Armando Montelongo, So-called Real Estate Guru Has A Local Radio Ad - Be Wary!
Many of you may have heard a commercial on the radio recently by a guy named Armando Montelongo. He is selling his instructional real estate materials. He mentions that he appears on the A&E television show Flip This House. Well you should know that he is not all he is cracked up to be. As they say, Buyer Beware! He has been indicted right here in Travis County for Fraud and has had his own share of foreclosure troubles.
Here are a few mentions of him around the web:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_This_House_(TV_series)#Season_Three_2
Flip This Lawsuit is a site containing a lot of information regarding the Montelongos and their relationship with the show and its former cast. This post in particular is very interesting.
Here is an article from the SA Express reagarding his indictment.
Armando Montelongo Has A Local Radio Ad - Be Wary!…
Be wary of Armando Montelongo’s radio ads in Austin. He may not be the real estate guru he claims to be….
Old news. This was reported in February.
Scott, this is true. However, his radio ad just started appearing recently, thus the reason for this post. Thanks for that useful info though.
Thanks for the heads up that this guy is still around and causing problems with his misleading information.
Not going to lie, I have been known to watch some of these shows for hours. You just can tell the guy is a half way crook…but can’t deny he is very successful. Buyer beware! (First time here, great blog.)
The real estate shows on TV make me sick. I can’t tell you how many calls I get from people who must watch these with completely unrealistic expectations. They call themselves investore, but have not made a single deal.
This might be old news for locals, but those of us far away in TV land didn’t know it. Thanks for the update. It’s funny/sad how all the “famous” real estate people on TV end up this way.
please beware of “scam” armando montelongo.he ripped me off.i will be reporting him/his company to the proper peeps so i can get my money back&/or if i have to i will sue him/his company.
Century21Colonial says we can’t deny he’s successful. Well, I’ve worked with him and I can tell you it’s all B.S. He is only successful at scamming.
That is scary that someone involved in fraud is advertising on the radio. Even if it is “old news” as another commenter said, it never hurts to let others know to avoid something.
I watched Flip This House once, the first thing I thought was this guy is not a “real” investor, lol. The house & the profit margin on that particular episode just didn’t seem profitable.
These radiomercials have been showing up in the Houston market as of late.
Granted, I am not one of those greedy morons that buys these con artists junk for $1000 in the hopes of finding those “Huge profits” being claimed, but it isn’t hard to see through this stuff. If I was a millionaire, I’m living on an island away from everyone else.
I have no pity for any greedy souls who took the bait for his or any others similar junk.
His adds have started running here in New Jersey as well. They are kind of funny as even tear down homes here are 300K or more.
I know that television is suppose to be for entertainment purposes but when I see how tv fame can build credibility for a crook it makes me think that any claims made on the air ways must be verified as true. Just a thought.
I must really be out of the loop. This is the first I have ever heard of this. I always assumed he was a little greasy just watching the show. The way he treated his intern and sub-contractors left me wondering what type of person he was. I guess even TV can’t make this guy look good.
It’s so frustrating when someone is celebrated as a guru when some simple factchecking will show that they are indeed not — and beyond that, that they are in trouble with the law. The fact that anyone can make a website or run a commercial really does make it hard to decipher who is legitimate and who isn’t. I just hope consumers are smart enough to figure it out.
I think 90% of all these real estate guru’s don’t know what they are talking about. they just want to sell you something.
Most of the people who consider themselves as Guru are just liars who know nothing about the real stuff. But yeah they have one ability and that is to speak and convince people. He might be one of those
In one episode I loved watching him fall in the pool and started to vomit, the guy seems to have an attitude and I guess he needs to get this finances together as well!
My opinion is that he is a crook, scammer, and fraud. Watch the shows, and you will see it. I would NEVER buy a house he rehabbed. Nobody should ever buy a house rehabbed by them without a valid inspection first. Shame on A&E for giving this guy air time. It’s sad that he treats contractors so badly. Your company is only as good as they way you treat people. I think the fact that his brother doesn’t do business with him anymore speaks VOLUMES!!! Money is Armando’s first love……Veronica better watch out!
