Hey guys. I got the Carlton Sheets program from ebay for $40 about 3 days ago. I’ve been able to go through most of it and it’s a pretty decent course. Although I don’t think I’d pay the $300 or so from the infomercial. Many of the people who call it a scam, don’t even try to apply the principles being taught. Then they get mad when they ( by their own admission) don’t send it back before the deadline. Now they’re stuck with it and they call it a scam. The program I bought was still in the wrapper. I did come across one idea in the course that made me laugh. It says that in order for you to get a “no money down” deal, you can ask the the selling agent to take a note on their commision :shocked. That would go over like a fart in church! So far its not a bad course. There are quite a few on ebay. I don’t think it’s a scam. I’ve wasted more than $40 on drinks at the nightclub… I’ll give an update when I’m done … So far so good.
I would be happy if I only spent $40 on a night out. I got C. Sheets off ebay for $80 I think and it was worth way more than that to me. Did you get the toolkit also? That alone is worth the price of the program to me. Some of the strategies are a little bit unrealistic such as the one you mentioned. But I could see if the agent represented both sides and then maybe you could ask that person to take a note for 1/2 their commission since they are getting 6% instead of 3%, but even that is unlikely I guess. Still, the program is a great place to learn some tactics that you may use down the road.
I don’t recall a toolkit, but the material is pretty good. I think his infomercials portray him as one those rip off gurus. I think John T Reed is one of his biggest critics but he’s also selling his own system. It’s hard for him to be objective I think. When Propertmanager mentioned it was a good course I figured it was worth a look.
Why? I can do that all day long with the Realtors I know. You may not however be able to do it with realtors you do not know, or if you have not established yourself as a real serious investor to them.
I have talked to many realtors, some brought me houses that they would be happy to release for a birddog fee or get paid when I resell the house.
As far as Sheet’s course, I think it has good information and all he described are workable strategies. Is it the best course out there? no, but it is good for the price. It gives good overview of the type of investment strategies available out there.
I think you get some wiggle room when you have a relationship established. But it doesn’t mention anything about that. He just says to ask no matter what. I’m sure there are agents out there that will do that, but I think the majority will have investors that won’t ask them to do that. There are other ways to get in with little money down. He goes into more strategies also. The current lending climate will make it tougher,but you’ll just have to get creative i suppose. All in all it’s a good course. It starts out with very basic ideas which is good if you have no clue. I had to flip ahead of some stuff. i just always thought he was one of those late night gurus. I’m happy with i.
I think it is a matter of positioning. If the house needs work and would otherwise not sell, the agent might be willing to do that rather than let the listing expire. It never really hurt to ask. While 9 might say no, 1 might do it.
And yes I agree, having relationships helps a lot. I always explain to them what I do and sell them on the benefits of doing it my way.
My agent finds me a FSBO and the seller won’t pay a commission. I tell my agent that I will guarantee his/her commission if they will hold an IOU for six months or until the property is sold whichever comes first.
When the IOU is due, I pay the agent the full commission plus 10% interest. I think a savvy agent would go for it.
If it works that’s great. I just feel that its presumptious to expect an agent you don’t know to do that. I’m not saying its impossible, just a little out there for me at this time. As I deal with more agents, I may end up changing my mind. We’ll see.
Here’s a 100% guarantte (no charge for my “Home Boy”) – if you don’t ask, it’s 100% guaranteed that you won’t get the agent to take a note for all/part of the commission!
Keith
I don’t think carleton sheets / robert allen are on the cutting edge of real estate…
My own personal oppinion. Their courses and tactics are way way old school and times have changed.
Some strategies still apply… but others are just outdated.
I would say that most all folks here agree with that, Tien but the strategies and concepts that do apply, coupled with the RE basics found in both of them justify the cost when purchased on e-Bay for $25-60.
Keith
Pardon my ignorance, but how does it benefit the buyer to have the real estate agent take a note on their commission since the seller is the one who pays it?
How is this a ‘no money down’ technique?
This basically works when you are taking over debt and want to minimize the upfront costs. Lets say the seller owes $70k on a $100k home and you negotiate to take over the debt, pay the seller $2k, and pay the agent his commission when you resell the house.
Your upfront cash is $2k, taken over $70k debt, and owe the agent 3% (I hope you are not giving them 6%). When you resell the property for $100k+, you pay off the debt and the agent commission.
It’s refreshing to see people actually liking the materials. I’m so used to seeing everything ordered off of TV - especially informational systems - being called a scam. What parts of the program worked best for you? I’ve read one book on real estate so far and am interested in learning a lot more.
Don’t order it from T.V. Go on ebay and buy one. I was just there and saw a couple on there for $40 - $80. They do have one on there with a “toolkit”. That’s like $120. I’ve heard the toolkit is good. Get the DVD’s. Look at the descriptions to make sure you’re not buying a 15 yr. old course. It’s a good course for beginners. It has a lot of good info. Good Luck.
I have the old version – probably from 1985 or 1990 or so. What’s different about the more recent versions? What year was the last one produced?
Probably not much is different. But the DVD’s are better than VHS. I’m sure there are updated concepts. The one I bought was from 2006. Why not buy the latest version if you can. Like I said, $40 is nothing compared to the original $350+ it was going for back in the mid 90’s. The one I got was still in the wrapper. Someone wasted money because they never even tried it. Ebay has quite a few.
I guess I’d like to know if the video/DVD portion is the same as the old one – the one I have was filmed at a seminar, and judging by the clothing the students are wearing it was easily filmed late 80’s early 90s. If absolutely nothing from that has changed, and there’s not updated information based on today’s market, I don’t think I’d buy it. The convenience of CDs would definitely be an upgrade though.
This is the only one Ive purchased. I don’t have anything to compare it to. But for $40- $50 it may be beneficial. You never know. Even some of the DVD’s look a little dated. DVD’s last longer than tapes. I would guess that much of the actual concepts are the same.
Yea, it’s just dangerous for newbies because they’ll go out and try some of these outdated tactics without knowing.
But at 50-60 bucks the ROI is worth it if you take the in the information cautiously.