Raw Land investing with Programs (landacademy.com vs land geek)

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Raw Land investing with Programs (landacademy.com vs land geek)

Joe Snustad
Flipper/Rehabber · Bismarck, ND · Member since 2015 · 33 posts · 18 votes

Hey everyone!  So I've been listening to REtipster videos, the land geek podcasts, and landacademy.com podcasts for quite some time just taking it all in.  I've been seriously considering purchasing either the Land Geeks program or the Land Academy program and diving into this world or raw land investing.  I was wondering if anyone has had personal experience going through either program.  You can listen to testimonials and stories all day from their websites, but these days I always want to here it from the horses mouth.  Some unbiased opinions would be awesome!

They both seem to be legit companies but again all of my data comes straight from their websites, so of course they want to make themselves look the best possible, who wouldn't...  

PM me if you wish, but any info is greatly appreciated.  Thanks everyone!

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Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
8y

@Mike H.  should have called me I grew up in the land business.. this stuff is old as the hills.

and not much too it.. write letters to buy land in areas that were subdivided years ago and bought as recreational land  ( see movie Glenn Garry Glenn Ross )  then advertise it for sale with LOW down owner carry.. that's the game.. expect 30 to 50% defaults and rinse repeat.

Now my dad when he did it bought most of his at tax sales 300 to 500 parcels at a sale.. then would have 3 day event and sell them all for cash.. he would buy them for say 50 to 200 a parcel and sell them for 795 to 1295 a parcel.. but he did volume and that was in the 60's  and early 70s.. I worked the rooms with him as his assistant..

If you can scale and there are a few folks that have in the US it can be a big business other wise its just like any other wholesaling guru stuff.. they make the money selling you the little course.. which is simply not that complicated..

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  • Patrick Young
    Real Estate Investor · Springfield, VA · Member since 2014 · 41 posts · 17 votes
    8y
    I used the Land Geek. Land academy is good too. Putting them both together would be perfect. Land geek is better for selling strategies and creating paper. Land academy is better for sending mail and buying and quickly flipping for cash to other wholesalers and not the end user. I have used strategies from both. You can avoid the 30-50% default by avoiding the $99 monthly deals. If you sell land for 15k plus get $750 down at least and keep payments above $250 you can keep the defaults lower. My biggest headache now is ppl trying to live on land in RVs full time. Not following zoning. This is more in Oregon. Nevada is so rural I don’t think anyone would notice rvs. Sometimes I feel like I am just buying and trading baseball cards like the childhood days. I think to maintain long term note portfolio you def have to keep up with the defaults and resell or your notes will whittle so it’s not a set it and forget it. Not much different than re renting a house, though you have no mortgage to pay or damage to fix.
    5Reply
  • Mildred Johnson
    Real Estate Agent · Houston, TX · Member since 2014 · 8 posts · 2 votes
    8y

    Hello guys, thanks for all the advice you've shared on this thread.  Myself and I'm sure many others are truly appreciative.

    I have listened to lots of podcasts and read blogs from LG and LA. I have been considering purchasing one of these courses in the near future. I'm more of a buy low and then carry the note to an end buyer type of investor. I hear LG is best for that strategy. However I do need more help with finding these off market deals and the marketing campaigns for both buying & selling them.

    I am a Realtor and I own my brokerage here in Houston, Texas. So, if I buy here, I'm hoping being licensed would be more beneficial for utilizing the MLS in selling the land to an end buyer and keeping commission cost to a minimum.

    I'm all about finding the right education and mentor. So, if anyone have any other information and/or suggestions of books, vloggs, blogs, podcasts, or individuals in general concerning land investing... I'd love to hear it.

    2Reply
  • Joe Mclain
    Consultant · Ball Ground, GA · Member since 2015 · 228 posts · 100 votes
    8y

    @Mildred Johnson - I too am kicking the tires on LA and LG.   If I lived in Houston, there is a guy from Canada Dustin Hahn that buys a lot of Tax Deeds in Houston.   That might be a good resource for you.  The auctions there are quite competitive so I would do my homework.   Best of luck.

