an entire group of folks all that had some level of success real estate and I have to say I believe that they all were being honest. I noticed that they did tend to form up into smaller peer groups of people doing deals together. Funding each other and working together on joint ventures. That part I liked. I'm going back tomorrow to attend a strategy session to get more details on how specifically the dynamic in the groups will work. I'm hoping to see who they will place me with and identify what about me will make other investors in the group want to work with me. (Other then the fact that I have paid) As I see it right now the upside is:
- Education (A lot of this is available on the internet)
- Mentorship (This seems to be their strongest selling point to me if you can get into a good group that is doing the type of investing that you want to be doing.
- Private money funding sources. (Let's face it if you're paying 20K to get into the group you've just confirmed that you are working with other folks that have money to invest or partner with you.
I'll keep you all updated.