“Thus far, the producers of Flip This House have been unwilling to show viewers less than successful results. As the market declines, property flippers across the country are suddenly finding that they’ve overbuilt, overpaid, or overestimated demand in their areas. Now is a perfect opportunity for A&E to show the bad, as well as the good.”
The TV stations are interested in ratings, not the truth… Too much TV is bad for you, this includes the ‘news’.
When watching him on tv it seems that he is a little shady, this explains all!
Just thought you should know that all the charges were dropped. The indictment never held water and there was absolutly no reason for him to ever have been arrested…
This is a message form his blog http://www.armandomontelongo.com/news/?p=104
I Was Found Innocent On Felony B.S. Charges
19 January 2009
Written by: Armando Posted under Uncategorized
Last September of 2007 something happened to me that has never happened before. At 9:00 am, (6) San Antonio police officers surrounded my house at Rancho Montelongo. Not knowing why (6) police officers would be surrounding my house, I simply opened the door and let them in wondering what the hell was going on.
They told me I had been charged with a felony called “Theft of Service”.
At that time, I had lived for 37 years and had NEVER been arrested or in trouble with the law in my ENTIRE life. The officers handcuffed me and took me down to the city jail where I now found out is where most of the idiots in San Antonio hang out.
The officers were very nice and we actually had a friendly conversation on the way to the station. They said “You are much friendly in person than on television.” I said, “That’s because your not a contractor”. LOL
Once there, several of my new “roomies” were asking me about what “I did” to be in jail and I asked them politely to shut the F&*K up, as I am not a criminal.
The jail was soon abuzz and a judge who is a fan of the show came to the cell and told me he would have me out ASAP and these charges are BS. I thank that judge for getting me out of the San Antonio sewage system as quickly as possible.
WHAT IS THEFT OF SERVICE?
Theft of Service is a charge for people who intentionally order service and never have the intent to pay. This means someone would ask a landscaper to do work and know ahead of time that they were going to stiff the guy and never pay him.
WHY WAS I CHARGED?
A woman by the name of (who honestly cares) has a real estate appraisal service in Austin, Texas. She claimed that my company ordered several appraisals from her and didn’t pay. She sent the bill and I disputed it because I DID NOT ORDER THE APPRAISALS. In fact, some of the appraisals she was attempting to charge me for were for properties THAT WERE NOT MINE!
This is called a civil dispute since it is over a business matter. She sent me a threat letter from a civil attorney and I again disputed that I did not order these appraisals. The civil attorney immediately backed off since this is a case he could NOT win.
In my opinion, she now decided that since a civil attorney would not take a case that they would LOSE, that she would go the way of attempting to use the police department to act as a bill collector for her.
The problem with this is that THESE WERE NOT MY BILLS. This appraiser made the comment to a mutual business associate that she had a friend in the Austin legal system and that she was going to “make me pay one way or another and have me arrested for Theft of Service”. I find it VERY INTERESTING that I do not live in Austin, my business is not in Austin and these properties were not located in Austin, yet she chose to file a case in Austin where she stated she had a friend in the Austin legal system.
I called my attorney and he said, “Though these bills are not yours, pay the invoice since a “friend in the legal system” may not be told the whole truth by the complaining party.
I wrote a check for the amount of the appraisals as per my attorney’s advice and he contacted her to give her the check. At this point she refused the check and eventually refused to take any more of his phone calls.
IN MY OPINION, she didn’t want to take the money because she was looking for revenge, notoriety from the media or attention for her small business or smaller ego. Soon the National Enquirer came knocking and did a story about this Theft of Service charge as well as most major newspapers around the country.
I must say they used a very nice picture and spelled my name right…LOL, but my concern is about my students and fans who would believe the defamation and slander B.S. this woman was selling.
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
I must say, once the appraiser’s friend was out of the way, the District Attorney’s office in Austin, Texas did a very good job of investigating the FACTS of this woman’s slander. Upon a full investigation, the District Attorney found NO MERIT for this woman’s accusations and DISMISSED THE CASE!
I am happy the case has been dismissed and justice served. The funny thing is I never lost a night’s sleep over this. Perhaps it is because the past challenges of my life “toughened me up” or maybe it was the fact that I thought the accusations to be a joke and the case BS!
