Property Seminars Are They Snake Oil

Like most of you I am guessing , I get a lot of invites to property guru seminars , espousing how wonderful the main speaker is , how much they are worth and the promise of revealing closley guarded secrets of property investing secrets only known to the savvy few. Please tell me has any one here paid out the money and has actually gone to one of these things . If so was the content relevant , and when I say relevant was the information revealed correct for small investors or only for the high end , very high income earners . Are they re packaging information that is freely available via books, accountants , financial advisors . Is it just a session to hype people up . I would love to hear any comment good and bad
 
Like most of you I am guessing , I get a lot of invites to property guru seminars , espousing how wonderful the main speaker is , how much they are worth and the promise of revealing closley guarded secrets of property investing secrets only known to the savvy few. Please tell me has any one here paid out the money and has actually gone to one of these things .
Yes
If so was the content relevant
Yes
, and when I say relevant was the information revealed correct for small investors
Yes
or only for the high end , very high income earners .
"Only" - No. Sometimes, maybe.
Are they re packaging information that is freely available via books, accountants , financial advisors .
Yes
Is it just a session to hype people up . I would love to hear any comment good and bad
Not "just" a hype session, but enthusiasm can get people motivated.

The difficulty is sorting the wheat from the chaff. I'm sure that for every worthwhile, 'legitimate' session, there is a dodgy one. Usually, but to make it challenging, not always, the more expensive ones are the ones with less content.

Unless the speaker is going in depth about a very specific "strategy", I would say that there is nothing presented in these sessions that CANNOT be found in books. But sometimes getting the motivation to actually DO something is worth the price of admission. And while there is so much information available in books, on forums such as this one, getting it condensed/summarised into a strategy that you can take away and adapt to your needs is helpful.

There is no way I'd be where I am if I hadn't been motivated, encouraged, <insert other synonyms here>, by a seminar or 2.

Those that have free information sessions are pretty worthwhile, IME. You can get a feel for the presenter and the strategy. If it resonates with you, then you can either do your own research or pay for them to present it to you.

IMO, they fill a place. There are a lot of people who may have known they needed to "do something" but didn't know where to start. Reading lots of books can lead to analysis paralysis. Going to a seminar where it's presented (hopefully) simply can be the kick along that some need.
 
Something like 9 out of 10 people who attend seminars do almost nothing to change what they're doing and thus it yeilds little result. That doesn't mean the information was useless, just the application of it didn't occur.
 
Which property seminars are you talking about? Who are the speakers?
There are MANY property seminars. Some better than others.

I've been to a few free ones and a few paying ones. Some good, some not but you always get something out of them. Guess it's what you are after.
 
Carly Crutchfield , Ed Chan , Michael Yardney, Hans Jakobi,Steve Mc knight , The Reno kings the usual suspects , they all have property marketing companies , if you become their client I would expect that all their expertise to find an investmet property for you would be part of the deal , but they spend a great deal of time trying to sell expensive seminars where you will learn the secret of successful investing . What annoys me is if they are so philanthropic about their information put it on you tube . They all say that they do not make money from the seminars , they do it to give something back , if thats the case why charge thousands of dollars. Why not just tape the one seminar and stick it on you tube as many universities do now with open learning lectures . I would like to know if anyone has actually gone to one and has gotten real information from one , not motivation , I am motivated enough . Thanks
 
Financial Free

I don't attend any seminars but that is just my opinion, I prefer to learn from experience however in saying that I don't do major renovations and I don't build. Carly Crutchfield does have most of one of her seminars on You Tube it goes for between 1.5-2hrs. There is always a big difference to the angle of the seminar, same like Steve/Carly use the first seminar to move you up to there mentoring group. Others such as Michael are about there experience and what you can take out it. Then there is the 3rd option and these are the ones I would run very fast from unless you are lazy. They use it as a marketing ploy to tell you about there properties and go into if you don't buy this house/apt they are offering you will have nothing to retire on, they will then show you a quick power point show ( using there properties) and explain how much you can make( all hyped up figures) and finally lock you into there finance arm of there business.

