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I went to a Massland intro seminar in Melbourne delivered by Mark Rolton. He gives a very well polished presentation and is very persuasive. I liked his ideas and wanted to investigate real estate options further.
I emailed Kevin Huang of Massland, [email protected]. and asked him to provide contact details of a few Victorians who have completed the course and executed successful transactions with Massland. I would like to hear their experience first hand. I also asked him to confirm the stamp duty treatment of exercising options in Victoria.
Kevin replied and said he would email past students to ask if I could contact them. I chased Kevin and [email protected] four times but he and Massland failed to respond at all let alone provide referees.
This silence to a basic request such as a referee RINGS ALARM BELLS. Massland would not provide any referees to back their claims.
In the presentation Mark Rolton was asked if exercising a real estate option triggered a stamp duty event in Victoria (Australia). Mark twice stated that real estate options did not trigger stamp duty in Victoria.
I investigated stamp duty on options with the Victorian State Revenue Office and found Mark Rolton deliberately misled or worse lied to the audience. The exercising of a real estate option, where development approval has been granted, will trigger a stamp duty event. Stamp duty would then be payable twice – once on the exercise of the option and also on the sale of the property.
I came across an article in the Atlantic (US news service) The Art of the Upsell: How Donald Trump Profits From ‘Free’ Seminars. Mark Rolton uses the tactics described in the article
“Trump University is the target of two major lawsuits, a $40 million fraud action brought by New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman, and a class-action lawsuit in California. Both suits charge that Trump University promised to make students rich on real-estate deals but instead steered them into costly and mostly useless seminars.”
Anyone who has attended Mark Rolton’s intro seminar will see from where Mark has adopted his high pressure sales pitch – the now defunct Trump University.
Finally I met a Victorian who had attended several Massland courses over 2 years ago. He has spent over $40,000 on Massland courses and has not completed a single real estate option transaction. So I did find one referee – and he advised not to do the course or expose your self to the up-sell process.
In summary I now believe Massland is a company who creates revenue from selling courses & dreams of wealth to suckers.
I advise to anyone considering the course to dig a little into the claims of Massland. Ask to speak to people who have successfully exercised options. Also consider the silent evidence – consider the hundreds of people who spend thousands on the Massland courses and fail to make any return. You will not likely see them on Youtube talking of their wonderful experience.
