We’ll be talking real estate and how investors can take advantage of today’s real estate market.

To get in on the action, just go to our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TheRealEstateGuys and Like us!

If you aren’t on Facebook or can’t make the time, fill out the form below and we’ll send you a link to a recording of the live event as soon as it’s ready.

Syndication is simply putting together a group of investors and use the combined resources to take advantage of more and bigger opportunities for everyone’s benefit.  And when you’ve fully deployed your own cash and credit, syndication is a great way to keep going.

Now is one of the greatest times we’ve seen to become a real estate syndicator. Distressed properties and notes are abundant.  Assets can be purchased for pennies on the dollar.  Best of all, you’re not preying upon the unfortunate.  You’re helping clean up a big mess and playing a vital role in revitalizing the economy.

With all the liquidity being pumped into the economy, there’s still time to take advantage of low interest rates.  Longer term, many economists expect inflation – which means rising asset values (equity!), rising rents and rising interest rates.  But inflation hasn’t hit real estate yet, so there’s a window of opportunity to snap up deals.

We could go on and on about why the next 2-3 years look to be among the best ever to be a buyer.  But that’s not the point of this article and we’ve discussed it many times on the broadcast.

The real point is that syndication is a great opportunity for sharp, hardworking people to become real estate entrepreneurs. In his new book, The Sleeping Giant, best selling author and Robert Kiyosaki Rich Dad Advisor Ken McElroy says a new American Dream is upon us: the age of the entrepreneur.  Gone are the days of working four decades for the same company and retiring on a comfortable pension.  And the last time we looked, Social Security isn’t looking very secure.  So you need a good paying job now AND a way to build up wealth over the the long term.

If you’re unemployed, under-employed or concerned about the future of your job or company, then you might want to give serious consideration to starting your own business. And while there are many different businesses to choose from, in most all cases you’ll need to organize capital to get started.  For the average Joe, that means using up his life’s savings, home equity and all his available credit card lines – literally betting the farm on the success of the business.  That’s one way to go.

On the other hand, wouldn’t it be better if you were or raise some private investor money where neither you nor any of your investors are ruined if things don’t go as planned?  Shared risk and shared reward.  That’s all a syndication is.

Of course, that begs the question: what kind of a business?

Obviously, we like real estate – and for many reasons.  First, it’s everywhere and not overly complicated – at least compared to starting a bio-tech firm or a software company.  That makes it possible for you to get up to speed and run the business effectively pretty quickly.  But it’s also a business that your investors should be able to understand and get excited about without needing Ph.D.’s.

Most people can see there are bargains galore in real estate right now, but because the dollars are big they can’t take advantage of them…by themselves.  They don’t have enough money, time, knowledge or connections.  That’s why so many people buy mutual funds instead of picking their own stocks.  They are effectively hiring a fund manager to do the hard work of investing.

When you organize a real estate syndication, your investors are essentially hiring you to buy, manage and sell the investments  – just like a mutual fund manager.  Except instead of investing in stocks, you’re investing in real estate or notes.  Now before you freak out, remember that you’ve probably already bought or sold a property, rented a property, gotten a loan or otherwise been involved in some real estate transactions.  So you already have some experience.  And if you’re a real estate agent, loan officer, appraiser, contractor or someone who deals with the business of real estate on a daily basis, you’re way ahead of the curve.  Remember, most mutual fund managers don’t have to know how to run the companies they invest in, they just have to know how to recognize good business models and managers.

Of course, in the spirit of full disclosure, if syndication were THAT easy, then everyone would be doing it, right?  True.  However, we bet there are many very capable people out there who would be very successful syndicators, but it never occurred to them they could do it.  And like any manager, it’s a huge responsibility to be in charge of other people’s assets.  Yet, many people do a fine job for their employers every day, but  just don’t think of it as asset management.  Yet if you’re a manager of any kind, you’re responsible for someone else’s assets -  their money, their customers, their reputation, their property, their information – on a daily basis.  If you do a good job there, the odds are good you will be successful in real estate – which is quite possibly a lot less complicated than your current day job.

Still, it’s important to be properly trained. And the task of organizing an investment syndication is not one to be taken up lightly.  There are laws to follow and lots of details to be aware of.  Again, if it was brain dead easy, than everyone would be doing it.

So where can you go to learn the secrets of successful syndication? You can and should read books, take classes, and get around people who are doing it.  Much of which you can figure out on your own if you have the time and motivation.  But if the gap between where you are and where you want to be looks to big to jump on your own, we have something for you!

We’ve imposed upon our outstanding Investor Summit at Sea™ Faculty, which includes Ken McElroy and fellow Rich Dad Advisor Wayne Palmer (a very successful syndicator in his own right), plus international real estate developer Beth Clifford and attorney Mauricio Rauld, to conduct an all day training called The Secrets of Successful Syndication Seminar on April 3rd in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (you’ve been looking for a great reason to visit beautiful South Florida, right?).

