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.

109 thoughts on “Armando Montelongo, So-called Real Estate Guru Has A Local Radio Ad – Be Wary!”

  1. Pingback: pligg.com

  3. Scott, this is true. However, his radio ad just started appearing recently, thus the reason for this post. Thanks for that useful info though.

  5. 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.)

  6. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  13. 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.

  14. 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.

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. 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 🙂

  18. 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!

  19. 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!

  20. “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’.

  22. 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

  23. 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?

  25. 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.

  26. 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.

  27. “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.

  28. Thanks for the advice. I didn’t hear the commercial, but I read the wiki article that you posted. I’ll be careful, thanks!

  29. 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

  30. 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.

  32. Wow…I ready everybodys comments and am confused. I will have to make my own conclusions after attending 3 day seminar. I’ll let you know what my opinion really is after completion.

    I bought the master kit and was skeptical, but with money back guarantee, mentors to help us, I thought what do we have to loose. I realized after the fact that money back guarantees could be difficult to really get.

    Stay tuned….

  34. I know Armando personally, as well as be there with him through his struggles and as he made his way from living in a garage with an enormous amount of debt and a sick family. What angers me is that people have nothing better to do with their lives than accuse people of things they have no idea about. NONE of you know him. You make assumptions based on hearsay. I think you all need to keep your incorrect opinions to yourself until you meet the man in person, get to know him and realize that what you think is false.

    Armando is one of the most gracious and caring people you will ever meet. But he is also a businessman. In business, you have to be hard hearted and tough on your peers. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a trust worthy and good person.

    he is.

  35. @John Linder, Thanks for your input. I am sure you are not talking to me as you can clearly see that there are no accusations in my post. Also, you should know that by definition, opinions cannot be incorrect.

  36. I just want to say that whatever, whenever or whoever says somenthing NEGATIVE about a sucessful company or person never lets people be successful, why the Heck these people care about. Im just sayin that all these people that comment here and say bad things about Armando their just dont want me or anybody to go somewhere in life. Im really sick and tired of living in this EVIL WORLD. JUST FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND GOALS and dont let negative thoughts bring you down most of us like Armando come from a low income family dont ever forget where you come from EVER. Even people close to you might say “I dont believe in this or that” thats them but you or me have different Dreams and we know that we can reach them with the right help. Thanks a lot Armando your course is awesome i got hooked to your program.

  37. I heard Armando at 5:30am on a radio show here in CA advertising his system. To me, he sounded honest and caring. Granted, I know he wants to sell his system so he has to sound genuine and believable. I don’t know the guy, and I only know him through the show, but I’m not about to judge him from what I hear or read so I decided to order his book. I’ve always been skeptical of things that are too good to be true. I usually do my due diligence before I order, but a free book and just pay $10 for shipping? Why not? Of course, they try to upsell you about the 30-day free trial but then you have to “pay monthly but can cancel at anytime” deal. No worries. It’s a business and I understand the technique. I would’ve been surprised if there was no upsell. I started this week and read the information on his Education Center, and so far, it’s very motivational. I’m still skeptical, but I’ll give this a shot and keep you posted. The bottom line is don’t judge people from what you hear or read. If all you’re doing is writing unsubstantiated claims, then that’s not really fair now, is it? What I would like to know is has anyone actually tried his system? Has anyone read from top to bottom his system and taken his suggestions and actually used them? If so, are you successful or did you fail? Don’t say it doesn’t work if all you did was skimmed through the material and tried his system out the very next week you started. As with every system that has worked and proven, it takes time and patience to make it successful. This may not be the best system in the world, but I’m willing to give it a try, and it will take hard work, patience and a lot of luck. To me, ten dollars is not much to invest in something that may make me millions. Good luck to all of you.

  38. We were at Armando’s seminar in San Diego last night. Armando was there, but, he had a friend do the deed.We spent 2 hours listening to a guy who was so “amped” his sentences ran together. Two hours of nothing but how much better they are than the rest of so -called real estate moguls, like”Carlton Sheets”, etc.