Like all things in life some are great and some are pethetic, but if you go to one don't take your cheque book and good luck

Jezza
 
I went to one seminar about 10 years ago, and it motivated me to start on the path I am on now. I knew pretty much most of the information he spoke about, just the way it was presented motivated me to use the information.
I didnt buy the book, or invest in the weekend seminar, I simply started putting 10% of my wage away, and started borrowing money and economic books from the library.
I still go to seminars when I can, I find them useful.
 
I went to the Yardney seminar in Brisbane a little while ago.

IMO Yardney is still worth listening to and has some very valid points (as do Chan, Matusik, McKnight etc). this is outside of the selling of his services, and they're points that I dont think he sticks on youtube - you have to be there.

I was talking to a valued client the other day about some of the seminars which cost into the thousands, he reckoned they were a waste of time and between his research and SS, he could get more info and a more 'global' view rather than one sided.

In line with the above posts, many go to them, and have done so for years - but their property portfolio remains at 1 or 2, and they just dont take that next step for whatever reason or excuse. I've seen people fly to Sydney or Melbourne for 2-3 days, stay in a hotel, go to the seminar, and then come back and turn on the foxtel and continue to do so for the next few years. So I cant say if thats money well spent.

The reality is that probably need to have that mentoring and pay, and those might be the ones who come out that bit better as they wouldnt have done it themselves otherwise.

If a seminar is involved then thats putting people in touch with other people who have the experience to help them succeed then that can be crucial, and well worth the money spent.

But at the end of the day its not up to the seminar to get people to get off their bum, its up to themselves.
 
Many "gurus/snake oil salesmen" pretend/claim they have secrets. Property investing is not rocket science, understand a few basics (a few good books is a good starting point) + hard work + risk management + time, build a trusted team, and the way you go. In saying that, I am a believer if the fees are reasonable, and if someone make you more money than they cost you, then it's okay. I find I learn more from this forum than from anywhere else.
 
BTW a group I deal with is running one in Brisbane on the 24th in Paddington....but it isnt property centric, its economy and fund update info.
 
Thanks for the replies , i suppose the seminars have their place , as some of you have said if you are un moitivated and lack et u and go . I was a bit annoyed with one particular seminar spruik . They gave an example of an unmarried mother going from having nothing to 5 houses in a matter of 12 months , at the time , I was struggling getting finance for a developemnt project . I decided to to call the particular company for the details of how this woman with zero asests and a low income could get finance to do what she had done . Now this advertising for this seminar noted this woman and claimed anyone could do it , it also claimed to be current . After making some calls and finally cornering the promoter , he had confessed that the woman in question had done it with NO DOC loans , which of course now are a thing of the past , but this was promoted as a current strategy . the other hooks I have seen are , Pay no stamp duty , Paint a house in 2 hours , save 15 % on building costs . At best paying the ticket price of up to 3000 dollars may be worth it , but in my view , it seems to be a cash grab from people for their own self promotion the ticket price would be far better spent on increasing my property library . As for the so called secrets , I have yet to hear anyone tell me something that I had not already heard or have read about , it had merely been re packaged . I suppose the one thing which the industry needs is some regulation as it stands now .Anyone can stand up and call themselves a property expert , this same problem happened many years ago with financial advisors , it took many years and a lot of people to get hurt before that was regulated and cleaned up , yet we still had STORM FINANCIAL , I am always dubious of people promoting on how to do it , shares , property or trading futures , if so much money can be made from the thing they are selling the course in why don't they just do it . They all say they have made their maney and this is their way of giving back . If that was the case then put it on a DVD and sell it for 5.95 and donate the proceeds to charity . I think it is an insult to my intelligence that these seminars are nothing more than elaborate infomercials that the attendees pay for . I was hoping to hear from some one who could honestly say they are not . Maybe it is time that legislation be brought in to set a standard of information , value for money and minimum qualifications .
 
