Hi everybody
Has anyone done Mark Rolton’s seminar (~ $5,000) and how did you go?
Any suggestions, recommendations, advices…Thanks a lot,
s&n
Who is he and what is the focus of the seminar?
Terryw | Structuring Lawyers Pty Ltd / Loan Structuring Pty Ltd
http://www.Structuring.com.au
Email MeLawyer, Mortgage Broker and Tax Advisor (Sydney based but advising Aust wide) http://www.Structuring.com.au
Wow! 5K and never heard of him….There's a LOT u can lean from 5K of books……that's my 2c worth
JB
SPoke to a guy once that had spent around $30k on seminars, and did not own one property…….sorry, not saying that is you, but $5k for a seminar made me think that. Just my 10c worth, but you could buy a low end property somewhere for $5k depoist, plus a bit of LMI and closing costs. Probably last longer than any seminar, but who am I to say – this guy may be real good. Have'nt really answered your question have I? All the best.
the seminar is about using options in property developing. It depends on the market sector you're looking for but Mark's model is to basically have 'student's out there trying to find him land and to do the negotiating, then if you're ina JV with his company you get 15% of whatever he manages to sell the option for to a developer, either with a DA or without. The course itself is good, information is good, and you can use it all to your advantage. That said, I did his homestudy course and my observations after a year of doing it are:1 – options are NOT easy, they require a lot of work and aren't anywhere near as easy as he makes them out to be. He's had something like 80-85% of students do nothing with the course as it turns out to be LOTS harder than he initially made it out to be.2 – his model of having students do all the work is good for him, however some development groups pay people $100K plus to do this very job. I leave that to you to form your own judgements on.3 – His model of not paying big option fees and using a DA as a deposit only works on people who don't know what they're sitting on, and in the current marketplace, land owners are a lot smarter, and thus his model lacks flexibility as they won't pay big options fees.4 – some of his staff who 'mentor' students and provide 'support' personally I think need a LOT more training in dealing with people. I would hesitate to say the levels of support provided are adequate given the money you pay up front, and the sums of money potentially involved with some of the deals. 5 – I think 15% is WAY too little an amount to receive given the amount of time you have to put into it to get it to a saleable option phase. It used to be 35% and that's a little more realistic.If you're into development, there are a few other groups out there in Qld who do courses. Might I suggest searching on Bob Anderson and his group to start with. Marks course is good but I think for $5K you could get a lot more elsewhere. And as for the group down in Sydney asking $440 a month in fees plus their course etc…lol well when was the last time an employer asked you to pay them to go out and find them more money.. good luck with your decision.I have made a lot of contacts in the industry now through my own perseverance, and may I suggest perhaps you should call the acquisitions people in the larger development groups, and agencies who sell development sites like CBRE, Colliers etc and see what they think of options and Mark/Massland.
I'd rather get a library card, read these forums and take a 5k holiday
For a little more than $5k you can get a real master's level degree from an Australian Uni, not only will someone have heard of the university you won't be used to do someone else's dog work.
I should caveat my comments above and say clearly I make no accusations of impropriety or otherwise against mark massland or anyone else. I merely suggest you do your due dilligence and research as you should with any venture you're considering entering, and make your own judgements.
good luck with your decision.Hi Matt,
your insight and honesty is appreciated. Many of us (whether we care to admit it or not) have paid for courses, homestudy kits, DVD's or CD's that have not been our cup of tea. But that's OK, because it is what due diligence is about. If something doesn't resonate with you…..better to spend a few hundred dollars or a few thousand and find that out, rather than blindly follow a certain path and lose much much more……….and most importnatly your time.
I have viewed the free DVD (intro seminar that goes for about an hour or so) and spoke with someone from his team, and it was clarified to me that, Yes, this strategy would require a decent time commitment, and I dare say quite expensive data feeds from higher level Google Earth and RP data subscriptions, etc, not to mention the mobile or STD phone bill when following up propspects.
Thanks for sharing your experience Matt.
Thanks Michael
there are many seminar spruikers out there that purport to do many things. They're experts at selling dreams but their private persona is very different to the public one most people see. I can think of two that spring to mind in that regard.
I'd reiterate the necessity of doing some solid due dilligence including asking for student references from those who've successfully used the strategies being taught (and be careful that is not someone in the direct employ of the company) and have a solicitor go over any JV agreements to ensure your position is protected and that you have legal recourse in all instances, especially in things like profit splits, responsibilities, liabilities and that its clearly documented in all areas. This is for any company you choose to deal with of course.
Trust but verify. Unfortunately there are many unscrupulous and controlling people and companies out there that will take advantage of the 'newbie', and unfortunately no one finds out until push comes to shove. so in essence, trust no one, get it all on paper, have a good lawyer at your disposal and ensure all your needs are met first and foremost.Hi Everyone
I've seen his dvd and it seems he does alot of options in mackay like the one opposite the entertainment centre and the industry one in sarina
Thanks Rob
Hi,
with all due respect, I don't understand the mindset of some people, many of us go and get a car loan for $30000, personal loans for plasma t.v's or other things that depreciate in value but when it comes to parting with $5k for the knowledge that a course such as Massland's or any other for that matter can give a person, sorry but this boggles me. If anyone knows of any books out there on property options PLEASE let me know. Options are a specialized area where there aren't many decent books that gives Australians the A-Z in this field. Therefore to excel in this particular field you need to put in the hard yards both financially and mentally, but in the end it will be worth it. Are we expecting pay $5k just sit back, take a holiday and wait for the cash to roll in? With this mindset most of us will be in the rat race the rest of our lives!