    0Reply
  • Christopher Aeschliman
    Wholesaler · Akron Oh · Member since 2017 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    7y

    Hey Everyone,  I am also looking into LG vs LA vs Retipster and I was wondering what you all figured out?  Have you all been buying land?  Etc.

    I hope you all are rocking it out there!

    0Reply
  • Robert Wood
    Investor · Troy, NY · Member since 2016 · 2 posts · 1 vote
    7y

    Hello Everyone

    I have been reading all the previous posts on the Land Academy/Land Geek debate with great interest. I just purchased the Investor Toolkit from the Land Geek not quite a week ago. I am probably 70% done with the modules. I am finding the course to be very detailed so far. 

    The course recommends completing all modules then doubling back and taking action. I chose to wait on some of the marketing material and have started the search for property. 

    About me. I am a part-time investor. I had a few rentals that I owned with a partner (just sold) and do occasional mailings for cash purchases. I have a VA assisting as I have a 9 to 5 (that is actually 530a to 6p with travel).

    I tasked my VA with collecting delinquent tax lists from my chosen counties (suggested by the course). Although she just started collecting the info it has been tricky to gather. The lists obtained are not very complete missing information needed to make offers. Some information is being put together by staff from the county.

    I did receive a call from Mark today that went to voicemail as I was working. He thanked me for my purchase and invited me to register for the next Bootcamp. There would be no charge for this (except travel, hotel, and meals) as I believe it is included in the cost of the course. He also reminded me that I am able to email for support and have two phone calls for support included. 

    I have monitored this site for several years and have found the majority of the information and discussion quite useful. I can't remember if I ever posted or not but if I did it may have been once or twice. I don't believe my level of knowledge puts me in a position to assist others. I am not here to promote or bash this course. My experience using it is just beginning. That being said there seems to be a high level of interest on the subject and I am willing to share my thoughts/progress/failure if anyone is interested. You are welcome to PM me or I could add to this post on occasion. I will give the good, the bad and maybe even the ugly. Who knows, maybe I can contribute something worthwhile here after all. 

    Many thanks to BP and all who post here. I have gained more than you will ever know from my visits.

    Bob

    1Reply
  • Anthony C Palacino
    Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Robert Wood, How is your experience going with the LG course?

    0Reply
  • Robert Wood
    Investor · Troy, NY · Member since 2016 · 2 posts · 1 vote
    7y

    Here is my opinion:

    The Toolkit has all the information you need to do the business. That being said you will still have many questions. Some topics need to be covered in much more detail and others get too much time (again my opinion). 

    I am now doing group training and like it so far. Still have 3 or 4 weeks to go but I have purchased 6 parcels so far. I have not marketed them as of yet but have confidence they will sell for a good multiple of what I paid. 


    I can't compare this to any other program but so far it seems to be working.

    0Reply
  • Anthony C Palacino
    Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    Sounds Great @Robert Wood !  Seems like a lot of the success is from getting the further, more in depth, detailed & needed answers beyond the toolkit?  What group training are you doing?  That's Awesome!

    0Reply
  • John P.
    Real Estate Investor · Birmingham, AL · Member since 2013 · 25 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    @Robert Wood - Any updates? Are you still flipping land?

    0Reply
  • Corey Han
    Real Estate Professional · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2015 · 6 posts · 0 votes
    5y

    Sitting here wondering why Land Academy never called with their 10:30am appt to speak with a representative about their course. It's now 11:30 am and we are in the same city. Imagine if you had an issue you need help with? I would look back to this day and judge it from there.

    By the way, I am vetting all courses and Land Academy is one of the last ones before I make my choice. So far it's a huge negative, and I will probably be going with Land Geeks or RETipster.

    0Reply
  • Corey Han
    Member since 2021 · 2 posts · 3 votes
    5y

    I purchased Land Academy and I can tell you it's outdated and there are holes in this program. Its as if someone came along and removed important pieces to make it inefficient for the newbie. So far I've been screwing around looking for pieces of the puzzle that do not exist and the clock is ticking. I have sent 3 emails with no response and posted on the forums, also with no response. It's seems like it's a ghost town and I was expecting a bit more of a helpful community, not something on auto pilot. I regret not going with RETipster or Land Geek. And so you know, if you live in Az., they do not have a real office location, it's just a mailbox at an address to a place called Mail & Parcel. I should have looked closer when selecting this program.

