Explore Enchanting Belize with The Real Estate Guys!

Join Robert Helms, host of The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show for a memorable weekend discovery trip to the beautiful country of Belize!  Three great dates to choose from: Sep 15-18, Oct 6-9 or Nov 3-6, 2011

Why Belize?

Three words: Location, Location, Location (we’ve heard those are important for real estate).

Click here to download your registration form.

Belize is the former British Honduras and is located just under Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Mainland Belize features lush green tropical rain forests, while it’s Eastern border faces the Caribbean ocean safely nestled behind the world’s 2nd largest barrier reef. The islands are postcard perfect and attract vacationers, diving enthusiasts and celebrities alike. Harrison Ford, and more recently, Reese Witherspoon are known to visit Belize for private, relaxing getaways. Leonardo DiCaprio purchased a 110 acre island known as Blackadore Caye. We’ll show it to you when you attend this discovery trip!

But beyond beautiful, Belize has other unique attributes which make it attractive to investors and tourists alike. Belize is the ONLY country in Latin America whose official language is English. This, and the fact that its currency is pegged at a fixed 2:1 exchange rate with the U.S. dollar, make it a friendly place for Americans. Plus there are direct flights from several U.S. cities including Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston and many others. Belize is actually closer for most Americans, Canadians and Europeans than Hawaii!

The Real Estate Guys™ will show you Belize!

Click here to download your registration form.

Robert Helms and his team have been visiting and investing in Belize for several years. He’s led several investor field trips with as few as one couple and as many as forty-five. The feedback on every trip has been over the top positive! Robert will share his extensive market knowledge, introduce you to local market experts, and personally show you the mainland, the islands, and several different developments.

This is an EDUCATIONAL event. This is not one of those “fly n’ buy” sales trips where aggressive salespeople are waiting to pounce on you. We believe the right approach to real estate is to start with the market first, then build a team, and then select property that meets your personal and investment goals. This trip is about exploring the market and meeting people who may become part of your team down the road.

Discover the real estate, banking and lifestyle opportunities available to you in beautiful Belize during a semi-private tour led by The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show host Robert Helms.

Click here to download your registration form.

Trip Logistics

Once you’re enrolled, our registration team will contact you to help arrange your air travel. Your round trip airfare is not included in your tuition, but it’s very important that your arrival is coordinated through our team. While you’re in Belize, virtually all your trip expenses including transportation, hotel accommodations, speaker sessions, materials and most meals are included. Alcoholic beverages, souvenirs, extended stays and certain other incidental expenses are not included. Upon receipt of your completed registration form, we’ll provide you with information about what to wear, pack and expect.

The Opportunity is Now

There are lots of reasons to like a place like Belize (is there any other place like Belize?), but the opportunity today is better than ever!

Americans haven’t lost purchasing power in Belize because of the fixed exchange rate, while many other countries have gained purchasing power because of a soft U.S. dollar. Baby boomers in the U.S. still dream of warm weather, low tax, beautiful places to resort and retire, but many of the more established areas remain relatively expensive in a post recession economy.

Belize offers an English speaking, affordable, “non-touristy”, and reasonably nearby alternative. And popular TV shows like House Hunters International are helping a growing number of people discover Belize as a great option not just for retirement, but also full time residency for a growing new class of telecommuters and independent information workers. Think about it: would you rather sit in a corporate cubicle in Cleveland or a beautiful beach in Belize?

Additionally, Belize still enjoys a great reputation as a tax friendly jurisdiction with strong privacy banking and asset protection laws. As citizens of “developed” countries face increasing concerns about privacy, taxes and frivolous litigation, the affluent are seeking off-shore alternatives in greater numbers than ever.

All of these trends point to increasing demand, but the wave is still growing. Alert investors can position themselves in the market to provide the properties that tourists, retirees, remote workers and ex-pats will want to buy or rent. Besides, if the worst thing that happens is that you have to live or use your property for personal use, would you rather it be a duplex in Detroit or bungalow in Belize? Meanwhile (check with your own tax advisor), once you have investments in Belize, your trips to visit just might be tax deductible. Very cool.

A Visit is with Worth a Million Words

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a personal visit to paradise is worth at least a million. Come see it with your own eyes!

Click here to download your registration form now.

We look forward to seeing YOU in beautiful Belize!

5/16/10: Live, Work, Play – Designing Your Lifestyle as a Real Estate Investor

The world has changed! The internet has made it smaller, the economy has become much more global, and there are unprecedented opportunities to integrate real estate investing into an international lifestyle.  But if you’re living in your home town, working at a day job and dreaming of going global, where do you start?  We invited someone we know that went from Corporate America to international real estate development to come in studio and tell us not only how and why she did it, but where she sees the opportunities in today’s rapidly changing economy.

