Works for me.
lucymay,
i’ll tell you this about CS. my friend had his entire newest set 2006.
he lent it to me. i read the books and watched the DVD’s and listened to the CD’s.
obviously, there’s no “secrets” - his infomercials are simply marketing tools to get people to buy it so they can learn about techniqes in rei - and yes many of them are outdated or just plain stupid -
i.e. the technique of using bonds and no money down offers - that’s CS’s “favorite technique”.
there’s the book world to investing, then there’s the real world of investing.
the CS stuff is definitely good for a beginner to get his feet wet - that’s how i got mine wet and by the time i was done with it - i realized there was alot missing from his stuff - real world stuff that you can only learn from
- investing
- negotiating sales (real estate agent)
- networking
- starting your own business
i’ll still hold to my belief that your local library and about $1.85 in late fees is a GREAT PLACE TO START for information.
heck, go to Borders, sit down on a nice leather couch, get a coffe and read away for a few hours!
and to blumpie - the whole 9.95 trial period is a simple marketing tool.
of course people return it. and to the layman, they’ll say, “why would he do that, i’ll just return it in 25 days!”
but a marketer knows better. they know about 80% of the people who buy won’t return it. the 20% that do, well it doesn’t matter - they still banked the money for 30 days, earned interest on it and returned it or some variation.
the key to the “trial offer” is to simply stroke the buyer into feeling nice and comfortable. offering an honest package and deal - while raking in the money on the back end…
COACHING, more materials and referrals to other investors, etc…
that’s where CS REALLY rakes it in. the Coaching is where they really get paid large and ALOT of people do it.
my friend (the one who lent me his CS stuff), bought the coaching - 5k.
he owns 1 rental upstate new york (8 hours from where he lives), makes $340 cash flow using a prop management company, and is in contract to buy 3 more rentals in the same area.
he’s following the coaching and sheets stuff…to an extent.
he’s yet to do a “no money down” deal…which is the basis of the sheets program. again, book world vs. real world.
Hate to break up the Carleton Sheets lovefest but this links shows some disgruntled customers
http://www.infomercialscams.com/scams/carlton_sheets_no_down_payment
From the ramblings of the disgruntled customers it sounds like they were more upset with the way their order processing was handled rather than the content of his material.
These people are shocked that they ordered a course for $300 and they got charged $300. I only saw 1 person that bought a house and lost $30k. But we got no details and it sounds like they had no idea what they were doing. They didn’t say I used this technique and lost money because the technique didn’t work. They just bought a house and paid too much.
SKIP THE ORDER PROCESSING NIGHTMARES AND SKIP THE $300 PRICETAG! Order off Ebay…I’ve got 12 audio CDs that I can listen to on my way to work for $16.06 including shipping. ;D If the only problem with the course is the order processing and the pricetag they both can be avoided.
Several years ago, I bought mine off of e-Bay and paid $40 with shipping…the whole thing was brand new still in the original package…
Ok,
I love to learn, so I figure, why not go on e-bay like everyone else, pay 20 bucks, and get what I want…
So I search “Carlton Sheets” on ebay and it comes back with so much stuff…
Which one should I focus on and start with…sooo lost!
Thanks,
Joshua
That was a dilemma I also faced; I wanted to be sure I got the most recent version, with all the bonus material, and dvd’s, not vhs or cassettes. Just the way I am; plus I no longer have a vcr that works. Didn’t see anything like that for possibly $20 or $40, but I decided to plod along with other study guides/reading in the meantime. I’m actually on my way to the library in just a few to check out Flip and The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, as recommended on this site.
If you’re determined, like anything on eBay, just be sure to ask the seller a lot of questions, search the completed listings for a fair price, stay on top of the auction, know what your top bid is, and snipe it.
No program will work for you, you have to do the work and take action.
I suggest to find a mentor who is doing what you want to do and do what they teach you.
This is what I did and still do everyday.
To my way of thinking a True Real Estate Investor is someone who lives off their investments and not just someone who has purchased a Guru course and did nothing with the information they learned.
Also keep studying everyday and take daily action everyday and you will be on you’re way.
Good Luck 