    2Reply
  • Jeff TumbarelloPro Member
    Real Estate Broker · Fort Myers, FL · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 323 votes
    3y

    Thanks for the interesting thread. Since 2020, In two different partnerships, we have flipped over 300 pieces of land either by assignment or taking title/reselling.

    The market for builders and speculators has fallen tremendously. 

    I am looking for new markets and/or exits.

    I have looked into both programs and neither at an initial glance seemed to have the answer. 


    Who has experience with working the extreme rural land markets?

    0Reply
  • Charles Mazzini
    Katy, TX · Member since 2022 · 8 posts · 5 votes
    3y

    Stay away from Land Academy! I don't want to sound rude, but the so-called course is a joke.  I joined Land Academy recently and found out the hard way. It is extremely archaic, disorganized and what Jack says is crucial as his "Red Yellow Green" test is simply a few calculations on a disorganized spreadsheet. The spreadsheet didn't even work when I joined!  They knew that it didn't work and kept signing people up and never told us!  Yes...everything they do is on disorganized spreadsheets.  There are 10 explainer video's that are below beginner level.  Basically common sense.  Jack seems to be very impatient in his so-called training videos as if he does not like doing them. I guess I understand that now as he is trying to make worthless information sound useful.

    In addition, before you join they tell you that you will get a "free" data tree account. Haha!  Not only is it not free, but they charge you more than if you went direct and they charge you 3.5% on top of that for credit card processing!  So as a member you start to find out that everything they do is for their benefit, not their members.  They constantly try and upsell you on more of their products that can be obtained online elsewhere for much cheaper and with better technology.

    Their support is terrible. If you mention anything is wrong, they take DAYS to "text" you back. You are thrown around from one person to the next. They refused to refund any portion of my membership even after I let them know how dissatisfied I was and that their archaic spreadsheets where broken.

    All in all, I paid for virtually nothing. My star review on Land Academy is -10 stars. 


     

    3Reply
  • Scott Morris
    Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2015 · 184 posts · 83 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Jeff Tumbarello:

    Thanks for the interesting thread. Since 2020, In two different partnerships, we have flipped over 300 pieces of land either by assignment or taking title/reselling.

    The market for builders and speculators has fallen tremendously. 

    I am looking for new markets and/or exits.

    I have looked into both programs and neither at an initial glance seemed to have the answer. 


    Who has experience with working the extreme rural land markets?


     Did you ever connect with someone?  You might want to reach out to Clint Turner at www.Learn.Land 

    0Reply
  • Corey Han
    Member since 2021 · 2 posts · 3 votes
    3y

    The #1 problem in any program is figuring out its worth. You send a mailer to a few zip codes and you get fluctuations in property values. Thats my biggest struggle along with negotiating on the phone

    1Reply
  • Jeff TumbarelloPro Member
    Real Estate Broker · Fort Myers, FL · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 323 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Scott Morris:
    Quote from @Jeff Tumbarello:

    Thanks for the interesting thread. Since 2020, In two different partnerships, we have flipped over 300 pieces of land either by assignment or taking title/reselling.

    The market for builders and speculators has fallen tremendously. 

    I am looking for new markets and/or exits.

    I have looked into both programs and neither at an initial glance seemed to have the answer. 


    Who has experience with working the extreme rural land markets?


     Did you ever connect with someone?  You might want to reach out to Clint Turner at www.Learn.Land 


     Still trying to figure out how to scale nationally. 

    0Reply
  • Mark Eichenlaub
    Investor · Chicago suburbs · Member since 2018 · 31 posts · 4 votes
    3y

    Is the consensus now these are all a waste of time and money?

    1Reply
  • Alex Shin
    San Antonio, TX · Member since 2018 · 103 posts · 31 votes
    3y

    @Corey Han @Corey Han @Charles Mazzini

    I signed up for the land academy course and experiencing a tremendously negative experience as well. Do you mind if I reach out to you privately to discuss? 

