I have always been a advocate of continuing education when it comes to investments, especially RE investments. When I first saw the flyer for Dave Lindahl’s Multifamily Millions Boot Camp, it was very intriguing. These type of seminars are not a typical college learning event. They are always a lot of hype and energy.
The cost of this even is advertised at $2995, and I thought it might be a worthwhile event; especially with all of the bonuses and guarantees. Much of the criteria that I use when I buy my properties have come from a course I bought from Dave quite a while ago, maybe in 2006, before I started any real RE investing. I bought that course for I think $995 or so, and decided that I could not afford it at that time, so I sent it back. I received a prompt refund, so I knew he at least stood by his products.
As I did some research, I saw that Dave Lindahl was offering a chance for Veteran’s to attend the event for free. I am a disabled Vet, and can remember when I used to hide the fact that I was a Vet, but now it is OK to be a Vet in public. My hat’s off to Dave for offering this opportunity for me to attend the event for free. Thank you Dave!
Dave and I have somewhat similar backgrounds, to an extent. I have a small landscape, mowing company. I used to live in Massachusetts; I started with smaller properties, etc.
The event was offered in Fort Worth, Texas on April 10 to 13th, 2014. I wasn’t sure if I was going to have to plow snow during that timeframe or not, so I waited until the last minute to book it. I paid a bit more for airfare, and the group rate for the Marriott Resort and Golf Hotel was already gone. But it was warmer in Fort Worth, than it was in Minnesota. So, off I went to the event
I booked a Hampton Inn about 4 miles from the event hotel, and saved ~$75 per night. I also booked a rental car, which saved cab fare, and also allowed me to eat in cheaper places. The Marriott restaurant was a bit on the high side with cheeseburgers running nearly $15, plus tax.
Upon arriving at the event, I checked in and received a name badge. There were different badges and lanyards for people depending on where you were in the education pyramid. I suspect the more events you have attended or paid for, the more credentials were attached to your badge. I also received a bag with the event books, a calculator, CD, and a few other things.
It was a typical hyped up event, with lots of positive energy. Seating was in rows, there were ~140 people at the event. Many people got on stages as testimonials, and there were a few vendors pitching their methods of RE education, so I am not sure how many people actually paid for the event. It was not a cheap venue, and the bill had to have been somewhat expensive.
The event did open my eyes to a different style of investing. I had never considered that I could own a 250 unit apartment, but now I truly believe that I can; or at least a part of it.
Dave Lindahl himself was there. He is not the greatest speaker, and mostly tells it like it is. He speaks to the topics in the book, although not necessarily in the book order. He tells quite a few personal stories, some related to RE, some not. It does help the audience to relate to some of the things he is going through. In our case, we heard a bit about his marathon training and foot pain as he was going to run the Boston Marathon in the next week. Dave is one of the few people that have actually done what he is teaching.
There was quite a bit of note taking, as the books did not have the thoughts that Dave was relating as he was speaking. There was also a bit of different vendors hyping their wares. I am not sure if it was worth almost $3K, but it was definitely worth something. I learned quite a bit.
Room For Improvements. If I were to make a suggestion to make the course much better it would be the following:
Tip 1: Include a pen and a note pad in the kit. Luckily I had a pen, there were many notes I took and if I did not have the pen I would have not been able to have the information. Pens are cheap; they can even have your name for advertising on them. The same with the note pad. Or include more blank space in the manual in the relevant spots. A note pad would be preferred; you can even put the event name on it. To me, those items are a no-brainer.
Maybe the person responsible for putting them in the kit was off that day?
Tip 2: Have a solid, vibrant professional PowerPoint presentation. When someone is just speaking for a couple of hours on topics that come out of their head, no matter how much great information is presented, it is better with a visual accompaniment. The book should then follow the presentation. Tell the people what you are going to teach them, show them what you are teaching them, and tell them what you just taught them. All pretty standard stuff.
Tip 3: Update the manual. While the concepts are still great, some newer formatting and updated layout would help. Instead of saying things that you think differently about, have it in the manual. Make sure all the examples are consistent.
Tip 4: Have more examples on the presentation. Go through the process in front of everyone, and not just talk about it. In the group sessions, the people worked on exercises, and the answers were given to the group, but nowhere was the logic that came up with the answer. A methodical step-by-step explanation would have been helpful. Of course, if your main goal is to sell more products, maybe being a bit vague is what the intent was. I understand most of the concepts, so it was not as much of an issue.