Some good points.
Thanks for the replies , i suppose the seminars have their place , as some of you have said if you are un moitivated and lack et u and go . I was a bit annoyed with one particular seminar spruik . They gave an example of an unmarried mother going from having nothing to 5 houses in a matter of 12 months , at the time , I was struggling getting finance for a developemnt project . I decided to to call the particular company for the details of how this woman with zero asests and a low income could get finance to do what she had done . Now this advertising for this seminar noted this woman and claimed anyone could do it , it also claimed to be current . After making some calls and finally cornering the promoter , he had confessed that the woman in question had done it with NO DOC loans , which of course now are a thing of the past , but this was promoted as a current strategy . the other hooks I have seen are , Pay no stamp duty , Paint a house in 2 hours , save 15 % on building costs . At best paying the ticket price of up to 3000 dollars may be worth it , but in my view , it seems to be a cash grab from people for their own self promotion the ticket price would be far better spent on increasing my property library . As for the so called secrets , I have yet to hear anyone tell me something that I had not already heard or have read about , it had merely been re packaged .

The repackaging can be useful, if you've learnt item A from one book, and item B from another, the seminar might provide the link that allows you to create AB.

I suppose the one thing which the industry needs is some regulation as it stands now .Anyone can stand up and call themselves a property expert , this same problem happened many years ago with financial advisors , it took many years and a lot of people to get hurt before that was regulated and cleaned up , yet we still had STORM FINANCIAL , I am always dubious of people promoting on how to do it , shares , property or trading futures , if so much money can be made from the thing they are selling the course in why don't they just do it .

Love it! :D Just like the telemarketing companies selling horse racing packages, where the sales people don't even use the product!!

They all say they have made their maney and this is their way of giving back . If that was the case then put it on a DVD and sell it for 5.95 and donate the proceeds to charity .

They "need" to cover their costs; and the ones that are open about making money, I tend to respect a little more. But there are some (eg, the 2 Janes mentioned if not in this thread, than another recent one) who don't charge a lot, and have small groups. Maybe you should look into them - if their content interests you.

I think it is an insult to my intelligence that these seminars are nothing more than elaborate infomercials that the attendees pay for . I was hoping to hear from some one who could honestly say they are not . Maybe it is time that legislation be brought in to set a standard of information , value for money and minimum qualifications .

I love your passion! ;)
 
Go to the smaller investor meetings that are about 2 hours long and are regularly held. Smaller groups, better networking and less rah-rah.
 
They gave an example of an unmarried mother going from having nothing to 5 houses in a matter of 12 months

People tend to be more believing of Santa Claus and the like because they are inexperienced and looking for an edge (such as new investors) or are desperate for whatever reason.

The “Santa Claus” situations usually involve a catch, including much greater risk, and might only occur once or a couple of times with many attempts (long shots such as winning the lottery). There is a small chance they could be due to inefficiencies in the market, but these are likely to be taken advantage of by experienced investors and disappear quickly.
 
This thread reminds me that I got some early gen from Hudson Institute. Anyone heard of them?

It was more on investment generally and made a big play of the economic clock. He was a fan of property but believed in cycles and that you change into shares at other times. The material is on VHS though. How do I get it onto DVD?
 
This thread reminds me that I got some early gen from Hudson Institute. Anyone heard of them?

It was more on investment generally and made a big play of the economic clock. He was a fan of property but believed in cycles and that you change into shares at other times. The material is on VHS though. How do I get it onto DVD?
I have a few books from the early 1990's from Stuart Moore, that was from the Hudson Group they are based on the "Economic Clock",and i went along he was spot on back then and still is..willair..
 
When I started I read all the books that were available and got pretty educated, but still did nothing. Then I did a course and got the confidence to actually do something. I don't think it was the specific course, but I just needed something to give me that lift to make the first leap.

I didn't look back, and kept on building my portfolio. I'm no Trump, but no slouch either. And it's all because of doing a class.

Of course, you have to take that with a grain of salt because I'm teaching now too!!:)
 
I have a few books from the early 1990's from Stuart Moore, that was from the Hudson Group they are based on the "Economic Clock",and i went along he was spot on back then and still is..willair..

That's him. I'll have to find a VHS player to transpose his tapes. I thought his ideas were broader and more balanced that what we see today.
 
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