In the studio for today’s show:
•    Your Host and Chief Globetrotter, Robert Helms
•    Co-Host and Travel Coordinator,  Russell Gray
•    The Godfather of Real Estate,  Bob Helms
•    Special Guest: International Real Estate Developer, Beth Clifford

This is a show we were super excited to do.  For many people, real estate investing means tenants and troubles that interrupt their lifestyle rather than enhance it.  But does it have to be that way?  We catch up with our good friend Beth Clifford, who made the leap from a day job to a dream job using international real estate as the vehicle.  Of course, we have lots of questions – and Beth is nice enough to hang out for the whole show and answer them.

We start out getting the Reader’s Digest on Beth’s career.  While the history is interesting, what’s really useful is the mental process Beth went through to decide what she really wanted to do – and how real estate fits in.

Another very interesting topic of conversation comes up when Beth gives us the “big picture”.  Now that she’s gone global, what macro trends does she see?  What do they mean to her and her real estate strategies?  What can we learn from her experiences to make us better investors?  We have inquiring minds!

Beth also shares strategies she is using to gain competitive advantages in new markets – and how financial strength is much less important than you might think.  Whew! That’s a relief – because this Great Recession has taken the wind out of a lot of folks’ sails.  Knowing how to keep going when your financials aren’t as strong you’d like is a key survival skill for a real estate investor.

We discuss the importance of taking into consideration demographics, migration patterns, social and technology trends; plus your personal assets and interests when selecting which markets you will invest in.  Careful planning on the front end can yield a portfolio that is both profitable and fun!  And let’s face it, if you’re not having fun…well, it’s no fun.

Even though Beth is doing deals which have bigger numbers, the concepts she shares apply to everyone.  Enjoy!

Listen Now

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5/2/10: The State of the Fractional Interest Real Estate Market with Dr. Dick Ragatz

Unless you’ve been living off planet, you know that the real estate world has changed dramatically in the last few years.  Why?  Because financing as we came to know and love it has all but disappeared.  But does that mean people have stopped wanting to buy real estate?  Of course not!

The idea of fractional (not “fractured”, though many underwater property owners may feel that way) ownership isn’t new.  It’s a proven structure which is often used to allow people the opportunity to enjoy the use and ownership of resort properties.  But it’s also a great technique for building a diverse portfolio of investment property.  And of course, you can combine resort property and your investment goals in what we call Lifestyle Investing.  That’s one of our FAVORITE ways to invest!

We think market conditions are ripe for more people to consider fractional structures. So we decided it would be a good idea to talk to one of the biggest brains on the subject, Dr. Dick Ragatz.  Anytime you call someone “doctor”, you know they’re pretty smart.

Dr. Ragatz has a Master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from Cornell.  He taught Housing Market Analysis at Cornell and also at the University of Oregon.  He’s been an active participant and leader in many industry trade groups including the American Society of Planning Officials, the American Institute of Planner, the American Institute of Certified Planners, and our personal favorite, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).  He won awards for outstanding contributions from ARDA in 1989, 1995 and 2006.

We could go on and on, but you get the point.  He’s a really smart and accomplished guy, the kind you would want to sit down and talk real estate with.  So, since you couldn’t do that yourself, we did it for you!

Check out this very informative interview with this highly intelligent industry leader.  Get the inside scoop on what’s happening in one of the most interesting segments of the ever-changing real estate industry, courtesy of The Real Estate Guys Radio Show!  You’re welcome.  

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Seven Lessons from the Summit at Sea

The Real Estate Guys™ 8th Annual Summit at Sea was a huge success! We feel sorry for everyone that wasn’t with us this year.   All the energy, education, experiences and relationships are hard to put into words, but we have 7 lessons we believe will help you.

We kicked off the 2010 Summit in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Many Summit attendees wisely came in a day early and made plans to stay a day or two later in order to enjoy the hospitality of this amazing city.  Those who got the most out of their trip had invested the time to research the city beforehand.  When they arrived they had geographical context and some idea about what they wanted to see and do.  One of our attendees had plans to attend a certain restaurant he’d heard good things about.  The food of the French Quarter was certainly one of the highlights of this trip. Russ took the opportunity to try turtle soup and fried alligator.  Both were great and he’d order them again!

Summit Lesson #1:  Life’s best surprises go to the curious and adventurous. Invest time to visit new places, meet new people, try new things and discover new ideas.  You’ll be the richer for it.  If you’re not that way naturally (like Russ) – hang out with people who are (like Robert).  Some of our best real estate deals and business relationships have come from simply exploring.  Deal hunting is as much art as science.  You can’t always script it.

