Posted by Barbara_NY on January 10, 2003 at 13:29:14:
I tend to disagree with the other folks who posted a reply. I, too, have attended presentations by Peter Conti and am undecided if the $5,000 fee is a reasonable price to pay for his services. However, I choose to reserve judgement until I hear someone who has been through his program say it isn’t worth the money.
You see, I’m an investor with several years behind me so $5,000 might not be for me. Yet, I remember starting out and the struggle to get a quick answer or fast resource recommendation when I was crunched for time and out of ideas. I am a big supporter of the concept of Mentoring and am working to establish a program in my local investment club. When I was struggling I knew all I really needed was someone “in the know” to ask questions of and bounce ideas off of. That would have shaved months and months off of my “learn by doing” calendar.
I’d suggest keeping an open mind about mentoring and ask Finkel & Conti if you can speak with several students IN YOUR AREA who have been through the trenches with them. I’d call them, verify they actually had results (specific details about the deals), get their opinion of the program and then decide.
One of the posters stated you should just use the $5,000 to buy some property. Yeah, that sounds right, but what if you don’t know how to spot a viable deal, need a referal to get the deal done, run into unforeseen circumstances and don’t know where to turn where you don’t have to through alot of money to get an answer. Then… what good is spending it on the property if you end up in the red?
A good mentor would be there and make sure the deal made sense. They’d provide a safety net, a backup, a sense of security for the newbie to even try.
I’d also suggest you check with your local REIA and see if they have a program or could suggest a local investor who might be willing to partner with you on a few deals so you can learn the ropes.
I am on the verge of paying $5000 to become a student in mentoring program through resultsnow.com. Any input on this course would be greatly appreciated.
Re: mentoring program of D. Finkel and Peter Conti - Posted by David Riegel
Posted by David Riegel on March 09, 2003 at 05:50:34:
I’m on the fence with this one. I have a 2nd house on my property which I’d like to rent out. That’s no problem. I’d like to get more properties w/ little or no money down, that’s the problem. I’m leary of the $5,000 commitment ( which is more like 6-7,000 when you factor in the 3 day seminar in California and its costs). On the other hand, it’s difficult to get the knowledge while working a full time job, raising a family and trying to stay active with all of life’s other distractions.
I’ve studied the Carlton Sheets course and the thing that concerns me the most is what is actually doable and legal in Maryland. Maryland has some of the lowest taxes in the country but some of the highest RE fees when it comes to transfer taxes, recording fees, etc. You can spend up to 8% (you’ll obviously save w/out real estate commissions.
I also would like to speak with people in Maryland. I didn’t like the way they wisked you off behind a curtain to see who was “really serious about this” and made sure they got everyones credit cards processed. I see a lot of people who are desperate.
Please let me know any additional info, especially if you’re in MD.
It does not look like anyone that has been through the program has anything negative to say. I have talked to several people who have done it, but none have anything negative to say. I would like to hear just one negative thing about it from somebody who has done it (unlike Sam).
Re: mentoring program of David Finkel - Posted by John Husband
Posted by John Husband on January 27, 2003 at 11:02:07:
David and Peter have a 1000 dollar program (the protoge) that you can buy first. It would be a self study program. In fact their mentorship program includes it as it’s base. After you’ve read the 1000 dollar program you can then decide if you want to spend the other $4000. I have been told that you can apply the price of the Protege program towards the mentorship program if you decide you need the extra help. I would spend a thousand and save the other 4k for the property
mentoring program of David Finkel and Peter Conti - Posted by Sean Blake
Posted by Sean Blake on January 25, 2003 at 09:40:00:
There are two ways to learn to ride a bike:
On your own - very painful
With somebody holding onto the seat
A good mentor has already made many of the mistakes you are going to make on your own. You can be successful either way but a good mentor can give you experience/knowledge leverage that you will not have on your own.
In business, smart business people pay for advice for taxes, legal, etc.
I’ve never used/read any of Conti/Finkel’s stuff. I’ve seen him at a seminar and he presented some good ideas. I work with a local (non-affiliated) mentor in my area and his experience alone has helped me find some good deals and avoid some bad ones.
David Finkel and Peter Conti - Posted by Jon Richards
Posted by Jon Richards on December 30, 2002 at 19:18:12:
Good advice from Tom and Sam. Mentoring is a waste of money. You learn by doing. Tom Peters in his excellent book “Excellence” says better Ready, Fire, Aim.
Best of luck, and consider the $5000 you just saved.