Whatever the case, IT IS NOW TIME FOR ME TO BRING WAR ON THIS WOMAN!
WHAT WILL I DO NOW?
Now that I have been cleared, I must look at the damage this woman caused. She slandered my name across a national scale.
Believe it or not I can be a patient and tolerant man. However, she tried to take me away from my son Mondoman and send me to prison for two years (that is the maximum penalty for Theft of Service). The thought of her (over a $4,000 appraisal bill that was not mine) attempting to take me away from my 9 year old boy, when it is my responsibility as a father to raise him, BOILS MY BLOOD!
I will have NO MERCY as I file a Slander and Libel suit against her. I will also file such suite against her advisors as well! There is a time to rest and a time to fight. Now, after justice has been served, my enemies will remember me for the rest of their lives as I am about to launch the greatest war with the BEST lawyers in seeking compensation for the damages this woman caused. Many of the damages will be reserved for the court of law and for the lawyers to hash out.
WHY I HAVE WRITTEN THIS
I have chosen to write about this because you as a student, fan or friend have sent thousands of concerned emails. I do not want you to be mislead away from your success or for anyone through selfish reasons to create an excuse to stop your succcess. Now is the most critical time and GREATEST OPPORTUNITY in American History to create success and I will not allow such selfish people who want to crush YOUR DREAMS stand in the way of your destiny!!!
Just as this lie existed, I will be addressing another big lie out there very soon (and this one I am even more excited about)!
Take care and leave me your thoughts below.
To Your Success,
Armando
Well, I don’t know what to make of it are having read the post and then the most recent comment taken from his blog. Is he a good guy or a bad guy?
@Ann, that is something you will have to decide for yourself. As the comment above states, all charges were dropped in this particular case. I do know though that Armando has been involved in at least 5 other civil cases. You can get more details at http://www.flipthislawsuit.com/2007/10/12/montelongo-foreclosure-and-court-activity/
I don’t think Armando is any more of a con artist than anybody else or business in this country. Afterall, he is in the sales business. Sales is about convincing people to purchase your product. As with any business, Armando is going to try to use the most cost-effective option. It sickens me that whenever a minority is doing something positive and becoming successful, people always try to portray him/her in a negative light. Armando is doing nothing different than any other business. Think of all the products or services you have used that may not have been satisfactory. Examples include: Lotions that don’t moisturize, food that doesn’t taste good, perfumes that don’t last long, detergents that don’t work, etc…. No one is constantly trying to slander the names of these companies and portray them as frauds. I read posts where people commented on Armando being sued. SO WHAT!! There are doctors that get sued all the time and they still have a large clientele. Just because someone a a civil suit against them doesn’t mean that they are necessarily guilty of anything. If Armando was really THAT bad, then I don’t think he would have had a show on A&E and still be in the same business today.
I don’t think Armando’s ethnicity has anything to do with the public’s perception of him. I think it’s his business practices that have helped formed the negative reaction to his persona. Yes many people perpetrate fraud in all business worlds and there are many lawsuits, some frivolous, some not and it’s been happening for a couple hundred years. Again Armando’s public will form the opinion based on what’s written and reported, but more importantly, the savvy public will see how he treats people and form their opinion based on that, not his ethnicity.
“I don’t think Armando is any more of a con artist than anybody else or business in this country. Afterall, he is in the sales business. Sales is about convincing people to purchase your product. As with any business, Armando is going to try to use the most cost-effective option.”
Uh-huh. He doesn’t get permits on the work he does, and certainly does not disclose that plus the problems he painted over to buyers.
Thanks for the advice. I didn’t hear the commercial, but I read the wiki article that you posted. I’ll be careful, thanks!
he is full of shit if he didn’t do it then he would’nt have wrote out a check to pay her,he is petty,childish and unprofessional. No business man would have care enough to write on this page to prove himself sounds like he is angry and have insecurity issues.I order his cds and I am going to send them back because of his lettter he wrote, my 30days is not up. He needs to take the time and find a speech coach because he talks to fast he sounds like he has a mouth full of come in his mouth. so I will not be one of his students what goes around comes around!! asshole
I really think you should all judge for your self and check out his blog. It is really him and he gives detais about everything going on. Stopping being ignorant and judge for yourself, not what you read.