    0Reply
  • Jeff TumbarelloPro Member
    Real Estate Broker · Fort Myers, FL · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 323 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Alex Shin:

    @Corey Han @Corey Han @Charles Mazzini

    I signed up for the land academy course and experiencing a tremendously negative experience as well. Do you mind if I reach out to you privately to discuss? 


     Care to share?

    1Reply
  • Aimee Fisher
    Rental Property Investor · Chattanooga · Member since 2022 · 22 posts · 37 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Kristin Young:

    @Joe Snustad....any leads for you yet?   I just purchased The Land Geek and am starting out as well.   


     I have been thinking of buying The land Geek program but was not sure if it was the best one, anyfeed back are you still buying land?

    0Reply
  • Aimee Fisher
    Rental Property Investor · Chattanooga · Member since 2022 · 22 posts · 37 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Alex Shin:

    @Corey Han @Corey Han @Charles Mazzini

    I signed up for the land academy course and experiencing a tremendously negative experience as well. Do you mind if I reach out to you privately to discuss? 


     Hi Alex I am thinking of buying into The land Academy and or Land Geek to jump start my goal of quitting my W2 would love to hear your story. Feel free to PM me Edwin 

    0Reply
  • Aimee Fisher
    Rental Property Investor · Chattanooga · Member since 2022 · 22 posts · 37 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Corey Han:

    I purchased Land Academy and I can tell you it's outdated and there are holes in this program. Its as if someone came along and removed important pieces to make it inefficient for the newbie. So far I've been screwing around looking for pieces of the puzzle that do not exist and the clock is ticking. I have sent 3 emails with no response and posted on the forums, also with no response. It's seems like it's a ghost town and I was expecting a bit more of a helpful community, not something on auto pilot. I regret not going with RETipster or Land Geek. And so you know, if you live in Az., they do not have a real office location, it's just a mailbox at an address to a place called Mail & Parcel. I should have looked closer when selecting this program.


     HI Corey any update on LA the land academy any luck flipping deals aslo do you feel that its still worth getting into with interest rates high and building slowing to a crawl?

    0Reply
  • Edgar U.
    Real Estate Agent · VA · Member since 2008 · 420 posts · 175 votes
    2y

    I completed the Land Academy course and found it to be quite good. However, it is important to note that I highly recommend following through with any course you take.

    As someone who has been buying and selling land full-time for over five years, I suggest focusing on what you are most comfortable with. For example, if you prefer cash flow, the land geek model may be ideal for you. This involves purchasing land at a low cost and selling on terms to generate $100-$250 in monthly profit. Repeating this process a few times could result in passive income of 5k-10k per month.

    Alternatively, if building your capital is your goal (which is my model), then consider selling the land at a higher price and reinvesting the profits into more properties.

    At the moment, I am doing a bit of both models. I buy some land to hold, sell on terms/note, or flip for cash. Currently looking for doing subdividing which is where most folks flock to due to making more ROI on a single purchase.

    One caveat though with the land space, put yourself in a position that your strong at. I started thinking I could do everything, and quickly realized I wasn't good at scrubbing mailers/excels, and other little task like this. My strongest attribute is in acquisitions and I just focus on this while scaling the business. I have a few VAs that do some things for me and I keep focusing on acquistions and sometimes on sales.

    I highly suggest following @Jay Hinrichs around the forum. He is a wealth of knowledge in the land space or any other space for that matter.

    0Reply
  • Joe Snustad
    OP
    Flipper/Rehabber · Bismarck, ND · Member since 2015 · 33 posts · 18 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Aimee Fisher:
    Quote from @Kristin Young:

    @Joe Snustad....any leads for you yet?   I just purchased The Land Geek and am starting out as well.   


     I have been thinking of buying The land Geek program but was not sure if it was the best one, anyfeed back are you still buying land?

    PM'd you.


    0Reply
  • Shannon Wintheiser
    Member since 2019 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    1y

    @Jeff Tumbarello did you decide what to do re: these courses? Or did you go a different direction?

    0Reply
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