Pelos,
I think the questions you ask are very valid and I'm sure Steve would be the first to agree.
I remember the first time I met Steve at a couple of hour talk at Darling Harbour a few years ago he said that:
1. With Property Investment you are on your own!
2. Checkout what everyone has to say in this industry........and that includes me!
So far from being offended, I'm sure Steve would be the first to agree that what you are doing is a damn good idea.......and personally, if I had a 'baby sister' I'd be doing exactly the same thing.
Now while I must personally admit to thinking Steve is an ok kind of guy and have done business with him, I'll try and be as impartial as possible as I've always believed this Forum is an incredibly valuable source of information........especially for those new to IP. Personally, some of the comments from members of this Forum have been invaluable to me.
Ok. So how did I initially do my 'Due Dilligence' on this Steve Navra character before I even went to his talk? I actually emailed a couple of people whose opinions I respected and asked them what they thought of this guy. Being the careful types of people I had emailed they put plenty of disclaimers on their comments but all came back giving Steve a 'clean bill of health'.
Someone mentioned that Steve used to provide a copy of his Client List and you could phone any of them to discuss their dealings with him. I must admit I never did this, and to be honest, I guess from your point of view you could ask "Well, would anyone necessarily leave names on the list that may be detrimental?" and while I have no reason to believe names would have been 'removed' I guess I could understand that type of comment from someone making initial queries.
A common reaction from many people who initially attend Steve's Course is absolute amazement in that they may walk into this Course thinking they may have to 'work' for another 40 years and in some cases walk out believing they can retire in 10 years.........and on top of that there's a Share Fund that may return Berkshire Hatherway type returns!!! This can all be pretty mind blowing as some can feel they've just met Kerry Packer and he's asked you to help spend his money!!
Possibly this is where your sister is at presently? Cloud 9?
In my opinion, whether all or none of what Steve has on offer is useful will depend on the individual and their particular circumstances.
As a general rule, if someone were to win the lottery, I'd advise they didn't decide how to spend it all in the first few days. In the case of some of Steve's products/services I'd also recommend that the individual spends time and fully understands all the pros and cons for their own individual circumstances before they make any big decisions. ie. not necessarily while they are still on 'Cloud 9'.
Simple, sensible due dilligence.
Nigel mentioned that he never felt 'pressure' was applied and I'd also have to agree with that comment.
Personally, I'm not sure I like the term 'guru' for anyone in that at least for me, it implies a total acceptance of information without any personal questioning and I'm not sure that is ever good.
As to whether Steve has a whole lot of Client's who have become very wealthy using his methodologies I would have to say I personally couldn't comment as I probably only know a few and therefore that would hardly be comprehensive.
Steve is a fascinating guy and whether or not you choose to do business with him, I think most would say that spending a bit of time with him is time well spent.
Now, in line with my previous comments about qualifiers I received from others, my comments are simply my own opinions based on a couple of years experience. DON"T just rely on my comments as I'm simply a 'tag' on an Internet Forum, but rather continue doing exactly what your doing........making enquiries from as many sources as possible. The area of Investment Property is one that involves many hundreds of thousands of dollars.........it's amazing how many people spend more time choosing clothing than investigating properties/advisers/investment structures/loans.
Good luck Pelos. Your sister has a good brother!