Back to our attendee. So this guy is heading out according to his plan.  But when he steps into the hotel elevator, he runs into Rich Dad Advisor® Wayne Palmer and his family.  The short of it is our guy ends up going to dinner with Wayne!  We’ve been at Rich Dad events with hundreds and thousands of people in attendance, many of whom wait in line for a long time just to get two minutes with an Advisor.  Can you imagine being able to enjoy a long casual dinner with Wayne Palmer?

Summit Lesson #2:  Great opportunities to meet interesting people and learn new things won’t happen to those who stay home, arrive late, leave early or aren’t flexible. If you want to build strategic relationships, you must go to where the right people are and put yourself in a position to get lucky (speaking purely in terms of business).

As real estate investors, it’s important to practice exploring markets. There’s so much more you learn from actually being there.  The internet can’t capture the spirit of a market.  From cab drivers, to hotel and restaurant workers, to local shop keepers and business owners, to the people on the street, there is a lot you will discover about what’s REALLY happening in a local economy when you’re physically in it.  People living in a community know what’s happening right now with rents, prices, migration trends, demographics and job creation.  Only when you add this anecdotal information to your own real life observations can you begin to put statistics into useful perspective.  Remember: stats reports things that have already happened – not what’s happening now.

We noticed that New Orleans is a very entrepreneurial city. Perhaps in the wake of Katrina (the effects of which were still apparent) the bravest, most resilient and dedicated people have returned first.  In any case, these folks weren’t asking for handouts.  They were happy for the opportunity to earn our business – and very thankful for it when they got it.  As our nation and world continues to work through the effects of the financial crisis, the people of New Orleans gave us hope.  If people all over the world dedicate themselves to working their way out of a mess like these people are, our world is going to come out of this Great Recession just fine.

Summit Lesson #3:  Entrepreneurship and hard work (not handouts) are the keys to personal and societal recovery. Everyone who’s struggling in this economy should take a trip to New Orleans and see how winners react to adversity.  No wonder the Saints won the Super Bowl.  If we all take the spirit of New Orleans back to our businesses, this recession will quickly fade into the rear view mirror.

After a great session in the hotel, the group headed to the pier and boarded the ship.  We sailed on the Carnival Triumph, which was SOLD OUT!  Cruise lines are actually weathering the financial storm pretty well.  Why? Perhaps people realize that a cruise is a great value, meets a basic human need (to refresh themselves) and attracts financially capable people from all over the world (a broad market).  Do these principles apply to real estate investing?  It’s obvious that real estate meets a basic human need, but we’re reminded of the importance of having a large, financially capable target market.  No matter how badly someone wants something, if they can’t afford it (or don’t think they can) they won’t buy.

Summit Lesson #4:  Pick markets and properties that appeal to a large demographic of financially capable people and you will weather difficult times more easily.

The next lesson came later, but is an extension of lesson #4.  Rich Dad’s Real Estate Advisor Ken McElroy talked about the markets and properties he targets:  B-Class apartments (meets a basic human need – housing) with affordable rents (provides a great value) that appeal to working class people (a large, financially capable demographic) in markets with good mid-to-long term job creation (he focuses on areas with fundamental and growing industries such as energy).

What was very interesting is that on the real estate shore excursion to Belize, we saw a very different variation on the same themes.

In Belize, we visited a piece of beautiful waterfront land and listened as the developer shared her vision for the property.  She plans to build high quality, moderately priced residential units suitable for resort, retirement or ex-pat full time occupancy.  While the country of Belize is sparsely populated and very poor, it is a land of breathtaking natural beauty and terrific year round warm weather.

Like the cruise ship, the project in Belize provides great value, satisfies a basic human need and desire, and appeals to a worldwide, financially capable demographic.  In other words, the project’s success isn’t dependent on the local population to be successful.  It attracts people from all over the world.  And because there will be so few units available relative to the size of the market, it’s hard to imagine the project won’t be successful.  It’s very different than B-class apartments, but like the cruise line, follows a similar fundamental formula.

Summit Lesson #5: Essential principles of successful investing don’t vary much, even though markets, properties and target customers might. Or as the old adage says, there’s more than one way to skin a cat (though we have no idea why anyone would want to do that – it’s cruel).