    We were told at confirmation there would be a 90 min. seminar and a Q & A after. Not so. These huxters had this wrapped so tight, and moved so fast, that if they even recognized a raised hand in the commotion, they would have embarrassed you for asking.

    He kept closing. Every 2 minutes came another sales close. “do you want to be a millionaire, raise your hand and say Halelujah. If you didn’t yell, then he said you didn’t want it,” We raised our hands and hallelujah’d 27 times, when I started counting. We made it a drinking game with our free cokes.

    Two hours of being promised you would have your hand held through your journey. You would not be alone. If you didn’t register and buy tonight, they didn’t want you because you didn’t want it bad enough. I will quote Armando here.

    “If you don’t act now, you are fucked, you are losers, because you will never have anything more than what you walked in here with” Here’s another quote”turn off your cell phones, only broke people are calling you.” Here’s a guy, dressed like a pimp in cowboy boots, talking down to people and acting like he’s the second coming.

    They said it was a massive discount we would get. Bottom line $1500. This gives you the dvd’s and course and a 3 (8) hour days back at the Marriott for in-depth, hold your hand classes. But, wait, before we go any further. The classroom only holds so many and we got more than we expected tonight, so, it’s first come, first serve on the classes in San Diego. The rest of you will be re-routed to Hawaii, or Oregon, or something. (on customer’s dime) Also, since it was such an overwhelming response, we don’t have enough courses here so we will ship them to you. But, first we have to have your $1500. I don’t know why they were surprised, we got a confirmation call 2 days before the seminar. They let us know how much money they spent getting us there, ($80,000..who does that?) but they couldn’t have some more courses shipped? They even complained how much the sandwich and chips they gave us cost. In addition, when they ran out, they told the people who didn’t get one, “if you wait too long you miss an opportunity. Some people had to park 4 blocks away.
    They said “you don’t need money, credit, or experience” We’ll be your investor. Use our money. In my opinion, after what I saw (And I have 30 yrs sales experience) The people that bought the course and his tap-dance (not counting the obvious plants paid to jump up and run to the table….probably cousins or neighbors) these people paid $1500. to learn
    how to find Armando his next deal, because, who knows the neighborhoods better than a local? Got to hand it to Armando and his flim-flam men, He’s having people pay him to make him rich. Glorified grunts.
    The whole night there was no company name on anything, no logos, nothing.

    I saw no way of processing credit cards on the tables in the back. Only forms. The genius doing Armando’s dirty work said, “the only thing we ask of you is to sign a waiver that gives us the right to use your testimonial on our info -mercial
    You don’t have to be there if your camera-shy.” I saw the waiver. They basically can do whatever they want after you sign it, and you can’t buy the course without the waiver. Interesting.

    He promise a money-back guarantee if you do everything he tells you to do. If there are 5 steps, I’m sure there will be one that is so unreachable or so obscure that it will void the guarantee, or, he will make so much money off your leg-work, $1500 is nothing. But you’ll probably have to sue to get it. This guy gets lost in numbers. After the class, you only have a toll-free number to hold hands with. That should keep you warm at the closing table.

    Armando, I know you read this. That’s how you stay one step ahead. Good for you, How to get rich with no conscience.

  39. Laura you are absolutely right, down to the waiver, the tables in the back and especially the hallelujahs! Unlike you I went to the 3-day workshop. Sadly enough their were a few students that had no money and scraped up all they had to attend the $3,000 workshop only to find out at the end Armando expected much more money from you. I was blown away at how much money they wanted for their hands on training (~$15 – $29K) to do a bus trip that included driving to homes, and coming back to hotel to assess the homes and show you how to make an offer to the seller or bank.

    Didn’t think the workshop was all that, but the binder we got at the end has been valuable. I have gone through some the numerous CD”s and booklets but nothing to really rave about yet. I decided to do a deal with an expert to get the training I need. Hands on is better than any CD or book.

    I attended another workshop that also had same hallelujahs but was much more upscale and I liked it much better than Armando’s 3-day workshop. Same strategies, just presented slightly different.

    Bottom line if you don’t put anything into these programs you won’t get anything out. It is hard work and time intensive. I want my investment back and will make it work for me.

