frankly research is everything and without going to the states and seeing it for yourself you are playing with fire. I have been involved in the Texas market since 2005 and am based in Australia. I work with a very experienced operator who has been working on the ground for more than 5 years. When I first met him 3 years ago I took more than 6 months before we did a deal.

So if you are going to invest in America while where is very important what is critical is who you are working with on the ground. Without dealing with experienced people you are wasting your time.

Although I understand people not wanting to deal with people who charge for there services, consider will they save you time and money. Most local agents cannot sell to a lot of locals because of credit rating issues, so they see Australians as easy targets. Other companies deal with a couple of wholesalers who in many cases have not even been to the cities in which you are buying.

So it is critical that you work with experienced people. I always try and push people to travel to Texas at least once and experience the market. Afterall its your money not mine.

If you are going to invest in the United States make sure that the people you are dealing with are on the ground and not just dealing with a wholesale company. For instance I deal in Texas and work with someone on he ground who has been doing deals for at least 5 years. In other words before the GFC. That means that all the back end services such as property management and maintenance are covered. Plus we have these deals under contract they have been assessed and the titles checked. If you are going to do this over in the states ask for proof of what they are doing and importantly who they are dealing with.

We are not arranging seminars as yet but have a look at our website and see if it might be of interest. Happy to have a chat

Perhaps you should take a look at our website. Because rather than just try and sell you a property we work with clients and teach them to make money. We also arrange to put clients directly into development projects and thereby allow them to make much of the development margin. This is the only way to get a property at a real wholesale price.

However it is important to always look at the experience of who you are dealing with. Personally I am always uncomfortable with a website where there is no mention of a real person. In the end my view is all I off is my time knowledge and service.

I have done this a lot but never to cut the agent out of there commission. If you have the skills you can get a good deal. If you approach the vendor while an agreement is in place with an agent the agent is still legally entitled to his commission. If the vendor does this then they will be liable for legal action. If it was done at your selection you could be as well. Personally I find direct Ned is great and works well but I never try and get the owner to avoid the agent. However it is within your rights to contact the vendor direct.

I think that Liquidity will remain tight over the next 12 months especially with a declining Europe. However I also think that creates clear opportunities across Australia. We buy development sites and put investors into the deals to become developers. Because developers are struggling to get funding we will be able to fund projects. In many parts of Australia there are great deals to be done. So before you rush out to renovate or do a small project look at the options.

Some markets in the United States are still falling. For instance Phoenex has fallen at least 8% and is expected to fall another 8% in the next 12 months, Atlanta 9.8%and Los Vegas 6.4%. Now there is a view that what does down has to come back up. In some cases I disagree. For instance Detroit prices are 30% less than they were in 2000. However market like Phoenex will improve.

Most of my direct experience has been in Phoenix where the markets overall have been steady since 2006. So my question is are you an investor or speculator?

There is a huge difference between Real Estate agents and Investing. Also marketing companies are just there to sell you something. What you should also look for is experience. Deal with someone who will help you make money not just spend it there is a huge difference

I think that Mentoring is important. However it is important to have a mentor who helps you do the deals as well.

If you have the time to invest the time and money then yes do it for yourself. However finding quality contacts on the ground is a major problem. If you are going to use someone make sure that they have been around for more than 5 minutes and know what they are doing. Be wary of anyone dealing in a numbers of markets because they may well be dealing with so called wholesaler companies.