How can aspiring investors decide between real estate education courses that have been made available and the lure of a real estate investing guru? Furthermore, what credentials must a real estate investing guru have for you to trust him?
The term ‘real estate investing guru’ is synonymous with both good and bad connotations. Everyone wants to learn from legendary gurus like Warren Buffett and enjoy their wealth, but the term has also been cheapened by endless copycats looking to cash in on informational products.
Self-proclaimed real estate investing gurus can be found everywhere today. Sadly, few of them deliver on real value. Green investors, and even those with a couple years of experience, need some valid resources for building real estate education, hacking into systems to fast track their success, avoid pitfalls, and sometimes just to lend credibility to themselves.
So why should you listen and who should you avoid? How should you qualify a potential real estate investing guru?
Perhaps the easiest way to differentiate between successful investors and frauds are their marketing strategies. True professionals do not usually dub themselves a real estate investing guru. Others may refer to them as such, but the good ones normally simply rely on their credibility and let their success speak for them.
Another major differentiation is whether or not they are still making money from active real estate investing. You have to credit Carlton Sheets and his No Down Payment program for sparking thousands of real estate investing careers. However, most have found his tactics useless today, if not laughable. However, the initial inspiration has helped many go onto to find real education that they can actually use. Regardless, those that are still investing have updated strategies that have weathered the recent downturn. Their advices is likely helpful.
Finally, ask how long they have been investing. Did they pop up yesterday, relying on selling unsound tactics? Maybe they been around for years and survived the ups and downs of recent market cycles. The duration in which they have been around is a huge indicator. With a lot of time in the industry, gurus should have developed a lot of relationships. Referrals should serve useful in finding the right teacher.