  40. Hi…Open Minded….If you get this I’d love to hear a little about the other workshop please email me ….tracy@advcapgroup.com…….. I also attended his seminar and it was definitely a lot of HYPE. No real substance about what exactly what was going to go down on the three days of training. Not happy. I did ask one of his helpers if there was going to be any more selling of anything else. The answer was no. Lie? I would like some honest training and/or mentor. please let me know where to go. Thanks.

  41. well i am coming back from the free seminar in bellview, first Armando never show up, hmmm- first ring- I know, second “Armado’s star pupil” begun to talk and it was none stop, 2 hours of information and deals, telling us how good they are, well as Laura wrote, he kept closing every sentence … pretty much the same path … kind of annoying in a way, but this was my second ring;… well, i tell you, the ideas were good, everything was making sense, all the info was fast and loud, risky in a way, very at front but the deals were making sense … i asked myself, Is this to good to be true? and i answered, come on!!! , you want to make money, you need to be at front , secure, kind of annoying, selfish, you will overtalk to anyone … and i thought in Donald … so I called my own attention and decided to keep listening , do not stand up and leave, so … after two hours … i was really annoyed and tired by the whole show this guy was performing, but i was telling myself , these deals sound to easy, – third ring – it needs to be something … no way all these sharks ( they look like, believe me ), are going to give their time for free … so i was right at the end of the seminar, they asked for $ 1500 to go to “Armando’s boot Camp”… i said to myslef , this guy need to be kidding, i can not believed, no way on earth this is happening …. this guy named Jim Something was asking for $1500 to all of us … well !!! he was, he really was!! . The boot camp will be a 3 days marathon from 9 am to 5 pm and you need to give the money now, i mean now!!! or commit yourself to it singing some papers. and in exchange they will be our mentors and taking us by the hand
    Well, i counted 72 people, i saw 75% of the room leave, but where people who were making lines, i mean guys who look like they were doing a big effort, and i said to myself … i pray for this to be true for all of them but i rather pass on this, and i left
    I know …hmmmm, three bell rings , i have a theory and is when you find 3 things that they look wrong, just run out of the deal, well i found more than three in this free seminar.
    I woke up so early , took the bus -1:45 min bus ride, two tranfers- just to listening to this guy , who i really like ( Armando Montelongo) , and he never show up, he sent a guy or all these sharks ( i saw the teeth, i am telling you) who didnt give us time for any questions, and on top of all , they asked for 1500$, with out giving us any reference of who they were in writing ( we can talk and say we are god but…. are we?) … so making this long thing short, i am very dissapointed about the whole process and how Armando is handle it.

  42. My fiancee’s son attended the $1500 three day workshop when it’s raod show pitched tent near the San Francisco Airport. .
    After the course, the boy (let’s call him “Hondo”) posted an ad for “rent to own” on Craigslist and found someone who was looking for “rent to own”.. (This is San Francisco, hence the “SF Bay Area”). He couldn;t find a house available for rent to won…so went on playing video games.
    Of course at the end of the 3 day workshop, they pitched the “coaching” for those who “really want to make it happen”

    By the way, did I mention my fiancee’ payed for the 3 day course? (She works long hours to feed her son’s dream)
    Well, after a few days of sitting idle, “Hondo” gets a call from the Armondo people…saying he showed great enthusiasm (he did…he was psyched…for about two days after the course…then back to the video game)) and that they would let him have the one year coaching for only $3000, instead of the ususal 29k.

    After long begging and pleading, Mom brought out the credit card and payed for the Coaching. (I don’t know the exact mount…it was at least 3k…I try not to get involved when she is upset and I am not Hondo’s father)

    SO he just started this coaching thing…I don;t know where it is going, becaes he’s been playing on-line war games all day. I can understand how “hand-holding” and “coaching” can be beneficial. However, it also takes getting off your ass and studying…and taking copious notes. MOntelongo is a seasoned pro. He would not have had a TV show if he were a flake. I have read some of the negative things about Armondo, yet I also understand that any business can have a lot of snags..legal and otherwise…real estate in particular.