Even though this was our 8th Summit, there is no doubt it was our most compelling line up of speakers. We were very fortunate to have not one, but THREE of Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Advisors® teaching at our Summit.  Creative real estate genius Wayne Palmer taught a powerful and practical series on how to create capital, produce profits and generate cash flow with the creative use of private notes.  Even though people had to ice their brains after each session, Wayne was gracious to make himself available during non-class times.  He answered questions and even did some individual personal consultations.  These opportunities weren’t part of the official program, but some people at the event got lucky (see Summit Lesson #2).  People left the event believing they could use the education they got to do at least one deal which would more than pay for the cost of the entire Summit – and next year’s too!

To quote Robert Kiyosaki, “Savers are Losers”.  Though we agree with his premise (and highly recommend you read his latest mega bestseller Conspiracy of the Rich), we’re saying it for a completely different reason.  We think people who “saved money” by not coming on the Summit actually lost money.  We know.  That sounds like sales pitch.  But anyone who’s ever tried to do an event like this knows that no one is getting rich by promoting it.  More, if you saw the surveys of the people who came, you’d realize that we still haven’t figured out how to over-promote the Summit.  Everyone felt it was easily worth the time and money.

When you’re around people who know how to make money in a tough economy; who are optimistic about the future; who are resourceful and busy taking advantage of all the opportunities they see in the market, you quickly realize those who lost out were those who wanted to attend and chose not to because they told themselves “I can’t afford it”.  This paradigm looks at the Summit (or similar events) as an expense and not an investment.  The difference is that an expense pays for something that is consumed and doesn’t produce a profit.  An investment pays for itself and returns a profit.  The paradigm should have been, “I can’t afford not to” and “How can I afford it?”  Most people believe a college education is worth the price, yet hesitate to invest in non-institutional education.  Could it be they believe the degree is more important than the knowledge?  What do you believe?

Summit Lesson #6:  Paradigms affect potential and profits, so pick your paradigms carefully. The Summit was full of winners and after living with these amazing people for a week we found ourselves picking up new paradigms and making commitments to shed some bad ones.  One of the great challenges is to manage the influences to our thinking.  We look for every opportunity to hang around top performers.

One common theme we noticed in the presentations of nearly all the speakers was “control”.  Wayne Palmer talked about his rules for risk.  He follows strict (but flexible) guidelines for collateral, loan-to-values, target returns and cash flows in order to control the risks he takes in any deal.  Rich Dad’s Asset Protection Advisor, attorney Garrett Sutton, talked about entity planning and how to structure your affairs in order to control liability and tax risk.  Attorney Mauricio Rauld spoke on international entity structures which further control liability and tax risk when investing outside of the US.

Ken McElroy talked about his guidelines for market and property due diligence, as well as his dogged attention to cash flow.  He uses these disciplines to control market risk.  He says this control is why his real estate investments aren’t in trouble even though he’s going through the same challenging market conditions that are wiping out so many others.  He doesn’t rely upon the market to do the work for him.  He looks for deals with upside and works to improve the cash flow, which in turn increases the equity.  Then he uses prudent leverage to release the new equity and return his seed capital so he can move forward with positive cash flow – all on no money invested.  This produces what Robert Kiyosaki calls “infinite returns”.  Meanwhile, he recycles the seed capital to do the next deal!

Robert Helms stressed the importance of controlling one’s mindset when investing in the wake of an unprecedented drop in values (see Summit Lesson #6).  Each had a different angle, but again, all variations on a theme: control.

Summit Lesson #7:  Pay careful attention to the things you can control so you’re able to withstand the challenges caused by the things you can’t (inflation, taxes, market cycles, interest rates, etc).  When it comes to investing, most people are out of control.  Fear overrides common sense and they buy high and sell low.  They turn their money over to bankers and Wall Street and hope for the best (hope is not a strategy).  They manage cash flow by feel rather than budgets and bookkeeping.  Worst of all, they wait for external circumstances to get better rather than investing in making themselves better with education, relationships, strategies, disciplines, systems and a willingness to take action in the face of uncertainty.

We could go on and on!  There are SO many great lessons to glean from the Summit.  Of course, the only way to really get them is to actually be there.  The Real Estate Guys™ Summit isn’t the only event of its type, but after reading the surveys of the attendees, and even more, hearing the feedback of the Rich Dad Advisors®, we think it’s one of the best.  And we’re already making plans to make next year’s Summit even better!

We encourage you to make it your goal to be with us in 2011. Without exception, every survey we received said the event exceeded expectations and was well worth the time and money invested.  Over one third of this year’s group has already signed up for next year!

To make sure YOU get the upcoming announcement about The Real Estate Guys™ 9th Annual Summit at Sea in 2011, be sure to sign up for our newsletter. To be extra sure you get the early bird deal, use our feedback page to let us know you’re interested and we’ll put you on our VIP notification list.

All the best!

Robert Helms and Russell Gray
Hosts
The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show