Tip 5: Serve Lunch, or at least let the hotel know you will not be providing lunch. The first day, I ate in the hotel restaurant, as did many people. I had arrived at midnight the night before, to a different hotel, and not much in terms of restaurants was seen. The restaurant was overwhelmed. This is more of a fault of the hotel, and not Dave, but it would have made the first lunch more enjoyable.
So there you have it. The review of Dave Lindahl’s Multifamily Millions Boot Camp.
Have you ever been to any RE education seminars? What was your experience like?
Did this review help you? Were you thinking about attending one of Dave’s seminars?
Seminars are great as someone can learn alot from the process. The trick is how to begin to implement the process without fear.
Thank you for the comment!
Exactly the dilemma. But with the information you can gather facts and make better decisions. Just knowing how the world works in a different area helps you understand how someone else can do it.
I agree most with your statement that their is definitely some value in this course but you’re not sure how much.
I’m just too damn cheap to pay for a course like this when there’s so much info available on the internet. I think I’d have to get it for free or at a severe(think 90% haha)discount.
Some of these courses just seem so gimmicky/spammy it’s hard to decipher the valuable ones from the get rich quick ones. I’m glad you got some value out of it though and it makes me wonder if I should just man up and drop the cash to attend a course.
If I would have had to pay full price, I would probably not attended. It was pretty good, but if you can find a mentor in a local RE group, that would be best. Read some books and get some knowledge that way. Google some things too.
If you need a boost in ambition, these classes may be the way to go, along with coaching. You pay for people to motivate you, no different than a personal trainer in the gym.
I didn’t know you were a vet, NNL – thank you SO much for your service. We really and truly appreciate it, and I’m so glad things have changed now so that you can be proud of your service. I think the warm weather is a perfectly acceptable reason to attend a conference like that – and, it’s write-offable. If it got you out of this arctic freeze for a few days, it was well worth it. BTW, we got nearly a foot of snow the other day.
Thank you for the comment!
Actually I am a disabled vet, 10%. I served in the Cold War, not much danger stateside, but I could have gotten sucked into a B52 engine, or more likely fallen off the back of one.
We missed yesterday’s snow, I am glad someone else got to enjoy it for a change… Actually, you folks up north have gotten pounded with the snow enough already.
Serving is serving, IMHO. My dad was an airplane mechanic during the Vietnam war and his was the only group that didn’t get shipped off to fight, so he was home here too serving. He now gets his disability checks via hearing loss. Looks like we’ve traded in our snow for rain, huh? 🙂
I’ve never been to a real estate investing seminar, though maybe I should! I’m hesitant to pay any money for that kind of knowledge, which is counterintuitive, of course. Why shouldn’t I pay someone for their efforts. But the internet has spoiled me in that regard. I am willing to search for the good free or nearly free content.
They are a great event to meet people, get hyped up about real estate and possibly buy more seminars. Much of the information is on the web, but you do not get the networking. Joining your local RE investment group is another, possibly even better way to do it. Often, you can find a mentor that will help you understand how to put deals together, but you still have to do the work.
I went to Dave Lindahl’s 2-hour seminar May 2018 in Florida. Had the worse experience of my life! When I entered the ball room the music was so loud I thought I was in a night club. The people at the back of the room were on their phones and watching some video laughing. They were not very professional at all. But I was interested to learn. Finally, the speaker came up. So Much for MY LEARNING!
The speaker Greg Rocheleau was his name just looked so cocky and arrogant! You know one of those 40-year old’s acting like he’s 20 and at college frat party.
Greg starts off saying he doesn’t speak in front of people he started in this business when he too went to a seminar just like this in Detroit 3 years ago. He said he worked in the car industry in Windsor.
Now I do believe that is Windsor Ontario Canada! Thought I noticed that accent AY!
He said that he’s done over a 100 deals. His first one was in 90 days from when he started. That went on for about ½ hour and it seem like another ½ hour about him talking about this son and Dad and how he sends his dad to Florida every year. Oh, not to mention his Boat and how he loves the Detroit river. I bet! What he loves is the tunnel crossing between Canada and the U.S.
He was just Pushy about getting $1,500.00 for a boot camp! He also said there is a 90 day Guarantee no tur it’s only a 14 days guaranty. But remember Dave will mentor you personally. So, I decide to do my homework and found this site. Thank you all! I did not lose my $1,500.00 or yet $50,000.
I like Dave Lindahl books, but he needs some people that represent him and his company better. Maybe Someone who Lives in the United States and owns Real Estate here in this USA! And people with Real Estate experience no Sales and defiantly Not a bunch of KIDS!
Thank you for reading.
There is always a up-sell to most seminars. I went to the 4-day seminar free, as a veteran, so I appreciate the good information. Paying the $1500 may have been a different experience.