    Hondo has bad work habits. I have tried to “nicely” tell him to that this undertaking of his can be successful, however he needs to change his habits. Even with the Armondo people holding his hand somewhat. It will require hard work, razor sharp focus and follow through.
    I am trying to give an honest somewhat objective view of the picture here.
    WHAT I NEED from you readers of this is this:

    Hopefully, some of you have taken the course with the coaching. I would like an honest opinion of what “Hondo” and his mom can expect. I would like to know if the Armondo Coaching is good…not so good, or just plain a rip off.
    Hondo has a scheduled phone call once a week with his coach. He is still waiting for the course material (DVD’s Workboooks etc. )
    ANy advice or opinion here? Please, I only want to hear from folks who are very familiar with this Course and Coaching. I have read some of negative things relating to Armondo Montelongo. I want to hear it from people who have been through this course and coaching.
    Thanks. Chad Shelby

  43. Ny the way, I have read ALL of the above posts. The ten dollar deal is not the end, After the ten bucks, it’s $1500, after that, it’s $3000. They are good selling young impressionable people. I am wondering if there is another pitch after the coaching comes to a close. I will keep you posted on Hondo’s progress, or lack thereof.
    And John Lindner ((above poster…saying that you have to know Armondo to know he is really a caring man. )), in what way do you know Armondo? Are you a partner? an employee? A friend? I think you owe it us to disclose your relationship to Armondo.
    I am skeptical about this whole deal. 20 plus years ago, I took a $3000 dollar “no money down” course from the “Guru of the Day”. His name was Robert Allen. Bob Allen is a Morman who resides in an oppulent community near San Diego, at least he did back then. It was a three day event. I tried to usc the techniques to make deals happen here in San francisco. I had one fellow ask me: “Did you take Robert Allen’s Course? (before he laughed me out of the room)…. I couldn;t get a single deal done. Realtors had no time for me.
    San Francisco is an expensive market. It is a different market. Yes, there are foreclosures here…in fact I would venture to say much more than I realize. (The house three doors over sold about 4 years ago for $675,000…..It was listed three weeks ago for $485,000…..I know it was a foreclosure. folks are in over their heads. It sold quickly at that price)
    So Hondo has to try to apply Armondos methods in a high & tough market with savvy bankers, buyers and sellers. This is NOT San Antonio, Texas. (Where Armondo does his business) These are not 100 or 200 thousand dollar homes. And this is one of the “affordable neighborhoods” here. Many of the other neighborhoods in San Francisco approach one million dollars and more. And I am not talking about Sea Cliff or Pacific Heights where the prices run into the tens of millions.
    ANyhow, please give me some feedback on the Course and coaching. I wish you all peace and prosperity~ Chad

  44. One last thing on these pre-foreclosure courses pervading the internet. I saw a TV pitch yesterday by a guy named John Alexander. I’ve seen it before. He offers a “free course” for ten bucks to cover shipping & handling. I searched the internet. A lot of bad reviews of this guy. After receiving the course, expect to get bombarded with sales calls for the “workshop”…”BUT WAIT —-THERE’S MORE~!!” More pitches and more money needed before you can really make money. I read posts from folks that said his customer support was all but nil. And these are folks who paid thousands.
    There are plenty of books (used & new) available on doing pre-foreclosure and foreclosure deals all over the net. First place to check would be a search of “Pre-foreclosure books” and “foreclosure books” Get creative, Try stuff like: How to make money in foreclosure properties/book. Then check AMAZON.COM and eBay. A lot of people buy these courses for big money, then want to get rid of it a fraction of their investment on eBay or even Craigslist.
    Everything that Armondo and John Alexander teaches is nothing new. They learned it from somewhere. It takes not being lazy, and really wanting to learn it. Seek the material already available out there for a fraction of what these sheisters charge. They take advantage of the fact that people (Americans?) are inherently lazy and need to be spoon-fed.
    I am learning stock option strategies at the moment. I have a lot of emails from marketers trying to sell me courses that cost between two and seven thousand dollars. I found highly discounted material (DVD’s and books) on the topic at various websites. taught by people I know…”know there shit”. And I did it for only about three hundred dollars, versus thousands.
    So, My advice: Invest in Napoleon Hill’s classic self-motivating bible: “Think & Grow Rich”.
    This will get you in the mind-set to attack anything you desire…and get you off your butt and changing your life for the better. This books was written around the turn of the last century. I believe the copyright has expired, so you may even find it for free in PDF format on the net. Get it: Read it daily…over & over until your thinking changes for the better and you become an unstoppable dynamo! Then do the homework, (research); find the material you need a big discount and learn it. Like the guy in “The Waterboy” sez: “You can do it!”

