However, each author seems to talk about a seminar or workshop that changed his/her life and started them on the path to making real money by implementing "the formula" they were taught and taking the risk.This sounds great, but am I the only one left wondering what kind of legitimate programs are actually available?

For this reason pick an area that is in close proximity or is easily assessable to where people might want to work, shop and have fun.

I went to the seminar (which I believe is the class you're referencing) and it's basically an underling of Than's who promotes their later workshop for several hours.

Are there any reputable workshops that teach newbies like me that don't pressure me to tap into my 401k to finance the mentoring?

Hey Marine, army Veteran here... check out Invest Gainesville, who holds monthly investor workshops where you will learn how to evaluate real estate.

I'm actually hosting a workshop locally in March.

I always ask if there is upselling as part of a workshop before I take it).The thing I see happen often is people run around conferences, social media, etc. looking for a replacement of good formal training on real estate or notes, which can lead to a lot of lost time.That is fine if that suits the persons objectives but to me time is the most precious gift I have.

We have a FREE Real Estate Workshop coming up in which we disclose some of the ways we find buyers in any market.

We are having a free Workshop Coming up on January 30th if you interested in rubbing elbows with some investors and the like come on out, we would to meet you in person.  

I recently attended a workshop on real estate investing where I felt that I learned little and was basically sold on a $50k + program.