Discover what it takes to organize and operate a real estate syndication business, where you can go from zero to a full time income (even part time!) in six months or less.

For more information and to enroll on-line, click here now.

The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show podcast provides education, information, training and resources to help investors make money with their real estate investing.

With so much money to be made, many aspiring investors are willing to pay large sums to have someone teach them how to succeed.  Attracted by a marketplace full of bargains, many people are getting into the game – and they’re looking for help.  So we thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the topic of real estate investor mentoring.

Sitting on the studio mountaintop dispensing sage real estate wisdom:

• Your host and guru, Robert Helms
• Co-host and associate guru, Russell Gray
• Special guest, former school teacher turned full time real estate investor, David Campbell

Listen in on the conversation as we explore the shortcuts to success that are available by learning from the knowledge, experience and wisdom of others!

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Retail real estate across the country has been mauled by the recent bear market.

On safari in the studio for this broadcast:

• Driving the jeep in his khaki’s and bush jacket, host Robert Helms
• Pushing the jeep in his leopard skin loin cloth, co-host Russell Gray
• Riding shotgun and snacking on frikkadels, the Godfather of Real Estate, Bob Helms
• Big deal hunter, special guest Tom Morris

When you enter the jungle of real estate investing to hunt for opportunity, you never know what challenges will cross your path.  Many obstacles and dangers can be avoided.  Others must be met head on.  Of course, when you’re hunting, your objective is to locate the prey and subdue it.  In other words, there’s risk involved.

Shooting fish in a barrel or hunting rabbits is one level of risk…and one level of reward.  Going after the big opportunities often entails a higher level of risk and requires a higher level of skill and experience.  That’s why most investors are well-advised to start small.  It’s also a really good idea to be mentored by more experienced hunters before taking on the big game.

So you can imagine how excited we were when we first met Tom Morris.  He’s been hunting big time real estate opportunity for over 30 years and after billions of dollars of deals, he’s telling us that now is one of the greatest times ever to be a real estate investor. Really?  Okay, we’re listening!

Although he’s very experienced in all types of real estate, Tom’s love is retail.  We’re talking BIG TIME retail – as in shopping malls and retail centers with hundreds of thousands of square feet (on the small side)!  Tom’s been involved in mall projects with millions of square feet and hundreds of retail tenants in a single project.  Wow!  THAT’S big game.  Of course, if a big deal turns on you it can devour you very quickly, so you better know what you’re doing!  Fortunately, Tom tells us there are many things you can do to mitigate risk.

We start quizzing Tom about the state of retail in the wake of the Great Recession. What are the problems?  What are the causes?  Where are the opportunities?  We were SHOCKED to hear how BIG the discounts are on distressed retail assets.  It’s AMAZING how, with relatively little money, you can acquire assets with HUGE UPSIDE potential. (Sorry for all the caps.  We’re just EXCITED!).

BUT…(and it’s a big but), you better have a plan.  And you better have connections.  And you better be able to think outside the big box.  If you do, then there’s BIG money to be made!

Tom shares with us some of the creative strategies he’s currently employing to acquire and re-hab distressed retail properties.  Even if you don’t have plans to be a mall mogul, the principles Tom employs are applicable to other types of real estate.  Besides, any time someone with 30 years and billions of dollars of experience wants to share their wisdom, we think it’s a really smart idea to listen. Our attentiveness is rewarded when Tom reveals the single most important component of his success and the #1 investment of his career.

Not everyone is able to chit chat with a big time investor.  Tom doesn’t do seminars, write books or sell boot camps.  He’s just out in the real world doing the real thing.  That’s why you have The Real Estate Guys™!  Our mission is to hunt down big brains, powerful ideas and great resources that help you succeed.  Your job is to listen, learn and take action.  Plus, we really appreciate it when you tell all your friends about The Real Estate Guys™.  Enjoy!

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Wayne joins fellow Rich Dad advisors Ken McElroy and Garrett Sutton, as well as The Real Estate Guys’ own Robert Helms, Russell Gray and the Godfather of Real Estate Bob Helms – plus international real estate developer Beth Clifford – for the most dynamic Summit faculty we’ve ever had!

Wayne is a contributing author to Robert Kiyosaki’s recently released The REAL Book of Real Estate.  In fact, Wayne wrote more of that book than any other contributor.  Wayne is a master of creative deal structure using notes and equity exchanges.  For the first time ever, he will be revealing his strategies for creative deal structure and profit using promissory notes!