    There is no good reason to line the pockets of these infomercial snake-oil salesmen with your hard-earned dough.
    CYA…and good luck.

  45. I caught the misspelling: I meant; “know their shit” not “there shit”. I should proof read…but I am a lazy American…heh heh….

  46. It sounds like from the people who attended these workshops… That Armando is probably not doing so well in this market and has moved to trying to get people to pay him money to go to this course etc.. I hope that people wake up… I’ve seen the show in the past and he acts like a jerk to people, and talks down… Slime time!

    Sounds like he is taking people for a little ride..

    It’s sad!!

  47. EVERY BODY WACH OUT!

    I ATTENDEN TO THE ONE IN O.C, CA AND IT WAS A TOTAL SCAM 1ST THEY ANT YOU TO CALL ALL YOUR CREDIT CARDS AND INCREASE THE LIMIT(SUPOSELY BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SEE YOUR INVESTMENT POWER YEA RIGTH!) THEN THEY WANT YOU TO PUT YOUR AVAILABLE CREDIT SO THEY CAN SIZE YOU UP IT IS SAD BECAUSE ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE HOPING TO GET OUT OF MONEY PROBLEMS DO IT AND THEN THEY WANT YOU TO PUT ON A PIECE OF PAPPER HOW MUCH MONEY YOU CAN GET A HOLD OFF, THIS IS ALL TO SELL YOU A BUS TRIP FOR 3 DAYS FOR $25,000 I AM A R.E INVESTOR AS WELL AS A LOAN OFFICER FOR 12 YEARS ALL THEY SAY YOU CAN DO IS A LIE! I SMELLED IT FROM THE BEGINING SO I PUT ON MY SHEET THAT I WAS BROKE ALL Y CREDIT CARDS WHERE MAXED OUT AND THAT I WAS FILLING FOR B.K… WHAT REALLY BLEW MY FUSE WAS ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT PUT THEY HAD MONEY HAD THESE SHARKS THE HOLE SEMINAR ON TOP OF THEM TO ME THEY DIRIN’T EVEN APROACH ME UNTIL THE VERY END AND JUST BECAUSE I DID NOT GO WITH THEIR SCAM AND THEY SAW MY SHEET ONE OF HIS SALES PEOPLE (JIM) WACH OUT FOR THIS ONE HE IS THE BIGEST SHARK! GUESS WHAT HE OFFERED ME? THE SILVER BUS TRIP HE WHEN FROM CHARGING PEOPLE 25K TO CHARGING ME 3,000 FOR THE SAME TRIP. I REALLY HOPE THEY ALL GET THROWN IN JAIL.. NOW HE IS IN CALIFORNIA SO WACH OUT GUYS IT IS ALL A SCAM