Anyway thats my 2c worth.Cheers
Paulyp
hi everyone
there is a cd on options in the back of Australia property investor for $159.00 called options made simple i haven't bought it but plan on doin sothanks Rob
Hi Rob,
if you end up buying it, let us know what you thought of it!
Cheers
Paulyp
Hi everyone All of you – thank you very much for your thoughts and suggestions. And a BIG THANK YOU to MATT007 for your thoughts and first hand experience.
I was not sure about the seminar as I was not sure what exactly I would be getting for 5K. But your email clarified it all for me. Matt, I would love to have a chat with you if possible. S & NHi SN
Not sure what else I can tell you but sure, PM me if you like.Yep
have worked with mark and massland for an extensive period….
Use the below to help with your research on mark rolton and massland.
Can marks accountant claim that he is a multi a millionaire? Mark should be able to produce this evidence on request to you.
Has mark every built any developments? If he says he has you would want to do back ground checks to see what part he actually played in the development.
Can you speak to past students that have actually seen money go into their bank account…. if you get to speak to a student request a bank statement.
mark has a high turnover of staff and consultants/deal finders…. you may want to find out why that is. (you may even want to speak to some of them)
You may want to ask a Lawyer if the JV agreement mark asks people to sign at the seminar, actually binds mark to pay you when a deal goes through.
Speak to people in the development industry…. have they heard of Mark rolton or massland? Speak to the people that mark says he is good buddies with…. a number of them are large property developers… from my research they either do not know him or have only met him on a once off occasion.
Ask mark to give you references from people on the BRW rich list… he claims a number of them are his good buddies… are they happy to put that in writting?
Do your research… if you still want to go to the seminar or work with mark after your research, you obviously have not dug very deep, so do more research.
This is probably my second forum post in my whole life…. i dont get a lot of joy doing this and i would prefer to stay anonymous (mark has a temper research "narcissistic personality disorder" on the web…. it is mark to a t). I along with a number of other people feel that mark has taken this too far and people should be very aware when buying seminars from him or doing work with him…
Mark is a gun salesperson and master of NLP…. one of the best i have seen…. remember this when you are at his intro nights or seminars about to buy something….
All the best
Thanks for adding to this thread and helping with due diligence that forum participants need to do. Your insights, as with those of matt007 earlier confirm that research is important.
Property options are so specialised that undertaking courses that do not allow any other development information to be imparted are of far lesser value than courses that are more encompassing. The biggest cost in my opinion of pursuing "the wrong course or strategy" is TIME. A person can always make more money, but cannot get back our most valuable currency (our time) if it is spent on pursuits that are more difficult to achieve than the "salesman" claims.
Your insights are appreciated
what of rick ottons lease options course anyone care to add some insight into that one also.
thanks
Rick's course worked for me. Bought the home study course a few months ago – have now done a few Lease Options. They are a little easier than Wraps, and have some advantages. Less profit, but quicker profit (e.g. one year instead of 3-5) and the "Sandwich" L/O means you may be able to structure deals where you don't need much (if any) cash up front and everyone benefits.But it's horses for courses: I see what will suit the situation of the client best and go with that. e.g. Last week had a customer who started with wanting a Lease Option (Rent-to-Own) but after talking to them it turned out to be better for them to go with a 2nd mortgage carry-back. Much cheaper way to home ownership for them in their particular situation.I guess the main benefit for me from Rick's course is the mind-opening process of seeing what other creative possibilities there are. I made an offer (through a Real Estate Agent) today which is basically a 6-month option on a property, allowing us to renovate it to add enough value that we can then borrow at 80% LVR the entire purchase price by settlement. Not Rick's way of doing things, but with our little dedicated team it's quite a practical deal and relatively easily funded. I would not have thought of that before.The cost of Rick's course was recovered many times in the very first deal, so I don't have a problem with it.As an aside: I bought a few online PDF courses from USA real estate people over the last 6 months (about USD97 each) and have myself adapted the ideas learned to Aussie conditions. Those insights gained added a nice little sideline to our business, attracted so many more houses than we can deal with, it thus enabled us to even wholesale them to other investors. See, the investment in information was again easily recovered in the first of these deals.I watched Mark Rolton's introductory DVD a couple of nights ago. I had a similar reaction: i.e. a mind-opening to different ways to create deals. I will probably buy the home study course, not because I think a partnership with Massland is for us, but because I can see that a few techniques and suggestions learned there will easily pay for the course in the first development/option deal (without going into a partnership arrangement with anyone). To use Steve's expression I heard him use at one of his seminars in Sydney: "The right tool for the job." Interestingly, we were already looking at a number of development projects, so even Mark's introductory DVD had some useful insights for me.Several above mentioned time. I agree, time is precious. That's why I buy it via courses. I don't have time to make all my own mistakes and learn the slow way. I prefer to learn from the mistakes others.
Since I was considering Mark Rolton already, I have found the comments above of great interest. Thanks guys!
Since I was considering Mark Rolton already, I have found the comments above of great interest. Thanks guys!You must be logged in to reply to this topic. If you don't have an account, you can register here.