Wayne has a long history in real estate dating back to 1976.  He has an extensive background, which spans several states and decades, in real estate sales, development and financing.  Wayne is a Certified Real Estate Note Appraiser, a Certified Cash Flow Master Broker and is a respected leader in the creative equity exchange industry.  Most importantly, Wayne knows how to create wealth without cash and will be sharing his priceless knowledge as we sail the Caribbean together for 8 days and 7 nights!

This is a VERY RARE OPPORTUNITY for a LIMITED number of people to spend an entire week with Wayne (plus Ken, Garrett and the rest of the Summit faculty).  Don’t miss the boat!

Friday, April 9 through Saturday, April 17, 2010

Register early for the best upgrades! Call 888-489-7723 to speak with our fabulous Cruise Director MaryLyn or contact us though our Feedback page.

Food, Fun, Sun, Drinks, Food, Music, Dancing, Food, Shows, Shore Excursions and Food! You’ll love the International Gourmet Cuisine, Lavish Entertainment, Full Casino, Live Bands, Round-the-Clock Complimentary Room Service and incredible ports of call. But that’s not all!

Information Packed Seminars, Workshops and Round Table Discussions On the days at sea, The Guys and their team of expert speakers provide over 25 hours of exciting and practical real estate training to help you build your knowledge to expand your real estate empire!

A Mastermind Experience - In his classic Think and Grow Rich, author Napoleon Hill revealed that most of the millionaires he interviewed always invested quality time with like-minded people as a way to stay motivated, gather new ideas and to get feedback on their own ideas. What better place than an 8 day cruise to “rub brains” with The Real Estate Guys, their guest speakers and other like-minded investors? It’s a planning retreat, a vacation, a networking event and trade conference all wrapped into one power-packed week!

Optional Real Estate Field Trip – The great thing about real estate is that it’s everywhere!  So even though the ship’s “consumer” excursions are fun, The Real Estate Guys always like to set up an educational tour of a local real estate market at one or more of our ports of call. This is a great way to see how The Guys evaluate a market – and we almost always get local market experts to share their insights with our group.  We call it “Kickin’ the Dirt” – though sometimes it’s actually beautiful white sand beaches and crystal blue water!

This Year’s Ports – We’ll be starting in the fun filled city of New Orleans on Friday, April 9th before we set sail on the incredible Carnival Triumph to visit the beautiful ports of Belize, Isla Roatan and Cozumel, Mexico.

It’s a Family Affair! Even if your spouse and children aren’t interested in real estate, there’s lots to enjoy while you’re in classes. The Guys always bring their families, so you’ll get to meet The Real Estate Wives and The Real Estate Kids! Camp Carnival has age appropriate activities for children as young as two years old!

Space is limited, so call now so you don’t miss the boat!

Register early for the best upgrades! Call 1-888-489-7723 to speak with our Cruise Director MaryLyn  or or contact us though our Feedback page.

Still not convinced?  Check out this video from one of our previous Summits and imagine YOU as the star of the 2010 event!

The Top 10 Reasons to Attend The Real Estate Guys Investor Summit at Sea

Frequently Asked Questions

The event featured a host of highly qualified experts in various aspects of real estate investment including property management, financing, deal sourcing and analysis, and taxation. The event started at 9 am on Saturday morning and ran well into the evening. We didn’t get back to our hotel room (at the very nice Scottsdale Plaza Resort) until close to 9 pm, but even then we weren’t done! We had 5 different real life investment deals to review in preparation for the next day when we would divide into team and prepare and present offer letters to the panel.

Though it sounds intense, the Rich Dad team did a great job keeping the energy up with lively music, regular breaks with refreshments provided, and the trademark conversational breaks where we would discuss the topic at hand with other students sitting at our table. Not only did this break up the monotony of lecture, but it really helped reinforce our understanding of the material. Teaching is a very effective learning tool. In fact, when we were talking with Robert Kiyosaki during a recording session on Monday, he said one of the reasons he works so hard teaching is because he learns so much!

In the afternoon of the 2nd day, the crowd was divided into teams and each team was assigned one of the case study properties on which to write a Letter of Intent (LOI). It was like being on The Apprentice! The pressure was mounting to finish the analysis and craft an offer that would be strong enough to win, but without overpaying for the property. As the announcer counted down the time, the tension mounted. People were running to the front of the room to submit their offer before the time ran out!

A representative from each team was called up to sit with their competitors in front of the panel of judges. One by one, each had just 2 minutes to present the offer. Then the panel would begin to question and negotiate. Having been through this process many times ourselves, we can tell you is that very realistic!

There were far more lessons than could ever be contained in this short report, but even with all of the experience we have in the real world of real estate, The Real Estate Guys definitely discovered some new things. Plus, we made lots of new friends!

Overall, we thought it was a great event – well organized, well produced and lots of fun. We can’t wait to go to the next one!