Review of Mike Watson Investments

1. The exact outline of the “Foundation to Success”
2. How I used some of the techniques I learned
3. What I Didn’t Like

1. Know the Foundation to Success.
2. Find your red button statement (your why) and your who.
3. Find properties using competing and non-competing methods.
4. Analyze those properties for highest and best use and future potential.
5. Write offers with the two OPM’s.
6. Put the property back up for sale.
7. Create and enhance equity
8. Sell for a short-term profit or refinance for a long-term equity position
9. Prosper.
10. Share with others and repeat the process.

I noticed Mike changed the name from “institute” to “investments.” It may be a slight change to some, yet it bring them more inline with a super-charged real estate investment group, like AZREIA on A-Rod steroids, where action lead to results.

I’ve never went to any other real estate investment program, like Carlton Sheets or Ron Legrand.  Take that back, I did go to The Donald Trump Institute, I’ll do a review on what I learned, but I can tell between fluff and functional. For example, the MLS search cd, the deal evaluation submission forms and the seller financing workshop has helped attract, negotiate and close more deals with my own real estate investor clients. 

Since the real estate market collapse, I recently was involved in a very intense re-negotiation for an 11 acre land development project. This project would not work if the seller would not only drop his price nearly a half million dollars, but also became a long-term partner in the project.

This deal got done because of my team’s deep understanding of seller financing and how to clearly explain terms that everybody wins.

• The Price is High. You don’t have to pay anyone thousands of dollars to learn how to invest in real estate.  All you really need to know are two cliches:

• The Ultimate Salesman or Teacher.

• Forum Participation Has Dropped

Thanks to Web 2.0 you can tell the health of online communities through member participation on forums. From 2005 to mid 2008 participation on the Mike Watson Forum was great. People were sharing their challenges, successes and new strategies. Now just like real estate prices, the participation on the Mike Watson general forum has plummeted. Will it ever come back?

• If you ever read “Rich Dad-Poor Dad” you understand that the only way to get out of “the rat race” is to become an investor.  If you still have it in your spirit to call someone other than yourself your best client/employer, then this program is definitely not for you.

• Don’t put it on your credit card. Like other things you have purchased that are now collecting dust, like Gary Kellers’ book “The Millionaire Real Estate Investor”, you are only going to get out of it as much as you put in (cliche alert). If you don’t have the ability to generate massive action and don’t have the disposable cash to invest in the training, just devour the free information.

• What I have learned is to apply this process across different industries. If you don’t understand the concept of multiple streams of income, you shouldn’t invest in the “camps.” I have applied the concepts that I have learned in a pool business, internet niches, and in a restaurant. Specifically, I took what I learned from the raising capital workshop invested in a pool business and made a short-term profit of 35%.

Mike is a very personable guy. I have talk with him outside of the workshops during a field event, and I do appreciate some of the intimate things he observed. Like my own self-limiting beliefs that I had held on for years, but no longer. 

Even though, I won’t be unthawing my credit cards anytime soon, what I have learned from being a part of the community is that everyone of us can be great… we just have to first believe.

A paid off life
Residual positive cash flow
Passive Income without property
Lump sums of income over time
Income for life
Equity positions in properties
Great tax strategies for retirement
Own a sellable business that provides income