All Forum Posts by: Phoebe King

I highly recommend pretty much anything by Peter Conti. He provides more "meat" in his books and freebies on his Web site than any other investor I've read (or Googled). Be careful, though, it's very well-packaged marketing to get you to become a mentorhsip student. :wink: He hooked me in and I couldn't be more pleased. It's a great program.

I have really enjoyed reading the comments on this thread. Thanks for sharing!

I listened in on a "Webinar" this evening that turned out to be some guy I'd never heard of hawking his $2,000 software package that is supposed to "systematize" deal analyses, making offers, and lots of deal structures (short sales, subject tos, terms). What he doesn't mention in the presentation, which includes a demo. of the impressive-looking product, is that for $2K you don't actually get the software to load on your computer, you access it on the Internet for a "modest" fee of $69.95/month. I've heard of other programs such as this, and this one really does do a LOT (form letters, contracts, marketing letters, ads, etc.), but I just can't wrap my brain around the cost! I mean, I'd almost be willing to pay for the software if I actually got to "own" it, but to pay $2K up front and then almost $840/year for the privilege of accessing it from a Web site?! It doesn't seem worth it.

I'd be very interested to hear from anybody who (1) has purchased this program, (2) knows about Mr. Romine, and/or (3) who can recommend similar software that's not so expensive. Thanks!

I am a Chicago-area investor and just got my EIN and want to open a business checking account. Any recommendations for small-business friendly banks that I can start building a relationship with?

There are a couple of threads in this forum that discuss the Rich Dad 3-day. I am a beginning investor, so I found the info. to be very helpful. My friend who invited me to the freebie session declined to go to the 3-day, saying there wouldn't be much "meat," that it would mostly be about selling the advanced training. Although there was a lot of upselling (I did not personally care for their tactics), there was enough content to make the weekend feel as if I got my money's worth. I, too, split the $495 cost with a friend. I left feeling it was a good investment.

I would NOT, however, recommend the very expensive advanced training. Do your homework and investigate other programs, if that's the route you want to go, before committing any money to the Rich Dad training. The guy who designed my business logo spent a lot of money on it last year. He said it was not worth the price. Another investor at the 3-day told me that a friend of theirs did the advanced training and that all the material covered in the training is the same as what's in the printed materials we got when we signed up for the 3-day.

Good luck and I would like to hear what you thought of it when you're done.

Phoebe

I went to the 3-day training in Chicago. I'm a newbie and I learned a lot! I split the cost with a friend and felt it was a great value for what I paid. The reading material and CDs alone are worth the price of admission.

I did not, however, care for the presenter's upsell techniques. They used fear and intimidation to try to get people to sign up for advanced training. Stuff like, "What you're getting this weekend is the equivalent of high school. Before you go out there and try to do a wrap mortgage by yourself, you need more training. Our advance training is like going to college. And that's what you need: a college education." And she gave examples of what happened to actual people who tried to go out and do deals after only the 3-day training and the terrible things that happened to them. Did not care for it one bit. And toward the end, she became short-tempered and condescending to the people who stepped up to the microphone to ask questions.

Plus, the advanced training is VERY expensive (with the discount if you buy that weekend, packages ran from $9K to $64,000). I've also heard from people right on these very boards (go to the guru forum) that the content is terrible.

But, like I said, I found the 3-day training to be very worthwhile.

Fantastic thread! Thanks for spelling it out so clearly. I look forward to using the analysis tool on my first deal.

One question: Most everything I've read and been told about investing says to not factor appreciation into the analysis, that you make your money on the buy side, you earn your money on the sell side. For instance, according to Rich Dad, investors who factor appreciation into their exit strategies are speculators, not investors. What do you all say to that?

Hi Joshua. Thanks for taking the time to reply. (Love this site, BTW. I've been lurking for a while, and finally got the nerve to sign up :green: )

A bit of fear, you say? Probably an understatement. :wink: I've done some scouting for other investors, made some calls and looked at some properties. I talk to other investors pretty much every day. I joined the WCRT, a local REI club, in August. It has been a great networking tool, and I have learned A LOT from the classes and workshops I have attended through the club. Everyone has been great.

I feel like I'm spinning my wheels, though. I do sort of have a target area where I've been looking. I've learned a few strategies that I am excited about implementing. But as you pointed out so kindly, fear of screwing up or making a bad decision seems to be holding me back. And I really have no clue how to negotiate with a seller.

Another thing that seems to be tripping me up is that, as you mentioned, I have gained A LOT of knowledge since joining WCRT. But it's all in bits and pieces: a free seminar on short sales here, a class on deal analysis there. I have taken classes at SBA about starting a business and finding funding, etc. I want to work with a mentor who can help tie all the pieces together, help me set realistic goals, and show me some of the "systems" I keep hearing about that will help me manage my time and business efficiently and effectively. I know many WCRT members who are working with mentors--with great success! And based on my research, Peter Conti's program seems to most closely match my ambitions and personality. So I thought I'd put out some feelers to see if anyone else has worked with his organization.

Thanks again for addressing some of my underlying issues. In addition to wanting feedback about Conti, I'd love suggestions about next steps.

Aaaaaaaaaah, exactly. According to Mr. Kiyosaki ("Rich Dad, Poor Dad"), it's not how much you make, it's how much you keep!

Have any of you participated in Peter Conti's mentoring program? He wrote"Buying Real Estate Without Cash or Credit" with David Finkel and most recently "Making Big Money Investing in Foreclosures."

I'm a newbie, belong to a REI club, have attended several day-long and weekend-long seminars (nothing over $350), and have read about a dozen books on RE investing. "Buying Real Estate" was the best "nuts and bolts" resource I have come across so far. The book simulates one of Conti's Intensive 3-day seminars, which gets students on the phone talking to sellers on day 1 and looking at properties they set appointments for by day 3. The book talks about how many calls you should make a day, and how many appointments to set. There are scripts and lots of free resources on Conti's Web site. Very useful and welcoming. In the short while I've been immersing myself in this industy, his work has been my favorite.

I'm wondering if any of you have taken any classes or boot camps or done the year-long mentoring program, and if so, what did you think of it?

Thanks!