  48. MOntelongo had a 3 day seminar in NYC. (he did not attend) The cost $1,575.00. Before the course started you needed to fill out personal information about ones self……Net income, own or rent balance of mortgage, other properties,credit card debt balance on credit cards etc.( I did not reveal any of my assets and my husband was not honest on his. He only revealed 1/4″ of his income and assets.
    His speaker “JIM HARRIS is a pompus wealthy invester who gave unbeleivable advise on flipping and the ways and means to become successfully in real estate for 1/2 of the seminar.(except for the comment referrring to making all this money with your bathrobe and slippers on never leaving the house) The other half was all about how you cant do this alone you need a “MENTOR” you need a family we are that family. bla bla bla This went on for the entire second half of the seminar. Then they started to use the information you gave them. Such as none of you in this room can afford not to stay with the family. Most of you r losers in dead end jobs, etc… Bottom line people Get ready for this for $ 45,000.00 you could become a family member and have a mentor for 1 year. we will help you close all of your deals For the people that almost fell off their chair he offered a BOOT CAMP for 24,000.00. All of these offers were done on a one on one bases in private. The Montelongo staff took the personal information for their benefit for the people that felt they could not afford the other packages. The staff offers advise such as you have enough equity in your home to refinance or can take an equity line of credit, You have 20,000.00 dollars on your credit cards that you can take as cash advance etc……I felt sorry for these people , many of them unemployed or house in foreclosure looking for a way out . I never sat down with any of the staff to discuss these packages.
    I spent 1575.00 to listen and get knowledge about investing/real estate and flipping not to be suckered into another package. This was my time that I paid for. Actually if I put some time and effort into it I could have got this information for free!! So for some folks that 1575.00 was a mortgage payment or an income tax refund for me…… a lesson learned Shame on you Montelongo.

  49. So……. I was lured by Armando Montelongo’s Infomercial the exicetement, the rah..rah…rah and all of the chosen words, just lured my ears to the Television..Immediately i was glued to the TV., so I waited on the phone and registered for his seminar. The first one is free and and they share enough information to get you hoooked so that you can buy the 1500 dollar package, they promise the world, They show an illustration and immediately excitement sinks in and promiseS that this program is the next best thing to sliced bread. but its only the next level, sort of like a filter, Curiosity builds , they make it sound like the ship is moving and you will be left behind. promises of buying homes with no money down , promises that you will receive your money back if you are not successful , promises that your hand will be held are never fulfilled , unless…unles you move to the next filter and your options are $19,000 for a mentor and also the second option you finally get to see Armando Montelongo but at a cost of $25,000 dollars. So finally, Armando charters a bus and takes you on a tour to view properties. In the tour he shows you how to appraise ?repair costs and identify if what you are looking at is a good deal or not. Well i decided that spending 1500 dollars was enough of a loss. In fact no guarantees exist, i feel that fo r $1500 i should have received more information on buying properties with no money down i did receive some convoluded information on how to place a free ad on Craigs list to attract “Jane Do “who is a would be buyer and how I was going to make 10,000 by being the middle man if i were to set up a sale with a seller named “Johhny on the Spot” . I am still waiting on how i am going to buy a property with no money dowm. i laready know i can join a an Investor club and match up with a hard money lender an dthe interest will be astronomical 18 -20 percent. So i came to a conclusion, I paid 1500 so that they can say we will be your hard money lenders and if we like the deal only. This is what sold to me, They lured me in with the promise that i would be buying property with no money down and i feel that ALL i received was a bill of goods and and empty bag to go home. This was just my experience Im not going to say he is not a good person or a bad person sometimes people need to learn by experiencing themselves.

  50. I just came back from the 3 day seminar in Ontario tired. I have seen them all and these guys are good, and unfortuately most people are going to get drawn into this like a vacume. Can it work absolutely, I am living proff but chances are 99.9 will fail. I am afull time Realotr and investor and if it was this easy I would be on an island in Figi instead of workling 70 hours per week. If you really want to get inovlved in real estate investing, get a good Realtor who knows the market and be loyal to him.

    They ask very personal information, which I replied in your dreams. I loved when one of them said then i cannot help you and I replied did I ask for your help? They tthen asked then why are your here, and I smiled and said smae as you to help people would you like my card. Since this is my area can guarantee I know more than you, but good try. When I get ready to invest out of state will call you.

    The said thing is he had a niche and was probably very succesfull, then the greed factor kicked in. How much money did Bernie Madoff need. When people have to stand up and brag how much money they have run. I loved the trainer who calimed he is filty rich and does this just to help people. Yeah and I am in astronut training. My idea of being rich is having my bills paid, good health, family time, and to play a little golf one a week. Do not need the Mc manision and the 100k car.

    Run fast as you can; I specailize in Reo properties if your serious of being an investor drop me a line.

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