8 Useful Ways to Vet A Mentor or Coach

I see people on Facebook groups asking all the time, "I need a mentor," or "How do I find someone to coach me?" etc. I have answered those posts over and over, and found that the following eight points will help you gain clarity on what to do when seeking help from coaches and mentors.

1. Make sure you know your goals, and that the training/mentoring/coaching you decide to choose, is going to help you achieve them. Do you want to have an active business flipping or wholesaling? Do you want to do buy and hold? If buy and hold, do you want turn-key, in state, out of state, BRRRR etc? Do you have capital that you want to invest in real estate without having to deal with tenants? There are so many ways to make money in real estate, the way to know what you want, is to know your goals. Do you want to build wealth? Get some “quick” cash? Each goal will point you to certain real estate strategies. Some mentors/coaches will sit down with you and help you figure out your goals. Work with people who are versed in the real estate investing strategy that aligns with your goals.

2. Know your learning style and how you learn best - are you good at self study? Do you prefer a group setting? Do you want one on one learning? Each one has pros and cons - self study you may have questions that you can't get answered if you don't have a mentor/coach you are working with, group sessions - make sure the moderator of the group is strong and doesn't allow one person to take over the conversation, leaving you silent and not learning, if it is one on one, make sure you like and vibe with the person you are working with - working with someone you don't like will be super stressful and counterproductive for both of you. High level overview of investment cost: Self Study $, Group $$, Mastermind $$-$$$, One on One $$$$

3. Is the program accepting everyone? Understandably some programs are built to let everyone in, since people may be curious to learn a new strategy. On the flip side, some coaches/mentors may turn you away if you aren't motivated and ready to fully commit to achieving your goals. If programs are telling you to increase your credit cards so you can pay for the program - that can be good and bad. I paid for a program on a credit card, but I had the assets behind it cover myself if something happened to me and wasn’t able to get anything from the training. However, credit cards for most are not the way to go. If you are scraping together your last dollar, and are feeling pressure to do a program, I would walk away. Prudent coaches and mentors won't make you spend your last dollar on working with them - it would cause too much stress on you and be detrimental to your mindset and motivation, tread carefully if you feel pressured.

4. Look for Substance, not Flashy Fluff. Don’t believe everything you see when it comes to guru’s. It is super easy to stage photos with private jets and expensive cars to try to lure you in by appealing to your desires to be “just like them.” But many of “them” are fakes and using marketing strategies to pull you in and take your hard earned money. I'm not saying every uber successful person is a fake, but that every fake can appear to be uber successful.

5. Beware of super cool, new strategies that someone is trying to teach you. If it sounds confusing, you haven't heard of it, and other people for the most part aren't doing it or haven't heard of it - walk away - these can get you in legal hot water. As we said in the Army KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid. Basic and straight forward investing is how 80% of us have built our wealth - we didn't build it off of credit card hacking, or bitcoin. If it sounds too easy to make money, or too good to be true, it's probably worth steering away from.

6. Many programs are actually amazing marketing companies, focused on bringing in as many paying people as possible - sales and marketing is the bottom line, not real estate. Beware of programs that allow you to pay off your investment by recruiting others, it just means they are first, and foremost, a marketing network, and a real estate training program/mentor/coach second.

7. Good mentors and coaches are worth their weight in gold and they want to see you succeed. The investment cost they receive is nice for them, but it's not just about them getting paid. There are other reasons they charge. If you aren't willing to invest and believe in yourself, why should they invest their time, and impart their knowledge onto you? Essentially, put your money where your mouth is. When you invest in yourself, you are more likely to push yourself more and be accountable to yourself since you made that investment and don’t want to spend money without seeing a return. Think of the investment not as a cost or a fee, but as a down payment to the future you want.

8. Drink the Kool Aid if you work with a coach/mentor/program - do what they say, and jump in and get it done - sitting on the sidelines after you begin coaching/mentoring/training is a guaranteed road to failure. Successful people take action.

Have any more points that would improve the search for a great coach or mentor? I would love to hear it and add it to the list! Drop your comments below, email them to and if you haven't already, make sure you join the Facebook group!